Droitwich Canals

[cotswoldsman]

Look, chaps, this topic is still live and relevant. There is still some doubt as to when this canal will re-open and people are still interested to know. So can we just chill with the inverted-snobbery stuff and stay on-topic for a bit? When we find out it's open for certain, then go for it full pelt by all means.

 

Sorry

[Derek R.]

Just stolen a few hours reading and looking at the restoration of both the Barge Canal and the Junction HERE.

 

Huge amounts of work involved, and awesome results. Can anyone (Patrick?) tell me what the costs were, and who has contributed/donated/paid for what proportions of the restoration, and maybe how much was accomplished in relationship by voluntary workers? It's an impressive feat.

 

Derek

[Ynot]

Mooring will probably not be easy there isnt much at the top end. Leave it a couple of months till the novelty has worn off as I will and you will probably enjoy it more

Yeah I know, but as we will be in the area at that time it seems an ideal opportunity to celebrate the day. The Eagle and Sun does a briliant good value roast lunch.

[Josher]

Huge amounts of work involved, and awesome results. Can anyone (Patrick?) tell me what the costs were, and who has contributed/donated/paid for what proportions of the restoration, and maybe how much was accomplished in relationship by voluntary workers? It's an impressive feat.

Derek

 

 

Blood, sweat & tears ... but worth it!

[Nine of Hearts]

Blood, sweat & tears ... but worth it!

 

I can't see anyone crying. Do you mean the digger? Is that why you covered its eyes?

[magpie patrick]

Just stolen a few hours reading and looking at the restoration of both the Barge Canal and the Junction HERE.

 

Huge amounts of work involved, and awesome results. Can anyone (Patrick?) tell me what the costs were, and who has contributed/donated/paid for what proportions of the restoration, and maybe how much was accomplished in relationship by voluntary workers? It's an impressive feat.

 

Derek

 

Around £10 million, HLF disn't pay for the new bit except for the towpath, so our grant was £5 million out of £7 million, Advantage West Midlands put much of the rest in, including the new bit, and volunteer hours count as funding so DCT certainly put "money" in. Some developer contributions If I had the forms (I'm in a hotel in Croydon) I could give you a full breakdown of the HLF funded funders.

 

Big ticket items were new canal, canalised section (around £1 million) and A449 bridge (£1.6 million)

 

Hairy Neil, point taken, and I would emphasise that without Droitwich Canal Trust, who plugged away when everyone thought they were mad, this wouldn't. Please note, I am also a chairman of a canal society, but I can't do anything without money. Equally, HLF can only give it to those that ask for it.

[Derek R.]

No more details needed Patrick, that's sufficient to get a handle on things thanks.

 

Great shot Josher - love that vintage face bucket, could have some fun with that along with the train set.

[Hairy-Neil]

 

Blood, sweat & tears ... but worth it!

 

Dates it a bit, not a hard hat in sight...

[Josher]

I can't see anyone crying. Do you mean the digger? Is that why you covered its eyes?

 

No ... twin cab - one eye is open!

 

Great shot Josher - love that vintage face bucket, could have some fun with that along with the train set.

 

Not my shot ... but I agree a great one. My job was at the other end of the line, tipping the buckets down a slope. If anyone needs a "Fitch Bromsgrove" victorian beer bottle or two for their collection then let me know!

 

Dates it a bit, not a hard hat in sight...

 

Late '70's. Could have done with a hard hat for the Landrover ride up the tow path from camp at Ladywood to Salwarpe!

[Tim]

Is the Barge canal open at the moment? Can you turn 60ft at barge Lock?

[Josher]

Latest ...

 

Canal restoration project reaches final stages

 

3:10pm Tuesday 14th June 2011 Droitwich Advertiser

 

DROITWICH Spa’s multi-million pound canal restoration project stands on the verge of completion. Partnership work between British Waterways, Wychavon District Council and Taylor Wimpey to complete the Mid-Worcestershire Ring’s final section, an 18 metre channel adjacent to the M5 tunnel, has begun and will be finished in time for the official opening on Friday, July 1.

