Halting Hitler at the Basingstoke Canal

The Basingstoke Canal was built between October 1788 and September 1794 to facilitate the movement of commercial products around Hampshire. At its inception, the canal originally followed a 44 mile course from Basingstoke (roughly where the cinema in the Festival Place shopping precinct is located today) to the Wey and Godalming Navigations near Weybridge. Part of the canal's original course was a loop running around Greywell Hill (near the Basingstoke end of the canal). By 1794 this loop was replaced by a tunnel that cut through Greywell Hill which shaved 7 miles off the length of the canal.

The Basingstoke Canal proved to be a failure commercially, so in 1910 it stopped being used for commercial purposes and it gradually fell into decline and was mostly derelict by the mid 1960's. The 1970's saw some interest in restoring the canal and it was purchased by the County Councils of Hampshire and Surrey. After about 18 years of restoration, 32 miles of the canal were formally re-opened in May 1991 and these remain navigable today. The western section of the canal from the entrance to the Greywell tunnel to Basingstoke is however derelict and impassable. The Greywell tunnel began to collapse in 1932, and parts of the canal in Basingstoke, including the former canal basin, have been lost to modern development.

Due to fears of Nazi invasion during World War II it seems that numerous anti invasion defences were put in place along the canal as part of the defensive scheme known as the General Head Quarters (GHQ) Line. The GHQ Line spanned a number of counties and was aimed at slowing any German invasion down and to prevent German soldiers and tanks from making inroads from the south coast.

I recently took a walk along a 12 mile section of the Basingstoke Canal, heading west from Crookham Village in Hampshire to Up Natley in Hampshire, and I was amazed to find that a significant number of these World War II anti invasion defences still remained to be found on the canal side. What follows is a summary of what I encountered...

Setting of from Crookham Village heading towards the outskirts of Basingstoke the first anti-tank defence that was evident was a series of “Dragon’s teeth”, that were on the opposite bank to the tow path. Dragon's teeth are pyramidal shaped concrete blocks that were deployed to impede the movement of tanks and other vehicles.

Dragon's teeth rising out of the canal and up the bank.

The next WWII defence that was visible was not on the canal side, but was on the opposite side of the canal from the tow path, set back in the middle of a field. A line of anti-tank cylinders crossing the field could be seen, as the below (rather low quality) picture shows. Like the Dragon's teeth, these reinforced concrete cylinders were primarily put in place to slow down the advance of vehicles. The line of cylinders shown below can be clearly seen in aerial maps at a lat/long of 51.254094, -0.876844.

In a field opposite the canal, a line of anti-tank cylinders can be seen crossing the field (under the electricity pylon). 

Further along the canal (again on the opposite side to the tow path) even more anti-tank cylinders were easily visible. Similar to the Dragon's teeth, these cylinders start in the canal and disappear up the bank into the undergrowth.

Anti-tank cylinders on the canal side.

Next up was a pill box on the tow path which was partially hidden in the undergrowth. The front of the pill box was hexagonal in shape whilst the back was flat, making it (as far as I can tell) a Type 24 pill box. The inside of the pill box was accessible.

Pill box number 1 - lurking in the undergrowth. 

Looking towards the entrance to the pill box. Just inside the pill box the anti-ricochet wall can be seen. On the exterior wall, to the right hand side of the entrance, a metal hook can be seen protruding from the brick work. Hooks like this would have originally be used to hang camouflage netting from to help conceal the pill box. 

Walking further along the tow path another batch of anti-tank cylinders were clearly evident. If you inspect the cylinders closely you can see that they have metal loops on the top and what seem to be metal pipes protruding from near their bases. These loops and pipes would have been used to pass metal wire through, connecting a number of cylinders to each other and making them more of an obstacle.

Anti-tank cylinders.

The loop and pipe on the nearest cylinder can be seen. 

What appeared to be another Type 24 pill box was next on the tow path. This pill box was also accessible.

