"built to protect the vulnerable sluices that controlled the water level in the canal, being towers numbers 22 to 27 and 30, three of which are still standing. Despite the fact that the canal never saw military action, it was used to try to control smuggling from Romney Marsh. Guard houses were constructed at each bridge along its length. This met with limited success because of corrupt guards. Although a barge service was established from Hythe to Rye, the canal was abandoned in 1877 and leased to the Lords of the Level of Romney Marsh. During the early stages of"
"Bristol Channel The Bristol Channel () is a major inlet in the island of Great Britain, separating South Wales from Devon and Somerset in South West England. It extends from the lower estuary of the River Severn () to the North Atlantic Ocean. It takes its name from the English city of Bristol, and is over 30 miles (50 km) wide at its western limit. Long stretches of both sides of the coastline are designated as Heritage Coast. These include, Exmoor, Bideford Bay, the Hartland Point peninsula, Lundy Island, Glamorgan, Gower Peninsula, Carmarthenshire, South Pembrokeshire and Caldey Island. Until Tudor"
"a short and easy communication between Kent and Sussex but, above all, rendering unnecessary the doubtful and destructive measure of laying so large a portion of the country waste by inundation"". This became known as the Royal Military Canal, with construction starting in 1805 and completion in 1810. General Twiss recommended a fortress at Dover, with work beginning in 1804. The Western Heights at Dover consisted of three parts: the Drop Redoubt, the Citadel and the Grand Shaft. The Drop Redoubt was a detached fort close to the steep cliffs, surrounded by ditches and intended for soldiers to go out"
"English Channel The English Channel (, ""The Sleeve""; , ""Sleeve Channel""; , ""Sea of Brittany""; , ""British Sea""; , ""The Channel""), also called simply the Channel, is the body of water that separates southern England from northern France and links the southern part of the North Sea to the Atlantic Ocean. It is the busiest shipping area in the world. It is about long and varies in width from at its widest to in the Strait of Dover. It is the smallest of the shallow seas around the continental shelf of Europe, covering an area of some . Until the"
"of severe ice in the English Channel. Strait of Dover The Strait of Dover or Dover Strait, historically known as the Dover Narrows ( - ""Strait of Calais""); or ""Straat van Dover""), is the strait at the narrowest part of the English Channel, marking the boundary between the Channel and North Sea, separating Great Britain from continental Europe. The shortest distance across the strait, , is from the South Foreland, northeast of Dover in the English county of Kent, to Cap Gris Nez, a cape near to Calais in the French département of Pas-de-Calais. Between these points lies the most"
"Geography of England England comprises most of the central and southern two-thirds of the island of Great Britain, in addition to a number of small islands of which the largest is the Isle of Wight. England is bordered to the north by Scotland and to the west by Wales. It is closer to continental Europe than any other part of mainland Britain, divided from France only by a sea gap, the English Channel. The Channel Tunnel, near Folkestone, directly links England to mainland Europe. The English/French border is halfway along the tunnel. Much of England consists of low hills and"
"2016, French authorities announced that the camp had been cleared. Calais is located on the Pas de Calais, which marks the boundary between the English Channel and North Sea and located at the opposite end of the Channel Tunnel, from Dover. On a clear day the White cliffs of Dover can be viewed across the channel. Aside from being an important port and boarding point between France and England, it is at the nucleus of many major railway and highway networks and connected by road to Arras, Lens, Béthune and St. Omer. Dunkirk is located about to the east. Calais"
"Grand Union Canal The Grand Union Canal in England is part of the British canal system. Its main line starts in London and ends in Birmingham, stretching for with 166 locks. It has arms to places including Leicester, Slough, Aylesbury, Wendover and Northampton. The Grand Union Canal was also the original name for part of what is now part of the Leicester Line of the modern Grand Union: this latter is now generally referred to as the Old Grand Union Canal to avoid ambiguity. With competition from the railways having taken a large share of traffic in the second half"
