Aldermaston Mugs

A selection of canal boats moored for the winter just above the lock at Aldermaston on the Kennet and Avon. This image was captured on a fine afternoon in early February just before the sun went down. The Kennet and Avon Canal, 87 miles long, was constructed between 1794 and 1810 to link the Kennet and Avon rivers and thus provide a smooth transport link between Bristol and London via Reading and the Thames. It fell into disuse due to the switch to rail transport and the rise of the Great Western Railway which runs alongside the canal here. It was, however, completely restored from the mid-1900s and the full length fully reopened in 1990. Nikon D7100 Nikkor 18-200

The Kennet and Avon Canal at Aldermaston Wharf in West Berkshire. Beautifully peaceful now but once this was a hive of industry. After the completion of the canal in 1810, trade and commerce increased and a community grew up here which included all-important carpenters who serviced the locks and bridges. The Wharf would have seen exports of timber and agricultural produce and the import of coal, groceries and manufactured goods. However, with the coming of the railway canal trade declined.

A narrowboat negotiating the lift bridge at Aldermaston Wharf on the Kennet and Avon Canal in Berkshire. This hydraulically powered bridge was built in 1981 to replace a swing bridge. It carries the A340 on its way from the A4 to Basingstoke, Hampshire, via the village of Aldermaston. The Wharf is peaceful enough now but once it was a hive of industry and there would have been many working boats loading and unpoading their cargoes here. A digital pencil drawing from my original photograph.

A narrowboat passing through the lower gates of Aldermaston Lock on the Kennet and Avon Canal in the late afternoon. The lock is at Aldermaston wharf, a mile or so north of Aldermaston village in West Berkshire. Now peaceful, the Wharf was once a hive of activity with boats being loaded and unloaded with coal, building stone, agricultural implements and foodstuffs. Here were also the carpenters and smiths necessary for the running of the canal. A digital drawing from my original photograph.

A canal boat moored just below Aldermaston Lock on the Kennet and Avon Canal. This is known as a 'winding hole' where narrowboats as long as 72 feet can turn round. The building on the left was once Strange's Brewery - giving the lock its alternative name - Brewery Lock. The area here is called Aldermaston Wharf and was once a hive of industry with boats loading and unloading their cargoes. Now it's busy with leisure traffic!

The lock at Aldermaston on the Kennet and Avon Canal. This is the view from the wharf next to the swing bridge. The lock was built between 1718 and 1723 being supervised by John Hore a noted engineer from Newbury. It was originally turf sided but was enlarged in the mid 1700s and given scalloped brick walls. These were heightened in 1984 during restoration. The nearby building was once a brewery founded in 1770 and Its beer barrels would have been shipped from this busy wharf.

The view from Aldermaston Lock downstream to Aldermaston Wharf on the Kennet and Avon Canal in West Berkshire. Just below the lock is the winding hole - big enough to be able to turn a 72ft narrowboat, Beyond that is the lift bridge carrying the A340 from the A4 Bath Road to Basingstoke. The Wharf was once a hive of industry, busy with canal boats loading and unloading cargoes. Here were also the workshops necessary to maintain the waterway. A digital pencil drawing from my original photograph.

The picturesque Rainbow Runner boat is moored at Aldermaston Wharf in West Berkshire, creating beautiful reflections on the still waters of the Kennet and Avon Canal. This peaceful scene showcases the canal's industrial heritage and transport history, with canalside buildings and trees framing the serene watercraft. In the evening light, the clear reflections and monochrome black and white image add to the overall tranquility of the canalside scene.

The view from the lift bridge over the Kennet and Avon Canal at Aldermaston Wharf in Berkshire. Beautifully peaceful now with a visitors' centre and teashop but once this was a hive of industry! The scene would have been busy with the wide Kennet boats loading and unloading their cargoes of farm goods, coal, building stone etc. Here were also the carpenters so necessary for maintaining the locks and bridges as well as forges for shoeing the horses. A digital coloured pencil drawing.

The Kennet and Avon Canal at Aldermaston Wharf in West Berkshire. Beautifully peaceful now with a visitors' centre and teashop but once this was a hive of industry! The scene would have been busy with the wide Kennet boats loading and unloading their cargoes of farm goods, coal, building stone etc. Here were also the carpenters so necessary for maintaining the locks and bridges as well as forges for shoeing the boats' horses. Now a boat yard services leisure craft.

