Winter 2020
Newsletter of Guildford & Reading Kent & East Sussex and Oxfordshire Branches
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Index Basingstoke Canal Society Chobham Social Meetings John Pinkerton
Guildford & Reading Branch
Page: 5 Page: 9
Page: 4
Future Events
IWA Webinars
Page: 45
Kent & Sussex Branch – IWAKES River Medway Sussex Ouse Restoration Trust River Adur River Thames Northfleet Harbour Thames & Medway Canal Association Future Events
Kennet & Avon Canal Trust
Page: 30
Page: 37
Page: 9
Newbury Reading Crofton Beam Engines
Letter to the Editor
Page: 44
Maidenhead
Page: 17
Mikron Theatre Group
Page: 43
Oxfordshire Branch Banbury Canal Partnership
Page: 38 Page: 39
Region Chair Report
Page: 3
River Thames (Non-Tidal)
Page: 28
River Wey & Godalming Navigations
Page: 12
National Trust Future Events
Salisbury Group
Page: 4
Future Events
Southampton Canal Society
Page: 18
Future Events
Towpath Walks
Page: 43
Wey & Arun Canal Trust Future Events
Wilts & Berks Canal Trust Future Events
Page: 23 Page: 27
Page: 41 Page: 43
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Editorial So, at the time of writing, we’re back in Lockdown for a month! In these unprecedented times all societies are finding it difficult to function – meetings closed and not allowed to meet as we normally do. Recently I have been meeting with my IWA colleagues in a local lake car park! With our own tent and Portaloo…. 2 metres apart and with a camping stove for hot drinks with biscuits. It did work and was lovely to see other people – can’t even do that for a month. That’s my rant over! This year has been difficult for everyone and it is amazing the number of articles all Cargoes contributors have managed to find to put in this edition – I am very grateful for them. I have also received a couple of letters from members who enjoyed the article on Perseverance, this has prompted me to include a space for letters received. If you would like more articles in this vein, please let me know. Chris Jones – Editor
From the Region Chair This year has been dominated by the effects of a disease we hadn’t even heard of a year ago. I certainly have learnt new meanings for “bubble” and “tier” and become unfazed by “zooming”. The need for isolation and lockdown and subsequent cancellation of many events has impacted our ability to raise funds from the sales stands, run social events and meet together for planning the future. On the positive side, many people have discovered the benefits of waterways for the first time and have become enthusiastic users of the towpaths and water. In some places non-powered craft have almost overwhelmed the channel, with their owners often ignorant of waterways etiquette and the need for licensing. Timely interventions by some waterways owners such as the Basingstoke Canal Authority, has paid dividends with increases in revenue from licencing paddleboards helping to off-set some of the losses from powered boat licences but the overall picture for income from trip boats and powered boats is generally quite bleak. A number of local canal organisations have reported an increase in members, reflecting the new interest in local open spaces. Next year will no doubt throw up its own challenges, but I am confident that we will find ways to “keep calm and carry on” as we adjust to the new norms. Thank you to all for your efforts to protect and enhance our waterways this year and have a great Christmas, however you are spending it. Verna Smith Stop Press: The Branch Annual General Meetings are usually held during March and April. Due to uncertain Covid-19 conditions all information will be on IWA website under “Branch Events”. Cover Photo: Mytchett Bridge
Courtesy: Basingstoke Canal Society
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Salisbury Group Our Salisbury Correspondent, Myra Glover writes: Unfortunately, due to continuing restrictions we had to cancel the October & November meetings and the Christmas dinner will not go ahead either. Nothing has yet been organised for 2021, I am just waiting to see how things progress. No doubt most people are doing the same. I have 3 talks left from this year which I can use when the time is right. When we do eventually get back to normal, I will contact everyone on my list. If anyone wants any information before then please phone or email me. Myra Glover
Future Events Thurs 10th Dec: Christmas Dinner: Cancelled Unless otherwise stated, meetings are at The Green Dragon, Old Road, Alderbury, Salisbury, Wiltshire SP5 3AR starting at 7.30pm when visitors will be warmly welcomed. Further information can be obtained from Ron & Myra Glover on 01722 710322 or 07768 622966, email glover.3@btinternet.com, myra.glover@waterways.org.uk or Jon Van de Geer on 01722 412841.
Guildford & Reading Branch Branch Chairman The new IWA website has been launched and certainly looks better than the old one. While there were a few teething problems, the Chesham staff are to be congratulated for their efforts. If you have not yet logged on, do have a look and if there are omissions or errors, especially on our section, please forward them to Chesham or email Chris Jones at chris.jones@waterways.org.uk. I was delighted at the improvements to the “sales� section, where it is now possible to make an online purchase very easily. There has been a mixed reaction from the local waterway groups to the easing of Covid-19 restrictions. Some work parties and boat trips have re-started, while others continue to be thwarted by the limitations of their craft or sites. As we hunker down for the winter, the predicted rise in infections has led to further restrictions which we hope will not continue into the Christmas season. In the last edition of Cargoes I appealed for help but was disappointed with the response. We really need someone to keep an eye on planning applications and
5 heritage matters as a matter of urgency. Both these roles can be largely home based. Why not give me a ring to discuss how you would like to help…. with anything!! Finally, may I thank you for your continued support and wish you the season’s greetings. Verna Smith (acting Chair)
Sales & Publicity Stand The Sales Team are hoping 2021 will be more successful than 2020. While the Sales Team did not need volunteers this year it is very much hoped they will during 2021. The events list for next year should be available next March. If you think you will be able to help please contact Ben Scott, on 07484 223691, or Cargoes editor, Chris Jones. We will welcome you with open arms! Our email address is chris.jones@waterways.org.uk The Sales Team
Basingstoke Canal Society Co-Vice Chair’s Report Basingstoke Canal Society strengthens its organisational structure for the future The restoration and reopening of the Basingstoke Canal in 1991 was a fantastic achievement with the canal society bringing in the volunteer effort and the Surrey and Hampshire county councils buying the land As with many other canals the challenge now is to keep this momentum going and as a basis to do this we have been strengthening the organisation of the canal society with new people joining and clear roles and responsibilities being agreed. Supporting this we have various sub committees in place including fundraising, projects and marketing - indeed over 30 people have joined our “behind the scenes” teams over the last couple of years. Additionally, to support our plans to involve the local community and all users, we now have a new website with online membership and sales - and we have had a 20% increase in members in the last few months as more and more people turn to the canal for pleasure and relaxation. The backdrop also is that we have had good very constructive discussions with the county council owners and the managing authority the Basingstoke Canal Authority. Understandably their budgets are stretched and we have agreed it makes sense for us to work more closely together to progress some of the projects. This is good news.
6 Indeed, we have already kicked off a project for more signage and information points along the canal, this in response to demand for more details of history and the environment. To support this we have kicked off a campaign to raise money and we have already raised £5000 towards the £20,000 cost (see separate article). Other projects that we have planned increase moorings. Indeed we are just finalising one set of moorings that should take an additional 10 boats and we are now looking at the possibility of increased moorings at Odiham, this being a beautiful part of the canal near to the historical wharf and town centre. We are planning to replace our Woking trip boat with a new hybrid environmentally friendly boat, this also allowing disabled access. We also have a team looking at the “last 5 miles”. Unfortunately, it is unrealistic at this time to be restoring a full canal (particularly as the terminal now is under the Basingstoke Shopping Centre) but we are working with local councils to look to provide a Right of Way which would enable visitors to walk the last 5 miles. Perhaps in the future we could look at restoring some of the last few miles, albeit we would need to address the collapsed Greywell Tunnel - which as an aside is populated by a colony of bats! Let’s sort out the Right of Way first! The canal authority has also mentioned another project whereby we could look to make better use of the fascinating series of pillboxes that we have along the canal, these being another more recent part of the canal’s history as a defensive line in the Second World War. So, there’s lots going on and it’s good news that the society is now fit and ready to help going forward. Ken Sankey, Co Vice Chairman Join our Fundraising Drive for “Key for Community Wellbeing” In recent months more than three times the usual number of visitors have enjoyed the waterway, taking part in everything from paddle boarding, walking and cycling to fishing, boating and wildlife photography. But while many more people are enjoying the health and wellbeing benefits of time spent at the Canal, we need more people to become aware of the charitable status, how it is funded and how they can contribute to its upkeep through membership and donations. We’ve seen that the Canal is really “key to the community’s wellbeing” as a wonderful, varied outdoor space right on our doorstep. It’s somewhere that we can go to improve our physical and mental health. The problem is that, as council
7 budgets become more stretched, our work to maintain and, importantly, improve the Canal for local people is more difficult. We have agreed ways that the Canal can be much improved, but we need our community’s help to fund these new and exciting projects! So many people need a beautiful, clean, safe and accessible space for their activities and yet many don’t realise that the Canal could fall into disrepair without support. It now needs funding for enhancements as well as public appreciation. Phase 1 of the initiative aims to raise £20,000 for 10 new information signs. The signs will be placed along the 32-mile waterway, designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) by Natural England, and feature key points of interest, the local history of that stretch and maps marking car parks, villages and the ways and rules for enjoying the space in a respectful way. You can support the Canal in three ways: 1. Make a one-off donation to fund our Information Signs Project at https://basingstoke-canal.org.uk/current-projects/ 2. Become a Member of the Basingstoke Canal Society. It costs just £15 per person for a year. You can become a member here https://basingstokecanal.org.uk/get-involved/become-a-member/ 3. Tell your friends, family, colleagues about the canal, the society and the ways they can support it! Lisa Taylor – Press Officer About the Basingstoke Canal While the Basingstoke Canal Society has acted as guardians to the Basingstoke Canal since its restoration it is owned by the Surrey and Hampshire County Councils with the Basingstoke Canal Authority acting as managing agents. The Society has a Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service and provides financial support and nearly 250 volunteers to support the canal. Volunteers carry out a wide range of tasks including building and maintenance, fundraising, boat trips, patrols, administration, media and marketing, as well organising and supporting events. The canal was at first intended to be an economical means of transportation for the development of agriculture in Central Hampshire. Today, the navigable section of the canal runs for 32 miles from West Byfleet in Surrey through Woking, Brookwood, Mytchett, Ash, Fleet and Crookham, to Odiham and finally ending up at Greywell in Hampshire.
