Heartland

A sad fate indeed, is she now in deep water, or will the wreck be a hazard to shipping?

The recent repeat broadcast of Time Team dealt with the investigating the Roman settlement at Caerleon. They mentioned the port there on the River Usk and there was an implication that the Romans used this port not only for transporting soldiers, but also for goods and merchandise. It was also suggested that frequent floods handicapped the operations here and may have contributed to the Romans downgrading this establishment. Caerleon was on the tidal Usk and remained a navigation with a Quay south of the existing bridge. An earlier quay existed above this bridge but below the earlier Roman Bridge.

Overshot or breast shot, that is the question- one that is complicated through the understanding of potential and kinetic energy- as well as the fact did the mill engineers have that grasp of understanding the mathematics behind what was best. I believe the study is called Hydrodynamics, where water flow is calculated to decide the optimum type of wheel. Overshot wheels gave the best performance when water supply was limited, as was often the case. Breast Shot wheels became more popular in the 19th century as a water dynamics became better understood. In the context of the original thread as mill streams were being built over long distances, the water supply would have been somewhat limited, hence my observations. However with medium to good supplies of water the breast shot could be the best. With fast flowing rivers the undershot was quite capable for the mill task. It would be interesting to find how many breast shot wheels relied on carried to the wheel by a long mill stream

Thanks to all who replied to this poser, I think that is now demonstrated the image is Woodley I attach comments from Grahame Boyes, the present RCHS President, regarding the two tunnels- Grahame was another/co author of the Peak Forest Canal Book; The PFC Committee decided on 2 March 1798 to build the Hyde Bank tunnel wide enough for two boats to pass, but without a towpath – no reason given. The Woodley tunnel is only wide enough for one boat, but with a towpath. The minimum widths at water level quoted in Bradshaw’s Handbook (D&C reprint 1969) are: Hyde Bank 16ft 0in Woodley 9ft 3.5in

As to Hydebank, this tunnel is named after a location, as is shown on the attached O/S map section (25 in. survey 1896, published 1898), though large scale, there is no indication of a bothy though.

William MacKenzie, had a long engineering pedigree, he was associated with the construction of the Deep Cutting, BCN, at Smethwick where a long cutting , 18ft below and beside the earalier cutting of 1788-1791 was done 1826-1829. The link between navigable canals mill streams is a subject that deserves further research. Water powered mills evolved over time with the overshot, iron wheel being a culmination of design as this gave the optimum power ratio. The requirement for making stream, or leats, from a weir to a mill pool or directly onto the wheel could result in cuts up to and over a mile long being made to the mill in order to obtain the required height. Those who engineered those mill streams over at least eight hundred years, created a legacy of waterway construction techniques that were adapted by the navigable waterway builders.

It is certainly a poser, the image is taken on a larger format roll film and may be 1928. Woodley would be consistent with the photographer, Bertam Baxter as he was taking photographs in that general area then. It is a loose end tidy up query to be passed on. It is numbered negative 1005 which would be 1928, or earlier. The shortening commented upon may well be due to the type of camera and lens used. I attach a section of the 1935 25 in O/S map. The buildings over the tunnel appear to be in a place consistent with the map evidence. The Smithy on the map is in the same place as the building over the tunnel.

The Montgomery Canal has the Tanat Feeder that flows into the canal at Carreghofa and much at present (until the Llanymynech section is restored that is) flows down into the sump level, over a weir at Wern Mill and into the New Cut. From there it flows into the Severn. At the other end of that sump are the locks that climb up towards Newtown where a feeder from the Severn flows in. I would guess both are clean sources

Any search of what is written about canal engineers is often complicated by what has become accepted as opposed as to what actually was the truth. James Brindley and Thomas Telford frequently get much credit for achievements, where others contributed and deserve a certain recognition. John Duncombe is a case in point, whose contribution to the surveys of the Ellesmere Canal was considerable. He surveyed this canal before Jessop took charge and it was part of his survey that the aqueduct crossing at Pontcysyllyte was to be 125ft. Duncombe went onto to complete many more surveys for the Ellesmere Canal as plans for the route were altered. He left when his work was done, a year before the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct was opened. He then undertook work in Scotland surveying roads, but died in Inverness Goal, a sad end.

Not sure about the facts though- a brief history has its pitfalls. For example the height of the Pontcysyllyte Aqueduct above the Dee is given as a hundred feet. In fact the tallest point is a fraction above 125 feet, as the trip boat guides on Jones the Boat regularly state. I do not think the horse boats that come down from Llangollen are as regular as is stated. In fact at busy times, with boats waiting to pass across this famous aqueduct, congestion can lead to delays in trip boat times sometimes.

There are many water sources including streams the flow into the canal network. Both streams and field run off has the potential of being contaminated with what farmers and their stock put on the field. Then there are the minerals in the water such as ironstone that comes into the canal at places like Harecastle and Bilston. To state water is clean is somewhat misleading, I would think.

