O.S. Reference: 027811 to 035814
Water Level height A.O.D.: Dunnington Level
Features:
- Inflow from Tockenham Reservoir 028812
- Spillway 031814
- Cut through towpath to drain 031814
- Tokenham Bridge 035814
STATUS
Not currently available for restoration.
The Canal bed is private land.
| Length:830m/0.51M O.S. Reference: 027811 to 035814 Water Level height A.O.D.: Dunnington Level Features:
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What Jack Dalby said in 1985.
"The canal can be followed, with difficulty, to 836014, the bed now carrying the outflow from Tockenham Reservoir." |
| From Trow Lane, the towpath is a public footpath, and the Canal is in a cutting. It is fairly heavily overgrown at first, and the bed appears to be filled up with silt. |  |
| The towpath used to be under water in times of heavy rain; but in tghe interval since my first exploration in 1993, someone has cut a channel to take the water down to the spillweir, and has installed two pipes further on to drain s couple of small streams down to the stream which runs below the canal. |  |
It was not possible to examine the inflow from Tokenham Reservoir, as it was too heavily overgrown; however there was a considerable flow entering.
At 031814 there is a spillway, similar to that at Dauntsey, but smaller; two culverts under the towpath, circular or semicircular, I couldn't see; rough arches, two header courses with a stretcher as keystone. Bullnose coping on the walls and on the spill wall - of which about half remains.
The whole structure is heavily overgrown and silted up.
A few yards further on, the towpath has been cut through (the ground falls away steeply on the north, towpath, side) and is crossed by a bridge of sorts - Armco, it looks like. There is a stile at each end of it.
A stream enters from the south, and flows across and out at the cut.
From here, the towpath is clear and wide for most of its length up to Tockenham Bridge, and is used for driving cows. About half of the way along another stream enters and has made the towpath impassably muddy, even in wellies; a few branches have been placed so that the intrepid can pass. Neveretheless there is evidence that this end of the length is well walked.
| At the end of the wing walls of Tockenham Bridge there were stop plank grooves; the top of one of these can be seen in the picture - the white stone beside the tree. The reason for stop planks here would be to protect the pound where it runs on a high embankment going east from here. Running off to the right from here can be seen (just) the bullnose coping of the bridge wing walls. |
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The section is not at present available for restoration. However there would be few practical problems.
Could be done in two stages, up to the spillway and then beyond.
The outfall from Tockenham Reservoir enters just above Trow Lane. Several streams or ditches enter the Canal further on.
The towpath is a public right of way for the whole of this section. It takes a brave, and hermetically shod, soul to walk it.
None for some distance.
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