Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
makes use of two areas of low ground as flood storage areas. The Stocklake Brook area lies
further north but the Bear Brook flood storage area is located between Broughton Manor, the
housing of Aylesbury and the canal.
There are older factories around Aylesbury Lock and Aylesbury Bottom Lock. One busi-
ness worthy of note was Hazell Watson & Viney, for many years involved with the printing
of Penguin Books until the company was bought by Robert Maxwell, at which point Penguin
withdrew all their custom. Another was the Aylesbury Condensed Milk Company, attracted
in 1870 by the canal and later owned by Nestlé.
The appearance of the town was substantially changed in the 1960s by redevelopment. One
recent construction, which does deserve praise for being within the spirit of canal architecture
while embodying original thinking, is the well-proportioned footbridge across the entrance to
the terminal basin.
Being the bottom end of the canal, a weir is needed and takes the form of a neat semi-circu-
lar brick overflow that feeds the head of the California Brook on the south-east side, joining
the Bear Brook to the west of Aylesbury. Behind the moored boats opposite is an aerial reach-
ing out of some industrial premises. Beyond is the town centre, gathered around the chunky
concrete county hall tower block.
The canal basin terminates at an office block that obscures a 13th century church but has a
mirror window that reaches almost to water level so the boater can have the unusual experi-
ence of watching his own arrival. On the other hand, he can see all kinds of reflections in the
angular glass edifice beyond it - not a swimming pool as might be thought but the offices of
the Equitable Life Assurance Society.
Aylesbury Basin and its incongruous neighbours lie beyond the recent footbridge
.
