Old Bedford River & the MLC

[Martin@75]

Old Bedford River  

Navigation on the Old Bedford River to Sutton Gault

 

We all know about the sorry story of Welches Dam Lock and the navigation of the counter drain of the Old Bedford River down stream.
However looking at the 1900 OS sheet it shows a Tow Path running up from Welshes Dam Lk to Sutton Gault.

Older maps also show Gault (Clay) pits adjcent to the waterway around and just above Gault.

I understand that when the 40ft was dug flood water backed up the Old Bedford to Earith and the engineer Welche built a dam to stop this happening effectively cutting off navigation above the dams location. 
So I have three question:-

 

Anybody know

1). Was the Dam built above Sutton Gault ?

or was it removed in the 1840's as part of the MLC 16ft Drain extension?

2). Until when (if at all) did lighters travel up to Sutton Gault from the ML, for Sutton just over the New Bedford river bridge?

3). Would this area have been a practical location for the MLC to win clay for repairs on the 40ft & 16ft Drains?

 

Edited January 31, 2018 by Martin@75

[Scholar Gypsy]

My Imrays map (of the whole system) certainly shows the Counter Drain being navigable for a distance south of WD. I will check it later.

The names are confusing - the eastern channel seems to start out at Earith as the Old Bedford river and then turn into the  River Delph. The western one starts as the counter drain and then becomes the Old Bedford. This is presumably because when the dam was built, it split the OB into two channels, as above ?

[magpie patrick]

Bradshaws 1904 has the Cuunter Wash Drain as being navigable from Welches Dam to Mepal pumpin station, a distance of 3 miles

The accompanying text states

"The Old Bedford River is now unnavigable south-west of Welches Dam, as the Old Bedford Barrier Bank has been placed across this river at this place, cutting it in two, and diverting the navigation into the Counter Wash Drain, which runs parallel with the Old Bedford River 

 

[Martin@75]

On 01/02/2018 at 03:13, Scholar Gypsy said:

My Imrays map (of the whole system) certainly shows the Counter Drain being navigable for a distance south of WD. I will check it later.

The names are confusing - the eastern channel seems to start out at Earith as the Old Bedford river and then turn into the  River Delph. The western one starts as the counter drain and then becomes the Old Bedford. This is presumably because when the dam was built, it split the OB into two channels, as above ?

 

On 01/02/2018 at 04:58, magpie patrick said:

Bradshaws 1904 has the Cuunter Wash Drain as being navigable from Welches Dam to Mepal pumpin station, a distance of 3 miles

The accompanying text states

"The Old Bedford River is now unnavigable south-west of Welches Dam, as the Old Bedford Barrier Bank has been placed across this river at this place, cutting it in two, and diverting the navigation into the Counter Wash Drain, which runs parallel with the Old Bedford River 

 

Thanks that has put me on the right track.

In a nutshell. (v small) The Forty Foot first discharged into OBR, floodwater backed up the channel to Erith so a dam (Welches) was built across the channel just above the original lock and the original pre NBR access up to Ely was closed. Some time later a new Drain was cut (the Delft) and the OBR above the lock was reopened as the Counter Wash Drain (OBCWD). 1700’s ?
The OBCWD then continued in use for transporting among other things Puddling Clay (Gault), which travelled from the NBR pits along the Great Dyke and through Mepal Lock onto the OBCWD above Mepal and down to the MLC. 

What I assume to be sea coal went up to the Mepal Pumping Station (3 miles) and possibly up to Mepal itself. Hay also went to Mepal Br from between the 1850’s-80’s.
The OBCWD's last regular commercial use would appear ? to have been Diesel delivery’s to the pumping station in about the late 1960's?  

It would be interesting to know if the section up to Mepal Bridge is still navigable?
 I know the EA have been dredging the OBR below Welshes Lk recently.

The Great Dyke & Mepal Lock, are not.

I still do not know if craft went up to Sutton Gault, but from the above it would seem so. 

 

[Martin@75]

10 hours ago, Martin@75 said:

Re past with name Edit.

Thanks that has put me on the right track.

In a nutshell. (v small) When the Forty Foot first discharged into OBR, floodwater backed up the channel to Erith so a dam (Welches) was built across the channel just above the original lock and the original pre NBR access up to Ely was closed. Some time later a new Drain was cut (the Delft) and the OBR above the lock was reopened as the Counter Wash Drain (OB/CWD). 1700’s ?
The OB/CWD then continued in use for transporting among other things Puddling Clay (Gault), which travelled from the OB/DR pits along the Great Dyke and through Mepal Lock back onto the OBCWD above Mepal and down to the MLC. 

What I assume to be sea coal went up to the Mepal Pumping Station (3 miles) and possibly up to Mepal itself. Hay also went to Mepal Br from between the 1850’s-80’s.
The OBCWD's last regular commercial use would appear ? to have been Diesel delivery’s to the pumping station in about the late 1960's?  

It would be interesting to know if the section up to Mepal Bridge is still navigable?

The Great Dyke & Mepal Lock, are not.

 I know the EA have been dredging the OBR below Welshes Lk recently.

I still do not know if craft went up to Sutton Gault, but from the above it would seem so.

 

 

 

[Martin@75]

Mods

My last post has got a bit mixed up so can you please take them down I will fix it up.