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Stoke Road, SLOUGH, SL2 5BQ

From the west end of the Slough Arm of the Grand Union Canal I took a look back to the houses on Stoke Road.

This is the very end of the Slough Arm of the Grand Union Canal.

The Orange Way proceeds north on Stoke Road (the B416).

The end of the Slough Arm from the Grand Union canal

Now a turn to the east has been made to walk beside the Slough Arm of the Grand Union Canal.

The simple end of the canal, with a winding hole a little way behind the camera. There was never anything more elaborate than this, although the premises to either side were formerly the wharf area with a few buildings.

This is the end of the five-mile canal cul-de-sac known as the Slough Arm of the Grand Union Canal. It was one of the last canals to be built and opened in 1882 to serve the brickmaking industry. The Arm ends rather abruptly at Stoke Road, as continuing to the originally planned terminus would have meant digging up lands owned by the Duke of Leeds and Eton College. The last commercial traffic was carried in 1960, but plans to fill it in were opposed locally. The stretch was reopened in 1975 and has remained in use since, although there is little traffic.

The remains of this old wharf structure are still here crumbling gradually. There is a turning basin for boats just behind where I'm standing.

Looking at how some other towns have turned their canal waterfronts into attractive venue areas, Slough seems to be lagging a bit. The towpath has been upgraded into a good quality waterside way, and these visitor boards put up, but as long as the surrounding land remains in privately owned commercial use it's hard to see what else can be done. Look at this from 20+ years ago. Image. Not much difference. The water is clean, the canal is navigable right up to the end, and hard line canal enthusiasts do come up here, but it's hardly a big lure for holiday cruising. While I was here a British Waterways workboat came up hooking out the worst of the garbage, but judging by the number of beer and cider cans in the water some of the canal's biggest fans are drinkers who find it marginally more appealing than the surrounding streets.

Stoke Road meets Elliman Avenue and the more imaginatively named Shaggy Calf Lane. The old pub sign on the corner now advertizes Slough Bathrooms, while over the road "Pimp My Hair" offers an irresistible invitation for while Kwik Parts Ltd are sorting your tyres out.