"services to Manchester and beyond and to Leeds. Mills Hill Mills Hill is an industrial and residential area that lies on the common border of Middleton and Chadderton in Greater Manchester, United Kingdom. It lies 1.3 miles east of Middleton town centre and 1.4 miles to the west of central Chadderton. It is contiguous with Middleton Junction, Moorclose, Firwood Park and Chadderton Park. Mills Hills lies along the course of the Rochdale Canal and the River Irk. Until the mid-1800s, the area surrounding Mills Hill was mainly farmland with very few dwellings, now dissected by the Rochdale Canal, which opened"
"Strait of Dover The Strait of Dover or Dover Strait, historically known as the Dover Narrows ( - ""Strait of Calais""); or ""Straat van Dover""), is the strait at the narrowest part of the English Channel, marking the boundary between the Channel and North Sea, separating Great Britain from continental Europe. The shortest distance across the strait, , is from the South Foreland, northeast of Dover in the English county of Kent, to Cap Gris Nez, a cape near to Calais in the French département of Pas-de-Calais. Between these points lies the most popular route for cross-channel swimmers. The entire"
"controlled, protecting Gloucester and the villages along the course of the canal to Sharpness. The Grand Union Canal starts in London and runs to Birmingham with a total length of 137 miles (220 km) and 166 locks. Safety or Air Raid Protection (ARP) gates were installed at around 16 locations that were designed to automatically close if the canals were damaged during the WWII Luftwaffe's air raids. A very large number of bombs, etc. fell in the vicinity of the canals in London during the war, however no significant flooding resulted from damage to canals. The Air Raid Precautions (ARP)"
"Thames and Medway Canal The Thames and Medway Canal is a disused canal in Kent, south east England, also known as the Gravesend and Rochester Canal. It was originally some long and cut across the neck of the Hoo peninsula, linking the River Thames at Gravesend with the River Medway at Strood. The canal was first mooted in 1778 as a shortcut for military craft from Deptford and Woolwich Dockyards on the Thames to Chatham Dockyard on the Medway, avoiding the journey round the peninsula and through the Thames estuary. The canal was also intended to take commercial traffic between"
"Wardle Canal The Wardle canal is the shortest canal in the UK at . The canal lies in Middlewich, Cheshire, UK, and connects the Trent and Mersey Canal to the Middlewich Branch of the Shropshire Union Canal, terminating with a single lock known as Wardle Lock. It was built in 1829 so that the navigation authority of the Trent and Mersey Canal could maintain control over the junction. Maureen Shaw, a boat woman who was well known to passing boaters as well as the local and canal community, lived in the Lock Cottage at Wardle lock for many years, with"
"Warwick Bar The Warwick Bar conservation area is a conservation area in Birmingham, England which was home to many canalside factories during the Industrial Revolution of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. It is named after the Warwick Bar stop lock joining the Digbeth Branch of the Birmingham Canal Navigations and the Warwick and Birmingham Canal (later the Grand Union Canal). The stop lock was installed to separate the water systems of the competing canal companies, while still allowing boats to pass. Warwick Bar Conservation Area covers an area of 16.2 hectares (40 acres) where the Birmingham-to-London Grand Union Canal meets"
"Watford Gap Watford Gap is a low-lying area between two hills, close to the village of Watford, Northamptonshire, England. Engineers from Roman times onwards have found it to be an ideal route for connecting the Midlands with South East England. The A5 road, the West Coast Main Line railway, the M1 motorway and a branch of the Grand Union Canal traverse in parallel a space about wide. It has been written and spoken of as marking the divide between Northern England and Southern England. An easy route between the London and Birmingham areas passes near the small village centre of"
"the Manchester Ship Canal, and is the largest lock in the UK . In order to provide berthing facilities for large tankers that could not be accommodated on the canal due to size, the Queen Elizabeth II Dock was constructed, with vehicular access from Ferry Road. Eastham Rake railway station opened in 1995 on the Wirral Line of the Merseyrail network. Eastham, Merseyside Eastham is a village and an electoral ward of the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, in Merseyside, England. Historically (until 1974), it was part of Cheshire. It is situated on the Wirral Peninsula, to the south of Bromborough"
