Work to start on Bosley Flight

[John Orentas]

"Work is starting next week to restore historic Bosley Locks – a unique waterway setting on the Macclesfield Canal"

 

Waterscape was not specific but it seems that as part of the works many of the side-ponds are to be restored with at least one being put back into use to demonstrate the technology.. All seems a bit strange to me as the flight is probably the nicest to use and the best maintained on the system, as for the the side-ponds I don't know why it was not done years ago, BW used to say that the average boater would not understand how to use them.

 

Good news anyway.

[Chris J W]

When Postcode, Cheshire~Rose and I went down the Atherstone Flight we had the fun of using the last working Side Pond there. I'll admit, it took a more than a few minutes for Postcode to get the concept into my skull, but after a quick demonstration it was hard to believe that such useful things have been neglected over the years.

 

Chesire~Rose in action ... CLICKY

[furnessvale]

"Work is starting next week to restore historic Bosley Locks – a unique waterway setting on the Macclesfield Canal"

 

Waterscape was not specific but it seems that as part of the works many of the side-ponds are to be restored with at least one being put back into use to demonstrate the technology.. All seems a bit strange to me as the flight is probably the nicest to use and the best maintained on the system, as for the the side-ponds I don't know why it was not done years ago, BW used to say that the average boater would not understand how to use them.

 

Good news anyway.

 

I get the feeling they are to restore two side ponds BUT they will be locked out of use unless being demonstrated.

 

George ex nb Alton retired

[Hairy-Neil]

When Postcode, Cheshire~Rose and I went down the Atherstone Flight we had the fun of using the last working Side Pond there.

 

There are the odd working side ponds at various places around the system. Last time down the Grand Union there was one on the Hanwell flight and another at Marsworth.

 

Anyone know of any more?

 

As recently as 1981 most at Marsworth were usable and had signs instructing on their use.

Edited February 6, 2009 by Hairy-Neil

[Derek R.]

There are the odd working side ponds at various places around the system. Last time down the Grand Union there was one on the Hanwell flight and another at Marsworth.

 

Anyone know of any more?

 

As recently as 1981 most at Marsworth were usable and had signs instructing on their use.

 

That was the case then - I used them too, but now they are missing pinions or they're fixed and unusable. Great shame. But there's benches and barbecues, and a bit of paint slapped around now and then, so they're still looking after the Waterways . . . .

[DHutch]

Yeah, i would be nice to see some more in working order for the amount of work it would be.

- The concept, tho not always dead obvious, isnt exactly rocket science once you have thought about it or had the plesure to see it first hand.

- If the worse comes to the worst and you really arnt happy, the lock will still work as a conventional lock perfectly well. And you cant sink a boat with one.

 

 

Daniel

[Richard T]

We used the working ones on the Hanwell flight last year. Couple of pictures for interest.

Edited February 6, 2009 by Richard T

[alan_fincher]

There are the odd working side ponds at various places around the system. Last time down the Grand Union there was one on the Hanwell flight and another at Marsworth.

 

Anyone know of any more?

 

As recently as 1981 most at Marsworth were usable and had signs instructing on their use.

 

There are certainly none at Marsworth now. Instead they have had chunks cut out of their sides to form a kind of gulleyway arrangement, that allows the whole flight to be topped up just by running enough water down from the top, rather than having to correct individual pounds. (The top one, at "Leg O' Mutton" ( ), is not part of this bywash system, but is still disconnected.

 

All the locks in Herts/Bucks/Beds that used to have them have had them out of action for some years.

 

I don't know Hanwell well, so am pleased to learn there are still some there.

 

The double locks of the Regents used to have a culvert with a paddle between the locks, to allow one lock to act as a side pond for the other. Now only one lock remains twinned, I think (Hampstead Road), but although the "mangle" is still there it's not connected.

 

The Hillmorton locks used to have a similar feature. Can that still be operated ?

 

 

Yeah, i would be nice to see some more in working order for the amount of work it would be.

- The concept, tho not always dead obvious, isnt exactly rocket science once you have thought about it or had the plesure to see it first hand.

- If the worse comes to the worst and you really arnt happy, the lock will still work as a conventional lock perfectly well. And you cant sink a boat with one.

