Unlocking the past The Stroudwater The Princess Royal takes a trip through the lock on a cold February morning
Navigation was built in the 1770s to link the prosperous woollen mills of Stroud to the River Severn. It was designed to accommodate craft carrying loads of up to 100
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tonnes, but years of neglect left this once-proud route languishing in a state of disrepair. A slow decline brought by the rise of rail concluded with the canal’s closure in 1954. Built in the following decade, the Thames and Severn Canal presented a greater engineering feat as it climbed to Sapperton Tunnel, England’s longest canal tunnel at the time of construction. This too suffered at the hands of progress, closing completely in 1933. However, following an energetic 30-year restoration campaign, the current project will see sections of both waterways fully restored to their former glory.
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