River Wey & Godalming Navigations Page

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The Eastern End K&A Volunteers (an independent Community Waterway Adoption group) 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

Crofton Beam Engines

Future Events

Thank you to all our visitors and supporters for a wonderful 2021 season. We are now closed to the public until 2022. During the winter our volunteer team will be working hard to prepare for opening again. If we are to steam again in 2022, we need to carry out work on the boiler this winter, which will cost around £30,000. Once this is completed, we would not expect any further major work for around ten years. So please help us raise the funds to meet these costs. Thank you.

What has happened?

The boiler at Crofton is inspected annually to make sure that it is safe to operate. A full survey was undertaken in May 2021 to identify all the work likely to be needed to enable the boiler to continue in operation for the next ten years.

The recommended work includes: Replacing wasted rivets, mainly at the back end of the boiler; Restoring the rear furnace to tubeplate flanging, requiring cleaning and welding; Removal of the Galloway tubes, which have wasted and are not needed for safe operation of the boiler, and replacing the sparge tube (which ensures that the boiler feed water is distributed evenly along the full length of the boiler; Carrying out a full hydraulic test on completion, to be witnessed by our insurance surveyor.

The work will be undertaken by H A McEwen, who have carried out work on the boiler previously and are the leading UK contractor for work on heritage boilers.

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River Wey & Godalming Navigations

A Note from The New General Manager

I would like to take this opportunity to introduce myself as the new General Manager for the Wey and Godalming Navigations. It has been a busy timelearning not only about the ethos and core beliefs of the National Trust but also getting the opportunity to explore the navigation and see the historical and environmental importance of such an amazing waterway. I have come from a background working in marine conservation and managing citizen science-based programmes around the world, where over the years I have been lucky enough to see and experience some truly incredible places. However, with starting a family and the resultant restrictions that were imposed on us all throughout lockdown, I found myself starting to look closer to home and exploring areas that I had previously overlooked. Having been based in Surrey and Hampshire for the last 10 years, when I saw the opportunity to join the team here at Dapdune Wharf come up I jumped at the opportunity. As I write this, I am only a few monthsinto my time with the National Trust and so there is still so much to learn but each day that I spend here my appreciation for the Wharf and Waterway builds and I have enjoyed meeting and hearing peoples’ connections to the area. Thank you to everyone for the warm welcome and I look forward to seeing you all along the river.

Tristan Brown –Wey Navigations General Manager

An Update for 2021:

Towpath works have taken place at New Haw and WestByfleet and spot dredging at Sutton Place and Godalming Wharf. Several Gates were “lifted out” (by boats) over the summer; normally reseating them is straightforward. The top gates St Catherine’s and Triggs are due for replacement this winter. Worsfold will later be taken out for replanking and sheet piling opposite Guildford Rowing club is also planned.

Hugo van Maasakkers, Assistant General Manager

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Wey River Festival 2021

Saturday 18th September saw the Wey River Festival at Dapdune Wharf, Guildford. The weather was fine and the Festival was well attended, with an atmosphere of freedom following the months of lockdown. Visiting boats lined the towpath above and below the Wharf. Most local waterways societies were represented, for example the Basingstoke Canal Society, the Wey and Arun Canal Trust and the Woking Sea Rangers. The River Wey Trust, a charity formed by local authorities on the southern branch of the Wey exhibited its Virtual Reality Sandbox. Originally made for hydrological studies, this enables the visitor to mould a landscape in sand, and a high-tech projector illuminates it with coloured contours and river flows. The National Trust had stands with

information and book sales, and provided a range of childrens’ sporting activities on the "Island". Our Guildford and Reading Branch stand featured information, book sales and the lock game and we are grateful to Ben and his helpers for their hard work on the stand. Several other local organisations were present, including the Surrey Bat Group, Bee Friends, Surrey Wildlife and the Surrey Association of Woodturners who gave demonstrations of their craft.

There was a wide range of refreshments and the National Trust’s tea room was open for seated refreshments. The National Trust’s trip boats, Dapdune Belle and Sir Richard Weston, were operating throughout the day. Afternoon music was provided by the Alder Valley Brass Band. To finish the day, just as it got dark, there was an Illuminated Boat Pageant led by the Croydon Steel Orchestra. Decorated with fairy lights the boats moved steadily from Millmead to Dapdune and the bridges and towpath were thronged with appreciative spectators.

Photos: Matthew Lewis Mike Lewis