Heritage & History

The Wey Navigation opened in 1653, making it one of England's first man-made waterways. Nearly four centuries of history line its banks.

Long before canals criss-crossed the country, the Wey was carrying goods between Guildford and the Thames. The navigation was built to move timber, grain, and later gunpowder--serious industrial cargo on a river that now seems entirely peaceful.

That history is still visible. The locks, though modernised, follow the original engineering. The barges that once crowded the river are represented by the Reliance at Dapdune Wharf, preserved and accessible to visitors. The mills that used the river's power have mostly gone, but their weirs and leats remain.

Since 1964, the National Trust has managed the navigation, maintaining it for pleasure rather than commerce. The working past feels distant now, but it shaped the landscape you walk through today.