What is it all about? Braunston?

[beerbeerbeerbeerbeer]

Pearson’s pg17 Oxford and Grand Union
 

 

has it caught the imagination almost more than any other canal location?

 

what is the draw to Braunston? 
 

[Victor Vectis]

Well, its certainly not the beer.

The spur of land, the church at the end, the canal twisting around it?

The paths through fields up from the canal to the village?

The butchers shop?

 

Whatever, all being well, I'll be passing through there next week.

[beerbeerbeerbeerbeer]

3 minutes ago, Victor Vectis said:

Whatever, all being well, I'll be passing through there next week.

possibly the following week for me,

I do like Bruanston,

not gonna knock it,

but is it ‘over hyped’v

the other year I went the Nelson (between the locks) and they had some good beer on tap,

 

I’ll try the butchers 👍

 

 

[dogless]

It was always a draw for us as we had friends living there, but sadly no longer.

 

It's a lovely place but no lovelier than the many other lovely places on the system, in my view.

 

A bit of hyperbole by Mr Pearson I think.

 

Rog

[magnetman]

The Horseley iron bridges and its where the wide beans stop  not ! 

 

Puddle banks are a good bit of work and old railway engineering. 

[MtB]

I think Sutton's Stop was/is just as 'magnetic' to boaters, if not so much the general public. 

 

 

Or is it just Sutton Stop? I'm never sure! 

 

[beerbeerbeerbeerbeer]

47 minutes ago, dogless said:

A bit of hyperbole by Mr Pearson I think

I’ll see what he says about Birmingham and my favourite …Tipton 😃

[David Mack]

And historically for the Nursers and Blue Line Cruisers connection, although both are long in the past.

[Lady M]

There are a few historic canal related buildings which may still give an atmosphere of earlier days.

[IanD]

1 hour ago, 5239 said:

possibly the following week for me,

I do like Bruanston,

not gonna knock it,

but is it ‘over hyped’v

the other year I went the Nelson (between the locks) and they had some good beer on tap,

 

I’ll try the butchers 👍

 

IMHO the butchers looks good but is over-rated -- we bought a fair bit of meat last time we were there, the beef was good but the lamb was a bit tough and tasteless, and their sausages were too soft-textured and far too prone to splitting... 😞 

[MtB]

Too much gristle in their sausages for my taste too. 

 

ISTR their bacon was good though. 

[Ray T]

46 minutes ago, David Mack said:

And historically for the Nursers and Blue Line Cruisers connection, although both are long in the past.

Also Barlow’s.

[roland elsdon]

And Willow Wren

[magnetman]

1 hour ago, MtB said:

I think Sutton's Stop was/is just as 'magnetic' to boaters, if not so much the general public. 

 

 

Or is it just Sutton Stop? I'm never sure! 

 

There is no stop. Its just Sutton's or Suttons'. 

 

 

Also the Pink Floyd bridge. I am not a fan of the band at all as I think they were too generic but there was quite a good bit of work on a derelict railway bridge near Wolfhampcote. 

 

Also the A45 is to die for ! Brilliant bit of road engineering. 

 

 

 

I don't do driving any more but I do recall the approach to Braun St On via the A45 or is it the A43? and it was a proper nice bit of road. 

 

I could have got the nomenclature and numbering wrong. 

 

 

[Ray T]

3 minutes ago, magnetman said:

There is no stop. Its just Sutton's or Suttons'. 

 

 

Also the Pink Floyd bridge. I am not a fan of the band at all as I think they were too generic but there was quite a good bit of work on a derelict railway bridge near Wolfhampcote. 

 

Also the A45 is to die for ! Brilliant bit of road engineering. 

 

 

There is a stop lock at Hawkesbury Junction.😉

[magnetman]

3 minutes ago, Ray T said:

There is a stop lock at Hawkesbury Junction.😉

 

Yes I know. Its called Sutton's. No need for the 'stop'. Its a bit like calling the canal 'the cut' when it is actually 'the canal'. 

