Hampshire Waterways

Shootend (Shute End) Locks

Note: The form of the name “Shootend” was used on Ordnance Survey maps before the Second World War. Others used the form “Shoot End”. In more modern times the form “Shute End” seems to have become universal. This portrait uses the form of the name current at the time the canal was being constructed.

In September 1800, the project was modified to extend the canal from Whaddon to a wharf next to what is now called Old Road on the north side of Shootend Copse. In 1800 this was the turnpike road between Southampton and Salisbury - it was not until 1808 that a new alignment for the turnpike was constructed by French prisoners of war bypassing Shootend and lessening the steepness of the gradient on the ascent from the Avon Valley towards Alderbury. This new alignment was part of the main Salisbury to Southampton road for 170 years until the dual carriageway Alderbury Bypass was opened in 1978.

The course of the canal runs northwards from the site of the first lock in the descent towards Salisbury for about 60 yards before entering Shootend Copse. The canal turns to run north-west and descend diagonally down the side of a steepish hill. Within the wood there appears to be the remains of three lock pits descending about 22 feet (6.7 metres). Without archaeological investigations it is not possible to tell whether these pits ever contained any brickwork for the lock chambers or whether work stopped before construction of the masonry started. It may be significant that the wood on the west side of Shootend Road is called Brickkiln Plantation. As happened at other places along the canal after construction was abandoned, it is quite probable that many or all of the expensive bricks, if they were present, were taken for use elsewhere.

The 1800 plan envisaged a wharf adjacent to Old Road but no evidence of such a feature is apparent.

Aerial view of Shootend Locks

This map based on LIDAR data shows the line of the canal from west of Alward House to Shootend. The false colours have been used to give an indication of altitude.

Image date: 2020.
Map centre - NG Ref: SU176275.
WGS84: 51° 02′ 50″ N, 1° 44′ 58″ W.
(64.8KB)

Head of Lock 16

In Shootend Copse the line of the canal can be found again. Looking north west, this is the remains of the head of the chamber of the second lock on the descent towards Salisbury.

Image date: 19 Mar 2005.
NG Ref: SU177275.
WGS84: 51° 02′ 49″ N, 1° 44′ 56″ W.
(132.0KB)

Chamber of Lock 16

This picture shows the chamber of Lock 16 from the southwest side.

Image date: 20 Feb 2020.
NG Ref: SU176275.
WGS84: 51° 02′ 50″ N, 1° 44′ 57″ W.
(91.4KB)

Canal between Locks 17 and 16

Looking from near the head of Lock 17, this image shows the pound towards Lock 16.

Image date: 20 Feb 2020.
NG Ref: SU176276.
WGS84: 51° 02′ 51″ N, 1° 45′ 00″ W.
(104.3KB)

Below Lock 17

This view is looking back up the flight of locks through the chamber of lock 17.

Image date: 19 Mar 2005.
NG Ref: SU175276.
WGS84: 51° 02′ 53″ N, 1° 45′ 02″ W.
(141.5KB)

The pound between Locks 18 and 17

This photo shows part of the pound between these two locks.

Image date: 20 Feb 2020.
NG Ref: SU175276.
WGS84: 51° 02′ 53″ N, 1° 45′ 03″ W.
(102.8KB)

The head of Lock 18

The head of Lock 18 is shown - this probably the least well defined lock of the three locks in the copse.

Image date: 20 Feb 2020.
NG Ref: SU175276.
WGS84: 51° 02′ 53″ N, 1° 45′ 04″ W.
(95.0KB)

The tail of Lock 18

This is the tail of the bottom lock in this flight.

Image date: 20 Feb 2020.
NG Ref: SU175276.
WGS84: 51° 02′ 53″ N, 1° 45′ 04″ W.
(96.3KB)

Shootend (Shute End) to Belmont

Below the locks, the course of the canal turned left to pass under Shootend Road a few yards south of its junction with Old Road. Travelling north, the canal bed is evident in a number of places along the west side of Shootend Road, passing through woodland once called Little Shootend Plantation but changed on the Ordnance Survey revision of 1900 to Cupid’s Grove. It extends as far as two modern houses, Egret’s Rise and Heron’s Reach, which appear to have been built on the canal’s alignment. This is the last place that the line of the canal can be traced.

