Locks: Coventry Canal

The Coventry canal links the Oxford canal at Hawkesbury junction with the Trent & Mersey canal at Fradley junction. The Ashby canal leaves the Coventry at Marston junction. It joins the Birmingham & Fazeley canal at Fazeley junction where the Birmingham & Fazeley carries on south into Birmingham. At Huddlesford junction the Wyrley & Essington canal used to go off towards north Birmingham. This is being restored at present – the section still open at the Birmingham end is called the Curly Wurly by boaters.

The canal runs from Coventry basin to Fradley junction where it meets the Trent & Mersey. A section of a few miles between Fazeley junction and Whittington is actually part of the Birmingham and Fazeley canal which ran out of funds and the Coventry canal company carries on from Whittington to Fradley.  The canal was built in a couple of sections in the 18th century, the section from Atherstone to Fazeleywasn’t opened un til 1799.
 
The canal is 38 miles long and has only 13 locks. All the locks are in the section between Atherstone and Fazeley and are narrow gauge c7' 6" wide. Many of the locks had lock cottages and some still remain.  The lock cottage outside lock 8 was one that was demolished.  On one of our journeys through we moored next to a guy who was the son of the last lock keeper who lived in lock 8 cottage.  I have included a picture of him and his sister and also a picture of the lock cottage from when he lived there.  All that can be seen now is the brick path from the front door to the lock side.

The canal was one of the most persistently profitable canals in the country and paid dividends until 1947.

Locks 1 - 11 Atherstone flight (80' 0")

Lock 1 (Top lock)

Lock 2

Lock 3

Lock 4

Lock 5

Lock 5

Lock 6

Lock 6

Lock 7

Lock 7

Lock 8 with Buddy standing by the original lock cottage path

Lock 8

Lock 8 lock cottage before demolition

Lock 8 son and daughter of lock keeper (we met the son who kindly gave us the photograph)

Lock 9

Lock 10

Lock 10

Lock 11 (Bottom lock)

Lock 11 (Bottom lock)

Locks 12 & 13 Glascote locks (13' 8")

Lock 12 has been notoriously leaky for many years and a poem to the patient boater can be found attached to the lock cottage wall of lock 12,

Lock 12 (Top lock)

Lock 12 (Top lock)

Lock 12 poem

Lock 13 (Bottom lock)

Lock 13 (Bottom lock)