Pill box number 2 - guarding the canal.

The rear of the pill box.

Looking at the entrance.

One of the firing positions inside the pill box.

At this point in the walk it became clear that the tow path was littered with submerged concrete blocks that sported round holes in them. I believe that these were also a form of anti vehicle obstacle, and the holes look similar to sockets for anti vehicle road blocks.  These sockets may have once housed bent RSJs to prevent progress of invaders along the tow path. Or conversely they may have once housed anti-personnel or anti-vehicle mines.

Scattered all along the tow path. Sockets for anti-vehicle road blocks or mines? 

Carrying on, yet another pill box appeared on the tow path. Unlike the previous two pill boxes this one was square in shape, but again had the internal anti-ricochet walls. The pill box was again easily accessible.

Pill box number 3 - in the distance.

This pill box was square this time, not hexagonal.

Looking out of one of the firing positions. 

A mounting point for a machine gun?

Blacksmith's Bridge near Dogmersfield was the next point of interest. Just to the south of the bridge more anti-tank cylinders could be seen running up from the canal and over the bank. These cylinders can be seen on aerial maps at lat/long of 51.264191, -0.889303.

The bridge itself also housed some anti-invasion defences. Clearly visible on the bridge were some concrete sockets that would have once housed mines. The bridge is located at 51.264363, -0.889122.

More anti-tank cylinders.

On Blacksmith's Bridge, concrete sockets that would have once housed mines.

Walking further towards Basingstoke a fourth pill box was found lurking near the tow path. This pill box was different to the previous three, in so much that to enter it you had to go up a flight of stairs. The pill box did seem to only have one floor inside, as opposed to being a two-level residence.

Pill box number 4.

The entrance.

The internal stair case.

The fifth and final pill box that I found was located on a bank over looking the tow path. This pill box was another hexagonal shaped structure, and so possibly another Type 24 pill box.

Pill box number 5 - on the bank overlooking the tow path and the canal

Taking a break from WWII, near North Warnborough the tow path passes the ruins of Odiham Castle (51.261396, -0.961561). Odiham Castle was built by King John over the course of seven years between 1207 and 1214 and remained in used as a hunting lodge until the late 1500's.

Odiham Castle - the remains of the keep.

After Odiham Castle the canal and the tow path continue as far as the entrance to the Greywell tunnel (51.257685, -0.971399). As mentioned previously,  the tunnel began to collapse in 1932 and now it is gated off to prevent entrance. Whilst humans cannot access the tunnel, other animals can, and the tunnel is said to be home to the biggest colony of roosting bats in Britain.  In 2006 it was estimated that the tunnel was home to 12,500 bats, which included the largest known colony of Natterer's Bats. Other bats that are said to reside in the tunnel include Daubenton's Bats, Whiskered Bats, Brandt's Bats and Brown Long-eared Bats.

The Greywell tunnel is 1,120 meters long, and when it was in operation it had no tow path inside it. The lack of a tow path meant that any boats passing through it had to be "legged". Legging involved the barge crews propelling the barge through the tunnel by wedging themselves between the barge and the tunnel and walking their legs along the tunnel wall while pushing their backs against the barge. Legging a barge through the tunnel is said to have taken up to six hours to achieve!

Whilst the tunnel is now impassable the course of the tunnel can be followed on the map and the old course of the canal can be picked up again at the western edge of the Greywell tunnel (51.260827, -0.986784). The western tunnel entrance is also gated off and the canal on the western side of the Greywell tunnel is dry in places and is no longer maintained.

The western entrance to the Greywell tunnel.

Looking inside the Greywell tunnel - there is still some water in there. 

The course of the canal can be followed further beyond Up Natley in the direction of Basingstoke and with the odd touch of very minor trespassing further evidence of the canal's previous course can be found. For example, following the Andwell Drove Track, which heads south from Greywell Road, a disused canal tunnel can be found (51.262371, -1.010430). The Andwell Drove Track runs over the top of the tunnel, so you have to leave the track to explore it.

