Wendover Arm Canal

[SteveCourty]

I've made a couple of videos on the canal with some more to come. This is the second video about the ongoing restoration, part of this has been filled in the last month since filming this. I will be doing more on this canal in the summer

 

 

 

[Derek R.]

Great stuff Courty. I lived in and around Tring and Wendover from 1969 through to 1980. I have swum across Wilstone, and legend has it there was a big Catfish in there! I remember the arm being closed off to boats, being very shallow and used only as a feeder. At New Mill the water was crystal clear and many fish were to be seen. It was in water up to Little Tring pumping station, the stop lock was completely filled in and the road bridge a solid embankment, only a shallow depression beyond gave any hint of the canal course. This was back when the New Inn at Buckland Wharf was still a working pub. and I drove RT's past to and from Aylesbury 'in service' on routes 301 and 706.

More recently:

https://tinyurl.com/2p85vdpc

 

Further along near Wendover, there was a Wartime branch line that crossed the canal from Wendover Station to the RAF base at Halton.

 

Images at New Mill:

A quick pencil sketch I made in the seventies when the bottom was very close to the top!

 

 

Later, when in water. Sometime in the eighties

 

 

 

Much earlier

 

Mid 1980's. The pumping Station, limit of navigation. Winding was done in the Silk Stream just beyond New Mill (much to the annoyance of a certain local resident).

Prior to the clearing, the stop lock was not just filled in, the entire area was thick with shrub and brambles, such that this shot would not have been possible.

 

Turning around, and standing on the then road bridge, the remains of the Arm curving around to the right

Edited February 20, 2023 by Derek R.
Added images and text

[Higgs]

Last Wendover festival, at least on this site. 2009, I think. 

 

 

 

[Higgs]

[SteveCourty]

5 hours ago, Derek R. said:

Great stuff Courty. I lived in and around Tring and Wendover from 1969 through to 1980. I have swum across Wilstone, and legend has it there was a big Catfish in there! I remember the arm being closed off to boats, being very shallow and used only as a feeder. At New Mill the water was crystal clear and many fish were to be seen. It was in water up to Little Tring pumping station, the stop lock was completely filled in and the road bridge a solid embankment, only a shallow depression beyond gave any hint of the canal course. This was back when the New Inn at Buckland Wharf was still a working pub. and I drove RT's past to and from Aylesbury 'in service' on routes 301 and 706.

More recently:

https://tinyurl.com/2p85vdpc

 

Further along near Wendover, there was a Wartime branch line that crossed the canal from Wendover Station to the RAF base at Halton.

 

Images at New Mill:

A quick pencil sketch I made in the seventies when the bottom was very close to the top!

 

 

Later, when in water. Sometime in the eighties

 

 

 

Much earlier

 

Mid 1980's. The pumping Station, limit of navigation. Winding was done in the Silk Stream just beyond New Mill (much to the annoyance of a certain local resident).

Prior to the clearing, the stop lock was not just filled in, the entire area was thick with shrub and brambles, such that this shot would not have been possible.

 

Turning around, and standing on the then road bridge, the remains of the Arm curving around to the right

Awesome history there thank you for sharing! There is a part one to the video where I mention some of the above in. I’ll add a link at the bottom of the post. There’s more drone footage in that as I could fly further down. The no fly area covers everything from Tring pumping station to wendover unfortunately.

 

https://youtu.be/Jnr3OrKeJkc

 

 

5 hours ago, Higgs said:

I would love to go to this but I’ve got a feeling it’s not happening this year? Hopefully I’m wrong 

[LEO]

Excellent video and replies, with some good photos (thanks), the Wendover gatherings were good and raised lots of money for restoration, but they were hard work, usually the weather was kind, but one year was a washout!, then the field was sold and no more events, one was held at Apsley but it was not the same...my boat is a 'dot' in a couple of the pics, will the canal reach Wendover? hope so. I think the first gathering was the mid eighties, when a group of D&DBC boaters reached Tringford one Easter.

If you look carefully, the iron prow of a long lost boat is visible in the basin at Wendover, the railway 'twix Wendover station and Halton Camp carried coal. It is also worth reading 'Water from Wendover', which details the very constant flow of water from springs just outside the village, a walk up the Heron Path, starting near the clock tower along side this stream is good.

[BEngo]

Tring Mill  and  the feeder stream  "winding hole" were regular venues for ACS spring bank holiday gatherings in the early 80's.  It was at one of these that Jon Pattle broke his leg.

