The Arun Navigation

The Arun is the longest river in Sussex, running from St Leonards Forest to the English Channel and covering some thirty-seven miles. For many centuries the waterway assumed an important role as one of the main arteries of commerce in Sussex. In use since the Norman Conquest, it was improved by landowners in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, with improvements at Palingham and canals built near Newbridge and Pulborough. In this section can be found the only tunnel in Britain to link two parts of a river navigation. The construction of the Wey and Arun Junction Canal in 1816 eventually linked the Arun with the Thames. Today the river is a haven forpleasure boaters. This updated and revised edition covers changes to the navigation over recent years and a selection of new illustrations.