Ice hockey, howitzers and rotten lock gates on Portsmouth and Chichester canals | Nostalgia

Although it’s hard to believe today, the Chichester and Portsmouth canals were once linked and were part of the same waterway that joined Portsmouth, eventually, to the River Thames.

By Deborah Croker

Published 16th Feb 2022, 21:21 BST

Watch more of our videos on Shots!
and live on Freeview channel 276

It was a convoluted route which went via Arundel on the River Arun up to Guildford and finally into the Thames.

Why?

To get arms from the factories in London to the Royal Navy via an inland route during the years of war against the French.

Should the French have been blockading all {English} Channel ports it would have been impossible for coasters to make the voyage to Portsmouth from London in the open sea.

A message from the editor, Mark Waldron.

Subscribe here for unlimited access to all our coverage, including Pompey, for just 26p a day.

Portsmouth Chichester River Thames London Arundel

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.