Hereward spring 2016

PETERBOROUGH BRANCH

HEREWARD SPRING 2016 Easter Cruise More on the River Lea AGM Report

The joint Easter Cruise gets under way on the Sixteen Foot Mike Daines

www.iwapeterborough.org.uk The IWA charity registered number 212342 The views expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the Inland Waterways Association or of the Peterborough Branch. They are, however, published as being of interest to our members and readers

THE LOWER RIVER LEA Bow Locks to the Thames

by The Editor

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n the Autumn 2015 edition of Hereward I reported on a cycle ride I made on the upper section of the Lee Navigation to Hertford. I have also explored the section of this waterway around the Olympic Park in Stratford including the Bow Back Rivers so my curiosity was aroused about the lower part and how it eventually meets the mighty Thames. I started my journey, on foot this time, at Bow Locks where the Limehouse Cut leaves the line of the main river which becomes the tidal Bow Creek. Bow Locks do provide access to Bow Creek but with a high tidal range and tricky currents it is not considered a suitable route for inland waterway craft.

There is no towpath or easy means of foot access on the route of the Creek so I followed the way that inland craft would take along the Cut to Limehouse Basin where access to the Thames is provided through Limehouse Lock.

The Limehouse Cut is a broad beam navigation and for virtually all its length is lined by buildings which in commercial carrying days would have been warehouses, factories and commercial premises. Today most of these have been transformed into offices, desirable residential apartments or places of leisure and entertainment. While the scene is urban it is not unpleasant and like many urban towpaths it is well used as a traffic free route for local short cuts, joggers and cyclists. Towards the end there is a stretch of green as the waterway passes under the main road into Docklands and describes a sharp right hand bend before entering into Limehouse Basin.

Immediately a scene of a myriad of boats of all shapes and sizes opens to the eye. Once these boats would have been working craft servicing the wharfs and buildings that surround the basin but today they are all boats for leisure or residential use. Sea going motor boats and yachts rub shoulders with inland river cruisers and canal narrowboats. A very cosmopolitan boating scene. This is the access point to the Thames for inland boats doing the passage under Tower Bridge and upstream past the Houses of Parliament and either back into the canal system at Brentford or carrying on up the river to Oxford and beyond.

For the exploration of the River Lea a land journey round the Docklands peninsula is required. I made the journey eastward along the Thames partly on foot following the Thames Path and partly by bus when the legs and feet were giving in. The Docklands Light Railway is an alternative means of travel. The Thames Path gives expansive views across to the south bank and Greenwich peninsula with the towering office blocks of Canary Wharf in front. A look backwards and the vista is of Tower Bridge and the skyline of the city.

The Lea enters the Thames at Leamouth which is close to the terminus of the 277 bus from Canary Wharf or the Docklands Railway stations at East India or Royal Victoria. On the last leg of its journey to the Thames the River Lea, or Bow Creek is a wide tidal estuary which makes a series of double bends before discharging its 1

muddy waters into London’s more famous river. One of the peninsulas left in between the bends has been transformed into an Ecology Park accessible by a bridge off the East India Dock Road at Canning Town. With no towpath the best viewing point for this section of the river is from the flyover of the recently constructed Lower Lea Crossing roadway. The area is not particularly pretty and there is construction work in progress all around. Some for commercial development and some for residential use but the main impact is the massive Crossrail project with one of the major tunnelling operations having taken place in this area for the line which will cross under the Thames to serve Woolwich and Abbey Wood.

Bow Creek at Canning Town looking towards the mouth of the Lea with the O2 Arena in the background on the south bank of the Thames. The whole area is undergoing massive levels of redevelopment

Having completed its journey from its source in Leagrave near Luton the Lea finally enters the Thames and the point of entry is marked by a Trinity House lighthouse somewhat reminiscent of where the Shropshire Union Canal enters the Manchester Ship Canal at Ellesmere Port. One could be forgiven for believing that the purpose of the lighthouse is to guide shipping in the Thames Estuary but the reason for its existence is far more interesting.

The Corporation of Trinity House was originally a voluntary association of shipmen and mariners, and was granted a charter by Henry VIII in 1514. It received its coat of arms in 1573 and with it the authority to erect and maintain beacons, marks and signs of the sea, "for the better navigation of the coasts of England". Since then it has been the famous company responsible for buoys, lighthouses and lightships and pioneering the techniques involved with these facilities.

Trinity House established Trinity Buoy Wharf at 2

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The lighthouse at Trinity Buoy Wharf at the point where the River Lea joins the Thames

this location on the Thames in 1803. At first wooden buoys and sea marks were made and stored here, and a mooring was provided for the Trinity House yacht, which was used to lay the buoys and collect them for maintenance and repair.

Trinity Buoy Wharf is now used as an Arts & Community centre with an emphasis on environmental sustainability.