Beyond this tunnel progress in the direction of Basingstoke along the canal became problematic, due to very dense undergrowth. So it was decided to call it a day, with the thought of retuning in the winter when the undergrowth is less dense.

A disused tunnel with the Andwell Drove Track passing over the top of it. 

The tow path through the tunnel. 

During my walk I discovered a significant amount of WWII anti-invasion defences, however I did not deviate far from the canal side. I imagine that I missed a lot of other anti-invasion defences that remain to be found set back from the sides of the canal or hidden in the undergrowth. There are also likely to be more anti-invasion defences to be found heading east from Crookham Village towards the Weybridge, so there is bound to be plenty more for the curious walker to find. So go and have a look!

Pictures, Hampshire (September 2014).

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Doctor, Druid and Cremation Pioneer

The statue shown below is a memorial, in Llantrisant, to the Welsh physician William Price (4 March 1800 – 23 January 1893) who is remembered for his eccentric lifestyle and as being the pioneer of cremation in the United Kingdom.

Price was born in Monmouthshire to a father who was a Reverend and whose unusual behavior may have inspired Price's own eccentric ways. Reverend Price suffered from a mental illness and was known to act erratically and experience fits of rage. The madness of Reverend Price saw him conducting a number of unusual activities such as: bathing either fully clothed or naked in local ponds; collecting snakes in his pockets; spitting onto stones to try to improve their value; and carrying a saw with him so that he could remove the bark from trees.

As a young man, Price trained as a doctor in London and after his training he returned to Wales to work as a general practitioner. He eventually became interested in the Chartist movement and their ideals that all men should have the right to vote, irrespective of their wealth or social standing. In 1839 the Chartist movement attempted an armed rebellion against the government, which failed. Whilst Price was not actively involved in this rebellion, his involvement with the Chartist movement necessitated him to flee from the country. So he fled to France, apparently disguised as a woman!

Whilst in exile in Paris, Price visited the Louvre museum and became interested in a stone on display there which sported a Greek inscription. It seems that Price erroneously interpreted this inscription as a prophecy declaring that a man would come in the future to reveal the true secrets of the Welsh language and to liberate the Welsh people. Price also seemed to assume that the prophecy applied to him, so he decided to return to Wales to free the Welsh people from the English authorities.

On his return to Wales, Price set himself up as a Druid and founded a Druidic group which began attracting followers. In his new calling as a Druid he took to  wearing a fox fur hat and emerald green clothing, and began to grow his beard long and stop cutting his hair. It is in this unusual garb that Price is remembered in the statue shown below.

In 1883 Price fathered a son, who he named Iesu Grist (Jesus Christ in Welsh), apparently to provoke the religious establishment and also because he expected great things from his child. Sadly however, the child died after only five months in January 1884. In his belief that burial polluted the earth and was therefore wrong, Price opted to cremate his son and he created the pyre on the summit of a hill near Llantrisant. It seems that a number of local people noticed the fire and when they discovered that Price was trying to burning his son’s body (cremation was a taboo in 1884), the mob turned on him. The Police eventually arrived and arrested Price for the illegal disposal of a corpse, and they removed the unburnt body from the pyre for medical examination. In court Price managed to argue that while the law did not state that cremation was legal, it also did not state that it was illegal either, and Price was subsequently acquitted of the charges.  On 14 March 1884 Price was finally allowed to cremate his son.

Price’s brush with the law on the issue of cremation paved the way for cremation to become generally accepted in the United Kingdom as a method of corpse disposal. The first official cremation took place in Woking only a year after Price cremated his son.

Price died in 1893 and unsurprisingly he opted to be cremated. His cremation ceremony was apparently attended by 20,000 spectators!

The memorial to William Price in Llantrisant. 