"the core governed by the City of London Corporation. At the most localised level, much of England is divided into civil parishes with councils; in Greater London only one, Queen's Park, exists after they were abolished in 1965 until legislation allowed their recreation in 2007. Geographically England includes the central and southern two-thirds of the island of Great Britain, plus such offshore islands as the Isle of Wight and the Isles of Scilly. It is bordered by two other countries of the United Kingdom: to the north by Scotland and to the west by Wales. England is closer to the"
"Mills Hill Mills Hill is an industrial and residential area that lies on the common border of Middleton and Chadderton in Greater Manchester, United Kingdom. It lies 1.3 miles east of Middleton town centre and 1.4 miles to the west of central Chadderton. It is contiguous with Middleton Junction, Moorclose, Firwood Park and Chadderton Park. Mills Hills lies along the course of the Rochdale Canal and the River Irk. Until the mid-1800s, the area surrounding Mills Hill was mainly farmland with very few dwellings, now dissected by the Rochdale Canal, which opened in 1804, and the Caldervale Line railway, which"
"covering a minimum ; the 2008-estimated cost was £30 million. The trust confirmed in 2012 this remains a long-term objective, to be actioned when the economic conditions allow. Grand Union Canal The Grand Union Canal in England is part of the British canal system. Its main line starts in London and ends in Birmingham, stretching for with 166 locks. It has arms to places including Leicester, Slough, Aylesbury, Wendover and Northampton. The Grand Union Canal was also the original name for part of what is now part of the Leicester Line of the modern Grand Union: this latter is now"
"Cannock Extension Canal The current Cannock Extension Canal is a canal in England. It runs from Pelsall Junction on the Wyrley and Essington Canal, north to Norton Canes Docks and forms part of the Birmingham Canal Navigations. Historically, it ran to Hednesford, and served a number of collieries, which provided the main traffic. It opened in 1863, and the northern section closed in 1963, as a result of mining subsidence. Following a period of negotiations, the Birmingham Canal Navigations had been leased by the London and Birmingham Railway from November 1845. The lease meant that the railway company had to"
"Ferry and Runcorn Gap. Sankey Bridges Sankey Bridges is part of the Parish of Holy Trinity in Warrington, a unitary authority in the north-west of England. Located on the turnpike road between Warrington, Prescot and Liverpool over the Sankey Brook,which was the boundary of Great Sankey and The County Borough of Warrington, it became home to many industries after the opening of the Sankey Canal, the first wholly artificial canal built in England during the Industrial Revolution. When opened, the canal entered the River Mersey through a set of locks situated here, although the canal was subsequently extended to locks"
"Oxford Canal The Oxford Canal is a narrow canal in central England linking Oxford with Bedworth (between Coventry and Nuneaton on the Coventry Canal) via Banbury and Rugby. Completed in 1790, it connects to the River Thames at Oxford and is integrated with the Grand Union Canal — combined for 5 miles close to the villages of Braunston and Napton-on-the-Hill, a canal which soon after construction superseded much of its traffic. The canal was for approximately 15 years the main canal artery of trade between the Midlands and London; it retained importance in its local county economies and that of"
"an urban district in the Northwich parliamentary division of Cheshire, England, 166m N.W. of London, on the London & North Western railway. Pop. (1901) 4669. It lies in open country near the river Dane, having water communications by the Trent and Mersey canal, and a branch giving access to the Shropshire Union canal. The church of St Michael and All Angels is of various periods and contains numerous monuments. In the streets not a few old buildings remain, making for picturesqueness, and a number of the fine timbered houses in which Cheshire abounds are seen in the immediate neighbourhood. Middlewich"
"Grand Junction Canal The Grand Junction Canal is a canal in England from Braunston in Northamptonshire to the River Thames at Brentford, with a number of branches. The mainline was built between 1793 and 1805, to improve the route from the Midlands to London, by-passing the upper reaches of the River Thames near Oxford, thus shortening the journey. In 1927 the canal was bought by the Regent's Canal Company and, since 1 January 1929, has formed the southern half of the Grand Union Main Line from London to Birmingham. The canal is now much used by leisure traffic. Isambard Kingdom"
"Warwickshire ring The Warwickshire ring is a connected series of canals forming a circuit around the West Midlands area of England. The ring is formed from the Coventry Canal, the Oxford Canal, the Grand Union Canal, the Stratford-upon-Avon Canal and the Birmingham and Fazeley Canal. It is a popular route with tourists due to its circular route and mixture of urban and rural landscapes. The ring totals 106 miles and has 115 locks, although there are two alternative routes through the southern part of Birmingham - from Kingswood Junction, one route follows the Grand Union Canal to Salford Junction, where"
