Newbury Lock

Last year I discovered the pub Lock, Stock And Barrel from seeing a picture of it on Blip. I can't trace the picture or blipper now, but the pub sign was visible in the picture and after a bit of Googling detective work I established that it was in Newbury, and from the reviews decided it was a place to visit one day.

That day came on Monday and after a walk along the towpath from the Leisure Centre we had a very pleasant lunch sitting on the River Terrace in the sunshine. This view was taken from the Water Bridge and shows the canalised River Kennet, Newbury Lock and the Lock, Stock and Barrel.

Newbury Lock was the first lock to be built on the Kennet and Avon canal, between 1718 and 1723. Newbury owes its prosperity to the arrival of the canal at this time, helped by the emergence of Bath as a tourist destination.

Wikipedia writes, "Newbury was roughly half way between London and Bath and an obvious stopping point in the two day journey. Soon Newbury, in particular Speenhamland, was filled with coaching inns of ever increasing grandeur and size. One inn, the George & Pelican, was reputed to have stabling for 300 horses, and this was not the largest of the inns. A theatre was built to provide the travellers with entertainment featuring the major stars of the age."

I had never explored Newbury properly before and having merely scratched its surface plan to make a return visit. After exploring its towpaths I investigated the Kennet and Avon further during the return trip, stopping off at Hungerford, Little Bedwyn and Great Bedwyn.

I took over 200 photos, the best of which will turn up in the Flickr set linked to below.

L.
10.3.2012

Blip #652
Consecutive Blip #073
Day #712

Alternatives:
Lock, Stock And Barrel
Swan Beside The River Terrace
Still Life With Tomato Sauce
Swans On The Kennet

A Day Trip To Newbury, 5 March 2012 (Flickr set)

Lens: Pentax 17-70mm

One year ago: Sunset