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Somerset Waterways |
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Bridgwater
& Taunton Canal
Total length 14_ miles
Acts of Parliament 1811, 1824, 1837
Completed 1827 to Huntworth
1841 to Bridgwater Dock
Planned
as the Bristol to Taunton canal the less ambitious scheme from Bridgwater
was approved in 1824 and the canal was completed from the River Parrett
at Huntworth to Firepool, Taunton in 1827. After extensive wrangling
with the Conservators of the River Tone over water supply and lost
revenue, the canal company purchased the rights to navigation on the
river connection was made through Firepool lock. Links were made,
in 1838 and 1842 to the Grand Western Canal at Firepool and the Chard
Canal at Creech St Michael but imminent arrival of the Bristol and
Exeter Railway foretold a threat to the important South Wales coal
trade on the canal and prompted the canal company to apply to Parliament
to extend the canal to the north of Bridgwater and build a floating
harbour and dock with connection to the River Parrett. This action
secured the supply of South Wales coal avoided the “Sea Carried”
tax which required navigating across the Bristol Channel south of
Holm Islands and, for a while kept Forest of Dean and South Gloucestershire
coal out of the County. Competition from the railway eventually led
to the proprietors agreeing to see the canal and docks to the Bristol
and Exeter Railway and in 1907 the last recorded cargo passed from
Bridgwater dock to a wharf in North Town, Taunton.
The Waterway Today – The canal remained navigable until WWII
when it was incorporated into the “Wessex Stop Line” a
defensive barrier to delay an invading army to allow time for Government
to re-locate east or west of the line. To create this defensive barrier
the swing bridges were fixed and Pill Boxes were built along the towing
path. After the war no effort was made to re-instate the swing bridges
so no vessels could pass for trade or maintenance and slowly lock
gates and culverts fell into disrepair. After many years of campaigning
by IWA and SIWS a report was produced by IWAAC on the potential of
the canal and advice on options for the future. With commendable foresight
SCC, BW and the District Councils agreed that to restore to full navigable
standard was the best value option, even though the most difficult
and costly. Restoration was completed in 1994 and the canal re-opened
for navigation. Improvements to user facilities and attractions have
continued to take place ever since. The towpath is now home to the
Somerset Space Walk and is part of National Cycle Route 3. Bridgwater
Dock is being developed as a marina, boat moorings have been created
at Bathpool, Maunsel, Boat & Anchor and YMCA, Bridgwater, and
the Maunsel Canal Centre and Tea Garden is a popular venue at North
Newton.
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Grand
Western Canal
Totallength built 11 miles in Devon, 13_ miles in Somerset
Act of Parliament 1796 Surveyors – John Rennie
Completed in Devon 1814 & Engineers - James Green
Completed in Somerset 1838 Somerset Section
Abandoned and closed 1867
Planned as a Channel-to-Channel waterway from Topsham, near Exeter
to Taunton with connection with the Tone Navigation at French Weir.
In Devon, only the broad branch canal to Tiverton was built at the
summit level when the funds ran out, largely due to inflation as a
result of the Napoleonic Wars and difficult ground conditions. The
later Tub boat section in Somerset was completed in 1838 connecting
with the River Tone and the Bridgwater & Taunton Canal at Firepool.
The Somerset section, built for boats 22 ft x 6 ft 6 ins incorporated
seven boat lifts and one inclined plane. The boat lifts were the first
to operate under commercial working conditions anywhere in the world,
and after initial teething problems gave satisfactory service for
nearly 30 years until closed by the Bristol and Exeter Railway Company
to ensure that the competition was removed.
The Waterway Today – Much of the Somerset line is discernible
on the ground and a public footpath follows the route from the Devon
border to beyond Nynehead and then runs near to the former canal for
much of the way to Taunton. The remains of the structures are easy
to find and the aqueducts and lift site at Nynehead are especially
important for their ease of access, comparatively complete condition
and historic significance.