 

I meant there is no stop in the name. Its obviously a physical stop when on the Boat but the discussion was about the name. 

 

[Lily Rose]

42 minutes ago, MtB said:

Too much gristle in their sausages for my taste too. 

 

ISTR their bacon was good though. 

 

I stopped buying their sausages a while back but still make a point of going up the hill to bring home the bacon each time we go to or through Braunston. It's worth walking up the hill just for that.

 

Last time was Thursday this week and we'll be finishing off said bacon tomorrow.

 

[Mike Todd]

17 minutes ago, magnetman said:

 

Yes I know. Its called Sutton's. No need for the 'stop'. Its a bit like calling the canal 'the cut' when it is actually 'the canal'. 

 

I meant there is no stop in the name. Its obviously a physical stop when on the Boat but the discussion was about the name. 

 

I think you will find that the name is less certain than you imply, Sutton Stop is widely used and has been for some time. Interestingly, Google maps gives Sutton Stop as the name if the road leading up to the Greyhound. I cannot check my older refs at the mo but I am sure that many add the Stop.

[MtB]

I've always thought Sutton or Sutton's Stop was correct, and people truncating it to just Suttons were using the colloquial term for it. 

[Mike Tee]

For me, Braunston and the surrounding area has multiple junctions for different cruising directions, which many of the other so-called jewels don't have.

[MtB]

1 minute ago, Mike Tee said:

For me, Braunston and the surrounding area has multiple junctions for different cruising directions, which many of the other so-called jewels don't have.

 

Yes you can leave Braunston in three different directions. Definitely a plus there! 

[beerbeerbeerbeerbeer]

Hawkesbury Jn certainly caught this painters imagination:

 

 

 anyone match that with some of Braunston?

 

Authors such Blaygrove and Susan Woolfitt have helped raise/promote the profile of Braunston,

 

the Historic Rally is a crowd puller,

 

it’s a pretty and idilic location 

 

got a quirky tunnel which people like (to make a fuss over)

 

and a butcher that sells good bacon 👍

 

Ok…I’m warming to it more 

 

[Stroudwater1]

The historical attachments help (Including the boaters strike perhaps?) Didnt Ron Hough work from there. Tradlines is a decent supplier and Midlands Chandlers are handy too. Theres usually at least 5 historic boats moored up in the area. 

 

The approach from all directions is wonderful, the church is a lovely view on the way in from both North and South Oxford. The ridge and furrows add to the scene from the North. A number of former boats people are buried in the churchyard.
 

The junction is lovely with the two Horseley bridges plus the stop house and further Horseley bridge. 
 

Four pubs, take them or leave them plus the tunnel and six locks. 
 

So I would agree with Pearson
 

Hawkesbury junction sadly has been rather ruined by the unsightly houses right in front of the bridge and there’s going to be many more where the old 9 hole golf course was situated. Hopefully they will be sited further back from the canal but I fear not? 

 

 

Edited April 12, 2025 by Stroudwater1

[magnetman]

8 minutes ago, 5239 said:

Hawkesbury Jn certainly caught this painters imagination:

 

 

 anyone match that with some of Braunston?

 

Authors such Blaygrove and Susan Woolfitt have helped raise/promote the profile of Braunston,

 

the Historic Rally is a crowd puller,

 

it’s a pretty and idilic location 

 

got a quirky tunnel which people like (to make a fuss over)

 

and a butcher that sells good bacon 👍

 

Ok…I’m warming to it more 

 

 

When I was there in the 90s the Jesus Army were a few doors down from the butcher. The had a transit van with all their god bothering bits signwritten. 

 

I don't know what they did I suppose it was something to do with religion. I wondered at the time if they wanted to start a war. 

[Lily Rose]

Another thing in Braunston's favour, apparently, is the cafe by the butchers. I've never been but when I stopped for lunch today about half a mile north of Braunston the bloke on the next door boat (not a local boater) said he and his wife had gone in for coffee and cake and said it was the best cake they'd ever had. I think he said it was lemon drizzle.