Itchen Navigation

More Information

Whilst this site gives a fairly detailed account of the Navigation, those seeking further information might find the following resources of interest.

Books

The following books give information about the Itchen Navigation. Note: Except for the 2011 edition of Edwin Course’s book and the 2022 guide book on the Itchen Way, all these books are currently out of print but may be found second-hand via the internet or possibly borrowed from your local library.

Books covering the Itchen Navigation
Title Author ISBN & Size Publisher Notes
The Canals of South and South East England Charles Hadfield Hardback: 978-0715346938
Pages: 393
(215mm x 135mm)
David & Charles - Nov 1969 A comprehensive history of English inland waterways east of Bristol and south of and including the Thames. 6 pages relate to the Itchen Navigation. Considerably extended version of part of “The Canals of Southern England” of 1955.
The Itchen Navigation Edwin Course Paperback:
First (1983) edition: 978-0905280066. Second (2011) edition: 978-0905280103
Pages: 38
(297mm x 220mm)
Southampton University Industrial Archaeology Group (SUIAG) - A4 softback: 1983.
Hampshire Industrial Archaeology Society (HIAS) - A4 softback: 2011.
The former SUIAG is now known as HIAS. The 2011 edition was slightly updated and is available from HIAS.
The author details the history of the waterway and also describes the route of the Navigation as he saw it in 1982 together with photographs.
Hampshire Waterways P A L Vine Hardback: 978-0906520840
Pages: 96
(232mm x 165mm)
Middleton Press - Nov 1990 Contains mainly images (historical and modern) of most waterways in Hampshire. It includes 16 pages of maps, pictures and extracts from old documents about the Navigation.
Lost Canals and Waterways of Britain Ronald Russell Hardback: 978-0715380727
Pages: 272
(215mm x 135mm) Paperback: 978-0722175620
Pages: 264
(197m x 131mm)
David & Charles - Hardback: Jan 1982.
Sphere - Paperback: April 1983.
2¾ pages devoted to the Itchen Navigation. Expanded and updated version of “Lost Canals of England and Wales” (which does not include the Itchen Navigation and published Oct 1971 ISBN: 978-0715354175).
Exploring the Itchen Way Richard C Kenchington Paperback: 978-1853060836
Pages: 128
(207mm x 145mm)
Countryside Books - 1990 This is a guide book to walking the Itchen Way which is divided into 15 walks, most of them circular. Notes link each section for those wishing to walk the full 31.8 miles. There is also a later guide by the same author - see below.
The Itchen Way Richard C Kenchington Paperback: No ISBN
Pages: 76
(207mm x 145mm)
Eastleigh Ramblers - 3rd edition 2022 This is a guide book to walking the Itchen Way from sea to the source of the river as a linear path. Further information and details of purchase from the Eastleigh Ramblers.

Other Documents

The following is a non-exhaustive list of free documents giving more information about various aspects of the Itchen Navigation.