Pictures, Glamorgan (August 2014).

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The Flying Monk - Killed by a Tiger

Malmesbury Abbey in Wiltshire has a history that reaches back to 676 AD when a Benedictine monastery was first founded on the site. During this long history the Abbey has become known for two rather unusual British “firsts”...

The Flying Monk 

Around 1125 AD the medieval historian William of Malmesbury wrote in his book Gesta regum Anglorum (Deeds of the English Kings), about a fellow monk from Malmesbury Abbey who is reputed to be Britain’s first aviator. The monk in question was called Elmer (sometimes also called Eilmer) and in circa 1005 AD it is said that he managed to fly a distance of about 200 metres from the Abbey’s tower using a rudimentary type of hang-glider. It seems that Elmer’s flight was only a partial success in that he did manage to glide, however on landing he is said to have broken both of his legs that left him lame for the rest of his days. Elmer is immortalised in a stained glass window in the Abbey, where he is depicted holding what looks to be a model of his hang-glider.

Elmer's window is a little tricky to find as it is not in the main body of the Abbey, but instead is located inside the crèche. So if you want to find Elmer take a left as you enter the Abbey and you will find the crèche where Elmer lives directly in front of you.

Killed by a Tiger 

In the Abbey graveyard an interesting gravestone can be found that commemorates a rather unusual death. The gravestone remembers a Hannah Twynnoy (1669/70-1703) who was a barmaid working in The White Lion Inn (sometimes also referred to as The Lion Pub) in Malmesbury. The story is that the grounds of the pub played host to a travelling menagerie and that a tiger from the menagerie mauled the unfortunate Hannah to death. It has to be said that being killed by a tiger in an average Wiltshire town is not a typical way to go, and Hannah is often referred to as being the first person to be killed by a tiger in Britain.

As you enter the Abbey’s graveyard on the path that leads directly to the main door of the Abbey, Hannah’s gravestone can be found set back from the path on the right hand side. The fading inscription reads:

In memory of

Hannah Twynnoy

Who died October 23rd 1703

Aged 33 years

In bloom of Life

She's snatchd from hence,

She had not room

To make defence;

For Tyger fierce

Took Life away.

And here she lies

In a bed of Clay,

Until the Resurrection Day.

So if you ever visit Malmesbury be sure to watch out for deadly tigers and flying monks!

Malmesbury Abbey. 

Elmer the flying monk, holding what looks to be a model of his hang-glider.

Hannah Twynnoy's gravestone (centre of frame). 

The inscription on Hannah Twynnoy's gravestone.

Pictures, Wiltshire (August 2014).

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The Depressing Chair of Bishops Cannings

Bishops Cannings is a village in Wiltshire, which is a short drive north-east of the town of Devizes. The village church is the Church of St Mary the Virgin and it is believed that the church was built in the second half of the 12th century and gradually augmented and improved over the years. It is during this lengthy history that the church became home to a very depressing chair.

The chair in question is a type of pew that can be found inside the church and which has a  “hand of meditation” painted on its back. The hand is decorated with a number of depressing phrases in Latin, that are presumably designed to make the person sitting in the pew consider their life, their actions and their life's meaning.

The accompanying inscription dates the “hand of meditation” to the 15th century: The origin of this ancient pew is uncertain. It is thought by some to be a confessional; by others a monastic carrel or study desk. Only the painted panel is medieval and belongs to the 15th century. The surrounding woodwork seems to have been added in the 18th century. 

The inscriptions on the hand are all rather depressing, and apparently translate to the below:

The inscription of the palm reads:
What thou oughest to think upon.

The thumb reads:
Thou knowest not how much.
Thou knowest not how often.
Thou hast offended god.

The index finger reads:
Thy end is bitter.
Thy life is short.
Thou hast come into the world.
With sin.

The middle finger reads:
Thou shalt carry nothing with thee but what thou hast done.
Thy life thou canst not lengthen.
Thy death thou canst not escape.
Thou shalt die.

