Three years in to a project to restore and conserve the Itchen Navigation, major improvements for wildlife, archaeology and recreation can be seen along this special waterway.
He visited the area to inspect progress for himself last week. He was accompanied by staff from the Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust which is coordinating the five-year partnership project, and by Stuart McLeod, Head of the Heritage Lottery Fund South East England which has provided a grant of £1.7 million that will create a heritage trail celebrating the outstanding wildlife and history of the Itchen Navigation.
The project takes place from Winchester, to Eastleigh and Southampton. It aims to safeguard the 17 kilometre-long waterway’s future as a special wildlife habitat, important heritage feature, and valued recreational asset.
Recently, St. Catherine’s Lock near Winchester, has received special attention. The lock is 300 years old and is one of only a few like it in the country. The lock was being destroyed by scrub growth, but it has been given a new lease of life thanks to the help of volunteers and specialist contractors who have stabilised the old brickwork.
As well as preserving the archaeological features on the Navigation, the project is repairing the weak banks of the Navigation downstream at Hockley, creating a better habitat for wildlife and improving the footpath that runs along the river bank. The Itchen Navigation is recognised as one of the best examples of a chalk river in Europe. Wildlife found here includes otter, water vole, Atlantic salmon, eel and rare dragonflies.
The Itchen Navigation also has the benefit of the being accessible to the public. The old towpath, once used to by horses to tow barges from Southampton to Winchester, is now a public footpath called the Itchen Way, granting rare access to a beautiful chalk river.
Steve said: “The River Itchen is rightly known as one of the world’s finest chalk streams, and we are very lucky to have such a feature so close by. As a Parliamentary Rivers Champion, I was delighted to be asked to take a look at the heritage trail, and see for myself the fruits of all the hard work of the Trust and its many volunteers.
“Preserving our heritage here in Winchester is of the utmost importance to me, and I look forward to working closely with the Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust in the coming years.”
Pictured; Steve joins staff from Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust and Stuart McLeod, Head of the Heritage Lottery Fund South East England on the banks of the Itchen
More information...
Polly Whyte, Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust Itchen Navigation Project Officer, on 01489 774413, email: [email protected]; website: www.hwt.org.uk
Phil Cooper, Heritage Lottery Fund Press Office, on: 07889 949173 / 020 7591 6033, email: [email protected] or Vicky Wilford, Heritage Lottery Fund Press Office, on 020 7591 6046. website: www.hlf.org.uk