Sutton Stop Lock
Warwickshire
Sutton Stop Lock, at Hawkesbury Junction was built to stop the Oxford Canal losing precious water to the then recently constructed Coventry Canal. The Stop Lock was the resolution of a dispute that, for a time, saw the two canals running parallel without being linked. Hawkesbury Junction is now a conservation area, there is a pub (The Greyhound) and it is the start (or finish) point for two walks - the Sowe Valley Footpath and the Canal Art Trail. The Canal Art Trail between Hawkesbury Junction and Coventry Basin in the city centre features a number of artworks commissioned from local artists, including an imposing statue of the famous 18thC canal engineer James Brindley.