- The Portsmouth and Arundel Canal -
- 200th Anniversary Virtual -
2022 saw the 200th anniversary of the Portsmouth and Arundel canal. In 1817, a plan was drawn up to link Portsmouth with London via the Thames, Wey, and Arun Canals. Designed by renowned civil engineer, John Rennie and built by the Portsmouth & Arundel Navigation company, the first section opened in 1822, the rest was planned for the next year. There was a grand opening on May 26th 1823. The canal started at Milton via a sea lock and finished at what was a basin, on the site near to what was Landports/Allders/Debenhams in Commercial Road.
It was designed with two locks, one at the entrance to the canal, the second opposite the Oyster House pub. Sea water was pumped into the canal by a steam engine, whose house still stands in Waterlock gardens, just past the second lock.
Steam tugs were built in Milton to take the barges from the lock, across Langstone and Chichester Harbour to Birdham where the canals continued.
The Portsmouth-Arundel Canal only endured for 60 years before it was finally filled in, because by the 1840s the railway had come to town, and part of the canal cutting was used to carry the tracks, being the part between just east of the Portsmouth & Southsea station and Fratton. The rest of the canal was filled in eventually to form Goldsmith Avenue. On the map, the Southsea Railway route can also be seen, between Fratton Station, and Granada Road, Southsea. The Canal was filled in to make way for the introduction of the railway to Portsmouth.
Please Note: Milton Locks is a conservation area and a Nature Reserve which is managed by Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust and a lovely area to have a walk about.
For more information on the Nature Reserve click this link.
Milton Locks Nature Reserve
To log this virtual you have to visit two locations.
Please visit WAYPOINT ONE where you will find an information plaque marking the terminus of the canal at what would have been the canal basin. Please take a photo of yourself next to the plaque or place a personal identifying item on the plaque and photograph that.
For the second part at the published co-ords At which point there is a Wooden Sign near the bridge over the lock, Please take a photo of yourself or personal identifying item next to the sign or Bridge. Photos can be sent in a message or attached to your log. Hope you enjoy the cache, a bit of local history and maybe some wildlife at the nature reserve.
Virtual Rewards 3.0 - 2022-2023
This Virtual Cache is part of a limited release of Virtuals created between March 1, 2022 and March 1, 2023. Only 4,000 cache owners were given the opportunity to hide a Virtual Cache. Learn more about Virtual Rewards 3.0 on the Geocaching Blog.