The Thames & Severn Canal starts at a junction with the Stroudwater Canal (1) to the west of Wallbridge Basin, and it is raised up the side of the valley by Wallbridge Lower and Upper Locks (2 & 5).
On the way the canal goes under Wallbridge Bridge (4) and it passes a building of the former Stroud Brewery of which the lower floor has been preserved alongside the canal (3).
The settlement of Wallbridge takes its name from the original bridge over the River Frome (6) that was used by walkers (an early term for fullers) working at the nearby mill.
This bridge carried the main road running south-west from Stroud through the suburb of Wallbridge. In the foreground, a barge with its mast lowered is being bow-hauled towards the bridge.
Beyond the bridge on the left is a glimpse of piles of coal on Wallbridge Upper Wharf with two barges moored alongside.
This is very much like the view George III would have had when he stopped to watch a passing barge in 1788. He was greeted by a huge crowd, but as he raised his hat to acknowledge the cheers, a rent was visible under the arm of his coat!
For many years, this lock was overshadowed by a road bridge leading from the town to the Midland Railway station on the south side of the canal.
The northern buttress of that bridge is still in situ, and a former boundary stone engraved TSC has been placed at the base of it.
To the left (north) was the Company-owned Bell Inn, later replaced by the Bell Hotel, which is now Bell House with a Cotswold Canals Trust visitor centre.
To the right (south) was the lock keeper’s house where a gable end survives in the walling.
The boat Trial was photographed on the pound between the two Wallbridge locks after returning from a trip to London in 1899. The summit level of the canal over the Cotswolds had gone out of use in the 1890s, and this trip was arranged to publicise the completion of a major programme of restoration work.
On the right can be seen a wing of the headquarters of the Stroudwater Navigation Company.
George III visit from Notes & Recollections of Stroud by P H Fisher.
Trial trip to London from The Thames & Seven Canal by Humphrey Household.
This striking sculpture by Andy Pride beside Wallbridge Lower Lock represents the nearby junction between the Stroudwater and the Thames & Severn Canals.