8 In private ownership and semi-derelict by the early 1960s, a letter to a newspaper from a local resident asking if anyone was interested in doing something with the canal sparked the formation of the Surrey and Hampshire Canal Society. After many years of hard work to restore the canal, it was officially reopened by HRH The Duke of Kent in 1991. The Basingstoke Canal Society now promotes the Canal as a navigable waterway, general amenity, part of our heritage and as host to a wealth of wildlife. It supports the Canal through fundraising, work parties and other voluntary efforts, and it aims to secure a sustainable future for the Canal, to prevent it from falling into dereliction again. The Society has plans for future projects which will include: Increased mooring facilities at Odiham Replacement 12 passenger electric boat at Woking to include disabled access. Lisa Taylor – Press Officer Last 5 miles
with a footpath and cycleway
While remnants of the Canal can be seen along the 5 mile stretch from Greywell tunnel to Basingstoke, sadly much of this final section has been built over or dug up. Hence, returning the Canal as a navigation is beset with insuperable difficulties and is unlikely. Nevertheless, it remains the Society’s aspiration to re-establish the route of this lost section as close as possible Basingstoke Society Website
Non Native Invasive Species Introduced in the 1980s as an ornamental aquatic plant, Floating Pennywort (+\GURFRW\OH UDQXQFXORLGHV) is a species native to North America. Its pretty appearance belies its aggressively invasive nature and it is now pervasive in the Woking area from the junction with the River Wey though to Lock 7 (Langmans Bridge). The weed can grow up to 20cm a day forming dense mats of vegetation that can affect navigation, angling and water flow. It can also increase flood risk. Total eradication is probably impossible - but our Volunteer teams are doing a brilliant job in keeping the invader at bay Basingstoke Society Website
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Trips aboard the John Pinkerton II and Kitty Boat Trips From 23rd October both John Pinkerton and Kitty will be out of service as we undertake our annual winter maintenance. We will accept requests for dates in 2021, though all bookings will be subject to current Covid-19 restrictions, which may reduce our passenger numbers from the nominal maximum of 50. Charter trips booked so far are those shown in the list of Scheduled Trips & Events. If you would like to charter on a day without a trip shown, please contact us at https://basingstoke-canal.org.uk or phone the Booking Team on 01256 765889 (10am - -8pm). Cruising in the peaceful surroundings of the Basingstoke Canal is a great way to relax. You can charter the whole boat for exclusive use by family, friends or work colleagues Trips from Mytchett: Boat trips on board our friendly 12-seater boat Rosebud usually run at weekends and on public holidays from Easter to September. Please contact us for up to date information. Tel 01252 370073, email info@basingstokecanal.co.uk or check on Facebook or Twitter.
Kennet & Avon Canal News Newbury Branch We organise the Newbury Waterways Festival
Most years, the Newbury Waterways Festival is held in July in Victoria Park by kind permission of Newbury Town Council. The volunteers of the branch work hard for months in advance to organise the festival. Everything from stall bookings to erecting tents is the work of our volunteers. The main event is on the Sunday when Victoria Park is filled with trade and charity stalls with entertainment for all the family. We arrange a colourful flotilla of boats to moor alongside the Park. The branch raises a significant amount for Trust funds through the festival. The next Festival, with a theme of ‘The Great British Summer’ is due to take place on the 4th July 2021.
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Reading Branch Chairman’s Report Hello again, Hoping you are all still keeping well. Life seems to be taking a bit of a backward step. We now face a month of lockdown and minimalism. Thoughts are being focused on next year and what we could do. We have ideas about enhancing the entranceway to the K&A from the Thames and looking to talk to RBC about making Reading more boat friendly. We are consolidating plans to renovate the Wash House / Toll Office on Aldermaston Wharf alongside the Tea Rooms. This will provide the information centre when done. We also have to think about Waterfest 2021. This is planned with RBC to be a 2 day event to celebrate the 900th year anniversary and the delayed 30th anniversary of the K&A restoration and reopening. Lots of things to think about and make plans. The K&A Reading Branch continues to stage online meetings. The most recent being a walk through the proposal in the 18th Century for a canal to link Reading to Isleworth cutting out the wiggly bits through Henley, Marlow, Windsor etc. The presentation was given by Victoria Owens, Author and noted authority regarding James Brindley. Needless to say, the proposal failed. The Thames Conservancy and the local land owners all being represented in Westminster when the proposal was put to parliament! It was a fascinating presentation and the Q&A session was lively and generated quite a discussion. At the time of writing our next talk is on the 17th November looking at the Bradley Canal Restoration. This is planned to extend the Bradley arm on the BCN through to the Walsall mainline. This is an interesting project that has actually begun digging ditches. The talk will be given by David Pearson Chair of the BCR society and deputy Chair of the Birmingham, Black Country and Worcestershire Branch of the IWA. Following on the December presentation (15th) will be from the canal-based Alarum Theatre Company looking at the WWII “Idle Women” You can look for us on Facebook (Kennet and Avon Canal Trust - Reading Branch) for the most up to date information. If you would like to sit in on the planned presentations please contact me. In September as part of the National Trust’s Buildings Heritage Weekend we opened the area of the Filter beds alongside Southcote Lock. We were very “covid secure” and had one-way systems and taped walkways to direct movement but were
11 surprised to have in excess of 400 people walk through the old filter bed grounds. We also had our trip boat Matilda on show but sadly unable to take any passengers. Apart from the Heritage Weekend our trip boat Matilda has been inactive only completing a safety training session and a lock demonstration for the Battle Primary Academy children. A highlight for me was seeing friends Julie Myers and Alison Cannon crewing the Narrow Boat Trust’s historic boats motorboat – Nuffield and Butty Brighton. It’s always nice to see…and hear the old boats and especially good to see our friends working the boat As the November Lockdown begins, we plan to place painted rocks along the tow path to brighten and cheer the way for the folk that will walk along the canal. We plan to start at Southcote Lock and work our way towards Burghfield. With others contributing who knows how far we may get. Living next to the canal the wildlife has moved from the swallows, wagtails and butterflies of Summer to spotting the robin following you along the path. I saw a pair of Kestrels looping and diving across the sky and have until recently watched the bats flittering around the area. The recent temperature drops and rain fall putting the locks on red flags has brought the winter into vivid reality. Unfortunately, our plans to restart the working party acting in concert with CRT will have to be postponed now until next year. We still hope to re-enthuse volunteers with the revamped arrangements. We are looking to provide some interesting and fun activity on the K&A for 2021. You can keep UpToDate on the branches Facebook page (Kennet and Avon Canal Trust (Reading Branch)) or the trust’s web page (https://katrust.org.uk/reading-branch/). Photos: Matt Girling and Graham. Graham Puddephatt graham@southcotemill.co.uk 07802 154504 The Eastern End K&A Volunteers is authorised by CRT to carry out maintenance work on certain parts of the K&A on the 2nd Wednesday and last Saturday of each month. If you would like to join a Working Party, email Mick Savill for dates and details and to check the next one will be taking place. (micksavill@icloud.com) Branch contact is: John Swift who can be reached on 0118 941 5540 or 07533 886 917 and by email: swift.john21@gmail.com. Entry donation, including K&A members, £2.50 (to help with expenses). Further details can be found on the Website at www.katrust.org.uk
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Crofton Beam Engines Future Events Staying Covid-19 Secure in 2020 The Pumping Station, Engineman’s Rest Café, station grounds and Pay & Display car park are now CLOSED for 2020. At the present time we have no opening date or steaming information for 2021, but please continue to check the Trust’s website www.katrust.org.uk. and our social media for updates.
