Submerged Towpaths

[Heartland]

I recently posted on the RCHS Website a request regarding submerged towpaths. I was told about the existence of a gravel path on the bed of the Cam above the Lock at Cambridge where the river passes the Backs. This request was confirmed by a nice illustration of a horse pulling craft by the colleges up to its chest in the water with a rider on its back clear of the water.

 

I am keen to know if there were other examples. I am sure Pluto can confirm this as he receives these messages and Patrick may be not as he does NOT.

Ray Shill

[Alf Roberts]

This seems a little far fetched to me. A gravel path on the bed of a river - who is responsible for keeping the gravel still?

 

I know the river in Cambridge very well indeed. the bed of the river is mainly gravel, one of the things that makes it so popular for punting. and it's mainly of a depth through the colleges that I can imagine a large horse would find footing but path? no.

[MoominPapa]

This seems a little far fetched to me. A gravel path on the bed of a river - who is responsible for keeping the gravel still?

 

I know the river in Cambridge very well indeed. the bed of the river is mainly gravel, one of the things that makes it so popular for punting. and it's mainly of a depth through the colleges that I can imagine a large horse would find footing but path? no.

It's in Wikipedia, so it must be true

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/River_Cam#From_Jesus_Lock_and_the_Backs_to_Grantchester_.28middle_.26_upper_river.29

 

MP.

[Alf Roberts]

possibly a stone one, there's certainly no towpath for a mile or so.

 

but gravel? no.

[Dorlan]

I have seen an illustration of the River Cam published on 1 February 1793. The engraving shows laden Fen lighters being towed by horses wading along a causeway, which was constructed in the middle of the river.

 

 

From 'The Canals of Eastern England' by John Boyes and Ronald Russell...

"The backs presented another peculiar problem; horses not being allowed passage through the college grounds had to walk up the river. A path had been laid in the river bed, below water level. When the new Jesus Lock was built in the mid-1830s, and the river was deepened, the water level rose further above the path and the horses had to tow half-submerged."

Edited February 9, 2015 by Dorlan

[Heartland]

Thanks Dorlan. The existence of this towing way is documented elsewhere apart from Wikepedia and Canals of the East Midlands.

 

Ray Shill

[FadeToScarlet]

possibly a stone one, there's certainly no towpath for a mile or so.

but gravel? no.

There's definitely some large stones down there, but there's gravel too- you can feel it when punting, hearing the "scrunch" when putting the pole onto gravel, or a more solid clunk or clang if you're using a hollow aluminium pole if you hit a larger piece of stone.

 

A thought- the area where King's College stands now was previously built up with houses and shops; it would make sense, when these were demolished to form the open land in the 16th century, for any bits of building that couldn't be reused to have been tipped into the river to consolidate the bed.

 

I suppose also that anyone regularly taking a horse along there would know any dodgy areas, which could be I filled with gravel, or stone, or something.

 

Annoyingly, I didn't get any pictures when the river was drained in the winter for bank maintenance!

[magpie patrick]

I recently posted on the RCHS Website a request regarding submerged towpaths. I was told about the existence of a gravel path on the bed of the Cam above the Lock at Cambridge where the river passes the Backs. This request was confirmed by a nice illustration of a horse pulling craft by the colleges up to its chest in the water with a rider on its back clear of the water.

 

I am keen to know if there were other examples. I am sure Pluto can confirm this as he receives these messages and Patrick may be not as he does NOT.

Ray Shill

 

I've never got round to joining the group of the RCHS where these things are discussed, although Derrick Hunt often forwards them to me and I answer by proxy.

 

However far fetched it sounds this did happen on the backs as you say. The Cam downstream of Cambridge had horse towarge (it wasn't universal by any means on the fenland rivers) and it was unacceptable to the colleges for the towpath to be on either bank so it went down the middle! It's worth noting the colleges in Cambridge are significantly older than the "modern" navigation. A haling way for bow haulage would have been even more problematic - horses can deal with 3 feet of water much more readily than men can.

