Hampshire Waterways

Lock House Lock

There are four locks between Fish House Bay and Mans Bridge that over the years have fallen in various states of decay. Renovation of some of the remaining masonry at Lock House Lock in 2012 and at Mansbridge Lock in 2009 has halted their decay and they are at present easily seen from the path. Sandy Lock, and more particularly Decoypond Lock, can be difficult to spot in the vegetation although some clearance has taken place. But their presence is betrayed by a change in level of the towing path.

Travelling south, the first of the locks was known either as Lock House Lock or Chicken Hall Lock. The first name derives from the fact that there was once a lock cottage beside the canal here. This had no mains electricity or water but was lived in until after the Second World War and was then completely demolished. The site has become overgrown with trees and brambles.

The remains of the substantial stone and brickwork of the lock can be found across the towing path from the site of the house. The masonry was once obscured by dense vegetation but today is much more accessible. During 2012, renovation some of the masonry at this lock (but not all) was undertaken as part of the Itchen Navigation Heritage Trail Project.

Site of Lock House

No trace can be seen of the lock cottage that once stood here.

Image date: 25 Oct 2003.
NG Ref: SU462174.
WGS84: 50° 57′ 17″ N, 1° 20′ 33″ W.
(155.0KB)

Site of Lock House 2019

The site of the cottage has become overgrown with brambles once again.

Image date: 17 Feb 2019.
NG Ref: SU462174.
WGS84: 50° 57′ 17″ N, 1° 20′ 33″ W.
(107.5KB)

Head of Lock House Lock

Wall on offside of head of Lock House Lock, surprisingly not renovated in 2012.

Image date: 17 Feb 2019.
NG Ref: SU462174.
WGS84: 50° 57′ 17″ N, 1° 20′ 33″ W.
(87.5KB)

Head of Lock House Lock

The towing path side of the head of Lock House Lock seen from the offside near the tail.

Image date: 17 Feb 2019.
NG Ref: SU462174.
WGS84: 50° 57′ 17″ N, 1° 20′ 33″ W.
(103.5KB)

Tail of Lock House Lock

The towing path side of the tail of Lock House Lock seen from the offside.

Image date: 17 Feb 2019.
NG Ref: SU462174.
WGS84: 50° 57′ 17″ N, 1° 20′ 33″ W.
(95.6KB)

Tail of Lock House Lock

The offside of the tail of Lock House Lock seen almost hidden in hawthorn.

Image date: 28 May 1976.
NG Ref: SU462174.
WGS84: 50° 57′ 17″ N, 1° 20′ 34″ W.
(109.7KB)

Tail of Lock House Lock

The same wall as in the previous picture on the offside at the tail of Lock House Lock.

Image date: 25 Oct 2003.
NG Ref: SU462174.
WGS84: 50° 57′ 17″ N, 1° 20′ 34″ W.
(140.2KB)

Tail of Lock House Lock

The renovated tail of Lock House Lock as seen from the towing path.

Image date: 27 Apr 2013.
NG Ref: SU462174.
WGS84: 50° 57′ 17″ N, 1° 20′ 33″ W.
(111.5KB)

Tail of Lock House Lock

The renovated tail of Lock House Lock as seen from within the lock chamber.

Image date: 27 Apr 2013.
NG Ref: SU462174.
WGS84: 50° 57′ 17″ N, 1° 20′ 33″ W.
(122.7KB)

Below Lock House Lock

The tail of Lock House Lock from downstream.

Image date: 17 Feb 2019.
NG Ref: SU462174.
WGS84: 50° 57′ 17″ N, 1° 20′ 36″ W.
(86.8KB)

Lock House Lock to the site of New Barn Bridge

Southampton Airport occupies the land to the west of the Navigation from here to the M27 motorway. Whilst fairly busy, the fact that the airport lies on the terrace above the canal with a wooded strip along the boundary means that it is fairly well screened from the former waterway although some aircraft can be a bit noisy. Within the wooded strip it is possible to find the remains of wartime defences of the airfield, which had been the site of the prototype Spitfire’s maiden flight.