Canal boats moored above the lock on the Kennet and Avon Canal at Aldermaston, West Berkshire. This image was captured on a sunny February afternoon. The buildings by the lock were once the Aldermaston Brewery established in 1770. In 1833 it was bought by Thomas Strange whose family owned it until it ceased production in 1945. The canal was constructed between 1794 and 1810 to link the Kennet and Avon rivers and thus provide a smooth transport link between Bristol and London via the Thames. Nikon D7100 nikkor 18-200

The upstream approach to Padworth Lock on the Kennet and Avon Canal just below Aldermaston Wharf. This lock, no.96, was originally built between 1718 and 1723 and was supervised by local engineer John Hore of Newbury. It was turf-sided but was rebuilt in brick in 1982-4. Very few turf-sided locks now remain. The canal was constructed between 1794 and 1810 to link the Thames and Avon rivers, providing a smooth transport link between Bristol and London via Reading and the Thames.

Narrowboats moored and tethered together at Aldermaston Wharf on the Kennet and Avon Canal in West Berkshire. Now in late winter preparations are in hand for hiring them out during the summer months. The Kennet and Avon Canal, 87 miles long, was built between 1794 and 1810 to link the Kennet and Avon rivers providing a smooth link between Bristol and London via Reading and the Thames. The canal was fully reopened for traffic in 1990. This image has been given an impressionist finish. Nikon D7100 Nikkor 18-200

A digital painting of narrowboats moored just above Aldermaston lock in West Berkshire on the Kennet and Avon Canal. This canal was constructed to link two rivers - the Thames in the east and Avon in the west, enabling goods to be carried from Bristol to London via the Thames. It fell into disuse due to the Great Western Railway being built but was restored in the late 1900s and is now a busy leisure waterway.

The scene along the towpath of the Kennet and Avon Canal in West Berkshire. Here it is more properly called a Navigation as it is largely the river made navigable. Here we find narrowboats and other canal craft moored along the banks. Continued walking in this direction will eventually take us to the Thames at Reading.

A digital painting from my original photograph of the scene above the lock at Aldermaston Wharf on the Kennet and Avon Canal (or Navigation) in Berkshire. A lovely tranquil scene - hard to imagine the industry here over 100 years ago! Then the whole area was busy with working canal canal boats loading and unloading their cargoes. Here too were the workshops and forges necessary for the running of the canal.

A digital art image from my original photograph of Boston Belle and other narrowboats moored on the banks of the Kennet and Avon Canal at Aldermaston Wharf in West Berkshire, about a mile from Aldermaston village. This is the scene just above the lock which in its heyday as an industrial waterway would have been a hive of activity with boats loading and unlosding their cargoes. Here also would have been forges and stables for the towing horses.

A digital coloured pencil drawing olf a scene on the Kennet and Avon Canal just above Padworth Middle Lock. A rather neglected narrow boat sits listing in the water waiting to be restored at the nearby boat yard. Peaceful now, but once this would have been a hive of industry with boats loading and discharging cargoes at the nearby Aldermaston Wharf. The canal, completed in 1810, allowed the smooth transport of goods between Bristol and London via the Thames at Reading.

A digital sketch of the scene looking past the top gates of Padworth Lock in West Berkshire, - just below Aldermaston Wharf. This lock, no.96, was originally built between 1718 and 1723, supervised by local engineer John Hore of Newbury. It was turf-sided but was rebuilt in brick in 1982-4. The canal was constructed between 1794 and 1810 to link the Thames and Avon rivers, providing a smooth transport link between Bristol and London via Reading and the Thames.

Clear and beautiful reflections in the water of the Kennet and Avon Canal at Aldermaston Wharf in West Berkshire, about a mile from Aldermaston village. This is the scene just above the lock which in its heyday as an industrial waterway would have been a hive of activity with boats loading and unlosding their cargoes. Here also would have been forges and stables for the towing horses. The building in the background was once a brewery.

Narrow boats on the Kennet and Avon Canal moored at Aldermaston in November. The summer season has finished and the boats now have to be made ready for the spring and summer. The Kennet and Avon Canal links the rivers Kennet and Avon, providing a navigable route from Reading to Bristol. It was constructed between 1794 and 1810 and was a busy commercial waterway until the opening of the Great Western Railway after which it fell into decline. Restored in the latter half of the 1900s it is now busy with leisure traffic,

Just upstream of Aldermaston Lock is this footbridge which spans the Kennet and Avon Canal linking two areas of housing but there is no access to it from the towpath. Along this stretch canal boats are moored. Just behind us is Aldermaston Lock and Aldermaston Wharf, once a busy industrial area with canal boats loading and unloading cargoes of agricultural goods, coal, wood, groceries and building materials. Here too were the smiths' and carpenters' workshops. A digital pencil drawing from my original photograph.

Canal boats - including cruisers and narrowboats moored along the banks of the Kennet and Avon Canal just above Aldermaston Lock in Berkshire. This is the view as seen from the towpath. Below the lock is Aldermaston Wharf which was once busy with working boats loading and unloading cargoes of stone, coal, agricultural goods and produce and groceries. Since restoration in the second half of the 1900s and the reopening of the waterway in 1990, most boats are now for leisure or are lived in.