Where I am

[Heartland]

Regarding the Swing Bridge Post:

 

 

This has interest for those who follow the BCN. It would seem to be what was once the railway Swing Bridge that carried the single track branch railway from Rood End, Oldbury across the Tat Bank Branch to the BIP/ British Cyanides works. Those siding were first developed south of the Tat Bank Branch to serve the Ministry of Munitions Works where an Andrew Barclay Fireless Locomotive was used. The swing bridge across the Tat Bank Branch dated from 1918 and was used by the locomotives owned by BIP until 1971. Their track went on to serve the Midland Tar Distillers works, which also had a locomotive and the BIP locomotives handled the Tar Distillers Traffic to Rood End.

 

It has been a matter of debate whether the basin, later filled in, was an interchange basin with the Great Western Railway as there were sidings beside it that joined the Great Western Railway Stourbridge Extension Line at Rood End. It was during the First World War that those early Rood End sidings were extended to serve the Munitions Factory.

 

This map for 1937 shows the track arrangement.

 

 

 

 

Edited August 11, 2023 by Heartland

[David Mack]

5 hours ago, Heartland said:

The swing bridge across the Tat Bank Branch dated from 1918 and was used by the locomotives owned by BIP until 1971.

And for how much of that time was it openable for boats?

6 hours ago, Heartland said:

This map for 1937 shows the track arrangement.

There appears to be a width restriction marked 'sluice' close to the bridge which, if to scale would suggest narrow boats could not pass through.

[Francis Herne]

5 hours ago, David Mack said:

And for how much of that time was it openable for boats?

There appears to be a width restriction marked 'sluice' close to the bridge which, if to scale would suggest narrow boats could not pass through.

So far as I could tell, it could still be opened for boats with a bit of maintenance - you'd have to grease the wheels, take an angle-grinder to the modern railings and cut down the tree that's grown out of the pit, but fundamentally it's still an intact swing bridge with no fixed structure propping it up.

 

The 'sluice' was definitely passable by boats and the map's not quite to scale - one of the Britain From Above photos (via Duncan Moore's page https://lostbcnimages.blogspot.com/2022/05/oldbury-and-titford-area.html ) shows a Joey boat right down by the bridge. I've not yet seen one with boats past the bridge though:

 

This one shows the width clearly and the 'sluice' in use as such - presumably with stop planks or something similar:

It looks a bit like there's some triangular build-out right in the swing bridge narrows, but nothing like that is there now and I can't see why anyone would have bothered removing it if it existed.

 

The site of the 'sluice' is now host to a pipe bridge, but unfortunately my photo of the location is massively overexposed and I can't remember if the narrows are still there.

 

There's now a road bridge located on the bend lower-centre in the above image, not present in the '30s and '40s photos, that appears to have some consideration for boats: the centre span is a steel 'plate' (with box-section ribs) about 8ft square while the rest is concrete. I was wondering if it ever had a lift mechanism but there's no physical evidence of that. The later footbridge closer to Tat Bank Road is a plain concrete slab that could never be passed by a narrowboat.

Edited August 11, 2023 by Francis Herne

[Heartland]

I suspect the BCN required the navigation past the swing bridge for maintenance of the feeder, but because of the other obstacles would not be navigable for a boat, now. however, it is important that these images have recorded the present state.

[Heartland]

Now another image to ponder on

This building is a canal company cottage, which some might recognize as belonging to a certain navigation, however it was not quite on that navigation and had a different purpose which was to be the home for the person who looked after the water supply. Where could it be?

Sadly, I believe it is now demolished.

 

 

[beerbeerbeerbeerbeer]

…. the game is afoot!

 

A pretty photograph,

a well kept garden, 

and is that a cherry tree in blossom on the right?

the building has odd proportions,

is it a small door?or are they large windows up high?

And a portico with columns oddly placed. 

 

🧐

a reservoir cottage ? that recognisably  belongs to a certain navigation. 
 

 

 

 

 

[Stroudwater1]

It’s hard to see but is the main roof barrel shaped? 

[beerbeerbeerbeerbeer]

Nah, gable ended I reckon,

not that any of this architectural critique will solve the puzzle, 

😃

 

 

[Rob-M]

I initially thought of the cottages by the swing bridges on the Gloucester and Sharpness but not sure.

[David Mack]

Similar to this

[Rob-M]

7 minutes ago, David Mack said:

Similar to this

Yes, looks to be of a similar design.

[beerbeerbeerbeerbeer]

2 hours ago, Stroudwater1 said:

It’s hard to see but is the main roof barrel shaped? 

 

2 hours ago, Goliath said:

Nah, gable ended I reckon,

not that any of this architectural critique will solve the puzzle, 

😃

 

 

...maybe it will 

[BEngo]

I think it is the G&S cottage which was by  the Cam feeder.  At one stage it had  acquired an extension which looked like it shared an architect with much of Soweto. 

 

IIRC it had gone last time we went to Sharpness.

 

N

[beerbeerbeerbeerbeer]

A little bit of Googling comes up with Robert Mylne, the engineer responsible for the Gloucester and Sharpness canal. 