As part of the works carried out under the Itchen Navigation Heritage Trail Project, a programme of tree and scrub control commenced, and in summer 2010, works were undertaken to raise, realign and resurface the eroded footpaths, and to replace stiles with kissing gates to improve accessibility. Parts of the canal bed between Lock House Lock and the next are in reasonably good condition but overgrown.

About 500 yards downstream of Lock House Lock is the site of New Barn Bridge (also called Stoneham Farm Bridge) which gave access from the now largely demolished North Stoneham Farm (now within the airport) to the water meadows. The former wooden bridge has been replaced by an earth ramp across the canal but this is now disused and overgrown. A stone edged approach ramp can still be traced in the adjacent meadow.

Downstream of Lock House Lock

The canal bed below Lock House Lock.

Image date: 28 May 1976.
NG Ref: SU461174.
WGS84: 50° 57′ 17″ N, 1° 20′ 37″ W.
(117.6KB)

Downstream of Lock House Lock

The canal bed below Lock House Lock four decades later.

Image date: 17 Feb 2019.
NG Ref: SU461174.
WGS84: 50° 57′ 18″ N, 1° 20′ 38″ W.
(109.4KB)

Navigation and path

Typical view of the canal bed and path between Lock House Lock and New Barn Bridge - looking back towards the lock.

Image date: 17 Feb 2019.
NG Ref: SU460174.
WGS84: 50° 57′ 18″ N, 1° 20′ 43″ W.
(97.9KB)

Culvert under path

This culvert still drains water from the Navigation but today is a little more decrepit.

Image date: Autumn 1975.
NG Ref: SU460174.
WGS84: 50° 57′ 17″ N, 1° 20′ 45″ W.
(71.6KB)

Meadows north of New Barn Bridge

The water meadows seen from the path between Lock House Lock and New Barn Bridge.

Image date: 10 Jul 2010.
NG Ref: SU459174.
WGS84: 50° 57′ 16″ N, 1° 20′ 51″ W.
(82.6KB)

Path north of New Barn Bridge

The towing path seen from the site of New Barn Bridge looking north.

Image date: 4 Mar 2013.
NG Ref: SU458173.
WGS84: 50° 57′ 14″ N, 1° 20′ 55″ W.
(117.0KB)

Site of New Barn Bridge

Site of New Barn Bridge looking south towards Mans Bridge.

Image date: 28 May 1976.
NG Ref: SU458173.
WGS84: 50° 57′ 14″ N, 1° 20′ 55″ W.
(112.9KB)

Site of New Barn Bridge

Site of New Barn Bridge looking towards Bishopstoke.

Image date: 17 Feb 2019.
NG Ref: SU458173.
WGS84: 50° 57′ 13″ N, 1° 20′ 55″ W.
(89.2KB)

Approach ramp at New Barn Bridge

The remains of a long ramp leading to the bridge can just about be discerned.

Image date: 17 Feb 2019.
NG Ref: SU458173.
WGS84: 50° 57′ 13″ N, 1° 20′ 55″ W.
(68.1KB)

The site of New Barn Bridge to Decoypond Lock

Immediately south of New Barn Bridge, the canal is more difficult to recognise and the towing path embankment has in places disappeared. There are a number of small springs in the west bank of the canal and the canal bed is often waterlogged. About 400 yards south of New Barn Bridge there is a kissing gate giving access to the Country Park.

About 50 yards south of the access gate there used to be another wooden occupation bridge called Decoypond Bridge but this appears to have been dismantled by 1895 and was not replaced with an earth bank. The canal narrowed through the bridge but even this is difficult to find in the undergrowth.

