Information for record number MWA4339:
Bancroft Basin

Summary Bancroft Basin, the site of a canal wharf, where vessels would have loaded and unloaded goods during the Imperial period. It is located 150m west of Clopton Bridge, Stratford on Avon.
What Is It?  
Type: Canal, Canal Wharf
Period: Imperial - Industrial (1751 AD - 1913 AD)
Where Is It?  
Parish: Stratford upon Avon
District: Stratford on Avon, Warwickshire
Grid Reference: SP 20 54
(Data represented on this map shows the current selected record as a single point, this is for illustrative purposes only and does not represent an accurate or complete representation of archaeological sites or features)
Level of Protection National - Old SMR PrefRef (Grade: )
Sites & Monuments Record
Description

  
Source Number  

1 The terminal basin is one of the two that existed until 1930 when one was infilled to form Bancroft Gardens. The basins were surrounded by the lines of the Stratford on Avon and Moreton Tramway completed in 1826 and extended to Shipston in 1836. Southbound coal was exchanged for stone and farm produce (see WA 1013). 'Not until 1815 was the canal authorized to make a junction with the Avon. It finally did so in 1816. The river had been navigable from Tewkesbury during the 17th and 18th centuries, both canal and river came under GWR control during the 1860s. From 1875 the GWR refused to maintain the Upper Avon and it became derelict.' It was restored in 1974 (see WA 4340).
2 By 1845 Stratford had become a considerable merchanting centre. In this year the canal brought some 50 000 tonnes of coal into Stratford of which 18 000 was used there. 15 000 went down the Tramway, 8 000 to Evesham and the rest countrywide.
3 'In 1883 there were two basins with 10 coal wharves, 1 lead and glass wharf, a cider press, a cooperage, a skin yard and a timber yard.'
4 Evidence for the construction and use of the canal basin was recorded during archaeological observation at Bancroft Gardens.
 
Sources
Source No: 3
Source Type: Bibliographic reference
Title: Save the Stratford Canal
Author/originator: Johnson G
Date: 1983
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 4
Source Type: Observation Report
Title: Archaeological Observation at Bancroft Gardens, Stratford upon Avon, Warwickshire
Author/originator: C Jones
Date: 2009
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 1
Source Type: Unpublished document
Title: The Stratford upon Avon and Warwick Canal
Author/originator: Elwin G & King C
Date:
Page Number: 41
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 2
Source Type: Unpublished document
Title: Waterways to Stratford
Author/originator: Hadfield C & Norris J
Date: 1984
Page Number: 103
Volume/Sheet:
   
Images:  
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Glossary

 
Word or Phrase
Description  
period Imperial 1751 AD to 1914 AD (end of the 18th century AD to the beginning of the 20th century AD)

This period comes after the Post Medieval period and before the modern period and starts with beginning of the Industrial Revolution in 1750. It includes the second part of the Hannoverian period (1714 – 1836) and the Victorian period (1837 – 1901). The Imperial period ends with the start of the First World War in 1914.
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monument YARD * A paved area, generally found at the back of a house. back
monument SITE * Unclassifiable site with minimal information. Specify site type wherever possible. back
monument CIDER PRESS * A press used to extract the juice from apples, which was then used to make cider. back
monument CANAL * An artificial navigable waterway used for the transportation of goods. Nowadays also used for recreational purposes. back
monument STONE * Use only where stone is natural or where there is no indication of function. back
monument TIMBER YARD * An open yard or place where timber is stacked or stored. back
monument INDUSTRIAL * This is the top term for the class. See INDUSTRIAL Class List for narrow terms. back
monument WHARF * A large wooden structure built alongside the water's edge where ships may lie for unloading. back
monument BRIDGE * A structure of wood, stone, iron, brick or concrete, etc, with one or more intervals under it to span a river or other space. Use specific type where known. back
monument TRAMWAY * A track inlaid into a surface, on which tram cars run for the conveyance of passengers and/or goods or raw materials. back
monument CANAL WHARF * A large wooden structure built alongside the edge of a canal where narrow boats may lie for the loading and unloading of goods. back
monument GARDEN * An enclosed piece of ground devoted to the cultivation of flowers, fruit or vegetables and/or recreational purposes. Use more specific type where known. back
monument CANAL BASIN * An open area of water, usually artificial and enclosed by dock gates or locks, lined with wharves and warehouses, where barges, narrow boats and other canal vessels can load and unload goods and supplies. back
monument COOPERAGE * A barrel-making workshop or factory, found in conjunction with a number of industries. back
monument FARM * A tract of land, often including a farmhouse and ancillary buildings, used for the purpose of cultivation and the rearing of livestock, etc. Use more specific type where known. back

* Copyright of English Heritage (1999)

English Heritage National Monuments Record