Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The Railway pub has railway memorabilia and a view across to the much-sprayed
Droitwich Amateur Boxing Club premises. They stand by Netherwich Tunnel, carrying the
New Street to Hereford railway and drawing in a branch from Kidderminster. The tunnel,
more a large bridge than the typical canal tunnel, has bats and these are included in some sil-
houette art panels at the end.
The canal turns southwest past a sports centre, the Great Pool and a nature reserve. The
A38 crosses over as it bypasses the town at Chawson where 120,000 reeds have been planted
over 2.5ha of Coney Meadow. These are to compensate for restoration that has removed reeds
that have grown across the canal. In fact, reeds have also been left to occupy 3m of canal
edging so there is no shortage of this habitat, although a large quantity of chopped reeds float
in the canal.
The rest of the route is rural. At Salwarpe the half-timbered 15th century Salwarpe Court
and Old Mill House are passed. Salwarpe Bridge is one of the places on the canal that used
early ball bearings. Brindley placed two rising floodgates in the bed of the canal, intended
to slam shut in spate conditions. Siltation buried them, although they were preserved by the
salty water.
The Monarch Way follows the canal, based on the escape route of Charles II after the
Battle of Worcester in 1651.
The first Ladywood Lock has cranked balance beams as it is so close to Ladywood Bridge.
The four Ladywood locks were tackled by 580 volunteers during the 1973 Droitwich Dig,
pushing the restoration in the right direction and sending reeds to thatch huts in the West Mid-
lands Safari Park.
More powerlines cross between Porter's Mill Lock and Mildenham Mill Lock, where
Brindley included a circular weir. To the north-west of the river is Hawford Dovecote, which
still has many nesting boxes. The Grade II Linacre Bridge of local bricks and stone is built on
elm tree trunks laid horizontally, probably Brindley's last remaining of the type left unmodi-
fied.
The wooded ridge at Hawford stands out prominently after what has been mostly gentle
countryside. A campsite on the north of the canal precedes the A449 crossing, which had
been lost. Plans to take the canal through the large stone arch over the river were thwarted,
resulting in a costly construction exercise to install what is more like a tunnel than a bridge
under this major dual carriageway.
The two Hawford locks take the canal down to the River Severn. The bottom one was
Brindley's favourite construction, in the early days of canal building. Restoration has in-
cluded installing tall piles with floating pontoons to handle the large fluctuations of level on
the Severn. Such luxuries were not available to those trying to sail Wych barges into this
canal.