River Wey &Godalming Navigations Working with Nature As our busiest but shortest season yet comes to a close, we reflect on the most unusual year on the River Wey Navigations that many can remember. The National Trust took custodianship of the navigations in the 1960’s and the biggest flood came along in 1968, so we have seen tough times, but nothing quite like this world-wide pandemic. I was reflecting with my team that the Wey Navigation was actually created by two hundred men with shovels just a decade before the Great Plague of London hit in 1665. It seems strange to link our early days with this modern lockdown, but it is a wonderful illustration of the timeless nature of our beautiful waterway. While chaos is breaking out across our world, the water keeps flowing, and nature keeps renewing. In fact the March lockdown gave the opportunity for a pair of kingfishers to set up home on our wharf in Guildford, which is usually busy with visitors at that time. An inquisitive fox has also taken to watching the lengthsmen mowing the grass, and all along the navigation nature has thrived in many different ways as we gave it space. Of course, the pandemic is a reminder of how important it is to look after our world. As much as we may try to command nature, the natural world will always bite back like a bat out of Wuhan if we don’t respect it as we should. And here we have the quandary of overseeing a beautiful corridor of nature running through urban and rural settings, which is
13 mainly used by vessels run on fossil fuels. While many of these craft are historical and need to be preserved, we will have big questions to answer in the coming decades about how we balance the use of the waterway by these boats and endeavour to cleanse our waterways, with the ambition of making the Wey Navigations some of the purest in the country. Our passenger boats at Dapdune Wharf are run on electric motors, but the maintenance team still need the power and range offered by diesel engines, so we have our own internal debate on the issue. It seems there is no easy answer at this time, but we hope that the science will provide us with the answers in time to get carbon neutral in the coming years. It needs some focus on the issue and some innovative thinking. And I have great faith in innovative thinking, as that is what created the navigations all those centuries ago. That and a great respect for working with nature, not against it. Millmead Weir These photos show some views of the temporary weir at Millmead built to replace the old weir which failed last November. The weir appears to have been constructed of interlocking steel piling and is stepped down to the tumbling bay with the side banks protected by gabions. The new works encompass the sluices adjacent to the weir and new temporary sluices have been constructed, operated manually by chain hoists suspended from a gantry and operated from a temporary platform. The whole structure has been constructed in front of the original weir and the old sluices remain in place. The structure is protected by a row of twelve substantial steel guard piles, with floating fenders and wire-stayed booms. With the guard piles the structure extends over two metres into the channel and over thirty metres along the river.
14 The towpath remains closed and permanent spiked steel fencing secures the site on both sides. The structure appears to have been built to ensure that there is no risk of failure of any other part of the embankment and
has been built to last. Presumably the permanent replacement will not appear until the development of Millmead Island has been completed, with the fish pass and refurbishment of the sluices. Weather Problems During the second week of August a storm blew down 18 trees between Newark Lock and Pyrford lock and one tree fell on a boat. A contractor was called in to clear them and the navigation was blocked for about a week.
With this and the downpours we have experienced the navigation seems to have really suffered. Photo: Above Pyford, River Wey Courtesy Sarah Adams Mike Lewis
15 Guilford Packet Boat Company The vintage packet boat Iona began life as the Bellerophon, a cargo carrying narrowboat. She was built in 1935 at Woolwich on the Thames by Harland and Wolff for the Grand Union Carrying Company. At 70 ft long and 7 ft wide, she is the maximum size for boats navigating the inland canal network and could carry up to 35 tons of cargo. She was worked as one of a pair of boats - the unpowered "butty" towed behind a motor boat - trading for most of her life between London and the
Midlands. She carried coal south from pits in Warwickshire and Leicestershire, returning north with imported goods: wheat, steel, lime juice and timber. In 1960 she featured in the film The Bargee starring alongside Ronnie Barker and Harry H Corbett. A few years later she was retired and converted to passenger carrying on the Shropshire Union Canal, pulled by a horse in the oldfashioned way. In 1984 the business was sold to the present owners and Iona travelled south to her new base here at Godalming, at present the most southerly point of the whole British waterway system. Iona is also on the National Historic Ships register. As of 28th Aug 2020 Iona has now moved to Tiverton and can be seen on the Grand Western Canal (in Tiverton), EX16 4HX. Courtesy: Godalming Packet Boat Company
Horse-drawn barge business closes after cruelty claims. It was earlier this year that we learnt the horse-drawn trip boat on the River Wey was not running any trips this year as a result of Covid-19. The following article appeared in The Times on 30th August: “The owner of what is thought to be the country’s oldest working horse-drawn barge has stopped her river trips after
16 criticism from snowflake canal users. Jenny Roberts, who owns Iona, which was built in 1935, closed the Godalming Packet Boat Company after 35 years, citing criticism from people using the towpath. Her horses have been retired and the Iona loaned to the Tiverton Canal Company on the Grand Western Canal in Devon. Ms Roberts said that snowflakes who did not understand the nature of the business had accused her of animal cruelty and that clashes with those who refused to step back to allow the horses to pass had made journeys too stressful. Ms Roberts has not been able to operate her business in Surrey safely as many people have been using the area for recreation, playing on inflatables and crowding the towpath.
“No one is sadder than me because I have been doing it for 35 years”, she said. “It¶s been getting worse over the last couple of years.” All passenger boats can only operate under Maritime and Coastguard Agency rules and we have come to the conclusion that the River Wey is no longer a safe environment to run a horse-drawn boat. There are now an unprecedented number of unlicensed paddle boards and inflatables with inexperienced people on them. ଲThis is just an accident waiting to happen, when trying to dodge them with 17 tons of narrowboat that does not stop on a sixpence. With large numbers of speeding bikes, runners, dogs off leads and people with pushchairs, we are also suffering a fair bit of verbal abuse, the towpath has become totally unusable for a horse. I get people shouting things like “That’s really cruel, what are you doing to those horses?௫´ But they don’t understand —it’s an easy pull for a horse. I could pull that boat, it’s on water so it’s not heavy. There are now only three locations in Britain running horse-drawn barge trips — Llangollen, in Denbighshire, Newbury, Berkshire, and Tiverton. Since she was built the Iona has hauled coal, steel and even lime juice. She and the horses have appeared in television programmes including Inspector Morse and The Victorian Farm as well as the remake of The Railway Children film in 2000. Courtesy: Southampton Canal Trust and The Times
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Maidenhead Waterways Restoration Group With the nesting season out of the way, Maidenhead Waterways (MW) is focused on our annual clearance of the feeder channels that provide the water supply to the town centre waterway. Fallen trees and overgrown weeds build up each year to clog the channels and slow the flow, necessitating regular clearance. Adapting to Covid-19 restrictions, we are deploying separate suitably distanced teams of up to 6 working in different target areas, taking extra care cleaning down all equipment used. Adding to the challenge, we are also now helping the council (the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead) to maintain the restored town centre waterway, to ensure it doesn’t slip back in to the dereliction from which it has only just been rescued. To assist with channel maintenance MW has invested in additional equipment such as our 4 m extendable rakes, enabling weed clearance from the banks. We are also grateful to waterside developer Shanly Homes for funding the purchase of a new electric powered 2.5 m Aquafax inflatable service boat, to assist with clearance and survey work from the water. Having the ability to safely and easily clear litter or excessive weed from the newly restored channels is in everyone’s interests. The final phase of Shanly Homes’ Chapel Arches waterside development is nearing completion. It is set around a second water basin that will provide the vital missing link to complete the York Stream arm of the Maidenhead waterway. A second development (by Countryside plc) is also underway, with apartments, cafés