"Coventry Canal The Coventry Canal is a navigable narrow canal in the Midlands of England. It starts in Coventry and ends 38 miles (65 km) north at Fradley Junction, just north of Lichfield, where it joins the Trent and Mersey Canal. It also has connections with the Oxford Canal, the Ashby Canal, and the Birmingham and Fazeley Canal. Some maps show the canal as a northern and a southern section, connected by a stretch of the Birmingham and Fazeley Canal, but others, including the Canal and River Trust show the through route as the Coventry Canal. This reflects a complicated"
"of beer. Hythe Ranges is a military training ground that takes up a large section of the Hythe shoreline. Access to this section of the shore is restricted when red flags are showing. The Royal Military Canal runs across the northern edge of the marsh, to Winchelsea. Running under Stade Street, the canal, intended to repel invasion during the Napoleonic wars of 1804 to 1815, gives central Hythe its character. Now shaded by trees, the canal, 10 yards wide, passes into the marsh from the middle of the town. The canal begins at Seabrook and runs through Hythe. It follows"
"Greenwich Greenwich is an area of south east London, England, located east-southeast of Charing Cross. It is located within the Royal Borough of Greenwich, to which it lends its name. Greenwich is notable for its maritime history and for giving its name to the Greenwich Meridian (0° longitude) and Greenwich Mean Time. The town became the site of a royal palace, the Palace of Placentia from the 15th century, and was the birthplace of many Tudors, including Henry VIII and Elizabeth I. The palace fell into disrepair during the English Civil War and was rebuilt as the Royal Naval Hospital"
"of the Warwickshire Ring. Warwickshire ring The Warwickshire ring is a connected series of canals forming a circuit around the West Midlands area of England. The ring is formed from the Coventry Canal, the Oxford Canal, the Grand Union Canal, the Stratford-upon-Avon Canal and the Birmingham and Fazeley Canal. It is a popular route with tourists due to its circular route and mixture of urban and rural landscapes. The ring totals 106 miles and has 115 locks, although there are two alternative routes through the southern part of Birmingham - from Kingswood Junction, one route follows the Grand Union Canal"
"are remnants of the ancient forest that once covered the whole of the Weald of Kent. The Royal Military Canal, the UK's third longest defensive structure, passes by ½ mile to the south. Three long distance footpaths also run through the parish: The area is also popular with cyclists, as Romney Marsh to the south is completely flat. Chris Grayling, author of 'The Big Keep' trilogy resides in Hamstreet. Hamstreet Hamstreet is a village in Kent, in South East England. The village is located 6 miles (10 km) south of Ashford on the A2070, the main road between Ashford and"
"A2 road (England) The A2 is a major road in southern England, connecting London with the English Channel port of Dover in Kent. This route has always been of importance as a connection between the British capital of London and sea trade routes to Continental Europe. It was formerly known as the Dover Road. Unlike the other single digit A-roads in Great Britain, the A2 does not form a zone boundary (in this case between Zone 1 and Zone 2). The Zone 1/2 boundary is the River Thames. The route of the current A2 follows a similar route to that"
"the result that it was often referred to as ‘Maureen’s Lock’. Following her death in 2012, a memorial panel was placed at the lock in her honour. Wardle Canal The Wardle canal is the shortest canal in the UK at . The canal lies in Middlewich, Cheshire, UK, and connects the Trent and Mersey Canal to the Middlewich Branch of the Shropshire Union Canal, terminating with a single lock known as Wardle Lock. It was built in 1829 so that the navigation authority of the Trent and Mersey Canal could maintain control over the junction. Maureen Shaw, a boat woman"
"Channel Tunnel The Channel Tunnel (; also nicknamed the Chunnel) is a rail tunnel linking Folkestone, Kent, in the United Kingdom, with Coquelles, Pas-de-Calais, near Calais in northern France, beneath the English Channel at the Strait of Dover. It is the only fixed link between the island of Great Britain and the European mainland. At its lowest point, it is deep below the sea bed and below sea level. At , the tunnel has the longest undersea portion of any tunnel in the world, although the Seikan Tunnel in Japan is both longer overall at and deeper at below sea"