The image in this post was a 1930's view of a canal tunnel with a towpath, but where is it?

Ian Lane, West Midlands Canals has announced that the changes in management structure has led to him being allocated a new post to take on new challenges as head of operational ;projects in the West Midlands. In his email to those interested he quotes several new appointments: CANAL & RIVER TRUST APPOINTS REGIONAL DIRECTORS The Canal & River Trust has appointed six new Regional Directors to drive the next phase of the organisation’s development, as the Trust takes forward its transformation to become a charity for the waterways and wellbeing, enriching the lives of millions of local people with waterways on their doorstep. The appointments, including four external candidates, bring a rich and diverse range of experience to the Trust, including from the heritage, charity and local government sectors. The appointments are: •Regional Director, London & South East – Ros Daniels, who joins the Trust with extensive experience of the heritage and tourism sector, most recently as Head of Historic Properties, London at English Heritage •Regional Director, Wales & South West – Richard Thomas, who joins the Trust following a long and successful career in the Royal Navy •Regional Director, West Midlands – Adnan Saif, who joins the Trust having worked for over 20 years in senior positions in local government, regeneration and economic development, and is currently Chief Executive of the British Muslim Heritage Centre •Regional Director, East Midlands – Phil Mulligan, who joins the Trust with extensive senior management experience in the voluntary sector notably as Chief Executive of the Landscape Institute, Executive Director of the United Nations Association UK, and Chief Executive of Environmental Protection UK •Regional Director, Yorkshire & North East – Sean McGinley, currently East Midlands Waterway Manager, who has worked on the waterways in management and engineering posts for 16 years •Interim Regional Director, North West – Daniel Greenhalgh (for up to 12 months) a senior manager at the Trust responsible for delivery of major canal infrastructure projects and who formerly led on the delivery of all the Trust’s operational contracts The Trust has established two new permanent posts and appointed internal candidates in areas requiring very specific additional focus: •Tav Kazmi, currently Acting Waterway Manager for the South East, is appointed as Deputy Director, London & South East, recognising the scale and impact of London & South East as a region, with many complex challenges specific to the capital and its surrounding area, and with huge potential opportunities for the Trust to grasp •Ian Lane, currently Waterway Manager for the West Midlands, is appointed as Head of Operational Projects in the West Midlands in recognition of the extensive and unique opportunities in the region over the next few years, notably Coventry City of Culture 2021, the Birmingham Commonwealth Games in 2022, and in the near term the ongoing development of the Roundhouse project •In addition, the Trust has appointed Interim Head of Boating, Jon Horsfall, as Head of Customer Service Support to lead the organisation’s customer service functions, including boating Julie Sharman Chief Operating Officer at the Canal & River Trust, comments: “I am delighted to welcome such a diverse and high-calibre team to the Trust. It has been a rigorous recruitment process that has attracted very high-quality applicants and which reflects the really exciting opportunity the Trust has to make a real difference to the lives of millions of people, including in some of the most deprived parts of the country. “As we focus on bringing the benefits of the waterways to communities across England & Wales, the appointment of our Regional Directors is at the heart of our proposals to transform the charity, strengthen the accountability of regional teams, and to shift our structure to engage more effectively with prospective partners and the outside world – whilst also enabling the Trust to act quickly and efficiently at every level.” The Trust’s new regional structure goes live on 4 June. The external appointees will be joining the Trust during July and August with interim arrangements in place until then.

To add to these comments, working smithies on the waterway are getting less common. This is a view at Ellesmere. Others I have come across included Worksop on the Chesterfield Canal. I gather the one at Worksop has been gone for some twenty years....

Looking at the English Heritage Listings Claverton Pump House is listed Grade II as is the bridge over the south leat Pumping Station. Designed by John Rennie and erected by Fox of Bristol, for the Kennet and Avon Canal Company. Opened 1813; ceased function in 1952 but restored 1969-75. Consists of the pump house at the west and the wheel house to the east. Pump house: ashlar and hipped slate roof; single round-headed door and casement window in south gable end; the west elevation has 3 round-headed windows on the ground floor, 3 square headed casements on the first floor and a plank door at the right. The wheel house projects to the west: weather-boarded sides with 2 casement windows; ashlar east gable with 2 round-headed doors flanking a segmental headed door. The breast shot water wheel (17'6" in diameter and 11'11" wide, and now seemingly in 2 parts as altered by the Great Western Railway Co. in 1902-03) provides drive to 2 cast iron working beams which operate lift and force pumps. (Leaflet available on site. Bridge. Probably c.1810-13 for Kennet and Avon Canal Company. Ashlar. Single segmental arch with central keystone. Plain ashlar band and parapet. The ends are slightly advanced as piers. Looking at the First Ordnance survey for 1884. It is not obvious where the cottage is?