18 and a new public square overlooking the restored waterway. Both developments benefit significantly from their water outlook. With wildlife now abundant in the restored and enlarged town centre channels, we ran a successful waterways photography competition over the summer in conjunction with local paper the Maidenhead Advertiser. Some 120 entries captured the new waterway and its wildlife, the winners being selected in September by a panel including our MP Theresa May and the Advertiser’s chief photographer. The winning entries are displayed here. Notices are now going out for the group’s 13th AGM which due to Covid-19 restrictions will use Zoom to review progress in the year, accept the accounts and discuss future plans. Richard Davenport, Chair of the Trustees MWRG
Southampton Canal Society Unfortunately, we had to cancel the proposed trip to London due to Covid-19 restrictions. We were going to take Purton to London, together with 4 other Historic working boats. We were due to travel to the Kearley and Tonge Jam Factory in Southall in recognition of the last commercial long distance run, 50 years ago. We had the butty Raymond, Renfrew, Stanton and Cepheus as the other boats in the ଲflotillaଳ. Both Stanton and Renfrew were actually on the last run 50 years ago. At the moment we are still anticipating some meetings in early 2021. Watch this space. Keep Safe Photo Courtesy: Tim Lewis, IWA Website Alan Rose
19 An Odd Year’s Boating A while ago Southampton Canal Trust asked for something to put in their newsletter. Well here goes. We normally go out on our boat towards the end of April, maybe May, but this of course has not been a normal year. We were only allowed to venture forth on July 4th (Independence Day). I know we could have gone to our boat before that but as we were not able to stay on board we decided it was too far for us in one day. We set off from Fenny Marina north to Napton and then on to Braunston. There were not many boats about to start with, but gradually more and more hire boats were on the water. It was lovely to see families enjoying themselves after weeks of lock down. The sun shone and everyone was happy. Obviously, we had to go into shops but carefully. It seemed quite safe in the open air. We went as far as Milton Keynes but it was very crowded with continuous moorers and wide beam boats. These were at times quite difficult to pass. We turned back and at Norton junction we went up the Leicester arm. At Watford locks we saw a pair of swans with 10 cygnets, never seen that before. It seems the quiet waters during lockdown had helped them maybe? We went as far as Foxton and were happy to moor next to an off-license boat, at least Malcolm was! There was a lot of duck weed on the canal which opened for us and then closed behind. The locks had not been used much and the lockies told us that Foxton was fine as it had recently had new gates but Watford locks had leaked a lot when they were re-opened. Further north was not a good idea as we were 18 miles from Leicester, and it was under special measures and the river there closed it seemed. So back to the marina and then home for a spell. We had had trouble with an alternator whilst we were out and needed the attentions of an engineer. Malcolm doesn’t touch the engine much these days. If he went down the engine bay he might not get out again! When it was all fixed we set off south, but going down Clayton locks we heard of problems below Cropredy, and Chinese whispers said it could take a week, so we turned back and went to Braunston again. After a week at home we went up to Brownsover, and then back down the south Oxford cruising to Nell Bridge. The weather by now was colder and we had the fire going in the evenings. We have to go home next week for our flu jabs, but guess that’s it for this season. So we go home to sit the winter out and wait for the Covid 19 vaccinations to happen I guess. No SCS meetings to go to at the moment. And planning our next year’s cruising of course. With thanks to Jan and Malcolm Gunningham - NB Amy Grace
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Portsmouth & Arundel Canal and the Chichester Canal Portsmouth & Arundel Canal
Remains of lock at Ford © Robin Webster (cc-by sa/2.0) Image from www.geograph.org.uk
Dry canal and towpath near Lidsey. © Simon Carey (cc-by-sa/2.0). Image from www.geograph.org.uk.
The Portsmouth and Arundel Canal was authorised by an Act of Parliament in 1817 to make a canal from the River Arun near Ford to Chichester Harbour at Salterns near Birdham with a branch from Hunston Common to Chichester. Powers were also granted to make and dredge channels (or ‘bargeways’) through the tidal areas of Chichester, Langstone and Portsmouth Harbours. From Langstone Harbour at Milton on Portsea Island a further canal was to be dug towards Portsmouth. Further Acts of Parliament made changes to the navigable route to the north of Portsea Island to Portsmouth Harbour. The company was also empowered to make those parts of the canal between Chichester Harbour and Chichester, and Langstone Harbour and Portsea, with depths sufficient to take ships of 100 tons and 150 tons respectively. It seems that the channel north of Thorney Island was never made navigable but that boats passed to the south and west of the island.
21 The Sussex section which was opened throughout on 26 May 1823 (the Birdham to Chichester section had been opened on 9 April 1822 and the Portsea Island section on 19 September 1822), was 11 miles in length, the Chichester branch being 1.3 miles long. The Sussex section had four locks: two locks at Ford with a total rise of 12 feet to the summit level, and two locks at Birdham named Salterns Lock and Manhood End Lock - with a total rise of 12 feet to the summit level. A further 13 miles of dredged channels through Chichester and Langstone Harbours led to the Portsea Island section of the navigation. This was known as the Portsea Canal and was about 1½ miles in length with two locks at Milton giving a total rise of 12 feet. Intended as a key link in a through route to London via the River Arun Navigation, Wey & Arun Junction Canal, River Wey and River Thames, it was not a success. By the time it was built, there was no real need for an inland route as larger and better ships, coupled with an end to hostilities with France, meant that the coastal route was an easier and cheaper option. One of the few regular through cargoes carried was gold bullion from Portsmouth to the Bank of England, with armed guards on the barges. Water levels in both of the canal sections were maintained by steam powered pumps at Ford and Milton. Within a few years, there were complaints on Portsea Island that water supplies were being contaminated by salt water pumped into the canal. The canal was drained in 1827 and was
Remains of Salterns Lock, Birdham. © N Chadwick (cc-by-sa/2.0). Image from www.geograph.org.uk.
Chichester Basin. © Dave Spicer (cc-by-sa/2.0). Image from www.geograph.org.uk.
Poyntz Swing Bridge, Chichester. © Rob Farrow (cc-by-sa/2.0). Image from www.geograph.org.uk.
22 abandoned by 1830. The Sussex section from Hunston to Ford saw little traffic and was effectively abandoned by 1847 when the canal had ceased to be used commercially. Only the canal from Birdham to Chichester Basin remained in use. In 1892, as part of the winding up of the Portsmouth & Arundel Canal company, the section between Birdham and Chichester was transferred to Remains of lock at Milton. Š N Chadwick (cc-bythe Chichester Corporation. sa/2.0). Image from www.geograph.org.uk. The last recorded traffic on the canal was in 1906. The Chichester Corporation resolved to close and abandon their canal undertaking in 1928. Chichester Canal What is known today as the Chichester Canal is in fact the part of the former Portsmouth & Arundel Canal between Birdham and Chichester. It was sold to West Sussex County Council in 1957. In the late 1970s the Portsmouth & Arundel Canal Society was formed with the aim of restoring the canal. They intended to concentrate on the length from Chichester to Salterns, and later changed their name to Chichester Canal Society (and more recently to Chichester Ship Canal Trust) to reflect this. Taking over the lease of the canal from the local angling club in 1984, the Society began by dredging Chichester Basin. Then, assisted by Waterway Recovery Group volunteers, they began to work back down the branch towards the main line, using a floating dredger with Bantam tugs and hopper barges to shift the silt. By the late 1990s they had reached the junction at Hunston and were working westwards along the main line towards Chichester Harbour. Navigation became possible to near Crosbie Bridge. The stretch from there to Salterns Lock at the Harbour awaits restoration. With thanks to the Southampton Canal Society
Future Events All meeting and events are in abeyance due to COVID 19 restrictions. Please visit our website for up to date information. Meetings, unless specifically stated otherwise, are held at Chilworth Parish Hall, Chilworth Southampton SO16 7JZ. Start 7.45pm, Visitors welcome. For monthly Newsletter visit www.sotoncs.org.uk or ring 02380 675312.