These recycled shipping containers have been used to form an office and accommodation block

The river wall along the Lea was rebuilt in brick in 1822, making this the oldest surviving structure on the site. Many new buildings were constructed during the Victorian period, and a number still survive of which the earliest, the Electrician's Building, was built in 1836. It was designed by the then Chief Engineer of Trinity House, James Walker, originally for the 4

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storage of oil. He rebuilt the remainder of the river wall in 1852, and the first of two lighthouses here in 1854. On his death in 1862 he was succeeded by James Douglass who designed the lighthouse that still stands today on the wharf as London's only remaining Lighthouse.

This lightship is moored by the Wharf on the Thames. The mouth of the River Lea is immediately behind the ship and in the background can be seen the support towers for the Emirates Air Line cable car system which crosses between the Royal Dock and North Greenwich

The iconic Experimental Lighthouse and its neighbour the Chain and Buoy Store were built

by Douglass in 1864 and were in constant use to test maritime lighting equipment and train lighthouse keepers. The roof space adjoining the present lighthouse housed the workshop for the famous scientist Michael Faraday.

In 1869 Trinity House set up an engineering establishment at Trinity Buoy Wharf to repair and test the new iron buoys then coming into use. Overcrowding soon became a problem, and in 1875 the works expanded westwards into the neighbouring property, previously Green's Shipyard. By 1910 Trinity Buoy Wharf was a major local employer, with some 150 engineers, platers, riveters, pattern makers, blacksmith, tinsmiths, carpenters, painters, chain testers and labourers working here.

The Wharf continued through the twentieth century to be responsible for supplying and maintaining navigation buoys and lightships between Southwold in Suffolk and Dungeness in Kent. It was modernised and partially rebuilt between 1947 and 1966, and finally closed on 3rd December 1988 when it was purchased by the London Docklands Development Corporation. In 1996 Urban Space Management took the site on a long lease and it is now the home to various community related organisations including arts and theatre groups as well as being an interesting museum site providing stunning views of the river across to the Millennium Dome or as it is known today the O2 Arena.

It is an interesting place to visit and further information is available at:http://www.trinitybuoywharf.com.

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2016 AGM Report he Branch AGM was held on Tuesday 1st March at Peterborough Indoor Bowls Club attended by 20 members including the committee. The formal part of the meeting was swiftly concluded with Chairman David Venn giving a round-up of the year’s activities and Treasurer Roger Mungham presenting the annual accounts. These showed a surplus on the year of £1,004.

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Under the three year rule David Venn was obliged to seek re-election to the committee along with Chris Howes who was co-opted during the past year. Both were unanimously elected by the members present.

The formal business being concluded, there then followed a two-part presentation on Project Hereward. In the first part Stephen Heywood outlined the history of the draining of the Fens and how the rivers and drains that cross the Fens today have developed and changed with the passage of time. The draining of the fens started the ongoing shrinkage of the peat formation leading to the rivers and cuts ending up higher than the surrounding land. This required the construction of embankments and the whole system was only saved by the introduction of windmills for pumping. As technology developed these were replaced by steam engines and then the electric pumps we have today. The alteration to the level of the land led to the direction of flow in some rivers changing direction and the impact on the Old Bedford River and the Horseways channel was the construction of first Welches Dam itself and subsequently the lock which takes its name.

In the second part of the presentation Andrew Storrar described the present condition of the channel and of Welches Dam Lock. He then went on to outline the plans that the Project Hereward group have drawn up to restore the lock and seal the channel in order to stem the present leakage. The aim being of course to restore this route to through navigation but also to improve the area for the purposes of angling, ecology and walking.

The meeting concluded with a period of lively discussion on a range of topics and was drawn to a close by the Chairman thanking all present for their attendance.

Repairs to Marmont Priory Lock During the Winter the Middle Level Commissioners have been undertaking repairs to Marmont Priory Lock. In the view on the left the drained channel and lock chamber can be seen with the cill and lower part of the lock gates revealed for inspection.

Photo: Roger Mungham

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Fletton Quays in Peterborough

Fletton Quays is the name of the development being proposed by Peterborough City Council for the site on the south bank of the Nene formerly occupied by railway and industrial premises. Latest reports are that the project has been accelerated due to the City Council making a major input by planning to move their offices into the site at the earliest opportunity. The Town Hall will be retained for civic duties but all the 'back room' staff will relocate to new offices on Fletton Quays by hopefully late next year. The demolition of the empty Aqua House building on the corner by Town Bridge has started and by the time you are reading this it will have been completed.

It seems that rail heritage will come out of this better than the river. The remaining ex-railway buildings will be retained and restored to be included in the development and the former railway use of the site will be emphasised. There are even plans to relay sections of track which will be set in cobblestones in a central piazza to go with this theme. It seems there will be no moorings or facilities for boats included on the south bank river frontage. However there will definitely be a footbridge constructed across the river from the new development to the Embankment and the Key Theatre area where the present moorings will be retained.

