Editing Oxford Canal (section)

====Straightening====
[[File:Disused Newbold tunnel.jpg|thumb|left|upright|The abandoned tunnel at [[Newbold-on-Avon|Newbold]] on the old route of the canal]]

The Oxford Canal was originally built as a [[contour canal]], meaning that it twisted around hills to minimise vertical deviations from a level contour. This meant however that the canal followed a very winding and circuitous route: Although the distance between Coventry and [[Napton on the Hill|Napton]] was only {{convert|16|mi}} as the crow flies, the distance by the original route of the canal was {{convert|43|mi}}. This mattered little when the Oxford Canal had no competition, however, with increased canal competition, and one eye on the developing railway network, the company decided to straighten the route.<ref name="OCCG"/> 

In 1827 [[Marc Isambard Brunel]] (father of [[Isambard Kingdom Brunel]])<ref>{{cite news |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=Coventry Herald. Friday 28 December 1827 | url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000383/18271228/015/0004 |newspaper=Coventry Herald |location=England  |date=28 December 1827 |access-date=4 September 2020 |via=British Newspaper Archive |url-access=subscription  }}</ref> re-surveyed the northern section of the canal between Braunston and [[Hawkesbury Village|Hawkesbury]] Junction to straighten it out and reduce navigation time. The following year another survey was carried out by [[Charles Blacker Vignoles|Charles Vignoles]]. The work to straighten the canal was carried out between 1831 and 1834, the majority of the work being in the [[Rugby, Warwickshire|Rugby]] area, and this reduced the distance by {{convert|14+3/4|mi}}. The original tunnel at [[Newbold-on-Avon]] was abandoned when the canal was straightened, and replaced by a new one on a different alignment. The south portal of the old tunnel can still be seen next to the churchyard.<ref name="DTRPE"/> The old line of the canal was either abandoned, or remained in use as arms serving various village wharves. The section south of Napton was never straightened.<ref name="OCCG"/>