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Wey and Arun Canal Trust WACT News Wey & Arun Canal Trust offers apprenticeship opportunity In what is thought to be a first for an independent canal restoration group, the Wey & Arun Canal Trust is looking to take on a Water Environment Worker apprentice. The apprentice will be part of the team delivering the restoration of the 23-mile Wey & Arun Canal which runs from Shalford in Surrey to Pallingham in West Sussex. They will work alongside two full-time staff overseeing the restoration and maintenance of the historic waterway, as well as contractors and the many volunteers who make up working parties held almost every day of the week. The Trust is offering this new Level 3 (A Level) apprenticeship to someone keen to forge a career in waterway restoration and the applicant will need to enjoy working out of doors with people of all ages, be willing to learn new skills and have a clean driving licence. Wey & Arun Canal Trust training director Margaret Darvill said of the new post: “This is a fantastic opportunity for someone looking to learn skills in the maintenance, repair and management of the canal and its habitats. The Trust is embarking on some ambitious new projects and now is an exciting time for an apprentice to join us as we step up our efforts in restoring London’s lost route to the sea.” The 18-month apprenticeship includes online and on-the-job training, as well as two weeks of training delivered by Bridgwater and Taunton College. Gill Davies
24 Wey & Arun Canal Trust secures lottery funding after losses due to coronavirus The Wey & Arun Canal Trust has been awarded £13,100 of National Lottery support in the wake of Covid 19 and its effect on heritage charities’ income. The funds will be used to repair the leaks in sections of canal bed at Long Meadow, Drungewick, West Sussex, along with paying for the necessary equipment needed to make both the Canal Centre and boat trips at the Loxwood wharf Covidsafe. The funding, made possible by National Lottery players, was awarded through The National Lottery Heritage Fund’s Heritage Emergency Fund. Some £50m has been made available to provide emergency funding across the heritage sector. Ros Kerslake, Chief Executive of The National Lottery Heritage Fund, said: “Heritage has an essential role to play in making communities better places to live, supporting economic regeneration and benefiting our personal wellbeing. All of these things are going to be even more important as we emerge from this current crisis. “Thanks to money raised by National Lottery players we are pleased to be able to lend our support to organisations such as the Wey & Arun Canal Trust during this uncertain time.” Trust chairman Sally Schupke added: “Thanks to the National Lottery and its players we can now push on with completing the repairs at Long Meadow. We’re grateful that The National Lottery Heritage Fund is supporting us at this crucial time – it’s a lifeline to us and others who are passionate about sustaining heritage for the benefit of all.” "The investment in PPE and safety screens has also meant passengers and crew can be confident they are safe when enjoying one of our boat trips this autumn." The canal at Long Meadow was drained late last year and a local specialist environmental consultancy was employed to move the thousands of fish living there to other parts of the canal. Since then investigations have been underway to locate the leaks - found to be in four separate sections - and quotes are being sought for relining. The project has also involved desilting the canal and resurfacing 600m of towpath, along with erecting 650 metres of fencing.
25 At Loxwood, investment has been made in a Perspex protective screen installed at the cash desk, along with PPE and cleaning materials needed to protect visitors, passengers and volunteers. Gill Davies Wey & Arun Canal Trust adds a fully accessible trip boat to its fleet The Wey & Arun Canal Trust has added a Mk III Wheelyboat to its fleet, a boat specially built to take disabled passengers and carers on canal cruises. The purchase of the secondhand boat has been made thanks to a generous donation from supporter Peter Grove in memory of his great grandfather Walter Grove, who was master carpenter on the Wey Navigation from 1885-1930. Flexible seating means that up to five wheelchairs can be accommodated in comfort, making the pleasure of cruising the canal accessible to a greater number of adults and children. The boat was supplied and refurbished by The Wheelyboat Trust, a charity set up in 1984 to remove barriers to water-based activities and allow mobility, learning and sensory impaired people of all ages independent access to activities such as powerboating, nature watching, pleasure boating and angling. The Wheelyboat Trust director Andy Beadsley said the benefits of getting disabled people out on the waterways were huge. “There are lots of health and wellbeing advantages to being out in the open air and on the water. We’ve worked with many disability groups, SEN schools and charities, and we’re delighted to be able to work with the Wey & Arun Canal Trust on this project now too.” The aluminium Mark III craft was originally built in 2007 and has been refurbished to give it many more years of service. An outboard motor, seating and a bimini canopy (generously provided by the Ernest Kleinwort Charitable Trust) will be fitted over the winter months and it is hoped the boat will be in service next spring. Wey & Arun Canal Trust director John Reynolds added: “We’re sure trips onboard the Wheelyboat will bring immense pleasure to many people and we look forward to being able to offer cruises along the Wey & Arun Canal on the Wheelyboat in 2021.” Gill Davies
26 The Wey & Arun Canal Trust embarks on another ambitious restoration project in Surrey The Wey & Arun Canal Trust has begun work on a major restoration project in Surrey as the charity’s bid to resurrect the abandoned canal moves up a gear. In what will be a two- to three-year project largely carried out by volunteers, a new canal cut and two bridges will be built at Tickner’s Heath in Alfold, near Cranleigh. The route of the canal is blocked by the causeway which carries Dunsfold Road. Originally, a brick arch bridge built in the 1810s carried the road over the canal but by 1913 the original bridge had been demolished and the road realigned onto an earth causeway. The Trust looked at several options before deciding that the best solution was to avoid the obstruction altogether and so in an ambitious project volunteers will construct a new length of canal, approximately 180 m long, to divert around the causeway and create a new road bridge at a point where Dunsfold Road is straight. The road bridge will be similar to that constructed by volunteers at nearby Compasses, at the entrance to Dunsfold Park. This bridge was recognised with a highly commended award in the Waverley Design Awards 2019. A short length of temporary road will be built to take traffic around the bridge site during construction and a separate, parallel bridge will be built for the use of pedestrians, cyclists and horse riders, along with a new footpath.
27 With both bridges in place and the road re-opened to traffic, the new canal cut will be excavated. The last 100 yards of the existing canal will be partially filled and landscaped with areas of wetland and replacement tree planting. Hedgerow planting will add 75 m of native species to the site and a reptile pond and hibernaculum are to be added. Volunteer working parties operating several times a week have so far built a compound area on an adjacent agricultural field, created culverts and ditching, erected fencing and constructed a base for power connections. Contractors will be employed for piling, but volunteers will carry out a significant proportion of the construction and landscaping work. Project manager Tony Ford said: “Tickner’s Heath posed a particularly difficult restoration challenge. The road has sharp bends, there is residential property very close by, the canal water level is only a foot or so below the road and the whole area is within designated Common Land which has very strict rules for any works taking place within it. Our solution allows us to recreate the canal length, improve the footpaths for walkers and add to the existing biodiversity. “Our volunteers are excited to begin such a project, which closely follows the success of the bridge building at Harsfold in Wisborough Green in Sussex, which was completed last month.” Gill Davies
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Future Events Please check our website for up to date details of all our events and boat trips. Further details and booking from the Trust Office on 01403 752403. office@weyandarun.co.uk www.weyandarun.co.uk Northern Office Phone: 01483 505566 (Mondays-Thursdays, 8.30am-12.30pm) For general information on the work of the Trust, please telephone our Northern Office on 01483 505566, or visit www.weyandarun.co.uk
River Thames News (Non-Tidal)
At the recent Thames User Group remote meeting the winter works programme was discussed and a number of amendments to long lock closures were flagged. EA circulated these in amendment 3 of the winter works programme. The contract for management of Thames moorings has been secured by “Direct Enforcement” (DE) and they gave a brief presentation on their expectations. The subsequent circulation of the proposed DE signage has highlighted some disturbing changes to boaters’ rights, which had not been mentioned in the presentation. As a result User group members have subsequently taken legal advice and are challenging the wording and the scope of DE’s jurisdiction with the EA. It currently appears that rights enshrined in the Thames Conservancy Act have either been ignored or dismissed as irrelevant. No doubt there will be further news on this front. On the subject of licence enforcement, the mis-match between the expectations of some folk and the reality of bringing cases to the overloaded courts was highlighted. It was pointed out that the courts are struggling with a backlog of 500,000 cases including serious criminality, so the chances of the successful prosecution of a non-conforming boater are slim, to say the least. The lack of names on some craft is being addressed.