 

Old Albert Barnett said at the time that many boaters would leave a hessian bag or two of coal in the water near the mill ' just in case'.  A boaters Tale ?  Certainly after the arm had been dredged  It was easy to pick a bucket full of coal out of the towpath opposite the mill.

 

Most boats up to about60ft  could wind in the stream but the  longer ones used to ,"push me pull you" in and out or drift out on the stream if the pumps were on.   I remember that one year we nearly got the converted butty 'Heron' round in the stream, assisted by "Bilster". We eventually gave up because the residents were getting more than a bit 'anti' at the noise.

 

Then the Wendover Arm Trust started up and the festivals began, so ACS  stopped having events there, though there was usually a good ACS  contingent at the festivals.

 

N

[Derek R.]

Yes, we winded YARMOUTH at sixty some feet in the Silk stream (so called because it came down through the chalk esarpment and turned the mill wheel in the Silk Mill. Good history here: https://tringlocalhistory.org.uk/Silk_Mill/index.htm ).

In one of my images Barry and Moira (of BREAM) are looking across to the flour mill, YARMOUTH is on the right, our dog 'Bert' is looking at John and Georgie's dog 'Domino', and in the other ACS meeting shot, John is seen striding along toward the camera engaged in banter with someone on a boat. This would be between 1983 and 1985 (I fancy 1983). Roger and Fran Wakeham's ASH is inside of the Pattle's JENNY.

Edited February 21, 2023 by Derek R.
Added text

[BWM]

I wish they could restore the festival, best gathering on the cut!

[roland elsdon]

On 20/02/2023 at 19:31, Derek R. said:

Great stuff Courty. I lived in and around Tring and Wendover from 1969 through to 1980. I have swum across Wilstone, and legend has it there was a big Catfish in there! I remember the arm being closed off to boats, being very shallow and used only as a feeder. At New Mill the water was crystal clear and many fish were to be seen. It was in water up to Little Tring pumping station, the stop lock was completely filled in and the road bridge a solid embankment, only a shallow depression beyond gave any hint of the canal course. This was back when the New Inn at Buckland Wharf was still a working pub. and I drove RT's past to and from Aylesbury 'in service' on routes 301 and 706.

More recently:

https://tinyurl.com/2p85vdpc

 

Further along near Wendover, there was a Wartime branch line that crossed the canal from Wendover Station to the RAF base at Halton.

 

Images at New Mill:

A quick pencil sketch I made in the seventies when the bottom was very close to the top!

 

 

Later, when in water. Sometime in the eighties

 

 

 

Much earlier

 

Mid 1980's. The pumping Station, limit of navigation. Winding was done in the Silk Stream just beyond New Mill (much to the annoyance of a certain local resident).

Prior to the clearing, the stop lock was not just filled in, the entire area was thick with shrub and brambles, such that this shot would not have been possible.

 

Turning around, and standing on the then road bridge, the remains of the Arm curving around to the right

 In first That looks lthe first wendover festival. Sure i can see creeping jenny before it became brentford and Roger Wakeham’s Ash in the piccy.

we have the plaque for the rally on the boat but cant check as its 13000 miles away

[Derek R.]

You certainly can see 'CREEPING JENNY' and ASH Roland. I think it was in 1983.

I think JENNY had been lengthened at that point judging by the back cabin chimney and the engine'ole exhaust, and John 'lost' the 'creeping'.

Edited February 21, 2023 by Derek R.

[BEngo]

I am with Derek datewise.  We were there, somewhere,  in our Springer OAK.  We bought that off Barry and Myra Douglas in December 1980. 

 

The woman behind John on the towpath, in red sweatshirt, is Mrs BEngo.  Not sure who she is talking to on the boat  alongside.  Looks a bit like Glynis or Janice Barnett, but the boat does not look like their HADLEY. ( Peter Nicholls, not the Woolwich HADLEY aka RAIL). 

 

We also went to the first Wendover Festival.  I spent the day before opening  with Roger Lewis  ? and his tractor hammering in fencing posts and avoiding getting mashed fingers.  I have photos somewhere of us, by then with JARRAH,  dragging the Josher DOLPHIN backwards past Heyford wagon yard by the mill,  on the way out.

 

N

[SteveCourty]

I wonder with the current work going on to extend the canal (it’ll be to the Aston Clinton bypass very soon) if land will become available to revive it. It sounds like it was a good weekend 

[SteveCourty]

The other part of the restored section 

 

 

[SteveCourty]

My most recent trip to the arm