Documents covering aspects of the Navigation
Author Date Title Publisher Notes
R G Morris undated Bishopstoke Water Meadows Eastleigh & District Local History Society A paper explaining how water meadows used to be drowned (or flooded) in late winter near Bishopstoke.
R G Morris Written 1995 History of Bishopstoke, Hampshire - The Water Meadows Bishopstoke History Society A similar article written by the same gentleman as the paper above has recently been published on the Bishopstoke History Society website.
Hadrian Cook and Kevin Young 2011 The Watermeadows at the Itchen Valley Country Park near Eastleigh, Hampshire Proceedings of the Hampshire Field Club and Archaeological Society Vol 66, 2011, pp. 166-186. Details about the water meadows within the country park adjacent to the Navigation.
Twyford Parish Council 2020 The Meads & Berry Meadow Twyford Parish Council Webpage about the water meadows owned by the parish council and visiting them.
Edward Roberts 1985 Alresford Pond, A Medieval Canal Reservoir: A Tradition Assessed Proceedings of the Hampshire Field Club and Archaeological Society Vol 41, 1985, pp. 127-13. Did the Navigation extend upstream of Winchester in medieval times?
Alec Samuels 1982 The Itchen Navigation: A Lawyer's View of the Legal Issues Proceedings of the Hampshire Field Club and Archaeological Society Vol 38, 1982, pp. 113-20. Thoughts about the right of navigation on the Itchen.
Christopher K Currie 1997 A possible ancient water channel around Woodmill and Gater's Mill in the historic manor of South Stoneham Proceedings of the Hampshire Field Club and Archaeological Society Vol 52, pp. 89-106. This essay conjectures that a channel near Gater's Mill is the Saxon "New River", and looks at the history of the river in the vicinity of Woodmill and Gater's Mill.
John Langdon & James White 2017 An Early 17th Century River Environment: The 1618 Survey of the Itchen. Proceedings of the Hampshire Field Club and Archaeological Society. Vol 72, pp. 142-165. This examines a survey of the Itchen made in 1618 with a view making the river navigable. Now available on-line.
Edwin Course 1967 The Itchen Navigation Proceedings of the Hampshire Field Club and Archaeological Society Vol 24, 1967, pp. 113-26. This paper is a precursor of the book of the same name published in 1983 (see book list above).
Wessex Archaeology 2005 Itchen Navigation Heritage Trail Hampshire Wessex Archaeology Ltd. Heritage Report for inclusion in a Conservation Management Plan in preparation for the application for funds from the Heritage Lottery Fund.
Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust 2012 The Itchen Navigation Heritage Trail Project Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust A 20 page pamphlet summarising the work achieved during the project.
Polly White 2011 Heritage Report: Preservation of St Catherines Lock on the Itchen Navigation (3.74MB). Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust A 12 page document summarising the work done on this lock during the Heritage Trail Project including pictures.
Polly White 2011 Heritage Report: Preservation of Twyford End Lock on the Itchen Navigation (3.08MB). Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust A 10 page document summarising the work done on this lock during the Heritage Trail Project including pictures.
Polly White 2011 Heritage Report: Preservation of Brambridge Hatch on the Itchen Navigation (2.27MB). Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust A 9 page document summarising the work done on this set of hatches during the Heritage Trail Project including pictures.
Polly White 2011 Heritage Report: Preservation of Mansbridge Lock on the Itchen Navigation (3.88MB). Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust A 13 page document summarising the work done on this lock during the Heritage Trail Project including pictures.
Terry Gould May 2010 St Catherine's Lock to the Winchester wharves (1.26MB). Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust A 9 page document explores some of the history of the Navigation in the Winchester area.
Terry Gould Oct 2008 The Itchen Navigation at work (80.0KB). Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust A 4 page document explores the operation of the waterway.
Terry Gould May 2008 Mansbridge Lock (109.5KB). Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust A 1 page document looks at Mansbridge Lock.
Terry Gould Sep 2009 The secret story of Woodmill (1.5MB). Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust A 9 page document explores some of the history of Woodmill.
Howard Sprenger 2020 Drawings of Woodmill by Turpin de Crissé (4.28MB). Hampshire Industrial Archaeology Society A 9 page article in HIAS Journal No. 28 pp23-31 (2020) about 5 drawings of Wood Mill made in 1793.
Martin Gregory 2020 Wharf Mill (Segrim’s Mill), Winchester (4.28MB). Hampshire Industrial Archaeology Society A 6 page article with photographs in HIAS Journal No. 28 pp17-22 (2020) about Wharf Mill, Winchester about 150 yards upstream of Blackbridge Wharf.
Chris Corcoran 2018 The Five Mills of Twyford in 1300 Compton and Shawford Local History Society This webpage, despite its title, is about the history surrounding Shawford Mill which adjoins the Navigation.
Joseph Priestley 1831 Historical Account of the Navigable Rivers, Canals, and Railways of Great Britain Longman, Rees, Orme, Brown and Green, London, 1831 A few details of the tolls and charges for carrying goods. Copies of the original book may be found on the internet but are not cheap. There are also reprints at a lower price. The link on the left leads to a transcription of the entry for the Itchen Navigation.