The fourth finger reads:
Thou knowest not whither thou shalt go.
Thou knowest not how thou shalt die.
Thou knowest not where thou shalt die.
The hour of death is uncertain.

The little finger reads:
Thou shalt quickly be forgotten by thy friends.
Thy best will seldom do anything for thee.
He to whom thou leaveth they goods will seldom do anything for thee.
Thy end is miserable. 

Notwithstanding the very sombre and depressing nature of the inscriptions on the chair, it is a very striking piece of furniture and I have never seen anything like it in any other church that I have visited. Who knows, perhaps it is unique?

The Church of St Mary the Virgin.

The Pew.

A confessional or a carrel? 

The "Hand of Meditation". 

Translating the hand. 

Pictures, Wiltshire (August 2014).

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Gun End of Base?

If you live in the Salisbury area you will likely be familiar with the ancient site of Old Sarum. Old Sarum was originally an Iron Age hill fort, and following the Roman invasion of Great Britain it became the Roman settlement of Sorviodunum (43 AD – 410 AD). The site remained in use as a fortified settlement during the Saxon era and the Normans erected a motte and baily castle on the site (circa 1069).

A cathedral was built on the site between 1075 and 1092 and this was followed by the construction of a Royal Palace within the inner castle between 1130 – 1139. As the hill fort of Old Sarum was somewhat exposed to the elements, it was eventually decided to relocate the cathedral to a less exposed position, and in 1220 the construction of what would become New Sarum (Salisbury) Cathedral commenced. The general populous of Old Sarum followed the relocation of the cathedral, and Salisbury began to emerge as a settlement as the population moved themselves and their homes from Old Sarum. By 1240 the majority of the local population had abandoned Old Sarum in favour of Salisbury. Even though Old Sarum was now effectively population-less it still retained the right to send two members of parliament to the House of Commons. As such Old Sarum became known as one of the most famous “Rotten Boroughs” in the land, with wealthy people owning the land to ensure that they could become elected to parliament.

What most visitors to Old Sarum will miss however is a stone monument on the opposite side of the A345 to Old Sarum, which sits half way between Old Sarum and the Portway roundabout. The monument is marked on Ordnance Survey maps and on 1:25,000 scale maps and it is accompanied by the cryptic label “Gun End of Base”. The monument itself clearly explains its purpose and bears the following inscription  “In 1794 a line from this site to Beacon Hill was measured by Capt W Mudge of the Ordnance Survey as a base for the triangulation of Great Britain”.

It seems that in 1794 Captain William Mudge (1762 – 1820) of the Royal Artillery measured the distance between the site of the monument and nearby Beacon Hill, which is approximately 7 miles north east of Old Sarum and can be found between the A303 and the village of Bulford. This measurement apparently became the baseline from which the first definitive mapping survey of Great Britain began. The label “Gun End of Base” on today’s Ordnance Survey map apparently refers to the spot at which a cannon was buried vertically in the ground. It seems that the buried cannon would have been used as a point for Mudge to erect his theodolite on, prior to him making his measurements.

The question that springs to my mind is whether the label “Gun End of Base” appears on any other Ordnance Survey maps or if it is particular to Old Sarum. Time to get looking!

The monument to Captain William Mudge.

Old Sarum from a distance.

Information board showing an aerial view of Old Sarum.

Looking towards Old Sarum's motte.

The motte and its protective ditch.

Ruins inside the motte.

Looking out from the motte towards the ruins of the Old Sarum Cathedral.

New Sarum Cathedral can be seen in the distance.

A model showing what the motte may have once looked like.

Pictures, Wiltshire (August 2014).

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Uncovering an Unknown Building

Over the weekend of the 2nd and 3rd of August I was lucky enough to be able to spend some time helping a local archaeology team who are seeking to understand an unknown building that has been discovered in the hamlet of Bincknoll in Wiltshire.  

