Editing Oxford Canal (section)

===Construction===

The Oxford Canal was constructed in several stages over a period of more than twenty years.

{{Infobox UK legislation
| short_title           = Oxford Canal Act 1769
| type                  = Act
| parliament            = Parliament of Great Britain
| long_title            = An Act for making and maintaining a navigable Canal from the Coventry Canal Navigation to the City of Oxford.
| year                  = 1769
| citation              = [[9 Geo. 3]]. c. 70
| introduced_commons    = 
| introduced_lords      = 
| territorial_extent    = 
| royal_assent          = 21 April 1769
| commencement          = 
| expiry_date           = 
| repeal_date           = 
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| millbankhansard       = 
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In 1769 the '''{{visible anchor|Oxford Canal Act 1769}}''' ([[9 Geo. 3]]. c. 70) authorising the Oxford Canal was passed, having been promoted in Parliament by [[Sir Roger Newdigate]] [[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|MP]], who chaired the canal company. The intention was to link the industrial [[English Midlands]] to [[London]] via the River Thames. Construction began shortly after near Coventry. The principal motivation for the canal was the transport of [[coal]] from the Midlands to Oxford and London.<ref name="OCCG">{{cite book |title=Oxford Canal, Cruising Guide |date=1989 |publisher=Waterways World |isbn=1-870002-25-3 |pages=2–4}}</ref><ref name="DTRPE">{{cite web |title=The Development of Transport in Rugby by Peter H Elliott |pages=45–56|url=https://www.warwickshirerailways.com/lms/lnwr/rugby/station/rugby's_transport_history.pdf |publisher=Warwickshire Railways |access-date=14 June 2022}}</ref>

Surveying of the route and initial construction were originally supervised by the celebrated [[engineer]] [[James Brindley]], assisted by [[Samuel Simcock]] who was also Brindley's brother-in-law. Brindley died in 1772, when the canal had only reached [[Brinklow]], and Simcock took over. By 1774 the canal had reached Napton, but the company was already running out of money.<ref name="OCCG"/><ref name="DTRPE"/>

{{Infobox UK legislation
| short_title           = Oxford Canal Act 1775
| type                  = Act
| parliament            = Parliament of Great Britain
| long_title            = An Act to amend an Act, made in the Ninth Year of the Reign of His present Majesty, for making and maintaining a Navigable Canal from the Coventry Canal Navigation to the City of Oxford.
| year                  = 1775
| citation              = [[15 Geo. 3]]. c. 9
| introduced_commons    = 
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| territorial_extent    = 
| royal_assent          = 30 March 1775
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{{Infobox UK legislation
| short_title           = {{visible anchor|Oxford Canal Act 1786}}
| type                  = Act
| parliament            = Parliament of Great Britain
| long_title            = An Act to amend and render effectual Two Acts of the Ninth and Fifteenth Years of His present Majesty, for making and maintaining a Navigable Canal from the Coventry Canal Navigation to the City of Oxford.
| year                  = 1786
| citation              = [[26 Geo. 3]]. c. 20
| introduced_commons    = 
| introduced_lords      = 
| territorial_extent    = 
| royal_assent          = 11 April 1786
| commencement          = 
| expiry_date           = 
| repeal_date           = 
| amends                = 
| replaces              = 
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| repealing_legislation = Oxford Canal Navigation Act 1829
| related_legislation   = 
| status                = repealed
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}}
{{Infobox UK legislation
| short_title           = {{visible anchor|Coventry to Oxford Canal Act 1794}}
| type                  = Act
| parliament            = Parliament of Great Britain
| long_title            = An act for amending and altering certain acts of parliament, for making and maintaining a navigable canal, from the Coventry canal navigation, to the city of Oxford.
| year                  = 1794
| citation              = [[34 Geo. 3]]. c. 103
| introduced_commons    = 
| introduced_lords      = 
| territorial_extent    = 
| royal_assent          = 23 May 1794
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A second act, the '''{{visible anchor|Oxford Canal Act 1775}}''' ([[15 Geo. 3]]. c. 9) was passed allowing the company to raise more funds. Construction soon started again and by 1778 the canal had reached Banbury. Financial problems meant that work on the final stretch from Banbury to Oxford did not begin until 1786, and when it did, [[James Barnes (engineer)|James Barnes]] was appointed as the engineer. As funds were limited, the Banbury-Oxford stretch was built more cheaply, and to lower standards than the rest of the canal, and many cost saving measures were used whenever possible: Wooden [[Bascule bridge|lift]] or [[swing bridge]]s were built, instead of more expensive fixed brick bridges. Deep [[canal lock|locks]] were used wherever possible, with single gates at both ends instead of double gates. A stretch of the [[River Cherwell]] at [[Shipton-on-Cherwell]] was incorporated into the canal. This reduced construction costs, but the behaviour of the river makes the canal more difficult to use.<ref name="OCCG"/><ref name="LB HR">{{cite web |title=LIFT BRIDGES – OXFORD CANAL HERITAGE REPORT |url=https://planningregister.cherwell.gov.uk/Document/Download?module=PLA&recordNumber=50185&planId=1080912&imageId=16&isPlan=False&fileName=8631630.pdf |publisher=Canal & River Trust |access-date=16 June 2022}}</ref>

The Oxford Canal reached the outskirts of Oxford in 1789, when a coal wharf was opened at Heyfield Hutt, now the site of [[Hayfield Road]]. The final section into central Oxford was ceremonially opened on 1 January 1790.<ref>{{cite news |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=Oxford Journal | url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000073/17900102/007/0003 |newspaper=Oxford Journal |location=England |date=2 January 1790 |access-date=24 August 2020 |via=British Newspaper Archive |url-access=subscription  }}</ref>

The [[Duke's Cut]], a short link from the Oxford Canal to the River Thames, just north of Oxford, was built in 1789 by the [[George Spencer, 4th Duke of Marlborough|Duke of Marlborough]].<ref name="OCCG"/>

The [[River Swift]] (a tributary of the [[River Avon, Warwickshire|River Avon]]) connected to the original route of the Oxford Canal near [[Cosford, Warwickshire|Cosford]] and was used as a water feeder to the canal. In 1785 there was a proposal to make the river navigable from the Oxford Canal at Cosford to the town of [[Lutterworth]] in [[Leicestershire]]. This proposal however never came to fruition. The River Swift, however is still an important feeder to the northern Oxford Canal, via the now unnavigable [[Swift_Valley_Nature_Reserve#Old_canal_arm|Brownsover Arm]]; a part of the canal which was bypassed when the canal was straightened.<ref name="DTRPE"/>