 

Ian Smith, managing director of Taylor Wimpey North Midlands, said: “We are delighted to be working in partnership with British Waterways and Wychavon District Council to complete the final stage of this exciting restoration project. The Mid-Worcestershire ring will offer leisure and recreation opportunities for thousands of people, and its opening after so many years of careful planning and construction is truly a cause for celebration. We are very much looking forward to a weekend of festivities which will mark the completion of the scheme in style.”

 

Councillor Paul Middlebrough, leader for Wychavon District Council, said: "It is fantastic news that Taylor Wimpey are progressing these last remaining works to enable a full opening of the Droitwich Canals. It will be marvellous to see boats heading into Droitwich from both the Worcester and Birmingham Canal and the River Severn in time for the formal opening event."

 

British Waterways senior regeneration manager Jason Leach said that the final piece of the jigsaw concludes the 35 years of community led campaigning to restore the canals. "The Droitwich Canals Partnership has timed the official opening to coincide with a packed weekend of celebrations to mark the momentous occasion between Friday, July 1 and Sunday, July 3.”

 

A water festival will take place in Vines Park and will feature displays of canal boats, an opportunity to experience a boat trip or canoe taster session together with guided walks, cycle rides, craft and trade stalls and a packed programme of live music. The event will coincide with the annual Droitwich Spa Music and Arts Festival with live performances in the town centre on Saturday, July 2.

 

For more information on the weekend visit wychavon.gov.uk and if you would like to travel to the festival by boat contact David Wheeler, Droitwich Canals Trust, at david@eurotexsales.com

[David Mack]

Around £10 million, HLF disn't pay for the new bit except for the towpath, so our grant was £5 million out of £7 million, Advantage West Midlands put much of the rest in, including the new bit, and volunteer hours count as funding so DCT certainly put "money" in. Some developer contributions If I had the forms (I'm in a hotel in Croydon) I could give you a full breakdown of the HLF funded funders.

 

Big ticket items were new canal, canalised section (around £1 million) and A449 bridge (£1.6 million)

 

Not forgetting that the section from the Barge Lock to Ladywood was fully restored, along with work to the locks and bridges lower down in the 1970s and 80s, mainly by volunteers, before HLF came on the scene, and the top 3 locks of the Junction canal were later restored by WRG.

 

David

[magpie patrick]

Not forgetting that the section from the Barge Lock to Ladywood was fully restored, along with work to the locks and bridges lower down in the 1970s and 80s, mainly by volunteers, before HLF came on the scene, and the top 3 locks of the Junction canal were later restored by WRG.

 

David

 

 

Fair comment, and works done on the basis the canal would be restored (e.g Netherwich tunnel) are priceless. To do it from scratch I'd estimate, top of the head, £30 million?

[richardf]

We are hoping to attend the event on the 1st by boat and have paid our money to book in (haven't heard anything back yet), but does anyone actually know when the entrance from the Severn will be open, if it is actually on the 1st, it is going to very chaotic with loads of boats trying to lock through to Droitwich, surely they are going to open it earlier for visiting boats?

[billh]

 

 

Great shot Josher - love that vintage face bucket, could have some fun with that along with the train set.

 

It's a skimmer, a face shovel has the bucket on the end of a dipper arm, pivoted half way along the boom, much used in quarries even today. The skimmer is good for neatly graded slopes ( like bottom of canals) and making flat areas.

I don't know if it's the same machine but there was one kitted out as a dragline operating IN the canal in the mid 70's

When I played with that particular train set, the loco was kept in a very small shed on the towpath in the middle of nowhere, fun & games getting it started in cold weather, I think it had a Dorman engine.

Bill

[Derek R.]

Thanks Bill, I stand corrected. Wondered if there was a different name for it, but didn't know.

