London to Portsmouth canal

London to Portsmouth Canal
Stewarts Bridge on the Arundel to Portsmouth section of the canal
History
Date completed	1823
Date closed	1847
Geography
Start point	London
End point	Portsmouth

The London to Portsmouth canal was a proposal for the construction of a secure inland canal route from the capital London to the headquarters of the Royal Navy at Portsmouth. It would have allowed craft to move between the two without having to venture into the English Channel and possibly encounter enemy ships. There is no naturally navigable route between the two cities, resulting in several schemes.

The River Wey in Surrey is a tributary of the River Thames. The source of the north branch is at Alton, Hampshire and of the south branch at Liphook. The branches join at Tilford. The river is navigable for around 20 miles (32 km) from Godalming to the Thames at Weybridge to the south-west of London. It has in the past been proposed to dig a canal south, or to expand and make navigable the existing river.

In 1810, the Earl of Egremont began to promote the idea of a canal to link the Rivers Wey and Arun, separated by only 15 miles (24 km). Part of the justification for this canal through a very rural area, with few of the cargoes which had made other canals profitable, was to provide an inland route from London to the south coast of England, utilising these two rivers and the Portsmouth and Arundel Canal. This was considered an important consideration as England was at war with France and thus coastal shipping at risk of attack.

Josias Jessop (son of the more well known William Jessop) was appointed consulting engineer and made an estimate of £72,217 for construction of the canal, later increased to £86,132 when part of the route was changed.