Hanwell Flight Circular Walk - from Osterley House car park
Route facts
Waterways:
Grand Union Canal »
Circular route
The Hanwell Flight of six locks, created in 1794, raise the water level by about 53ft in ½ mile. Each lock was built to accommodate a 14 foot wide barge or two 7 ft wide narrowboats side by side. Most of the locks have ‘side ponds’ beside them opened for use in about 1816 as a means of saving water. Some of the lock pounds have short flights of steps to aid the rescue of towing horses that had fallen into the canal.
Windmill Lane Bridge is a unique example of a bridge where three modes of transport are directly superimposed on each other.
Known locally as Three Bridges, it was part of the last railway project engineered by Isambard Kingdom Brunel. Work began in 1856 to carry both a road (Windmill Lane) and the canal over the Great Western and Brentford Railway in a deep cutting at the same point; so that the line of the railway would avoid violating Osterley Park.
The principle design features of the bridge are a central brick pier supporting large metal beams which surround the canal in an 8 ft deep cast iron trough and vertical girders and side walls with arches which support the road.
In 1565 Sir Thomas Gresham was licence to ‘impark’ 600 acres at Osterley, subsequently in the same year increased to nearly 750 acres. Today Osterley Park, owned by the National Trust, has more than 100 acres of landscaped parkland and lakes surrounded by over 200 acres of active farmland.
The original house on this site was built in the latter part of the 16th century for Sir Thomas Gresham. After a series of occupiers it was acquired in the 18th century by Francis Child, a banker, whose grandson commissioned the Scottish architect Robert Adam to remodel the building and its interior into a fashionable villa of the time which is what you see today. At the beginning of the 19th century ownership of Osterley passed by marriage to the Earls of Jersey; until in 1949 the 9th Earl gave it to the National Trust. Osterley House is now home to some of the country’s best collections of work by Robert Adam.
Waypoints
From the car park walk back along the track heading towards the entrance gates. Past the Farm Shop turn left through a gate and later another, to follow a track between fields. When the path ends bear left towards a brick wall, cross a track and continue to the Hare & Hounds pub. Turn left along the road to pass under the M4.
After a further 440 yards just past a building on your left, turn right to go through a kissing gate and follow an enclosed path alongside a playing field. At the end of the path go through a metal gate to your right, then cross the railway line and follow the road ahead (Trumpers Way). Pass the bridge, go down the steps on your right to the Grand Union Canal, then turn right under the bridge along the towpath. Follow the towpath for approximately two miles. You will pass the Hanwell Flight of six locks and the remarkable Three Bridges construction designed by Brunel.
Pass Norwood Top Lock (No.91) and cross the white bridge. At the road barrier turn left into Poplar Avenue. Bear right onto the main road (Tentelow Lane) and cross the road. Continue along the road until The Plough pub. Turn left along an enclosed public footpath, signposted to St Mary’s Avenue, beside the pub. Cross the road and continue along the footpath opposite which crosses a field.
At the far side of the field climb the steps and follow the road over the M4 motorway. Once over the bridge admire the splendid farmhouse on your right with its walled garden. Do not enter the first metal gate along this road which is the entrance to Osterley Park Farm but turn right through the second entrance to enter Osterley Park. Keep going along this straight track, through farmland and an avenue of small-leaved lime trees, to reach a metal gate. Continue past the stable buildings and the main house, skirting the bottom of the Garden Lane. Pass the information kiosk and you will be back at the car park.
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