 

Daniel

 

No, but misused, they would generally allow the possibility of flooding fields, or even property - maybe one of the reasons that they have largely been disabled.

 

Back in the 1970s all those on our local patch of the GU still operated, and we used them regularly, but it does slow locking down a great deal, if you use them for maximum water conservation.

[Max Sinclair]

Top Locks on Droitwich Junction Canal have side ponds. What about Devizes?

[journeyperson]

Anyone know of any more?

 

I think I read somewhere that as part of the Panama Canal rebuilding, side ponds are to be incorporated as a water saving measure. Not that I'm likely to be going that way this year.

 

 

If anyone's interested

Edited February 8, 2009 by journeyperson

[Pluto]

I think I read somewhere that as part of the Panama Canal rebuilding, side ponds are to be incorporated as a water saving measure. Not that I'm likely to be going that way this year.

 

If anyone's interested

Most modern locks incorporate side ponds, such as those on the Rhine-Maine-Danube Canal. Other interesting ones are at Anderten, built in the 1930s on the MItteland Kanal, and the earlier shaft lock at Minden, where the side ponds are built into the lock side and so invisible. There is also the c1913 shaft lock at Henrichenburg which bypassed the original 1890s boat lift. This was then bypassed by a new boat lift c1965, which in turn was superseded by a new lock in the 1990s.

 

Regarding the Bosley Flight, the MC Society are sorting out the paddle gear for installation by BW. They have found some parts still surviving, but are trying to sort out exactly what was there originally. The paddle gear they have found is not the same as that on the locks. I suspect that the side ponds may have been an addition when traffic increased beyond the capacity of the canal's reservoirs. A description of side ponds was included in Belidor's Architecture Hydraulique, published in 1753, so their use predates most English canals.

[Neil TNC]

I think I read somewhere that as part of the Panama Canal rebuilding, side ponds are to be incorporated as a water saving measure. Not that I'm likely to be going that way this year.

 

 

If anyone's interested

 

I could never understand why Terry Darlington did not take his narrowboat through the Panama, while he was down that way. It would not have been that expensive $750..and he would have got the whole lot done for him!

We did it in a proper sized boat

There are some pictures of the channel widening and a small dredger at:

http://www.tuesdaynightclub.co.uk/Panama/Panama.html

[journeyperson]

There are some pictures of the channel widening and a small dredger at:

http://www.tuesdaynightclub.co.uk/Panama/Panama.html

 

A great series of photos. That's a trip I'd love to do but this year I will enjoy the trip up MSC my daughter bought me for Christmas, on the ferry.

[WJM]

"We used the working ones on the Hanwell flight last year. Couple of pictures for interest"

 

 

Are you sure?!!! I am a bit of a regular on the Hanwell flight and I have never noticed a working side pond!

[Hairy-Neil]

"We used the working ones on the Hanwell flight last year. Couple of pictures for interest"

 

 

Are you sure?!!! I am a bit of a regular on the Hanwell flight and I have never noticed a working side pond!

 

Was at least one working in recent years and was officially used on one of my last passages.

 

I picked up a tyre on the blades of Nuneaton on the way up Hanwell. The BW lengthsman arrived, took us back down a lock into a shorter pound, filled the side pond, then drained the pound till the tyre was exposed. He then donned chest waders, went in and removed the offending tyre.

 

IIRC, probably London WRG did a clearance on at least one of them about 10 - 15 years ago. Tim?

 

 

Top Locks on Droitwich Junction Canal have side ponds. What about Devizes?

 

Are they operational?

 

Devizes, well the 16? in the thick has pounds that extend out at 90 degrees to the canal but no side pond chambers that I recall

Edited February 9, 2009 by Hairy-Neil

[alan_fincher]

"We used the working ones on the Hanwell flight last year. Couple of pictures for interest"

 

 

Are you sure?!!! I am a bit of a regular on the Hanwell flight and I have never noticed a working side pond!

The picture of them in use, unless not from that date, would seem to be a bit of a clue.

[Hairy-Neil]

The one we used was about half way up, IIRC near the the lock house where Tommy Osbourne used to live.

[mayalld]

There are the odd working side ponds at various places around the system. Last time down the Grand Union there was one on the Hanwell flight and another at Marsworth.