29 At a national level the Environment Agency has requested some £200 million for navigation over a four year period in order to plan long term but are expecting a twelve month budget in the current circumstances. It is hoped that some spot dredging and tree work can take place at the western end during the winter months although some doubts were expressed by local marina owners about the robustness and suitability of the designated EA plant. Photo Courtesy: Thames River Users Group Website
Verna Smith
Visit Staines by boat with a cruise along the River Thames Visitors can now explore the town by boat thanks to a new jetty along the river. A new jetty has been installed on the banks of the River Thames to allow passengers on boat tours easily to access Staines. Located near the bandstand in the town centre, touring companies will be able to pick up and drop off visitors exploring the area. Connecting the market town with Hampton Court and Windsor, it will give people a chance to see everything North Surrey has to offer, from castles and palaces to museums and shopping. French Brothers cruises will become the first users of the jetty but it will be open to all river trip boats to apply for use. Spelthorne Borough Council’s River Thames task group, whose primary objective is to improve and enhance access and activities for Spelthorne’s prime 12 mile border on the Thames, commissioned the jetty. Councillor Vivienne Leighton, chair of the group, said: “This new jetty will enable us to welcome more visitors to Staines and help the town to become more competitive as people take a trip on the water. We value our riverside location highly and want to cherish and improve access to the river for residents and visitors to make our borough an even better place to live” The council has already been working on several improvements to the banks of The Thames. Throw lines at appropriate locations along the river have been installed and toilet and parking facilities have been enhanced at Shepperton Lock. In future, the council aims to increase and improve moorings, add welcoming and informative signs, improve disabled facilities and support the Walled Garden and Millennium Embroidery by improving river access and visibility. . Courtesy: Spelthorne Website
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Kent & East Sussex Branch IWAKES Chairman’s Piece Well what a year 2020 has proved to be! Just as people were thinking of taking to the water in early spring, we hit lockdown and boaters’ plans went out of the window. As a counterbalance we saw many more people using the waterways to exercise and hopefully many of these will continue to do so. Come early July hire companies were able to start trading again and have seen exceptionally high levels of bookings and I understand this also applies to 2021 in terms of advance bookings. Some consolation for them given the lack of specific government support for the industry. Some businesses have already ceased to trade but hopefully we will retain a thriving inland waterways experience for years to come. This, of course, applies to charitable organisations as well as commercial businesses. With the second wave now upon us we are increasingly seeing restrictions in boating areas and this inevitably leads to uncertainty for 2021. With a possible development at Gravesend on the Thames & Medway Canal it is encouraging that the developer has noted the requirements of Gravesham Borough Council in respect of the canal. There is a long way to go but let’s hope the very reasonable requests put forward by TMCA and the branch can be achieved and that this can be the start of eventually joining the restored section to the River Thames. There is a lot still to be achieved here but there is certainly potential and hopefully this will lead to increased interest in and use of the canal. Les Etheridge
River Medway report from Mike Marsh The Environment Agency is beginning a £2.5 million capital investment programme on the Upper Medway Navigation in October 2020 which will last through to March 2021. This is to improve facilities and services for river users and give a safer navigation. The Capital works include refurbishment of Allington, Oak Weir, Sluice Weir, East, Porters and Eldridges Locks. There will also be a full refurbishment of Allington Lock boater’s facilities including new shower and toilets and a pump out unit with contactless payment and waste disposal. Other works planned are refurbishment of the fish passes at Teston, Sluice Weir Oak Weir and East Locks. The Tree Management schedule will start in the winter and will be improved with the addition of a tree chipper unit on the EA Dredger. This will assist in reducing the backlog of tree management work if you will forgive the pun! Various locations along the Medway will benefit from a desilting programme to improve
31 navigability. Finally, a Bathymetric Survey will be undertaken along the Upper Medway to provide a detailed map of the river depth. Full details of all the Capital works, including Lock closure dates, can be found in the EA Notice to Mariners issued on 9th September 2020. http://www.allingtonlock.co.uk/attachments/File/NTM2020/Notice_to_Mariners _11_of_2020_-_Capital_Works_Programme.pdf The EA and boaters have reported a significant increase in boating activity during the summer months when Covid-19 restrictions were lifted. Many more canoeists, kayakers and paddle boarders have taken to the water. British Canoeing membership has increased. The EA is reminding all craft users that they need to be registered for use on the Medway. Medway Valley Countryside Partnership has been busy this year. An eel survey at Allington Lock counted 11 elver (young eels). Down on last year. They swim here from 4000 miles away in the Sargasso Sea where they will return in 12 to 20 years and, like salmon, spawn and die. In September, 60 bags of rubbish were collected from around the Tonbridge area assisted by Tonbridge Canoe Club. EA is planning to install a litter boom across the Allington Weir to collect and recycle rubbish. An increase in litter left by people has been noted this year. With the help of Maidstone Canoe Club, large amounts of floating pennywort (shown in the picture on left) were removed from the river in October. An on-going battle.
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Sussex Ouse Restoration Trust SORT is undergoing a period of change, not just a change of chairman since Bob Draper left after many years at the tiller but also striving to complete the current work at Sutton Hall (Isfield) Lock and decide upon the next project. We are also looking at how to attract more volunteers as we are at a critically low level. It is somewhat a Catch-22 situation – volunteers will only be attracted by an interesting project; this also applies to increasing funding. Volunteers have been back at work at Isfield since early June, once we had completed all our Covid-19 risk assessments, etc. We have completed the restoration as far as we can at the moment. Permission from the Environment Agency to break into the river and the purchase and fitting of the two pairs of lock gates are what is needed to complete the restoration fully. These two requirements go together and cannot be progressed until both are achievable. However, we have permission from our very supportive landowner to move our ugly storage compound (see photo left) away from lock-side which will allow us to finish landscaping the area and make it even more attractive to walkers passing the lock on the Sussex Ouse Valley Way. We are also intending to place an interpretation display lectern by the lock which will have a plan and history of the whole navigation as well as similar more lock-specific local information. This would include mention of the concrete dam across the lock where the upper gates should be. This was installed in 1941 to enable the river upstream of the lock to be flooded and provide a hindrance to invading enemy forces should the need have arisen. The navigation was completed in 1812 and as a commercial undertaking it was never a huge success, with all trade on the navigation having finished by 1868. Ineffective management and maintenance had increased the speed of the demise of the navigation once the railways came into Sussex in the 1840s.
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Ironically, the navigation was used to transport all the bricks needed to build the magnificent Ouse Valley Viaduct (see photo, above, by James Killinger) for the Brighton to London railway line! The bricks were offloaded at the wharf at Upper Ryelands Bridge, which was the head of the navigation, (see photo, below, with bridge arches just visible). Realistically, new projects are a challenge to a small charitable organisation such as ours, exacerbated by the fact that the Ouse is a very rural navigation and there are few areas of easy public access. This is a major consideration in order to achieve the public benefit requirement that all canal restoration trusts as charities have to fulfil. A lot of head-scratching is taking place! David Evans (Interim Chairman)
River Adur news from Brendan Whelan Adur District Council, along with many other Local Authorities, appears to have suspended all activities that don't relate to Covid 19. Therefore, there has been no further progress in trying to move plans forward for a slipway at Silver Sands, on Shoreham Beach. On a slightly different topic, my elder son owns a business that delivers boats up to about 45' (14m) on specially designed road trailers. As soon as the original lockdown was lifted, the demand for boat transportation mushroomed and he has had his busiest year ever. Apparently, ship/yacht brokers can't find enough boats to sell. With this buoyant demand for boating it is sad that rivers, such as the River Adur, don't have adequate public launching facilities. Let us hope that something positive will come out of this enthusiasm for boating.
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River Thames Broadness Cruising Club is situated at Broadness Creek on the Thames. Interesting times are ahead for the club with the advent of the huge London Resort development that is coming on adjoining land. The big challenge for the club is not to get engulfed by the development and locked out for not fitting the corporate image. Members of the club are tidying up
and will be investing in some waiting buoys on the Thames to make it easier for sailors to have trips out. Because we are dependent on a high tide for leaving and entering it has always been tricky going for a day’s sail without getting stuck either in or out. The club also has a very valuable commodity on the Thames which is a slipway. We want to improve this and make it more available. Conrad Broadley
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Northfleet Harbour Northfleet Harbour is a landlocked harbour that has been cut off from the Thames by a flood wall put across its entrance. Northfleet Harbour Restoration Trust’s primary objective has been trying to get a lock gate into this flood wall so that we can open up the harbour for a whole range of community uses such as Sea Scouts and Historic Ship restoration and create a marina as well. Progress at Northfleet Harbour has been slow and is mostly work behind the scenes trying to secure a place in the Ebbsfleet Garden City masterplan from the Ebbsfleet Development Corporation (EDC). The EDC have stated that they won’t fund a lock gate (which is vital for getting the harbour opened back to the Thames) but they will allow the Trust to fund raise the £5million needed for a lock gate. An interim solution is to raise the actual level of water in the harbour to create a usable pool of water for small boats to mess about on, independent of the Thames. We are also seeking agreement to use the external river walls for historic ships to give a credible scheme to help launch a funding drive for the lock gate. At this stage it is vital that we secure a masterplan for the surrounding Garden City development that does not kill a future harbour scheme with lack of parking and boat yard space.