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Parrett Navigation
and Ivelchester Navigation
Total length 13_ miles to Thorney and Westport
Act of Parliament 1795 and 1836
Completed and opened 1840
The
early scheme foundered through lack of funds and traffic passed up
river on tidal waters as far as Load Bridge on the River Yeo with
trans-shipment required at Langport Bridge. The 1836 Act authorised
building locks at Langport, Middleney, Oath and Thorney, replacing
Langport Bridge to allow through navigation and cutting the Westport
Canal from near Hambridge to Westport where substantial warehouses
were erected. Traffic declined after the railway from Durston to Yeovil
opened in 1853 and in 1878 the Somerset Drainage Commissioners abandoned
the navigation works. Some boats managed to reach Load Bridge and
even Ilchester up until the 1930s!!
The Waterway Today – Interest in these former navigations has
never completely disappeared. The creation of the Parrett Trail, much
of which uses the former towing path between Burrowbridge and Thorney
has enabled more people to view the remains of the locks, wharves
and bridges. The Langport Area Development Trust recently commissioned
a corridor study of the river from Oath to Kingsbury Episcopi. A “Highway”
Right of Navigation exists on the Rivers Parrett, Isle and Yeo where
formerly navigation improvements were made but there is no liability
or responsibility on the current management body, ie The Environment
Agency to maintain navigation structures such as locks, even though
the locks at Middleney and Thorney appear structurally sound and could
easily be reinstated.
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Tone Navigation
Total length 12_ miles, Burrowbridge to French Weir
Royal Charter granted to John Mallet 1683
Acts of Parliament 1699 and 1707
Oldest
“improved” navigation in Somerset. John Mallet’s
Charter authorised improvement by construction of weirs and staunches
from Burrowbridge to Ham Mills about three miles from Taunton. Under
the 1707 Act, Conservators made the river navigable to Taunton with
half locks and full locks. After several years of hostility, the Bridgwater
& Taunton Canal Company purchased the river in 1832 and maintained
it as a navigation. The section in Taunton between Firepool and Taunton
Gas Works carried cargo until 1907 and is still managed as a navigation
by British Waterways. Coal was brought upstream to Ham until 1929
in spite of little or no maintenance being undertaken.
The Waterway Today – The navigation works at Bathpool and Obridge
were demolished in the 1960s when the flood relief scheme was undertaken
which straightened the river between Firepool and Bathpool. However
the former towing path remains as a public right of way and the remains
of the lock at Ham and the only remaining “navigation”
bridge at Knapp can be visited. Small boats can and do navigate from
Hankridge to Ham and from Ham to New Bridge near North Curry.
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Chard Canal
Totallength 13_ miles
Act of Parliament 1834 Surveyor James Green
Completed and opened 1842 Engineer Sydney Hall
Tub boat canal Abandoned and closed 1867
Ran
from Bridgwater & Taunton Canal at Creech St Michael via Thornfalcon,
Wrantage, Beercrocombe, Ilton, Ilminster and Chard Common to Chard.
There were major engineering works on the whole line. Substantial
embankment with aqueducts over railway, river and road between Creech
St Michael and Ruishton; deep cutting from Thornfalcon to Lillesdon
Tunnel (314 yds) followed by the important site at Wrantage with aqueduct
remains, embankment, inclined plane, cutting and tunnel (1800 yds),
sixth longest in the UK. Embankment, curring aqueduct and bridge remains
are clear to see from Beercrocombe to Ilton. At Ilminster, in spite
of recent loss to road works and housing development, a short length
of canal is in water in the recreation ground before the site of Ilminster
incline and tunnel. Beyond Ilminster access is limited but much of
the line is discernable including the remains of the only lock on
the canal at Sea. At Chard Common the site of the large Chard Common
incline can be seen from a public footpath. This was the only dry
carriage inclined plane ever constructed in Britain and was the first
application of a water turbine in this country. All significant remains
in Chard have been destroyed in recent years with the redevelopment
of the former feed mill at the terminal basin, in spite of Grade II
listing!
