Stoke Breurne Boat Weighbridge Thingy

[jelunga]

I visited the Canal Museum at Stoke Breurne recently and noticed a "boat weighbridge" opposite. No information about it at all is exhibited. Just a notice saying keep off the gates.

 

I imagine this is a unique piece of history in great need of preserving and restoring.

 

Does anybody know anything about it? Are there plans for resoration etc?

[magpie patrick]

I visited the Canal Museum at Stoke Breurne recently and noticed a "boat weighbridge" opposite. No information about it at all is exhibited. Just a notice saying keep off the gates.

 

I imagine this is a unique piece of history in great need of preserving and restoring.

 

Does anybody know anything about it? Are there plans for resoration etc?

 

 

It's from the Glamorgan Canal in Cardiff, and while it wasn't unique, it is the only survivor. The Somersetshire Coal Canal had oneat Midford as did the Thames and Severn at Brimscombe Port. The Weigh House for the SCC one survives as a private residence. The Cardiff site has been built over and the Brimscombe Site is being revealed as part of the restoration

 

The Cardiff one was probably more effective than the other two because the Glamorgan Canal was effectively a closed system and they could weigh all the boats on it when unladen and therefore also weigh them laden to calculate tolls

 

All three machines used a system of levers so that comparatively small weights could be used to measure the weight of a boat, the weigh clerk didn't have to lugg 25 one tonne weights on and off the scales!

 

The gates next to it were snaffled from Welshpool lock on the Monty

[Laurence Hogg]

I visited the Canal Museum at Stoke Breurne recently and noticed a "boat weighbridge" opposite. No information about it at all is exhibited. Just a notice saying keep off the gates.

 

I imagine this is a unique piece of history in great need of preserving and restoring.

 

Does anybody know anything about it? Are there plans for resoration etc?

 

This is one of only four such boat weighing machines known to have existed on Britains canals , and was originally installed on the (now derelict) Glamorganshire Canal at Tongwynlais.

It was later moved to North Road, Cardiff, and then presented to the British Transport Commission in 1955, and finally re-erected at the Stoke Bruerne Canal Museum in 1964. It is totally "out of place at this site" and did have an explanation board in it. The boat sitting in (last time I saw it) was a LMS station boat, again not exactly the type of boat it weghed. Also there were a set of lock gates from the Montgomeryshire canal.

[magpie patrick]

This is one of only four such boat weighing machines known to have existed on Britains canals , and was originally installed on the (now derelict) Glamorganshire Canal at Tongwynlais.

It was later moved to North Road, Cardiff, and then presented to the British Transport Commission in 1955, and finally re-erected at the Stoke Bruerne Canal Museum in 1964. It is totally "out of place at this site" and did have an explanation board in it. The boat sitting in (last time I saw it) was a LMS station boat, again not exactly the type of boat it weghed. Also there were a set of lock gates from the Montgomeryshire canal.

 

 

Hi Laurence, where was the fourth (the one I don't know about)

[fender]

Hi Laurence, where was the fourth (the one I don't know about)

 

Weybridge!

[jelunga]

so are they just going to let it sit there and rot? does anybody know if they have plans? just wait until i stop work. it could be my project, after the RBOA!

[alan_fincher]

so are they just going to let it sit there and rot? does anybody know if they have plans? just wait until i stop work. it could be my project, after the RBOA!

It's not as bad as it used to be when it also contained a once nice Josher butty that was rotting away, (or should that be aweigh! )

 

Those bottom gates fascinate me, because the paddle gear sits on the bed of the canal, sliding horizontally. I wonder what operational problems that led to in their original location.