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INLAND WATERWAYS ASSOCIATION Peterborough Branch

COMMITTEE MEMBERS CHAIRMAN: David Venn, Bruffs Lodge, High Street, Nordelph, Downham Market PE38 0BL Tel: 01366 324102 e-mail:davidgvenn@gmail.com SECRETARY: Roger Green, 70 Windmill Close, Ellington, Huntingdon, Cambs PE28 0AJ Tel: 01480 890215 Mobile: 07799 066001 e-mail: nb.chatsworth@gmail.com TREASURER: Roger Mungham Boatmans Cottage, Workhouse Lane, Upwell, Wisbech PE14 9ET Tel: 01945 773002 e-mail: rogerboatmans@talktalk.net EDITOR: Philip Halstead, 20 Cane Avenue, Peterborough PE2 9QT Tel: 01733 348500 e-mail: pp@halstead5.orangehome.co.uk ENTERTAINMENTS OFFICER: Richard Fairman, The Old Railway House, Cowbit, Spalding, Lincs PE12 0XD Tel: 01406 380575 COMMITTEE MEMBERS Roger Sexton Stephen Heywood

Andrew Storrar Chris Howes

FORTHCOMING EVENTS Coincidental to the article in this issue on the Lower Lea, the waterways of the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park are to be open for boats on Saturday 9th July in a ’mass participation event’ sponsored by CRT and the London Legacy DC and supported by St Pancras Cruising Club and IWA. The day also provides a brilliant opportunity to lock out of Three Mills, a dozen boats at a time, and have a run down Bow Creek to the Lightship at Creek Mouth, and return or go round the Isle of Dogs via Deptford Creek to Limehouse. More information can be obtained by e-mail to waterways@londonlegacy.co.uk .

Over the Bank Holiday weekend 28-30 May Crick Boat Show will be held with full information available on their website at www.crickboatshow.com.

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Email: gregbassam@gbwatersports.co.uk 14

Middle Levels Commissioners Consultation In February the MLC issued a letter inviting consultation on their current proposals to seek powers to change some aspects of the legal conditions under which they operate. Plans are either to obtain an Order under the Transport and Works Act 1992 or a Private Act of Parliament.

A very brief summary of the proposed changes are:*to confer greater waterway management powers on the Commissioners and to allow us to provide increased facilities in connection with our navigation; *to enable the Commissioners to levy charges in respect of and require the registration of vessels using the Middle Level waterways, including the ability to charge where vessels overstay the maximum time limits in force at a mooring place; *to enter into arrangements with other navigation authorities regarding such matters as the mutual recognition of registrations and licences; *to temporarily close sections of those waterways to enable works to be carried out; *to remove sunken, stranded and abandoned vessels and vehicles sunk in our waterways; *to enable the making of more up to date byelaws regarding the management of the navigation; *to require vessels using the Commissioners’ waterways to have insurance; The Branch has been contacted as a consultee and your committee are currently studying the details. Responses from individuals are welcomed by MLC and more information can be found at http://www.middlelevel.gov.uk/Navigationconsultation.aspx

Well Creek Dredging

Earlier in the year the MLC carried out a dredging operation on Well Creek to remove accumulated silt and the long arm machine used is seen in action below

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Easter Cruise IWA/MLWC boaters brave the elements!

Words and pictures by Mike Daines So many boats in view on the Sixteen Foot, a sight rarely seen these days and worth taking a photo from the bridge!

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ne of the best attended joint IWA Peterborough Branch and Middle Level Watermans Club cruises was enjoyed by all who took part despite some inclement weather over the Easter weekend.

A total of fourteen boats formed convoy on a route around the Middle Levels meeting at Three Holes and then onto stop overs at Stonea, Ramsey Forty Foot and Benwick. One of the principal objectives on the Saturday was to gain entry into the Forty Foot Horseway Lock channel, to moor up stern to stern alongside the bank that has been cleared by the recent joint work parties.

However, unfortunately the chronic lack of water on the Middle Levels over the winter period combined with gale force winds immediately stopped the attempt in its tracks with the narrow boats being blown against the bank and only Jeff Walters in his cruiser 'Cindy' successfully reaching Horseway Lock.

As ever there were some mechanical mishaps for a couple of unfortunate skippers one involving diesel injectors that effectively marooned Stan Rust's 'NB Okey Dokey', outside the Golden Lion, not all bad, some might say and a broken off exhaust on Trevor Quince's 'NB Little Owl'. Nevertheless true to the traditions of boaters camaraderie mechanical wizards Roger Davies 'NB Krissy' and Alexander Chambers, 'NB Hillpenny', managed with impeccable improvisation to fix the problem with the aid of two soft drink cans and some scrounged Jubilee clips.

The second cruise objective of checking out the 'new' moorings at Ramsey also had to be abandoned due again to lack of water and allegedly the strong winds blowing down the Forty Foot and effectively syphoning the water out of High Lode!

Sunday witnessed the remaining boats moored at Benwick for a well-received buffet in The Five Alls and then a very wild night as storm Katie battered her way across the UK. It wasn't until around 2pm on Monday that conditions improved enough for everyone to start making their way home after all agreeing that it had been a most eventful and highly enjoyable few days.

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Mark Robertson on 'NB Willow' flying the flag!

Easter Cruise 2016

More like a mountaineering expedition than a cruise!

Geoff Cowler hauls himself up the bank to the Golden Lion for a well-earned pint.