Aynho Wharf

Aynho Wharf is a canal wharf on the Oxford Canal about a mile west of Aynho, where the Deddington road crosses the water. It opened in 1788, and one of its warehouses survives, its roof hanging out over the canal. A walk north along the towpath brings you to Aynho Weir Lock, an unusual diamond-shaped lock that guards the canal where the River Cherwell crosses it on the level.

The story of Aynho Wharf

The wharf was the village's port. The Northamptonshire Historic Environment Record says it unloaded house coal and stone from the Midlands and salt from Cheshire, and sent out the parish's hay, straw and corn. It has been much altered, but one of several original warehouses still stands. The stone bridge that carries the road over the canal here, number 190, is listed Grade II. Its record says it was reputedly opened in 1790, two years after the date the HER gives for the wharf, so take the dates as close rather than exact.

The railway came next to the canal. Aynho's two stations closed in 1963 and 1964, and the Great Western Arms stands between the canal and the old station.

What to look for

Start on the bridge and look down the water:

• The warehouse with its roof overhanging the canal, so boats could load in the dry
• Bridge 190 itself, of coursed limestone rubble with ironstone dressings, and the iron plate on its keystone with its number
• Moored boats along the wharf

Then walk north on the towpath. Under half a mile on is Belchers Lift Bridge, number 189. About a mile from the wharf is Aynho Weir Lock, number 33. The HER says it was built in 1790 and soon enlarged into a lozenge, about 6m across at its widest, with a fall of under 30cm. It protects the canal from surges where the Cherwell crosses it at the same level, just beyond the bridge. That bridge, number 188, is an accommodation bridge of about 1780 to 1790, listed Grade II.

Visiting Aynho Wharf

The towpath is public and free, and the bridge and the view can be seen at any time. The wharf itself is a private boatyard, so respect the moorings. The Canal and River Trust's boaters' guide lists a shop there, but we found no hours for it from the wharf itself.

Getting there

The wharf is on the B4031 between Aynho and Deddington, postcode OX17 3BP. We found no public car park. The village is about a mile east, so you can walk down from The Square. Kings Sutton station, on the line from Banbury, is the nearest working station.

Nearby

The Great Western Arms is beside the wharf. Upstream the canal runs to Banbury and Cropredy Bridge. On the hill north-east of the village is the Iron Age hillfort of Rainsborough Camp, and the spire of Kings Sutton is across the valley.