The Basingstoke Canal
On the 19th of December 1776, a public meeting took place at "The White Lion" public house at Hartford Bridge (on A.30) near Blackbushe, in order to raise the necessary financial support from the relevant Land Owners which was needed to build the new canal.

A cost of a little over £91,000 was given as a total to construct the 37 mile long canal, which would connect Basingstoke, Odiham, Crookham, Fleet and Aldershot to the River Thames and London, via the Wey Navigation, at West Byfleet, in Surrey. The final cost being nearer to  £153,500.

The advantages of such a transport system was the ability to take the already successfully produced local wares from the North East Hampshire market towns, as well as lime from the Odiham lime pits, right to the heart of the Capital, and beyond. Barges would then return to Hampshire with produce previously not economically viable to transport over such a great distance, such as coal and timber. Construction of the Basingstoke Canal in the Church Crookham area took place during the early 1790's.  

Being formally opened on September 4th 1794, the canal found itself 40 years later in a state of dereliction due to a lack of income, in part due to the development of the London - Southampton railway.