With the need to raise £5m we are looking for a professional or experienced fund raiser if anyone has any recommendations. We have been doing very limited site work due to Covid 19 this year; just the occasional bit of bramble cutting to keep the growth down and under control. Conrad Broadley
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Thames & Medway Canal Association Our AGM was eventually held (at the end of August instead of the usual April) at our HQ along Mark Lane, Gravesend. It was our first official gathering there as it has been made quite suitable by our Work Party volunteers. It was a fairly brief affair as we did not want to stay confined for too long as some were a little nervous about enclosed areas. Afterwards we moved on to the adjacent open area for discussion and a bacon roll which hopefully made up for the usually boring business. The finances were handed over to John Knight, our new treasurer, and Ron Watts, our outgoing treasurer, was presented with a plaque which is now positioned at the Mark Lane information board. The meeting seemed to have been enjoyed by those who attended and hopefully a similar format can be used next year provided the Covid 19 restrictions return to at least those of last summer. Ex-Chairman Brian Macknishs’s bench was finally dedicated although it had been enjoyed by many prior to the very delayed ceremony. Our Facebook image has improved substantially over the year as we now have over 500 followers although this has not been noticeable in paid up members. A standing order form will hopefully reduce the annual drop off as nowadays most are too busy to fill out more forms, send cheques, etc. But we are still in need of a webmaster to make joining via our web site more user friendly. For those not conversant with the geography of our canal, it has a 500 m stretch between the canal and the canal basin which was filled in the early 1970’s (photo, left) also another section which is in dire need of dredging. Development company Joseph Homes and architects JTP have a vision for the infilled section which can be seen on line at https://albionwaterside.co.uk Nuralite has also submitted plans for the middle section but neither development meets our needs. We are in discussions with both the council and the developers with invaluable help from the IWA to establish our requirement for a more usable waterway. Dave Parnell
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Future IWAKES and Other Events Please check the IWAKES ‘Events’ pages on the IWA website https://www.waterways.org.uk/waterways/branches/iwa-kent-eastsussex-branch/events for the latest situation. The branch will not (until conditions change) be arranging any further ‘physical’ meetings. However, we have arranged one virtual ‘Webinar’ (advertised below) which replaces the physical meeting previously planned for that day. We plan other ‘Webinars’. They will not necessarily be advertised in Cargoes but will be advertised to all IWAKES members for whom Head Office holds an email address. So, if you are not already receiving notifications of IWAKES events but do have an email address and wish to receive notifications in future then please send your email address to Head Office https://www.waterways.org.uk/contact-us Thursday 19th November 2020: 7.30pm: Joint ‘Webinar’ with Sussex Ouse Restoration Trust. ‘River Ouse Water Supply’ by Lee Dance, Head of Water Resources at South East Water (SEW). Lee Dance is responsible for planning all new water supplies in the South East Water area that runs from Hampshire to East Kent. In his talk Lee will describe Ardingly Reservoir, Barcombe Reservoirs and Treatment Works and the River Ouse transfer between them. There will be an opportunity to ask Lee questions and, time permitting, there may be may be short updates on other matters of interest. To participate in this meeting please click on the blue registration link here: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_0So57TNXRbmOesJ_CisEDg Clicking will bring up a form to register your name and email address. On submitting the registration form an email will be sent to you containing a ‘joining link’ (unique to you) for the webinar. [Reminder emails, also containing the ‘joining link’, will be sent one day and one hour before the webinar]. Click on your ‘joining link’ (just before the start time) to join the webinar. If you are unsure if you will be able to participate, please ‘register’ now anyway. There is no penalty or inconvenience caused if you subsequently cannot attend. No-one else’s attendance will be affected as numbers are unlimited. CANCELLED: Wednesday 16th December 2020: Gravesend Sailing Club: ‘Puffing a’Wey’ by Mark Rudall: A ‘Webinar’ presentation is planned for a different date. ‘Webinar’ details will be placed on the website and emailed to IWAKES members. Thursday 21st January 2021: 7.30pm: ‘RNLI – Innovations’ by Colin Brown: ‘Webinar’ details will be placed on the website and emailed to IWAKES members.
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Oxfordshire Branch Branch Chairman Being relatively new to the area and having been very busy over the last two and a half years at the very top of the Thames, I recently took the opportunity to help a customer relocate his narrow boat from Lechlade to Rugby. This was, of course, not a jolly, but a research trip so that I could experience the whole of the canal from Oxford to Napton and properly understand as branch chairman the issues on Dukes Cut and the Oxford Canal, or at least that’s what I told the family! I have now got some first hand experience of the issues with trees and boats on Dukes Cut and the temperamental lock gates on the canal which do slightly knock back the experience of the wonderful contrasts on the canal of both rural isolation and, in Banbury town centre, significant fascinating commercial redevelopment. Over a few days I enjoyed glorious autumn sunshine, endured pouring rain and dealt with the frustrations of an unplanned, unannounced 24 hour lock closure for repairs that threw my plans and car shuffling arrangements into complete disarray. As its nearly 40 years since I last boated this section of the Oxford Canal, hopefully I can better represent the branch with my updated experience. Here on the Thames, as I write this in mid-October, we have already had one spell of red boards which doesn’t bode well for the winter but thankfully the flows have dropped again and up and down this end of the river the next few Saturdays will echo to the sound of cranes lifting cruisers out onto the land for winter storage and the frenetic jacking, chocking and then pressure washing that goes with crane day. I hope that you are able to stay safe this winter, are able to plan for better times next spring and enjoy the IWA national webinars and online presentations during the winter to keep you connected to the waterways. Photo Courtesy: Philip Broade IWA Website Ian Lindsay Stop Press: It is with sadness that we have to inform you that Ron Heritage has died at his daughter’s house in Kent. Ron was Chairman of IWA Oxford branch for many years. His daughter, son and son in law were with him at the end. A full obituary will be included in the next edition of Cargoes.
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Banbury Canal Partnership We have been allowed to carry on working as long as we stick rigidly to the guidelines laid down by the Government and the Canal and River Trust. This really only means us keeping to the 2m (unless you are a couple) distance apart, plus our numbers limited in any one group to 6. So mid September we were asked to repaint both a lock and picket fence that was the subject of our very first work party back in 2014. The site was Kings Sutton, two locks below Banbury. Since our last visit the lock cottage has changed hands (being privately owned) and the new owners have transformed the surrounding area. The picket fence runs the whole length of the lock then at the head of the lock carries on round a weir. As the weather forecast seemed good we decided to bring our boat down from our mooring at Fenny Compton to near the lock. The return trip would be a gentle weeks cruise including the working day. Little were we to know that Canal and River Trust would have a major problem of water levels on the Cropredy Pound caused by a fault on Slat Mill Lock that caused chaos for the moored boats being aground etc. We got through but were aground several times. C&RT had cleared the problem by our return 6WDUWLQJ WKH UHSDLQW RI WKH SLFNHW IHQFH
Brian
Penny
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'DYH &ROLQ 7KH 7HDP Âą 3OXV 5RELQ ILUVW SLFWXUH DERYH H[WUHPH OHIW DQG -HQQ\ RXU SKRWRJUDSKHU
On the second day (a week later) half the team walked down from Twyford Wharf to the lock again to complete the painting, whilst the other, half this time equipped with saw and loppers attacked the scrub overhanging the towpath including removing a small tree. It had taken 6 people 2 days to complete
End of Second day
BDFN WR EDVH 7Z\IRUG :KDUI
If you want a day out in the beautiful Oxfordshire countryside come and join us. You might just enjoy it so much you become a regular Please contact myself or Chairman Colin Garnham-Edge if you would like to be put on our emailing list. Remember we have an email contact address : bcpontheoxford@gmail.com We also have a Facebook page Brian Saunders BCP Cargoes representative
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Future Events 2021: Thurs 16th to Sat 18th Sept: Oxford Canal Festival. Further details www.oxfordcanalheritage.org
Wilts & Berks Canal How is the Wilts & Berks doing during Covid restrictions? Surprisingly well, it seems. Obviously boat trips remain paused, and sadly we have had to cancel our popular Santa cruises on our trip boat ‘Dragonfly’. But in terms of our organizational structure, online meetings have not only continued but increased – no travel time; splendid! Encouraged by our extremely enthusiastic CEO, Gordon Olson, we have set up several small groups that meet virtually (we use Google Meet) and as a result we have increased our online presence significantly. Our Facebook page, launched only a couple of years ago, now has over 4,000 followers; our website has been not only refreshed but gets updated with new items on an almost weekly basis – including a photo competition with the winning photo(s) going on the website’s front page each month. We are currently revising our signage, and in terms of communicating with members we have resumed ‘On The Button’, our monthly electronic newsletter and our quarterly magazine ‘Dragonfly’. The Autumn edition of the latter will be a bumper edition to coincide with our AGM. We are refreshing our entry in Wikipedia, and generally doing our best to raise our profile with the general public in order to garner support. As part of this, we have recruited a number of prominent local people to act as ‘Champions’ – these include all four of the MPs in whose constituencies our route lies. We have already engaged with three of these on particular matters. On the ground, our work parties resumed Covid-19 safe activities when lockdown was eased. Much of the work has been towpath clearance etc, but at the time of writing some restoration work is resuming at Pewsham and a section near Shrivenham is to be rewatered. Both projects benefit from grant funding. Dragonfly’s refurb is now complete (see
42 photo) and the Trust is acquiring a workboat with dredging capability – more on that next time. People must wonder how the Trust is doing financially – the answer, again, is surprisingly well. A few grants have come in at a helpful time, and of course Covid 19 has meant that we haven’t spent much. Also, as part of our online activity during lockdown we’ve been able to bring our membership database up to date, with the result that membership income is now at a record high. But we don’t plan to rest on our laurels – if, as we hope, we are successful in our bid to Highways England to fund a crossing under the M4, there will be a lot of work to do, so if you’re reading this and would like to support us either by donating or by joining, you can do so easily now from the front page of our website www.wbct.org.uk. We expect the outcome of the M4 crossing bid to be known by the time this goes to print, so fingers crossed! Chris Barry, Comms Secretary, Wilts & Berks Canal Trust PRESS RELEASE – M4 CROSSING The Wilts & Berks Canal Trust's grand ambition, the restoration of the Wilts & Berks canal to link the English northern and southern waterway systems, has been clouded for many years by uncertainty about obtaining a crossing of the M4. This is about to change: Highways England, the company responsible for England’s motorways and major A roads, has awarded over £42,000 towards the Trust’s feasibility studies via its Environment and wellbeing fund. This fund is one of four standalone – or designated – funds which the organisation uses to support initiatives that deliver lasting benefits for road users, the environment and communities across England. Gordon Olson, Chief Executive of the Wilts & Berks Canal Trust, said: “We are very grateful to Highways England for their generous award and look forward to working in partnership to deliver this important feasibility study. “The M4 is the biggest barrier to fully restoring the canal and linking England’s northern and southern waterways networks, so the results could be the key to unlocking the potential of the entire project. “In the short term it would allow us to connect the existing stretch in the Wichelstowe housing development to the north of the motorway, currently under restoration as far as the M4, with the line towards Royal Wootton Bassett to the south, more than doubling the length of canal in water in Swindon and providing a valuable new amenity for the local community. “In the longer term we hope it would also help to demonstrate the benefits of restoration to other towns along the historic route, including Melksham, Chippenham, Calne, Cricklade and Wantage, attracting new funding to finally start connecting all of the stretches together.