[Max Sinclair]

Trust volunteers removed 300,000 tons of mud with the donated draglines we restored to working order. The First World War designed Simplex Loco and Hopper wagons transported from the canal bed to friendly farmers fields filling depressions with the track extending up to a mile at times. The Salwarpe tunnel was cleared with a Mono Rail feeding to Nick Yarwood and the hopper waggons.The Loco with Dorman Engine has been restored and works on the Amerton railway near Stafford.

All the locks on the Barge Canal are timber framed in Elm by Brindley and most of the outer brick face had crumbled with the frost and had to be restored. Many volunteers learned their bricklaying skills here.The original oak flood protection gates are still lying in the bed of the canal at the Salwarpe swing ( Sway according to Brindley )bridges preserved by the saline waters.Brindleys self closing lock gates had the quoins set at an angle to swing them shut. Some of these have survived.In the bed of the Salwarpe pound there are deep pits to catch the dredgings pushed by the barges in to them which a man with a horse and cart sold as fertiliser. We found the first one when the loco fell into it.Brindley built the first Droitwich Lock in the grounds of his home New Hall Stafford, sadly destroyed recently by developers. He must have had a certain uncertainty about his construction ideas.Lock One at the Severn was very difficult to construct with the tide rising and falling five feet before the construction of Bevere Weir and Lock.. This must have needed continuous use of wooden pumps hence Brindleys comment 'this is the construction of which he was most proud'.

[Tim Lewis]

July 1st to 3rd weekend of festivities,Plaque unveilings to the volunteers who did it. boat trips, stalls, barbecues,Come and see these lovely canals, new guide book available.Hope for some rain over next month. Max Sinclair Life President and proud of it.

 

From Waterscape today:

 

Monday 20 June 2011 until further notice

The Droitwich Barge Canal will open to navigation from the River Severn to Netherwich Basin in Droitwich from 10.00 am on Monday 20th June. Please note that craft dimensions for passage from the River Severn to Bridge 15 is limited to 3.81m wide and 18.59m length or 2.13m wide and 21.8m length. There is a restricted width of 2.13m for all craft past Bridge 15 on the approach to Droitwich.

 

 

Tim

[Derek R.]

Or in English:

 

Barge canal: 12' 6" x 61'.

OR:

7' x 71' 6".

 

Restricted width - bridge 15: 7'.

 

 

Useful gadget:

http://www.taylormade.com.au/billspages/conversion_table.html

Edited June 17, 2011 by Derek R.

[RLWP]

Or in English:

 

Barge canal: 12' 6" x 61'.

OR:

7' x 71' 6".

 

Restricted width - bridge 15: 7'.

 

 

<snip>

 

I hadn't realised this. Does that mean that the Barge canal locks are shorter, so we would have to go up diagonally in a 70' boat?

 

Richard

[magpie patrick]

I hadn't realised this. Does that mean that the Barge canal locks are shorter, so we would have to go up diagonally in a 70' boat?

 

Richard

 

No, they are actually slightly longer, but because a wide beam can't get to Netherwich basin there is nowhere for a full length wide beam to turn

[RLWP]

No, they are actually slightly longer, but because a wide beam can't get to Netherwich basin there is nowhere for a full length wide beam to turn

 

I'm showing my ignorance here. The barge canal locks will take two 70' boats?

 

Richard

[magpie patrick]

I'm showing my ignorance here. The barge canal locks will take two 70' boats?

 

Richard

 

Yep

 

edited to add, assuming they are two narrow beam ones of course

Edited June 17, 2011 by magpie patrick

[RLWP]

I'll stop worrying then.

 

Those figures that Tim quoted from the Waterscape site are very confusing.

 

Richard

[Max Sinclair]

A worthwhile task for the Trusts active volunteers would be to dredge the Chawson Basin on the edge of the town. This would enable wide beam boats to come up to the town ,turn and moor.It would be a bit of restoration in the old spirit and it may lead to the discovery of an interesting boat relic.