North of these two houses is St Marie’s Grange, dating from 1835 and listed as a Grade 1 building. It is the first of two houses architect and designer Augustus Pugin built for himself. Later, Pugin was a major contributor in the design and construction of the present Houses of Parliament. It is possible that the site of the Grange, or the two houses south of it, was to be the terminal basin and wharf, at least until the money became available to build the last 1¾ miles (2¾km) to Salisbury. The site is next to the junction of the old turnpike road with the newer, re-aligned turnpike road. Although the new turnpike was not built until 1808, it is quite possible that the canal company knew that this change was in the offing and this site would be adjacent to both routes.

Pugin bought half an acre (0.2hectare) of land to build his house. The work involved in constructing and landscaping St Marie’s Grange in the 1830’s seems to have resulted in changes to surface levels and so it is impossible to be certain what canal construction might have been undertaken. Whether a basin was excavated here as a terminus is unknown. A further lock in the area of the Grange would have been necessary for the canal to continue towards Salisbury but would not have been necessary if stopping here.

North-west of St Maire’s Grange, the canal was to continue parallel to the turnpike road to and then behind Belmont House, just to the south of which would have been the last lock before Salisbury. The current Belmont House was constructed in about 1835 and is a Grade II listed building. It seems from the 1807 Ordnance Survey map that it may have replaced earlier buildings.

Close examination of an enlargement of the 1807 Ordnance Survey field drawing (see below) may shed a little light on the extent of construction of the canal’s channel. Unfortunately this area of the map has suffered some damage but enough remains to surmise what parts of the canal might have been built from Shootend to Salisbury. South of Shootend Copse to Silver Street, the canal is depicted, somewhat sketchily, by a double, almost straight line with traces of blue shading to show it is a water channel. The field drawing shows the canal north of its crossing of Shootend Road as two black lines very close together but again with traces of blue shading. It seems to show this line passing the future site of St Maire’s Grange and terminating near Belmont.

The One Inch to One Mile map derived and engraved from this drawing (published in 1811 - see map here) shows this feature as a single line from the crossing of Shootend Road at the bottom of the locks to Belmont. However, today there is no trace of any such feature north of the Grange. The land south-west of the Southampton Road between St Marie’s Grange and Belmont seems to have been landscaped during the 19th century removing any evidence of any such construction work. The feature shown on the 1807 drawing does not appear on the OS mapping surveyed in 1875 nor can any trace be discerned on LIDAR mapping.

Ordnance Survey Field Drawing

Extract from the surveyor’s drawing dated 1807 originally at a scale of 2 inches to 1 mile centred on Shootend.

Mapping date: Surveyed 1807.
Map centre - NG Ref: SU176277.
WGS84: 51° 02′ 55″ N, 1° 45′ 00″ W.
(69.9KB)

Line of canal crosses road

If constructed, the canal would have crossed Shootend Road under a bridge just this side (south) of the junction with Old Road.

Image date: 19 Mar 2005.
NG Ref: SU174277.
WGS84: 51° 02′ 56″ N, 1° 45′ 06″ W.
(104.0KB)

Shootend Road and Old Road meet

The junction of Old Road, the turnpike road before 1808, and Shootend Road.

Image date: 20 Feb 2020.
NG Ref: SU174278.
WGS84: 51° 02′ 57″ N, 1° 45′ 07″ W.
(77.5KB)

The channel for the canal

Line of canal on the west side the road junction in the last picture, taken from the site of the bridge.

Image date: 20 Feb 2020.
NG Ref: SU174277.
WGS84: 51° 02′ 56″ N, 1° 45′ 07″ W.
(87.2KB)

Shelf in side of the hill

The shelf in the side of the hill above the River Avon intended for the canal in the wood called Cupid’s Grove.

Image date: 19 Mar 2005.
NG Ref: SU174280.
WGS84: 51° 03′ 05″ N, 1° 45′ 11″ W.
(147.5KB)

St Maries Grange

St Maries Grange, dating from 1835, is the first of two houses architect and designer Augustus Pugin built for himself.

Image date: 23 Jan 2012.
NG Ref: SU173281.
WGS84: 51° 03′ 09″ N, 1° 45′ 13″ W.
(64.4KB)

St Maries Grange

The house seen from the south-west near the River Avon.

Image date: 20 Aug 2016.
NG Ref: SU172281.
WGS84: 51° 03′ 09″ N, 1° 45′ 18″ W.
(109.6KB)

Belmont House

Seen from the A36, Belmont House was built in about 1835 and is a Grade II listed building.

Image date: Nov 2020.
NG Ref: SU171284.
WGS84: 51° 03′ 18″ N, 1° 45′ 24″ W.
(51.9KB)

Rear of Belmont House

Looking from below at the rear of Belmont House.

