Looking Back

The internet declared that a journey home without motorways was only 12 minutes slower than with them - which makes it an easy decision for me. High speed was not a priority. We did see rather more of HS2 than I might have chosen. Now that the scale and complexity of the work is starting to emerge, it's easy to see why it has drained the well of public investment

The Grand Union canal might be seen as the HS2 of its day: upgrading the communications between London and Birmingham, with a particular eye on accommodating commercial freight traffic. Before the construction of the section from Braunston to London, boats had to travel down the Oxford canal to join the Thames just south of the city, and were then at the mercy of the capricious waters of the river all the way to London. The Grand Union (or Grand Junction, as it then was) provided a direct and reliable route

When this proved a commercial success, the section north of Braunston to Birmingham was widened and upgraded to take more traffic and meet growing competition from railways. Formerly one boat wide, this section was transformed to double-width - including this 21 lock flight at Hatton, aiming straight for the prominent tower of St Mary's, Warwick, in the distance 

I have worked these locks, taking a boat through them. Double width locks have big heavy gates, large paddles set in the gates to allow water in and out and very robust winding gears to open and close the big paddles. It's an easier job if you carry a bit of body-weight, but you are grateful to the galley-chef for a decent meal by the time you have closed the 42nd gate 

The Grand Union was private investment, of course - an early example of widely-distributed shareholder capitalism. In truth, though, this northern section relied on a lot of government subsidy. Not a lame-duck, but possibly limping a bit by the 1920s, as rail grew ever stronger. I wish I could read a 2120s blipper on the history of HS2, and the wisdom (or otherwise) of the investment we are living with, judged with the benefit of hindsight