50 years of Navvies magazine 1966-2016 That means that my list of 50 structures represents the equivalent in kind of a £10m investment by ourselves (the restoration movement, including canal societies, WRG, KESCRG, NWPG, IWA and anyone else) in the future of canal restoration. But that list simply consists of the first 50 I could find, off the top of my head and with a quick ask-around. I’m pretty sure we can find double that if we try. That’s 20 million. And that’s just structures: there are all the lengths of recreated channel too. Oh, and the times that the restoration movement has persuaded a local authority to put in a bridge, a housing developer to reinstate a channel (or even to build a lock!), or a road or railway builder to make provision for navigation. So might the £50m figure perhaps not be so unrealistic after all? Let’s not be unfair to ourselves. Perhaps there really is the equibvalent of £1m worth of completed-but-hidden volunteer waterway restoration work out there for every year of Navvies magazine’s existence. So next time somebody casts doubt on whether we can raise sums like £50m for canal restoration, just point out that in effect we almost certainly already have. And in the meantime, let’s crack on with the next £50m worth. Martin Ludgate
“Here’s one we made earlier” x 50 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25.
Buckingham: Little Hill Farm Bridge Chesterfield: Miners Crossing Cotswold: Boxwell Springs Lock Cotswold: Wildmoorway Lock Cotswold: Eisey Lock Cotswold: Rucks Bridge Cotswold: Cerney Wick Lock Derby: Borrowash bottom lock Derby: Ullickers Bridge Gipping: Bosmere Lock Gipping: Creeting Lock Gipping: Baylham Lock Grantham: Cotgrave Lock 7 Grantham: Cotgrave Lock 8 Hatherton: Saredon Mill Bridge Hatherton: Bridge 8 Hereford & Gloucester: House Lock Hereford & Gloucester: Ellbrook Aqueduct Lichfield: Fosseway Lock 18 Lichfield: Darnford Liftbridge Lichfield: Tamworth Road Lock 25 Lichfield: Tamworth Road Lock 26 Lancaster: Sedgwick Aqueduct Montgomery: Carreghofa upper Lock Montgomery: Carreghofa Lower Lock
26. 27. 28. 29. 30. 31. 32. 33. 34. 35. 36. 37. 38. 39. 40. 41. 42. 43. 44. 45. 46. 47. 48. 49. 50.
Montgomery: Brynderwen Lock Montgomery: Byles Lock Montgomery: Newhouse Lock North Wilts: Moredon Aqueduct North Wilts: Moredon bottom lock North Wilts: River Key Aqueduct Pocklington: Top Lock Sankey: New Double Locks Sussex Ouse: Isfield Lock Thames & Medway: Milton swingbridge Uttoxeter: Bridge 70 Wendover: Bridge 4 Wendover: Bridge 4a Wey & Arun: Rowly Lock 17 Wey & Arun: Bignor Bridge Wey & Arun: Lee Farm Lock Wey & Arun: Haybarn Bridge Wilts & Berks: Lock 3, Seven Locks Wilts & Berks: Lock 4, Seven Locks Wilts & Berks: Dauntsey Lock Wilts & Berks: Foxham Top Lock Wilts & Berks: Foxham Liftbridge Wilts & Berks: Elephant Liftbridge Wilts & Berks: West summit Lock Wilts & Berks: Steppingstones Bridge
Please note: this highly subjective list is based on the editor’s knowledge and experience (a large part of which has been with London WRG and therefore in the southern half of Britain) plus a quick ask-around, rather than any attempt at a comprehensive list from across the country. Its purpose is to illustrate just how many of these completed projects there are. If you, the readers, can find twice or even three times as many, featuring various canals not even mentioned here, then I won’t be at all surprised. In fact I’ll be disappointed if you can’t!
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