The Waterway Today – Most of the line still exists albeit in
multiple private ownership. Many of the sites of significant engineering
works, inclines, tunnels, aqueducts, cuttings and embankments can
be visited although much of the canal and towpath exist most is not
open to public access. This was the last canal to be built in Britain
by private enterprise and incorporated the very latest engineering
technology of the day and though its working life was very short it
worked very well and was only closed because of purchase by the rival
railway company.
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Dorset and
Somerset Canal
Total length built Approx 8 miles
Act of Parliament 1796
Date opened for navigation Not completed, never opened
Proposed to link Kennet & Avon Canal at Limpley Stoke via Frome,
Wincanton and Sturminster Newton with the south coast at Poole, with
a branch from Frome to collieries at Nettlebridge. Only a section
of the branch was built, but of particular interest was the proposal,
by James Fussell, a local ironmaster of Mells, to replace locks with
boat lifts. When the canal had been completed these lifts would have
predated those built on the Grand Western Canal by some 30 years.
The branch never carried cargo, but an aqueduct, a bridge and parts
of the line are still to be found, including the “Roman Wall”
in Frome!
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Galton’s
Canal and Brown’s Canal
Total length 2_ miles
Act of Parliament None
Completed and opened 1801
Two privately cut canals from the River Brue to the North Drain. No
traffic records exist.
Current state – incorporated into local drainage system.
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Rivers Axe
and Brue and The Pillrow Cut
The Rivers Axe and Brue were navigable until Drainage Acts in the
late 19th Century and early 20th Century. The Pillrow Cut connected
the two rivers in medieval times and was developed for “tourism”
(pilgrimage!) and carriage of produce and stone by the Abbot of Glastonbury.
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Somersetshire
Coal Canal
Total length 10_ miles waterway 15 miles tramway
Act of Parliament 1794 Surveyors John Rennie
William Jessop
William Smith
Completed and opened 1801
The canal ran from the Kennet & Avon Canal at Limpley Stoke to
Paulton and Radstock. (Never completed as a canal.) Until the 1870s
was one of the most profitable waterways in the country, carrying
coal from the many collieries for distribution throughout Southern
England. With the coming of the Bristol & North Somerset Railway
profits rapidly declined and in 1893 a Receiver was put in and the
canal closed in 1898 then was abandoned in 1904. The canal to Paulton
was purchased by GWR and the Limpley Stoke to Camerton branch built
on the bed of the canal using the Coombe Hay tunnel and several of
the canal bridges. This part of the route was immortalised in the
film “The Titfield Thunderbolt”.
The Canal Today – In spite of railway building and over a century
of abandonment, many substantial remains still exist. The aqueduct
at Midford carrying the canal part of the Radstock branch has been
extensively restored by the Somersetshire Coal Canal Society and Bath
Historic Buildings Trust. Unique “Caisson Locks” were
proposed to overcome the sudden rise in the land at Coombe Hay. Two
or three were built but the Fullers Earth strata made the masonry
unstable so they were abandoned and replaced by the spectacular flight
of 22 locks, the remains of which can be viewed from a public footpath.
A short section of canal at Dundas (Limpley Stoke) has been restored
and is in water, connected to the Kennet & Avon canal and is used
as moorings and as a base for several canal based small businesses.
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Glastonbury
Canal
Total length 14_ miles
Act of Parliament 1827 Surveyor John Rennie
Completed and opened 1833
Ran from Highbridge Sea Lock to Beckery, Glastonbury with one lock
at Shapwick.
Last recorded through traffic 1854. Handed to local Commissioners
for sewers and abandoned in 1936.
The Canal Today – The seaward end from Highbridge to Bason Bridge
is the River Brue, much of the rest of the route has been incorporated
into the South Drain. Small boats are able to pass from Highbridge
to Glastonbury.
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| Copyright© Somerset Waterways
Development Trust 2007 . All rights reserved. |
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