Boat Break in Fobney Lock

[Emerald Fox]

We are in Hungerford right now, which is a very upmarket wealthy market town, and stuff has been nicked off the front deck twice in the last week, and i've just spotted a sign by the bridge warning of a recent crime wave!

 

Have you ever wondered how the residents became wealthy in the first place? It's like leaving my bicycle outside No11 Downing Street.

[Steilsteven]

 

Was not one a bit further west shortened during the renovations? I know a full length narrowboat that shared it with us got very wet at the front.

Burghfield Lock was rebuilt immediately west of the original with an oversize upper cill which prevents two full length boats sharing the lock, downhill at least.

Sulhamstead is almost as bad but I think the one you mean is Towney Lock which is quite deep and the gate paddles are about roof height when going up, this was caused by the de-gating of Ufton Lock ( the next one East ) which lowered the pound by 1 or 2 feet.

 

Keith

[Sadelady]

Walked past today boat still looks abandoned. This section on the Kennet is attractive in the Summer but it is best to moor away from the lock and only in the company of other boats. It has to be said that it isn't particularly bad for pirates and this boat was courting disaster. You can't just leave your empty boat for weeks on its own near a large town. This summer lots of boats overnighted here with no problems. There does seem to be an increase in the number of boats being left empty for weeks scattered along the Kennet often with tattered CRT notices stuck to the door.

[dmr]

Burghfield Lock was rebuilt immediately west of the original with an oversize upper cill which prevents two full length boats sharing the lock, downhill at least.

Sulhamstead is almost as bad but I think the one you mean is Towney Lock which is quite deep and the gate paddles are about roof height when going up, this was caused by the de-gating of Ufton Lock ( the next one East ) which lowered the pound by 1 or 2 feet.

 

Keith

 

 

All the locks on the Kennet Navigation were turf sided locks and were built to accommodate barges measuring about 90' x 17' ( not sure on the exact proportions ), Fobney Lock was rebuilt in brick to these dimensions, possibly by the Kennet and Avon Canal Company. Southcote Lock ( the next one going West ) was also rebuilt by the K&A C Co but by this time the recommended gauge for the waterway had been reduced to 69' x 12'6'' ( I believe ) and any existing Kennet barges were bought up by the company.

 

Other locks still remain to the original dimensions such as Sheffield, Aldermaston and Monkey Marsh.

 

Keith

 

Which book are you getting this info from? Its interesting stuff and I have not heard about the 69 foot thing before. It would make sense as a couple of the locks Reading to Newbury are a tight fit for us and I had assumes it was careless rebuilding during the restoration.

We've read a fair few K&A history books but they are usually a bit sketchy abot the river navigations and concentrate on the canal section.

 

Never seen anything about the boats working the Kennet section, just loads about the barges built at Honeystreet.

 

....................Dave

[Steilsteven]

 

 

 

Which book are you getting this info from? Its interesting stuff and I have not heard about the 69 foot thing before. It would make sense as a couple of the locks Reading to Newbury are a tight fit for us and I had assumes it was careless rebuilding during the restoration.

We've read a fair few K&A history books but they are usually a bit sketchy abot the river navigations and concentrate on the canal section.

 

Never seen anything about the boats working the Kennet section, just loads about the barges built at Honeystreet.

 

....................Dave

The Kennet and Avon Trust website is a good source for such info, or at least it used to be, but I've also had the benefit of knowing some of the older campaigners who were always willing to share their knowledge. I was lucky enough to come across a small book about the Kennet Navigation a few years ago, which was written by a prominent member of the K&A Trust in the 1970's, this one is fascinating from the point of view that it was written when many of the original structures were still there. I agree that the history of the river navigations is sketchy and it's not possible to find it all in one book, sadly.

 

 

 

Keith

[JV44]

And - many thousands of us law abiding citizens paid the penalty in the backlash.

I worked with Michael Ryan early 80s harvesting Christmas trees a male dominated industry where you had to stand your ground or be the butt of jokes/banter which he was ,my mate sold him a shotgun quite legit and all we would talk about was his gun collection and how it made him feel powerful ....well the rest is history

Kalashnikov type weapons got banned rightly so who needs a faking machine gun