History of the Itchen Navigation
Maps Articles & Reports Image Gallery
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Tunbridge in Winchester in the 1870s (Winchester City Council Museums). The Navigation is being used for boating and bathing, while children look on from the bridge.
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The Itchen Navigation was originally constructed in the late seventeenth century to carry chalk, aggregates, coal and timber.
New cuts and emabankments were used to create a route that could be navigable by the the barges used to transport the goods. It was an important business at the time. Locks, sluices and hatches were also built to control the water levels and manage flow to water meadows and mills adjacent to the Navigation.
The 1st edition of Edwin Course's book on the Itchen Navigation is currently available from Waterstones. The 2nd edition of the book is available from the Hampshire Industrial Archaeology Society.
Maps
Locations of heritage features on the Itchen Navigation
North map 1MB
South map 1MB
Articles and Reports
St Catherine's Lock to the Winchester wharves May 2010, [1.3MB]
The last mile of the Itchen Navigation south of Winchester is rich in history, and is now being developed as an environmental and recreational resource for future generations to enjoy. Its story includes an Iron Age hill-fort, a 19th century timber mill, three bustling town wharves, and a bridge so narrow that the young rowers of Winchester College once had to pull in their oars to shoot through it.
The Secret Story of Woodmill Sep 2009, [1.5MB]
Throughout history Woodmill, in the Southampton suburb of Swaythling, has been a centre for many industries, including milling, manufacturing and water transport. The tale takes us back to time of axon Southampton, when the River Itchen was a vital source of food and power to local people, and a major artery of transport and commerce in Hampshire.
The Itchen Navigation at Work Oct 2008, [80KB]
The Itchen Navigation canal that links Winchester to Southampton may be a peaceful wildlife habitat today, but it was once an important business. Proprietors, barge owners and bargemen all relied on it for their livelihood. Its commercial role finally ended in the 1850s, killed off by the arrival of the railwaysMansbridge Lock by Terry Gould May 2008, [110KB]
Sandwiched between the M27 motorway and the busy A27 road near Southampton airport, Mansbridge Lock was once the only crossing above the river Itchen’s tidal reach, and a vital link to Portchester from as early as Roman times.
Itchen Navigation Heritage Report Apr 2005, [600KB]
In 2005, Wessex Archaeology was commissioned by the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Trust to compile a heritage report for inclusion in a Conservation Management Plan for the Itchen Navigation Heritage Trail Project.
Preserving the Heritage
Reminders of the former use of the Navigation can still be found today. The old towpath which was used by horses to drag the barges up the river is now a public footpath. Locks, bridges and sluices still exist in varying states of repair.
As part of the Itchen Navigation Heritage Trail Project, we have undertaken preservation work on Mansbridge Lock in Southampton, Brambridge Hatch near Otterbourne, Twyford End Lock (north of Twyford) and St. Catherine's Lock in Winchester. Read the heritage reports below to find out what was involved:
Heritage Report: Preservation of Brambridge Hatch on the Itchen Navigation Nov 2011, [3MB]
Heritage Report: Preservation of Mansbridge Lock on the Itchen Navigation Nov 2011, [5MB]
Heritage Report: Preservation of St. Catherine's Lock on the Itchen Navigation Nov 2011, [4MB]
Heritage Report: Preservation of Twyford End Lock on the Itchen Navigation Nov 2011, [4MB]
