Locks: Grand Union Canal South 1 - 26

Grand Union Main Line Southern section, locks 1 - 26: Braunston to Soulbury

The Grand Union Canal Main Line runs for 137 miles through 166 locks from Brentford on the River Thames to Salford Junction in the north east of Birmingham. All the locks are double width locks except the final 11 locks in Birmingham. The locks on the Knowle flight are the first double width locks heading south from Birmingham.

The southern section runs from Brentford in London 93 ½ miles through 101 locks to Braunston. The southern section of the Main Line was originally built as the Grand Junction canal. The Grand Junction canal opened from Braunston to Weedon on 21st June 1796, and a few weeks later it was extended as far south as Blisworth, where a long tunnel was under construction. Blisworth Tunnel and an embankment at Wolverton were not finished until March and August 1805 when the Grand Junction was opened as a through route for the first time. In the meantime goods had to bypass Blisworth Tunnel on a temporary railway, and at Wolverton a diversion via the river Ouse was required.

The Grand Union Canal was formed in 1929 from many separate canal systems. The Main Line itself was formed from the following four canals:

- Birmingham & Warwick Junction Canal (Salford to Bordesley)
- Warwick & Birmingham Canal (Bordesely to Warwick)
- Warwick & Napton Canal (Warwick to Napton)
- Grand Junction Canal (Brentford to Braunston)

There is a five mile section from Braunston to Napton which is actually the Oxford canal. This section was never bought by the Grand Union Canal Company.

The Southern Main Line locks are numbered from 1 at Braunston at the northern end to 101 at Brentford at the southern end.

Locks 1 - 6 Braunston locks (35' 6")

Lock 1 - Braunston Bottom lock

Lock 1 - Braunston Bottom lock

Lock 2

Lock 3

Lock 3

Lock 4

Lock 5

Lock 6 - Braunston Top lock

Locks 7 - 13 Buckby locks (63' 0")

Lock 7 - Buckby Top lock

Lock 8

Lock 9

Lock 10

Lock 11

Lock 11

Lock 12

Lock 13 - Buckby Bottom lock

Locks 14 & 15 - Stoke Bruerne Top Flight (16' 0")

Lock 14

Lock 14

Lock 14

Lock 14

Lock 15

Locks 16 - 20 Stoke Bruerne Bottom Flight (40' 0")

Lock 16

Lock 16

Lock 16

Lock 16

Lock 17

Lock 18

Lock 19

Lock 20

Lock 21 - Cosgrove lock (3' 4")

Lock 22 - Fenny Stratford lock (1' 1")

Lock 23 - Stoke Hammond lock (6' 11")

Lock 24 - 26 - Soulbury locks (20' 1")

Lock 24 - Soulbury Bottom lock

Lock 24 - Soulbury Bottom lock

Lock 25 - Soulbury Middle lock

Lock 26 - Soulbury Top lock

Lock 26 - Soulbury Top lock