Image date: Unknown.
NG Ref: SU171284.
WGS84: 51° 03′ 17″ N, 1° 45′ 26″ W.
(100.1KB)

Belmont to Salisbury

Nowhere between Belmont and Salisbury is there any physical indication that a canal was planned let alone built. In 1795, it was planned that the canal would run south of the turnpike road to near the bridge under the main road a little to the west of the hamlet of Petersfinger. It would then run through the meadows roughly parallel to the Southampton Road as far as the field south-east of St Martin’s Church, Milford having passed under the Southampton Road again where it turned northwards to enter Salisbury.

As with the section of the route between Shootend Copse and Belmont, the 1807 surveyor’s drawing (see below) shows a section of stream running along the south side the turnpike road from a point about 300 yards (270m) north-west of Belmont as far as Petersfinger. It is the most probable line for the canal as it would have been a foot or two higher than the meadows to the south and less effected if the meadows were flooded. It does not appear on later Ordnance Survey mapping of 1875). There is no trace today of any ditch or channel in such a location. It is probable that widening of the road has obliterated it and in any case it might have been an irrigation channel and nothing to do with the canal.

A stream is shown on the map north of the road west of Petersfinger running from Salisbury. Part of this channel still exists in the Petersfinger Park and Ride and to the south of Tesco. It is believed to be an irrigation channel supplied from the River Bourne and to predate the canal.

In Salisbury, the original plans were for a wharf on west side of the old Southampton Road (now called Tollgate Road) in the area now occupied by housing and just north of the new Southampton Road which was not built until the 1960s. This arrangement would have involved an aqueduct and embankment crossing the River Bourne (also known as Laverstoke Brook) and a bridge under the old Southampton Road. It was later decided to dispense with these expensive works and terminate the canal on the east side of this river about 500 yards (460m) short its original destination. There was even a suggestion to avoid the cost of constructing a bridge under the road at Petersfinger and to run south of the road as far as the River Bourne. However, no Salisbury terminal for the canal was ever constructed.

Ordnance Survey Field Drawing

This extract from the surveyor’s drawing dated 1807 centred on Petersfinger was originally at a scale of 2 inches to 1 mile.

Mapping date: Surveyed 1807.
Map centre - NG Ref: SU162287.
WGS84: 51° 03′ 29″ N, 1° 46′ 12″ W.
(74.4KB)

Southampton Road east of Petersfinger

It likely that the canal, if built, would have run along the south side of the turnpike road.

Image date: May 2021.
NG Ref: SU166290.
WGS84: 51° 03′ 36″ N, 1° 45′ 48″ W.
(61.7KB)

Petersfinger Bridge

The original plans for the canal involved crossing the Southampton Road in the area of this bridge.

Image date: Sep 2020.
NG Ref: SU162291.
WGS84: 51° 03′ 41″ N, 1° 46′ 08″ W.
(105.5KB)

Alternative terminus

The original plans for the canal involved crossing the small River Bourne (or Laverstock Brook) which lies just the other side of this house. A cheaper option was to terminate here.

Image date: Sep 2020.
NG Ref: SU155292.
WGS84: 51° 03′ 44″ N, 1° 46′ 46″ W.
(38.8KB)

Map of area of intended terminus

This extract from Ordnance Survey mapping shows the area of the proposed end of the canal south-east of the city.

Mapping date: 1875 and 1879.
Mapping centre - NG Ref: SU153294.
WGS84: 51° 03′ 52″ N, 1° 46′ 58″ W.
(87.0KB)

A36 Southampton Road, Salisbury

Looking east from near Tollgate Road, 200 years ago this view would have been one of open meadows on either side of the road.

Image date: 28 Aug 2012.
NG Ref: SU152294.
WGS84: 51° 03′ 49″ N, 1° 47′ 03″ W.
(71.8KB)

Tollgate Road

The original plans for the canal involved crossing the Southampton Road in the area of this bridge.

Image date: Jun 2019.
NG Ref: SU152294.
WGS84: 51° 03′ 50″ N, 1° 47′ 04″ W.
(50.6KB)

Site of proposed Salisbury Wharf

Seen here is the land behind the houses in Tollgate Road: the originally proposed terminus of the canal would have been built in this area.

Image date: Apr 2009.
NG Ref: SU151294.
WGS84: 51° 03′ 50″ N, 1° 47′ 07″ W.
(55.5KB)