Hampshire Waterways

Itchen Navigation: Survey of 1976

This page contains scanned copies of the pages from a survey of the Navigation carried out by members of the Southampton Canal Society and published by the Society in a duplicated booklet format in March 1977. The booklet was printed on both sides of ten sheets of foolscap paper which were folded in half and stapled together. About 950 copies were produced and sold for the princely sum of 30p.

The survey gives a picture of the condition of the Navigation nearly 50 years ago, together with a brief history of the waterway together with observations and recommendations which recorded impressions of the Itchen Navigation followed by reasons for restoration and possible ways in which these might be achieved.

At the time of this survey, the Departments of Transport and the Environment were proposing that the M3 should be built on the west side of St Catherines Hill and Twyford Down using the site of the Navigation between Tun Bridge and south of the Hockley Crossroads and some of the meadows to the west. The proposals included building a waterway west of the motorway to replace the length used by Winchester College as far as St Catherines Lock but culverting the remainder. It was not until later that the motorway route eventually built through Twyford Down was proposed.

The less controversial proposals for the construction of the M27 across the Navigation north of Mans Bridge were also in the air at this time but construction did not start until 1981. It was in 1979 that the Eastleigh Borough Council acquired the land that is now the Itchen Valley Country Park.

Please note that both the Southampton Canal Society and the Itchen Navigation Society referred to in the book are no longer in existence and the contact details are no longer valid.

All measurements are given in imperial units: miles (1.6 km), furlongs (201 m), yards (90 cm), feet (30 cm), inches (2.5 cm) - feet and inches may be abbreviated to ' and " respectively. Each page of the survey covers 4 furlongs (½ mile - 0.8 km).

The Itchen Navigation

Click on the picture above to start at the beginning of the booklet to include the Introduction, a map and a brief history.

The survey of the Navigation

Click on the picture above to go to the details of the survey of the Navigation from Winchester to Woodmill, Southampton.

The Itchen Navigation

Click on the picture above to go to the Observations on and Recommendations for the Navigation.