Itchen Catchment Data

The Department for Environment Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA) publishes data about all river catchments in England which allow you to explore and download information about the water environment in your area and access river basin management plans. Data from the Environment Agency on the Itchen is available in two sets: the first on the main river including some parts of the Navigation on this first page and a second set for the remaining part of the Navigation between Tumbling Bay and just below Withymead Lock on this second page.

Itchen Navigation Heritage Trail Project

A site called www.itchennavigation.org.uk used to give details and news of the project to conserve the Navigation but this was superseded by a much diminished part of the Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust (HIWWT) website. During 2018, all reference to the Itchen Navigation on their website at https://www.hiwwt.org.uk/ seems to have been removed. However, a few of the documents that were available via this site are listed in the table of documents above. Unfortunately, some of the historical information in their documents is not error free.

Friends of the Itchen Navigation Facebook Group

In 2020, a Facebook group was established with a view to fostering interest in the Navigation. Currently (January 2024) the group has about 2,500 members. The group is concerned by the neglect of the Navigation since the completion of the Heritage Trail Project. This group is dedicated to the Itchen Navigation and will include scenic photos, wildlife photos, experiences and its history. Details can be found on Facebook.

The Itchen Navigation Preservation Trust

In addition, a charity, “The Itchen Navigation Preservation Trust”, was set up in 2023. One of the first things it aims to do is undertake a condition survey of the whole Navigation and then to set up a maintenance plan for clearing vegetation on the locks, etc. The charity will have lots more aims other than the physical work and it is hoped to raise money soon for some larger projects. It is yet to set up its website.

River Itchen Archaeological Project Website

A website called http://www.geog.port.ac.uk/webmap/itchen/ (which no longer exists) dealt with archaeological investigations undertaken on the tidal part of the river in Southampton. Further information may be available from the Maritime Archaeology Trust.

Coastal change in the mouth of the River Itchen

A document used to be available from a French website (in English: Alpine Center for Natural Hazards and Risks Prevention - in French: “Pôle Alpin d'études et de recherche pour la prévention des Risques Naturels” that gave information on archaeological and palaeo-environmental investigations on the tidal part of the Itchen. Although no longer available from the French site, a PDF copy has been obtained and is available here (0.48MB).

The Industrious Itchen River

A recent presentation that covers the tidal river from prehistoric to present times has appeared on the internet under the above title. “This interactive Story Map aims to expand on the information learned through the Itchen River Project (1997-2002) and subsequent studies of the Itchen River to the greater public so everyone can enjoy the rich history of the industrious river that glides through our back gardens.” It may be found at this address.

MAGIC website

The MAGIC website provides current geographic information about the natural environment from across government. The information covers rural, urban, coastal and marine environments across Great Britain. It is presented in an interactive map which can be explored using various mapping tools that are included. Users do not require specialist software and can access maps using a standard web browser. This information can be examined free at the Magic Map managed by Natural England.

Water Meadows

In addition to the water meadows adjacent to the Navigation at Twyford, those interested in water meadows and how they were used in former times could do worse than also visiting Harnham Water Meadows. These can be found on the south west side of Salisbury between West Harnham and the city. Today the meadows are managed by the Harnham Water Meadows Trust. They are a group of volunteers who maintain and promote the meadows, and conserve the natural diversity of wildlife. The meadows are designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest. Further information can be found on their website at https://www.salisburywatermeadows.org.uk.

Further research

If you wish to delve even deeper into the Navigation’s past, there is a page on this website which provides information about various resources that might help find out more than the above books and documents provide.

For example, many records about the Itchen Navigation are held in the Hampshire Record Office in Winchester which is run by Hampshire County Council. Some resources are held at various other archives nationwide details of which should be discoverable through the National Archives. Details of these and other resources, local and national, can be found here.