 

Anyone know of any more?

 

As recently as 1981 most at Marsworth were usable and had signs instructing on their use.

 

There is a working sidepond at Hazelhurst on the Caldon.

 

Used it last Easter (bottom lock of the three IIRC)

[mykaskin]

The picture of them in use, unless not from that date, would seem to be a bit of a clue.

 

I've used it about two years ago now (thinking about it), and I see no reason why it should have been removed.

 

Mike

[mayalld]

I get the feeling they are to restore two side ponds BUT they will be locked out of use unless being demonstrated.

 

George ex nb Alton retired

 

<sigh>

 

A triumph of dumbing down.

 

Last year, I was chatting to one of the BW guys doing a bit of hedge trimming. He's the guy who is actually a gate fitter, but with multi-functional teams he wpends more of his time painting beams and cutting hedges.

 

He said that there had been a plan to bring the sideponds back into operation about 3 years ago, not for show, but to actually reduce water consumption, but that the plan was forgotten when they had a couple of wet years.

 

Bosley is a place where sideponds really will work. The short pounds between locks soon start to run low if there is any uneven usage of the locks, a problem that is countered by keeping an excessive amount of water running down the bywashes to keep the whole flight topped up. The summit level of the T&M doesn't need as much water as the Macc sends down continuously, and reducing consumption would relieve pressure on the PF/Macc summit reservoirs.

 

AFAICS, the sideponds on locks 2-12 are basically intact, and will just need dredging out, new paddles and gear, and in some cases, the weir level has been broken through, and will require a rebuild.

 

The sidepond at lock 1 has gone under the cottage garden, so it may be difficult to restore, and it may be that it would be sensible to leave that lock without a side pond, to keep a bit of water flowing through the system.

 

One thing which would concern me is that the the derelict sidepond paddle at lock 1 is one of the few remaining traditional Macc paddle mechanisms, and it might be nice to refit the sideponds with replica Macc gear.

 

As to people not knowing how to do it, it isn't rocket science, and with appropriate signage, including an instruction not to use the sideponds unless you know how to, this would be a great success.

[Chris J W]

One thing which would concern me is that the the derelict sidepond paddle at lock 1 is one of the few remaining traditional Macc paddle mechanisms, and it might be nice to refit the sideponds with replica Macc gear.

 

Sorry - a quick - how do they differ? When I went up and down the Macc I had slaves - sorry - DaveAndDebby and Postcode doing the locks so wasn't really paying that much attention to the gear.

[mykaskin]

AFAICS, the sideponds on locks 2-12 are basically intact, and will just need dredging out, new paddles and gear, and in some cases, the weir level has been broken through, and will require a rebuild.

 

I'm sure I've seen somewhere an original sidepond (can't remember if it was working) that is also part of the weir, therefore saving even more water as any extra water fills the sideponds for later use.

 

Cheers,

 

Mike

[mayalld]

I'm sure I've seen somewhere an original sidepond (can't remember if it was working) that is also part of the weir, therefore saving even more water as any extra water fills the sideponds for later use.

 

Cheers,

 

Mike

 

Hazelhurst sideponds are part of the bywash, as are Bosley

[Hairy-Neil]

I'm sure I've seen somewhere an original sidepond (can't remember if it was working) that is also part of the weir, therefore saving even more water as any extra water fills the sideponds for later use.

 

Cheers,

 

Mike

 

That is how I recall most that I've seen about the system. It's common sense to have it like that.

[mayalld]

Sorry - a quick - how do they differ? When I went up and down the Macc I had slaves - sorry - DaveAndDebby and Postcode doing the locks so wasn't really paying that much attention to the gear.

 

Hmm, tricky, as I can't find a picture that shows it clearly!

 

http://www.tuesdaynightclub.co.uk/T03_Imag...08/Dsc00004.jpg is the best shot that I can find. The sidepond paddle is by the fence on the left, immediately above the lock number on the bottom beam.

 

The paddle gear consists of a semi-circular gearbox (curved side up), in which all the gears are enclosed, with two legs below splayed outwards.

 

There is a single working example that I know of, which has been refurbished, and is used by BW as a water control paddle on the offside near Clarence Mill. Bollington

 

Quick homedrawn diagram...