Bincknoll (pronounced Bynol) is a secluded rural hamlet that lies in the shadow of a former 11th Century (Norman) motte and bailey castle (Bincknoll Castle). The castle is believed to have been the seat of power for the local land owner of the period and today all that remains of this castle are some partial earthworks, which hint at what the site used to be. Bincknoll is also believed to have once been home to a medieval chapel and there is some documentary evidence that hints at its existence. However the location of this chapel has never been identified.

Finding the location of this medieval chapel recently became a possibility when a local home owner removed some trees from her lawn and uncovered what appeared to be a wall and some rubble from an previously unknown building. The wall that has been uncovered is made from chalk stone and has a west-east alignment, which interestingly does not align to any other local features (e.g. the road). Buildings with a west-east alignment are typical of Christian places of worship.  

With the possibility that the unknown building is medieval and may be the previously unlocated Bincknoll Chapel the excavations on site began.

The main aims of the excavation are to understand the extent of the building and its relation to the local landscape and to find features of the structure and contextual evidence that will enable it to be dated with some degree of confidence. Finding the original floor level of the building is a key objective, as the construction of the floor is likely to shed considerable light on the nature of the unknown building.

During my 2 days helping on the dig the wall and rubble field were uncovered to begin to understand the extent of the site and to enable the features to be charted and recorded. During these initial excavations a number of finds were made, which included:

• Fragments of roof tiles.
• Pig and sheep bones.
• Pieces of mortar, and also what seems to be some mortar in situ on the outside wall of the building (this possibly shows that the outside of the building was once rendered?).
• Oyster shells, which are apparently typical of Roman occupation in the area.
• Flint cores and flint shards, which typically date from the Mesolithic era (10,000 - 4,000 years BC).
• A possible piece of plaster with a thin surface of paint on it. If the building did have painted plaster it would hint towards it being a place a worship. 
• Pieces of early medieval pottery. 
• A return wall, enabling the team to be confident that they know what is the inside and what is the outside of the building.   

The dig will continue for a number of weeks, and once the team have planned and documented the exposed walls and rubble field they will slowly remove sections of the rubble field to explore the building. Painstakingly the team will remove layers from the site and eventually they may reach the original floor level. Hopefully during the dig the team will uncover suitable evidence to enable them to date the building and understand its former purpose, and maybe they might even be able to prove that it is actually the medieval Bincknoll Chapel.

The Bincknoll dig is being organized and managed by Broad Town Archaeology and the Wiltshire Archaeology Field Group, visit their Facebook pages to find out more!

Day 1 - The site ready for excavations to begin. The home owner had already uncovered some of the rubble field after removing some trees from the lawn. The wall of the building is on the right hand side of the picture.

Day 1 - The wall of the unknown building, which runs along a west to east alignment.

Day 1 - The other end of the site, marked out and ready for exploration. 

Day 1 - The wall and the rubble field are slowly uncovered. A trench is opened on what is believed to be the outside of the building to explore the depth of the wall.

Day 1 - At the end of the first day. The team continue to slowly uncover the rubble field and the trench outside the building is prepared for documentation.

Day 2 - Mrs J continues to expand the trench downwards. 

Day 2 - The wall and rubble field are cleaned ready for planning and documentation. 

Day 2 - Planning commences, objects of interest are marked using flags and a grid is used to enable the site to be sketched.

Day 2 - The hard job! The rubble field and wall have to be documented and planned before any rocks can be lifted to enable the team the excavate deeper. 

Day 2 - Some of the finds from Mrs J's trench, a flint core and some flint chippings - evidence of flint knapping on the site. 

Day 2 - Some of the finds from Mrs J's trench, mortar from the unknown building. 

Some of the remaining earth works at Bincknoll Castle.

The view from Bincknoll Castle, looking towards the M4.

Pictures, Wiltshire (August 2014).

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