Maps
Junction Kennet & Avon Canal ( River Kennet )
Right bank. The first mile is still administered as if it were the Thames.
The Kennet & Avon
1404: Access up the Kennet in Reading -
An agreement between the Abbot and Convent of Reading of the one part
and the Warden of the Merchant Guild and the commonality of the other part:
Vessels were to have passage to and fro between
sunrise and sunset along this several water of the said Abbot and Convent upon
condition that when they arrived at Brokenburghlok they should wait while they
sent a man to the place within the said abbey called Blankport covent Keychyn
and Westhey at one of which places shall be found a person deputed by the Abbot
to open the said lock within two hours or less if possible.
Toll: One Penny – strangers Two Pence.
Crews might make no play riott or noyse to the annoyance of the
convent.
1810: Ferryboat ordered across the mouth of the Kennet.
1823: Ferry worked by chain.
1892: Ferry replaced by towpath bridge.
1881: George Leslie
No one judging from the ignominious junction of the Kennet with the Thames would imagine what a pretty, cheerful stream it is nearer to its source. In the vale of Newbury, and by Hungerford and Marlborough, it wanders about in most picturesque fashion, at times expanding into quite broad waters, at others spreading out into numerous small rills for the purpose of irrigating the meadows. It is celebrated for its trout, and was beloved by Kingsley and many another of the angling fraternity.
Tesco short term mooring, right bank. Do not leave valuables unlocked.
This is the greatest supermarket in the
land - well, on the river - well, to be truthful, the only supermarket I know
with moorings - and they are rather shallow - but its
great to see residents shopping by boat.
1914: Hilaire Belloc -
That everything else of age in Reading has disappeared one need not say, but
were the traveller in the middle ages here today,
the one thing he would most seek for and most lack would be the
bulk of the building at the farther end of town.
One can best say that Reading Abbey was like Durham.
It is true that Durham Cathedral stands upon
a noble cliff overhanging a ravine, while Reading Abbey stood upon a small
irregular hill which hardly showed above the flat plains of the river meadows,
but in massiveness of structure and in type of architecture Reading seems to
have resembled Durham more nearly than any other of our great monuments, and to
emphasize its parallelism to Durham is perhaps the best way to make the modern
reader understand what we have lost.
So let's try that -
View towards Reading Abbey from below Caversham Lock
But take Belloc seriously and visualize Durham Cathedral where Reading Abbey was and yes it dominates the place -
And this is what Reading Abbey was once like, maybe, according to Belloc
[ Of course I have just had to guess the scale! ]
and here it is in an old print:
Reading Abbey as it was once.
1790s: and this is actually what the ruins looked like in the 1790s -
Reading Abbey Ruins, Belanger
1881: George Leslie -
Just below Caversham Lock the river twists about, and on the tow-path side are very steep clay cliffs, worn into large concavities by the stream and its eddies, care being necessary in punting lest the disgrace should happen of a lot of crumbling clay getting lodged on the nose of the punt by bumping against the bank.
(CAVERSHAM LOCK)
Estuary
PLA
QEII Br
Barrier
Tower Br
Custom Ho
London Br
; Frost Fairs
Cannon St Rb
The Great Stink
Southwark Br
Millenium Br
Blackfriars Rb
Blackfriars Br
Waterloo Br
Charing Cross Rb
Westminster Br
Lambeth Br
Vauxhall Br
Victoria Rb
Chelsea Br
Albert Br
Battersea Br
Battersea Rb
Wandsworth Br
Fulham Rb
Putney Br
Hammersmith Br
Barnes Rb
Chiswick Br
Kew Rb
Kew Br
RICHMOND
Twickenham Br
Richmond Rb
Richmond Br
TEDDINGTON
Kingston Rb
Kingston Br
Ditton Slip
Hampton Br
MOLESEY
SUNBURY
Walton Br
Desborough Cut
SHEPPERTON
Chertsey Br
CHERTSEY
M3 Br
Laleham Slip
PENTON HOOK
Staines Rb
Staines Br
Runnymede Br
BELL WEIR
Magna Carta Is
OLD WINDSOR
Albert Br
Datchet
Victoria Br
Black Potts Rb
ROMNEY
Eton
Windsor Br
Windsor Rb
Windsor Slip
Elizabeth Br
BOVENEY
Dorney Lake
York Cut
Summerleaze Fb
MonkeyIsland
New Thames Br
BRAY
Bray Slip
Maidenhead Rb
Maidenhead Br
Below Boulters
BOULTERS
Cliveden
Hedsor
COOKHAM
Cookham Slip
Cookham Br
BourneEnd RFb
Quarry Woods
A404 Br
MARLOW
Marlow Br
Bisham
TEMPLE
HURLEY
Medmenham
Culham Ct
Aston Slip
HAMBLEDEN
Temple Is
Fawley Ct
Remenham
Regatta
Phyllis Ct
Henley Slip
Leander
Red Lion
Henley Br
Angel on Br
Landing
Hobbs Boatyard
Hobbs Slipway
MARSH
Hennerton
Bolney
Wargrave
Shiplake Rb
R.Loddon
SHIPLAKE
Sonning Br
SONNING
Dreadnought
K&A Canal
CAVERSHAM
Reading Br
Caversham Br
Reading Slip
Purley
MAPLEDURHAM
Hardwick Ho
Whitchurch Br
WHITCHURCH
Hartswood Reach
Gatehampton Rb
Goring Gap
Goring Br
GORING
Swan
CLEEVE
Moulsford
Moulsford Rb
Papist Way Slip
Winterbrook Br
Wallingford Br
BENSON
Shillingford Br
R.Thame
DAYS
Burcot
Clifton Hampden
Clifton Church
Clifton H Br
Barley Mow
Long Wittenham
CLIFTON
Appleford Rb
Sutton Courtenay
Sutton Br
CULHAM
Culham Cut Fb
Abingdon Slip
Abingdon
Abingdon Br
ABINGDON
Nuneham Rb
Nuneham
Nuneham Park
Radley Boats
SANDFORD
Rose Island
Kennington Rb
Isis Br
Iffley Mill
IFFLEY
Oxford Rowing
Isis
Donnington Br
Riverside Slip
Boathouses
Punting
Lower Cherwell
Upper Cherwell
Islip
Head of River
Salters Steamers
Folly Br
Bacons Folly
Oxford Fb
Osney Fb
Weir stream
Osney Rb
Bullstake Stream
Osney Marina
OSNEY
Osney Br
Four Rivers
OLD RIVER
CANAL
Medley Weir Site
Medley Fb
Bossoms
Perch
Trout
GODSTOW
Godstow Nunnery
Godstow Br
Thames Br
KINGS
River Evenlode
EYNSHAM
Swinford Br
Oxford Cruisers
PINKHILL
Farmoor
Stanton Harcourt
Bablock Slip
Arks Weir Site
NORTHMOOR
Harts Fb
//Rose Revived
Newbridge
//Maybush
River Windrush
below Shifford
SHIFFORD
Shifford Fb
Tenfoot Fb
Trout Inn
Tadpole Br
RUSHEY
Old Mans Fb
RADCOT
Radcot Cradle Fb
Swan Inn
Radcot New Br
Radcot Old Br
GRAFTON
Eaton Hastings
Kelmscott
Eaton Fb
BUSCOT
Bloomers Hole Fb
Trout Inn
St Johns Br
ST JOHNS
Halfpenny Br
Marina Slip
LIMIT
Inglesham
Hannington Br
Kempsford
Castle Eaton Br
Marston Meysey
A419 Br
Cricklade
SOURCE?
THAMES HEAD
SEVEN SPRINGS