The River Avon Navigation
Shakespeare Marina
This new canal boat marina is located at the eastern end of the River Avon Navigation, which is administered by the Avon Navigation Trust. The marina is close to the junction with the Stratford- upon-Avon Canal which links to the Grand Union Canal, part of the Canal & River Trust’s national waterways network. Navigation Hi
Navigation History
The Avon Navigation from Tewkesbury to Stratford-upon-Avon was authorised by Charles I in 1635.
For more than 200 years, the Avon navigations worked as a vital transport link for industry , and, from 1816, with the building of the Stratford-upon-Avon and Worcester-Birmingham canals, became components of the “Avon Ring”. The “Avon Ring” is a circular system of 109 miles linking Stratford-upon-Avon, Evesham, Tewkesbury, Worcester and Birmingham. It has connections to all parts of the national waterways system which eventually extended to about three thousand miles.
On 1st June , 1974, the navigation was ceremonially reopened by Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother. In the following year, Queen Elizabeth II travelled upon the waterway. At the beginning of 2010, the Lower Avon Navigation Trust (LANT) and the Upper Avon Navigation Trust (UANT) finally achieved their aim to amalgamate the two trusts for the benefit of the Navigation as a whole, The Avon Navigation Trust is now the sole authority for navigation on the River Avon.
Avon Navigation Limits and Levels
The Lower and Upper Avon is navigable over 46 miles (74km), with 17 locks along its course, from Tewkesbury to Alveston Weir above Stratford-upon-Avon.
Statistics | Data |
---|---|
Locks | 17 |
Length | 70ft / 21.3m |
Beam | 12ft 6in / 3.8m |
Draught | 3ft / 0.9m |
Headroom | 6ft 6in |
Boat Type | Powered | Unpowered |
---|---|---|
Privately owned | 1,222 | 67 |
Hire - day boats | 27 | 64 |
Hire - overnight stay / timeshare | 0 | 0 |
Hire - trip boat / restaurant / passenger | 10 | 0 |
Hire - hotel | 0 | 0 |
Other business / charity boats | 1 | 0 |