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Rivers restored to navigation


magpie patrick

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Morning all!

Need to be careful about the term "river restoration" as it means something very different to what boaters might imagine - effectively re-naturalisation. So restored to navigation... 

I can't think of many in England - Upper and Lower Avon, completed 1974, is that it? 

Any others? The Upper Avon was significant as it needed new weirs and alterations to water levels - easy to do physically but difficult to get reglatory approval for, 

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17 minutes ago, MoominPapa said:

The Nene's locks we're all built/rebuild as new in the 1930s, and my understanding is that the river had fallen into disrepair prior to that, so that might count, depending on how bad it was and how picky you are.

 

MP.

 

Certainly I've seen photos of the Old River Nene (alias Well Creek) through Upwell looking completely derelict in the late '60s or early '70s. It was apparently restored by the Well Creek Trust, whether alone or in co-operation with the Middle Level Commissioners I don't know.

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50 minutes ago, David Mack said:

Great Ouse up to Bedford. 

That's the kind of scale I'm thinking of...

 

I'm just reflecting on current proposals, a number of which are for river navigations (Stour, Gipping, Wreake) and in many ways these should be easier as it's a lot harder to obstruct a river with a housing estate than it is a canal. but of course there are a lot of other regulatory factors involved. In a way I'm asking about the past as a bellwether for the future, and also to see what lessons might be learnt to get other navigations open. 

 

More contributions welcome! 

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2 hours ago, Athy said:

Certainly I've seen photos of the Old River Nene (alias Well Creek) through Upwell looking completely derelict in the late '60s or early '70s. It was apparently restored by the Well Creek Trust, whether alone or in co-operation with the Middle Level Commissioners I don't know.

 

That's another good example, if you can class Well Creek as a river, rather than a former river. It's distinct in time and space and operator from the Nene catchment board's rebuild of Northampton to Wisbech though.

 

MP.

 

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4 hours ago, Athy said:

Certainly I've seen photos of the Old River Nene (alias Well Creek) through Upwell looking completely derelict in the late '60s or early '70s. It was apparently restored by the Well Creek Trust, whether alone or in co-operation with the Middle Level Commissioners I don't know.

Well Creek was to have been filled and replaced with a pipe, so to allow the A1101 and the A1122 to be widened.  Middle Level Commissioners had deem that Well Creek was not needed for drainage or water supply. The locals did not wish to lose their riverside views hence the battle for Well Creek. 

  • Greenie 2
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5 hours ago, Captain Pegg said:

A few yards of the River Salwarpe in Droitwich that linked the old Junction canal basin with the barge lock in Vines Park and is now part of a longer section of river navigation.

That section of former river navigation from the Barge Lock to the original connection with the Junction canal has been restored to use, but in addition the navigation of the Salwarpe has been extended upstream to the junction with the Body Brook, and the latter has been made navigable to the other side of the M5.

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I did mention the Upper Avon Navigation in my book SILENT HIGHWAYS and the ongoing work for the Droitwich Junction Canal. Apart the Salwarpe it needs to be mentioned that the Body Brook was used for the navigation under the motorway.

 

The Ribble Link is also a navigation, in the sense it uses the river navigation from Tarleton, the Douglas and the Ribble, that is. But such a navigation has been possible for craft to travel from the Leeds & Liverpool to Preston Docks before the link was made, and was always I believe a navigation In 1999, Steve and me took a hire boat from Skipton to Tarleton and we were passed by boats coming from a Rally at Preston. With the making of the new Docks at Preston, the Ribble Navigation was altered to end there. There was a time when there were bigger shops that went into Preston Docks and the six coupled Bagnall tank engines were busy there in the 1960's, shunting the Dock sidings.

 

With the Caldon the disuse of the Caldon Canal and restoration must be considered as a restoration of the river section. As there are plans to restore the Uttoxeter Canal another river section might be reached.  

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3 minutes ago, Heartland said:

With the Caldon the disuse of the Caldon Canal and restoration must be considered as a restoration of the river section. As there are plans to restore the Uttoxeter Canal another river section might be reached.  

See the canal diversion thread I posted a map.

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There is soon to be a tripboat on the Derwent in Derby going upstream as far as Darley Abbey Mills. This was previously used by boats working off the Derby Canal. There are signs that at sometime in the past there was a lock to take craft above Darley Abbey weir.

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Not done yet, but being planned. The reconnection of the Herefordshire and Gloucestershire canal to the network will mean restoring navigation along the Lower Parting route of the Severn, including a lock at Llanthony and another at Over in to the canal. No plans to restore the lock below the Upper Parting as this would give a much more difficult approach to Over Lock, including a bridge just beyond if you mess it up!

Jen

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18 minutes ago, Jen-in-Wellies said:

Not done yet, but being planned. The reconnection of the Herefordshire and Gloucestershire canal to the network will mean restoring navigation along the Lower Parting route of the Severn, including a lock at Llanthony and another at Over in to the canal. No plans to restore the lock below the Upper Parting as this would give a much more difficult approach to Over Lock, including a bridge just beyond if you mess it up!

Jen

This bit Jen

 

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