He was first and foremost an architect  influenced by classical Roman/Greek architecture.
hence, I guess, the unique set of cottages with porticos and Doric columns 

Edited August 17, 2023 by Goliath

[Heartland]

Well partly right, it is a Gloucester & Sharpness cottage but not on the canal directly 

The water supply came from a river that was first authorised to be made navigable in 1730, but had difficulties in appeasing the mill owners and maintaining a basic navigation. The solution adopted from the second act of 1759 was innovative!

That river by the way is known by different name than it was in 1730 and 1759.

[IanM]

1 hour ago, Heartland said:

Well partly right, it is a Gloucester & Sharpness cottage but not on the canal directly 

The water supply came from a river that was first authorised to be made navigable in 1730, but had difficulties in appeasing the mill owners and maintaining a basic navigation. The solution adopted from the second act of 1759 was innovative!

That river by the way is known by different name than it was in 1730 and 1759.

 

That description sounds like it would be on the Frome by the weir which feeds the Stroudwater then on to the G&S.

 

Was the 1759 act the Kemmett Canal which straightened some parts of the river and used cranes to bypass the weirs at the mills?

[johnthebridge]

Whitminster Weir.

[Heartland]

Yes well done,

 

The 1759 act enabled the partial improvement of the Stroudwater River, which is now known as the Frome and it is at the Weir where the Gloucester & Sharpness /Gloucester & Berkeley altered the route of the Stroudwater Canal to create Saul Junction. The weir enabled a water supply to the Sharpness Canal

 

I do find it difficult to use the terms Cambridge Canal (the first improvement of the Stroudwater River from 1730, and the first Act) and the Kemmett Canal (the second improvement using cranes for transshipment of goods). In effect, my interpretation is that they were versions of the River Stroudwater Navigation as the first Act created commissioners who controlled the navigation. The Kemmett period was actually a partnership of four people which included John Kemmett, who is sometimes recorded as an ironmaster but is perhaps best described as a Bristol Iron Merchant.

 

With both versions of river improvement the intended terminus at Wallbridge was not reached and it was the third act of 1776 that led to the making of the canal. 

[johnthebridge]

I'm afraid it wasn't difficult, as I just happened to be a bridge-keeper on the G and S for almost 20 years, and knew the weir and its environs quite well!

If you go out of Gloucester northwards on the A38 towards Tewkesbury and turn off right at Down Hatherley Lane, have a look at the house on the left which now appears to be part of the Hatherley Manor Hotel and I imagine formed some sort of gate-keeper's house in the past.

https://www.google.com/maps/@51.9020753,-2.2085848,3a,75y,40.16h,88.75t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1smLJOBGRWmO-6UOhPvD51iQ!2e0!7i16384!8i8192?entry=ttu

[Stroudwater1]

55 minutes ago, johnthebridge said:

I'm afraid it wasn't difficult, as I just happened to be a bridge-keeper on the G and S for almost 20 years, and knew the weir and its environs quite well!

If you go out of Gloucester northwards on the A38 towards Tewkesbury and turn off right at Down Hatherley Lane, have a look at the house on the left which now appears to be part of the Hatherley Manor Hotel and I imagine formed some sort of gate-keeper's house in the past.

https://www.google.com/maps/@51.9020753,-2.2085848,3a,75y,40.16h,88.75t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1smLJOBGRWmO-6UOhPvD51iQ!2e0!7i16384!8i8192?entry=ttu

 

Is the house still present John if not it must be sadly a recent demolition? Its very hard to see into the compound where the weir is these days, and seems to be mainly Park Homes. 

 

Ive been past that house by Down Hatherley a number of times and completely failed to spot it.... I dont think Im ever going to get one of these. The locomotive crossing the bridge further up was to my naivety the wrong way round, but I can only see properly that way round when I walk there 😆

 

 

[Francis Herne]

Not quite on the canal either, but connected to the above:

[johnthebridge]

Looks like a rhyne culvert, of which there are several under the G and S. Like the one that collapsed and initiated the large breach at my bridge some years ago.

On 18/08/2023 at 14:00, Stroudwater1 said:

 

Is the house still present John if not it must be sadly a recent demolition? Its very hard to see into the compound where the weir is these days, and seems to be mainly Park Homes. 

 

Ive been past that house by Down Hatherley a number of times and completely failed to spot it.... I dont think Im ever going to get one of these. The locomotive crossing the bridge further up was to my naivety the wrong way round, but I can only see properly that way round when I walk there 😆

 

 

No. It was demolished some years ago, unfortunately. There's a newer house there now that was the weir-keeper's base (he also did water control at other locations), but I believe it's passed into private ownership now. The noise when water was being run off in flood would waken the dead.

[Heartland]

I did wonder if Francis Herne took his canoe up to the Ocker Hill Tunnel, may be he could clarify where his image was taken and in the meantime something more to ponder on.

 

 

[Stroudwater1]

They look like the old wooden cooling towers from powers stations opposite bank . So is that Nechells power station with coal unloading, the cooling towers have fairly long gone and it’s  now where Star City is I believe? 

[Rob-M]

Around Ocker Hill power station...?