Recently, I spent some time near Hawkesbury Junction, Warwickshire, where the North Oxford Canal and the Coventry Canal meet. The layout is unusual, which makes for interesting navigation, especially when busy, and for novices in particular.
There has been little change in well over 150 years, though the adjoining areas have seen much development, so that the area is now at the edge of Bedworth. I entered the area shown on the North Oxford Canal, bottom right. There are moorings before the junction, but I wanted water, and stopped just before the stop lock. This only changes the water levels by seven inches (18 cm). Another crew operated the lock for me, so all that remained was to do a U-turn to get onto the Coventry Canal, and moor somewhere near the top of the map. I guess this can be tricky, but having done it twice quite smoothly, it holds no fears. None of the boats I saw had a problem, but they were all seasoned boaters. This next image gives an idea of what faces the modern boater.
As one approaches the junction from the north (Nuneaton direction) the first obvious canalside feature is the Engine House.
The blue panel reads:
“The Engine House opposite housed the “Earl of Mercia” steam engine that pumped water from a deep well into the canal between 1837 and 1913. This engine worked alongside an earlier Newcomen engine, which functioned as follows:
Steam entered the cylinder, allowing the piston to be raised by the weight on the other end of the beam. When cold water was injected, the steam condensed creating a vacuum in the cylinder. This pulled the piston down, rocked the beam and raised the pump rods in the well, lifting water to the surface.”
A few more images from around the junction:
Andrew's Kindred 