Within the meadows of the country park is area of woodland known as Decoy Covert. On the east (far) side of the covert, there used to be a decoy, which consisted of a special pond into which wildfowl could be lured for capture, but it is now largely overgrown.

On the approach to Decoypond Lock, the bed is in better condition and the towpath embankment is about 6 feet high above the meadows. It used to be quite difficult to find the remains but there appears to have been some clearance of the vegetation between the path and the remains of the lock.

Canal bed south of New Barn Bridge

Line of the Navigation south of the site of New Barn Bridge looking north.

Image date: 17 Feb 2019.
NG Ref: SU458173.
WGS84: 50° 57′ 13″ N, 1° 20′ 56″ W.
(79.7KB)

Path south of New Barn Bridge

Looking north along the present path which sometimes leaves the original raised towing path.

Image date: 17 Feb 2019.
NG Ref: SU457172.
WGS84: 50° 57′ 10″ N, 1° 21′ 01″ W.
(109.0KB)

Path south of New Barn Bridge

For some 50 yards, the present path even runs along the bed of the waterway.

Image date: 17 Feb 2019.
NG Ref: SU457171.
WGS84: 50° 57′ 07″ N, 1° 21′ 02″ W.
(90.4KB)

Gateway to the country park

A kissing gate gives access to the water meadows lying south of Decoy Covert.

Image date: 17 Feb 2019.
NG Ref: SU456170.
WGS84: 50° 57′ 03″ N, 1° 21′ 05″ W.
(93.0KB)

Decoypond Lock

A number of large trees growing in the brickwork have extensively damaged the lock masonry and vegetation in summer effectively hides much of it from view. The canal bed within and south of this lock is usually very boggy, even waterlogged. Of all the locks on the Navigation, Decoypond Lock can probably claim to be the most ruinous. Although there has been some clearance of the trees around the lock, no renovation of the masonry seems to have undertaken as part of the Itchen Navigation Heritage Trail Project.

Head of Decoypond Lock 1976

The distorted brickwork on the offside of the head of Decoypond Lock.

Image date: 28 May 1976.
NG Ref: SU455168.
WGS84: 50° 56′ 58″ N, 1° 21′ 09″ W.
(107.5KB)

Head of Decoypond Lock 2019

The tree previously distorting the brickwork on the offside has been removed.

Image date: 17 Feb 2019.
NG Ref: SU455168.
WGS84: 50° 56′ 58″ N, 1° 21′ 09″ W.
(117.4KB)

Tail of Decoypond Lock 2003

This tree grew out of the wall nearest the towing path at the tail of the lock and emerged horizontally.

Image date: 25 Oct 2003.
NG Ref: SU455168.
WGS84: 50° 56′ 57″ N, 1° 21′ 09″ W.
(130.3KB)

Tail of Decoypond Lock 2019

The tree has fallen across the tail of the lock taking some of the brickwork with it.

Image date: 17 Feb 2019.
NG Ref: SU455168.
WGS84: 50° 56′ 57″ N, 1° 21′ 09″ W.
(113.5KB)

Tail of Decoypond Lock 2003

The wall on the offside at the tail of the lock has several large trees growing from it.

Image date: 25 Oct 2003.
NG Ref: SU455168.
WGS84: 50° 56′ 57″ N, 1° 21′ 09″ W.
(138.8KB)

Tail of Decoypond Lock 2019

Viewed from below the lock, the large trees remain in the offside wall but have been joined by the fallen tree.

Image date: 17 Feb 2019.
NG Ref: SU455168.
WGS84: 50° 56′ 56″ N, 1° 21′ 09″ W.
(106.7KB)

Decoypond Lock to Sandy Lock

The canal bed within and south of Decoypond Lock is usually very boggy, even waterlogged but as one nears Sandy Lock, it becomes much drier. In cross-section, the canal is in good condition but with some trees growing in it. The path is somewhat eroded in parts but up to 5 or 6 feet above the meadows.

