Open Country Stroudwater's missing mile
Mar 19, 2026
John Newton, vice chair of the Cotswold Canals Trust, gives a potted history and outlines engineering and funding plans to restore the Stroudwater Canal's 'missing mile'. The conversation covers wildlife returning to restored stretches. It explains how the canal will be diverted under the M5, the scale and cost of the rebuild, and targets to reconnect the waterway by 2029.
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Volunteer Restoration Revealed Historic Canal Fabric
- Restoring the Stroudwater Canal transformed an overgrown, derelict industrial waterway into a functional three- to four-mile stretch for boats and wildlife.
- Volunteer-led clearing removed infill and domestic waste from 1960s abandonment, revealing intact brickwork and towpath features from the 18th century.
Childhood Memory Of Canal Waterfalls
- John Newton recalled childhood memories of the canal turned to weirs and drainage after decline, confusing him as a child who knew canals carried boats.
- He described seeing 'waterfalls' where locks became weirs until formal abandonment and infill took place.
Engineering A Canal Under A Motorway
- The missing mile was filled when the M5 was built, severing the Stroudwater from the national network and converting lock chambers into a field.
- The planned solution diverts the canal to pass under the motorway alongside the River Frome with a separating wall so boats have a stable three-foot depth.