 

Did it happen anywhere else - the only answer I can give is "not that I know of". I can probably quote or have a good idea of what the towing and towpath arrangements were over much of the network but not all of it. Obviously on the canals no-one would be daft enough to put a towpath in the canal but on a river? Through a built up area? There are lengths of river where there is now no towpath such as Reading and Newbury on the Kennet, in those instances they managed without. It is possible that somewhere else there was a submerged towing path. bear in mind it wouldn't work on really deep rivers or tidal ones, about 3 feet is the most a horse will deal with

[David Mack]

Annoyingly, I didn't get any pictures when the river was drained in the winter for bank maintenance!

 

Next time you get the chance take some pictures of Clare Bridge at low water. The bases of the arches look to have been designed for the lower water level which would have been the norm when the bridge was built. I seem to recall it is the oldest of the Cam bridges, with most (if not all) of the others coming later after Jesus Lock and weir were built.

[Scholar Gypsy]

There's definitely some large stones down there, but there's gravel too- you can feel it when punting, hearing the "scrunch" when putting the pole onto gravel, or a more solid clunk or clang if you're using a hollow aluminium pole if you hit a larger piece of stone.

 

A thought- the area where King's College stands now was previously built up with houses and shops; it would make sense, when these were demolished to form the open land in the 16th century, for any bits of building that couldn't be reused to have been tipped into the river to consolidate the bed.

 

I suppose also that anyone regularly taking a horse along there would know any dodgy areas, which could be I filled with gravel, or stone, or something.

 

Annoyingly, I didn't get any pictures when the river was drained in the winter for bank maintenance!

 

I will take some readings with my new depth sounder when I am next up there (next month!).

[boathunter]

Here's another engraving of the backs in Cambridge. I wonder where exactly the towpath was?

Edited March 1, 2015 by boathunter

[boathunter]

I am now officially fascinated, google sat appears to show things... If you pan south there's more, but could be my imagination.

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@52.206279,0.1140151,72m/data=!3m1!1e3

[howardang]

I am now officially fascinated, google sat appears to show things... If you pan south there's more, but could be my imagination.

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@52.206279,0.1140151,72m/data=!3m1!1e3

Could they be natural rock outcrops which were used as "towpaths"? They look as if they are natural rather than man made. Maybe the nearby geology may give a clue.

 

Howard

[Scholar Gypsy]

Could they be natural rock outcrops which were used as "towpaths"? They look as if they are natural rather than man made. Maybe the nearby geology may give a clue.

 

Howard

 

I have a Cambridge geology graduate coming on a trip up the backs later this month. I will ask him ....

[FadeToScarlet]

I am now officially fascinated, google sat appears to show things... If you pan south there's more, but could be my imagination.

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@52.206279,0.1140151,72m/data=!3m1!1e3

There's nothing sticking up in that area, I was hovering around Garret Hostel Lane bridge with three other narrowboats this last New Year's Day, and when we breasted up four abreast, we got right the way in to both sides.

 

There's a couple of deeper patches, one just upstream of Magdalene Bridge where the "backs" start, about 10' deep, and the hard gravel and stones of the backs by Kings college run out and you end up with a lot of mud, just downstream of Silver Street bridge.

 

The bit outside Trinity College is over 6' deep. I thought it was about 4', but it's surprisingly much deeper. Don't ask me how I know this.....

Here's another engraving of the backs in Cambridge. I wonder where exactly the towpath was?

Interestingly, the bridge in the foreground, from King's college across the river, is no longer standing. Clare bridge, just visible through the arches, is, and is the oldest bridge left on the river- all the others were destroyed I think during the Civil War.

[Scholar Gypsy]

I've just picked up this document from the GOBA forum, a recently published report.

 

I have not read it all carefully yet, but it looks interesting.

Edited March 2, 2015 by Scholar Gypsy