Itchen Valley Country Park

Water meadows in the Itchen Valley Country Park near Decoypond Lock.

Image date: 25 Oct 2003.
NG Ref: SU455168.
WGS84: 50° 56′ 56″ N, 1° 21′ 09″ W.
(75.1KB)

Canal south of Decoypond Lock

The canal bed looking north towards Decoypond Lock.

Image date: 17 Feb 2019.
NG Ref: SU455166.
WGS84: 50° 56′ 52″ N, 1° 21′ 09″ W.
(104.9KB)

Modern drain

Modern pipe to drain the bed of the canal running under the towing path between Decoypond Lock and Sandy Lock.

Image date: 25 Oct 2003.
NG Ref: SU455166.
WGS84: 50° 56′ 50″ N, 1° 21′ 10″ W.
(121.6KB)

Canal north of Sandy Lock

The canal bed and path a little north of Sandy Lock looking towards Decoypond Lock.

Image date: 17 Feb 2019.
NG Ref: SU454164.
WGS84: 50° 56′ 45″ N, 1° 21′ 14″ W.
(98.5KB)

Sandy Lock

Sandy Lock is the third lock along the ‘dry’ section of the Navigation. The head of this turf sided lock is in poor condition: the brickwork that remains is much distorted by tree roots. The rusted remains of barbed wire entanglements, presumably from the Second World War defences of the airport (known as HMS Raven), lie at the head of the chamber.

The tail is the most impressive on this section of the Navigation with both the near and offside walls about 8 feet high. The brickwork on the offside was, until less than fifty years ago, almost complete but part has now collapsed as the mortar between the bricks has decayed and trees have taken their toll. The brickwork on the towpath or near side has suffered more from the effects of trees but more brickwork remains standing.

Head of Sandy Lock

The offside wall at the head of Sandy Lock.

Image date: 17 Feb 2019.
NG Ref: SU454164.
WGS84: 50° 56′ 44″ N, 1° 21′ 15″ W.
(105.4KB)

Head of Sandy Lock

The nearside wall at the head of Sandy Lock.

Image date: 17 Feb 2019.
NG Ref: SU454164.
WGS84: 50° 56′ 44″ N, 1° 21′ 15″ W.
(99.4KB)

Clinging on

This tree has a number of bricks from the nearside head wall in its grasp.

Image date: 17 Feb 2019.
NG Ref: SU454164.
WGS84: 50° 56′ 44″ N, 1° 21′ 15″ W.
(95.5KB)

Keep out!

Some of the barbed wire entanglements dumped in the lock near the head, probably part of the wartime defences of the adjacent airfield, HMS Raven.

Image date: 17 Feb 2019.
NG Ref: SU454164.
WGS84: 50° 56′ 43″ N, 1° 21′ 15″ W.
(114.7KB)

Offside wall at tail of lock 1976

The offside wall at the tail of the lock in 1976 was substantially more intact than today.

Image date: 28 May 1976.
NG Ref: SU454163.
WGS84: 50° 56′ 43″ N, 1° 21′ 16″ W.
(108.7KB)

Offside wall at tail of lock 2019

Although much of the brickwork downstream of the bottom gate position still stands, a large amount nearer the camera has collapsed.

Image date: 17 Feb 2019.
NG Ref: SU454163.
WGS84: 50° 56′ 43″ N, 1° 21′ 15″ W.
(105.3KB)

Nearside wall at tail of Sandy Lock 2003

A fair amount of brickwork remains but it is affected by much tree growth.

Image date: 25 Oct 2003.
NG Ref: SU454163.
WGS84: 50° 56′ 43″ N, 1° 21′ 16″ W.
(122.5KB)

Tail of Sandy Lock

A view south between the walls at the tail of the lock from within a wet chamber.

Image date: 17 Feb 2019.
NG Ref: SU454164.
WGS84: 50° 56′ 43″ N, 1° 21′ 16″ W.
(94.9KB)