43 “The Wilts & Berks Canal, with its towpath and blue-green corridor, could eventually provide an important new source of local employment, tourism and recreation, as well as establishing vital new habitats for local wildlife.” Highways England Project Manager Ian Cole said: “We’re delighted to support the Wilts & Berks Canal Trust with funding to scope out this exciting waterways project. “The long-term initiative to restore the canal could also realise a great walking and cycling route and environmental improvements, all of which will attract more visitors to the area, and so help the local economy. “We’re investing in the environment and communities surrounding our road network, as well as the people travelling and working on it, to make a positive difference to people’s lives. Our aim is to address social and environmental issues and add real value to society.”
Future Events Dragonfly is currently at its mooring outside Waitrose. No further boat trips are planned for this year. Please visit our website for up to date information. The Boating season for Dragonfly normally starts at Easter and finishes in September. Trips may extend through October depending on the weather. The boat can be chartered and is popular for birthday and anniversary parties. Plenty of notice is required to make it easier to find crew. For further information, please call the boat team on 07401 220076 or preferably email boat.bookings@wbct.org.uk
Towpath Walks Group At the moment we are working very carefully within the Covid-19 regulations which means when the Covid-19 Tier 2 Restrictions in London get lowered again, to Tier 1, we'll resume our actual outdoor Towpath Walks again. In the meantime we are working to set up virtual tours of the Towpath Walks. When we're ready, details will be on the IWA website. Towpath Walks Group will be looking for volunteers to guide small parties of walkers on short walks along the towpath of the Regent’s Canal (and elsewhere).
44 This introduces newcomers to the pleasant world of waterways – which most outsiders don’t realise is here! It is also a good way of recruiting new members to IWA. No experience? No problem, we’ll brief you. For more information about Walks (Normal charge: £15.00, Concessions & Student rate: £10.00) please contact London Walks, telephone: 020 7624 3978. Booking Essential
Mikron Theatre Group
Small Scale on a Big Scale: Award winning Mikron was founded in 1972, and 2020 marks Mikron’s 49th year of bringing professional theatre to your doorstep. Mikron is the UK’s most prolific theatre company. In our 2020 season we’d plan to perform at nearly 130 venues, but the Coronavirus Pandemic meant we had to cancel the tour, and subsequently launch our 2020 appeal. Anywhere for Everyone by Canal, River and Road: We tour on our narrowboat, Tyseley, in the summer and by road in spring and autumn, to every conceivable type of venue, reaching audiences that other companies cannot. We tell stories of uniquely British things: In our 2021 season we once again explore two fascinating British stories with two brand new commissions by two new writers. In Atalanta Forever The game is on! It’s 1920, and in post-war Britain, women’s football is big news Explore the extraordinary world of heroic hounds, pampered pedigrees and naughty nobblers through the halls and history of Crufts, with A Dog’s Tale. www.mikron.org.uk
Letters to the Editor Dear Chris, As a new IWA member, I have to say how impressed I was to receive my first copy of Cargoes. The standard of this publication is excellent, and I look forward to reading more dynamic news in the post-Covid future. I am a little biased. My father, Ron Jesse, was heavily involved in restoration of the dredger Perseverance, and now that I have (almost) retired, I am having a narrowboat built which just had to carry the same name. See perseverancenb.com for progress.
45 I have my dad's recollections and my own memories of retubing the boiler at Reading (I was a small 16-year old at the time, and the only person who could get in through the inspection hatch). Anyway, I hope to be able to join in some of the local IWA activities as time and virus permits. Thank you for an excellent read, Dave Jesse Dear Chris Congratulation on the Autumn edition of Cargoes. I always enjoy reading the magazine although I actually live in Northants which has a postal district of Banbury. Hence much of the information in Cargoes is about waterways I have little knowledge. However I am a member of the Kennet and Avon Trust. I particularly enjoyed the information about Perseverance, the steam dredger. What a wonderful piece of machinery, but a pity that it is now dismantled. Now that the Wey and Arun canal is receiving so much attention by volunteers it has come to my mind the question “What was the cause of its original closure?” I wonder if there is a reliable source of water on the summit pound? Thank you for your work as editor of Cargoes Yours faithfully M Rowling
IWA Webinar Programme During the last few months IWA has been running webinars on a variety of subjects. The next webinar is on December 9th on the subject of Life Saving First Aid Essentials. Registration is through the IWA website at https://www.waterways.org.uk. The link to recorded previous webinars is https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_ROBJ6rpm_41BSmu-Glf2Q
The Inland Waterways Association Chesham Staff Sarah O’Grady Interim Chief Executive
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Tracy Higgin Administration Manager Day-to-day running of the Head Office at Chesham.
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Rachel Bryant Membership
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The Inland Waterways Association IWA South East Region Chair: Verna Smith 63 Avondale, Ash Vale, Aldershot, Hants GU12 5NE Tel: 07986 244479 Email: verna.smith63@gmail.com
IWA Guildford & Reading Branch Committee Acting Chair: Verna Smith 63 Avondale, Ash Vale, Aldershot, Hants GU12 5NE Tel: 07986 244479 Email: verna.smith63@gmail.com Secretary: Chris Jones Tel: 07711 784374 Acting Treasurer & R. Wey: Mike Lewis Basingstoke & R. Thames: Vacant
Email: chris.jones@waterways.org.uk K & A, WACT & Planning:-Verna Smith
IWA Kent & East Sussex Branch Committee Chair: Les Etheridge Tel: 07768 132703
Email: les.etheridge@waterways.org.uk
Secretary, Sussex Ouse & &DUJRHV Contact: Roy Sutton 79, St Leonards Park, East Grinstead, West Sussex RH19 1EG Tel: 01342 317569 Email: RoyDavidSutton@Yahoo.co.uk Treasurer & Royal Military Canal: Peter Wilkinson Membership Secretary: Les Etheridge Social Secretary: Sue Schwieso :DWHUZD\V 5HSUHVHQWDWLYHV R. Medway: Michael Marsh R. Stour: Roy Newing Thames & Medway: Bernard Snell Dartford & Crayford: Brian Franklin
R. Adur: Brendan Whelan Northfleet Harbour: Vacant R. Rother: Malcolm Jones Faversham & Swale: Vacant
IWA Oxfordshire Branch Committee Chair: Ian Lindsay Tel: 07889 070623 Email: ian.lindsay@waterways.org.uk Secretary: Robin Williams Tel: 07490 454260 Email: robin.williams@waterways.org.uk Acting Treasurer: Jules Lindsay Webmaster: Robin Williams
&DUJRHV co-ordinator & Jericho: tba
1RQ &RPPLWWHH 5HVSRQVLELOLWLHV Thames RUG 3: Sue & David Cooper Next issue: Spring Copy date: 27th January 2021 Opinions expressed in &DUJRHV are not necessarily those of IWA. IWA, Island House, Moor Road, Chesham, Bucks, HP5 1WA. Tel: 01494 783453 Company No: 612245. Charity No: 212342 www.waterways.org.uk &DUJRHV Editor: Chris Jones chris.jones@waterways.org.uk Printed by www.imprintcolour.co.uk