junction at Hawkesbury with the Coventry Canal was straightened with massive engineering works creating embankments and cuttings. This cut off nearly 14 miles of its length and much of the original course consequently became disused. Some of the loops remain at least in part such at the arm leading north from the boatyard at Stretton Stop. Although much of the original route has been abandoned it can still be traced and parts are still in water such as the stretch running west from the Rugby Road. The village maintains its links with the canal through the thriving boatyard and boat hire company Rose Narrowboats at Stretton Stop to the north of the village. The boatyard was started in 1960 at the site of the old lengthmans cottage. The manager was Charles Haslam and he worked for the Maid Line Cruiser Company from Thames Ditton, in London. The house was renovated by a local building in 1960 but was never more than a very drafty pile with a very damp basement. The old outbuildings were renovated and turned into a small workshop and a waterfront office. The waterfront office was the gathering place for boat owners on a Sunday evening to sit and enjoy the summer air while sharing stories and the odd pint of beer from the (now closed) Railway Inn. In 1962 a slipway was dug and a large boatshed built to the north of the canal. Since the 1960s the boatyard has become a thriving source of income for the village. There is also a council estate towards the south east of the village known as Great Balance (based on the road which has the most houses on it) and a development in the 1960s on Heath Lane. In 2017, the local boroug] proposed a neighbourhood plan creating 100 new homes for the overflow from Coventry and Rugby. The site is planned to be on farmland of Lutterworth Road, close to the Oxford Canal and Brinklow Arches. Governance Brinklow is governed by Brinklow Parish Council, which consists of six councillors. They launched a redeveloped website in 2011. Gallery References Sources Allen, Geoff, (2000) Warwickshire Towns & Villages, External links Brinklow Parish Council Website Villages in Warwickshire