River Colne Navigation?

[WJM]

The latest edition of 'Narrowboat' magazine has a curious reference to the River Colne being made navigable in 1969 in the Cowley, Iver area. I live in the area and I sometimes canoe on the river but I cannot see any traces of a navigation for gravel barges. I have done a Google search on the topic and have found nothing.

 

Was the Colne ever navigable?

[mark99]

Obvs the Colne flows in and out of the GU at a few places and perhaps follows the bed of the Colne.

 

I vaguely recall being told in Wraysbury they cut across the Colne Brook to enable gravel barges to traverse from one pit to the other by crossing the river (could see the reinforcement in the bank to facilitate). Around the "Met Pits" near Cowley perhaps the same happened? or they moved the gravel up the Slough Arm. Or brought rubbish down for landfill in other long gone pits that abounded the Colne in that area.

 

ETA I know them as Met pits but they are better known as Thorney Weir.

 

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Thorney+Weir+-+The+Mets/@51.513502,-0.492711,16z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x487671fd4d448529:0x3f819419bef34bfa!8m2!3d51.5128076!4d-0.4877114

 

Pure speculation.

Edited July 3, 2018 by mark99

[BWM]

Farlows lake in Iver was connected to the river Colne on the bank that Runs parallel to the river, and barges were taken down to what were known as the Met lakes (the police angling club held the lease on them until around 12-15 years ago). These would be taken into the left hand lake (heading downstream), and up a canal like arm to William Boyers gravel processing plant at Trout road. I would imagine there were other gravel pits around Farlows that would have transited through it into the river.

  I am fairly sure that the section of river below Denham deep lock was used in a similar way, with access into the canal just south of the M40 and adjacent to willowbank. This land was also owned by Boyers.

[WJM]

Thanks for the responses. Interesting stuff. It seems the navigation was very localised, confined only to moving between adjacent lakes (former gravel pits). On the Google Earth satellite pictures two barges are visible moored up in the Met Lakes and a third barge is sunk in the same lake. These barges must have had a very limited range of travel.

 

If these lakes were formed from flooded gravel pits, was the gravel still extracted after they flooded? (hence the barges to move the gravel?)

 

 

 

[magnetman]

I believe there were some tugs involved with the gravel lakes as well. Not narrow boats. More like river tugs. 

One of these (a small ~25ft riveted steel tug) was crushed by BW and a photo of it used in their "license it or lose it" poster.

 

Another one is somewhere around Rickmansworth. Was lived aboard on Hamoton Hall moorings for a long time then Martin "screaming" Leaman got it. Called skylark or something like that. Interesting boat. He also owned the one BW crushed.

 

That's what I was told anyway not sure if it is all that accurate !!

 

 

[Paul H]

In 1969, Harrison Chaplin had the contract to canalise a short length of the River Colne between two gravel pits passing under an existing aqueduct on the Slough Arm.  Harrison Chaplin was run by Tom Chaplin a narrow boat enthusiast (and author) and he had the steel piles delivered by Leicester Canal Transport using a pair of narrow boats - the wooden Josher Chiltern and the composite small woolwich Crater.  I lived locally at the time and spent the whole day hanging around Cowley Lock hoping to see them but they were running late so it was to no avail.

A few years later when exploring the abandoned works I came across a bantam tug derelict and out of the water with amazingly a Lister JP3 still intact.

 

Paul

Edited July 5, 2018 by Paul H

[mark99]

If you look at the google earth link above - that's the Met Pits and you can clearly see a barge either sunk or 1/2 sunk. And perhaps another 2 wrecks floating.

 

20 or so years ago, I tested the depth of the Colne between the pits an it's very deep /slow moving compared to the sections below.

Edited July 6, 2018 by mark99

[mark99]

22 hours ago, WJM said:

Thanks for the responses. Interesting stuff. It seems the navigation was very localised, confined only to moving between adjacent lakes (former gravel pits). On the Google Earth satellite pictures two barges are visible moored up in the Met Lakes and a third barge is sunk in the same lake. These barges must have had a very limited range of travel.

 

If these lakes were formed from flooded gravel pits, was the gravel still extracted after they flooded? (hence the barges to move the gravel?)

 

 

 

 

My best guess is yes. Unless you constructed a perimiter dewatering scheme, once you reach the shallow water table level in that extreme gravel strata there is no holding back the water. Hence the gravel would have been scooped out typically with draglines (either floating or bank located) and put into barges if not onto bank.

 

http://www.eafa.org.uk/catalogue/560

 

Having dug a deep excavation in that locality the flow of water could not be propely stemmed with large pumps (and we ended up freezing the perimeter ground to effect a dam).

 

 

[BWM]

On 05/07/2018 at 09:25, WJM said:

Thanks for the responses. Interesting stuff. It seems the navigation was very localised, confined only to moving between adjacent lakes (former gravel pits). On the Google Earth satellite pictures two barges are visible moored up in the Met Lakes and a third barge is sunk in the same lake. These barges must have had a very limited range of travel.

 

If these lakes were formed from flooded gravel pits, was the gravel still extracted after they flooded? (hence the barges to move the gravel?)

 

 

 

There used to be a few more than those visible on Google earth, with around five in a cluster on the railway side of the lake, perhaps some have been refloated and scrapped? Another couple were sunk in the same lake.

  Many older gravel pits have been reworked as the method of extraction was not as efficient, and there is more of a market for what would have been considered rejects in the past. This is done in a similar way to dredging, an example currently being reworked is the pit next to wide water lock in harefield. 

 

On 05/07/2018 at 11:08, Paul H said:

In 1969, Harrison Chaplin had the contract to canalise a short length of the River Colne between two gravel pits passing under an existing aqueduct on the Slough Arm.  Harrison Chaplin was run by Tom Chaplin a narrow boat enthusiast (and author) and he had the steel piles delivered by Leicester Canal Transport using a pair of narrow boats - the wooden Josher Chiltern and the composite small woolwich Crater.  I lived locally at the time and spent the whole day hanging around Cowley Lock hoping to see them but they were running late so it was to no avail.

A few years later when exploring the abandoned works I came across a bantam tug derelict and out of the water with amazingly a Lister JP3 still intact.

 

Paul

The only area piled was the short link between Farlows and the river Colne, and possibly a little upstream of the aqueduct, but I can't remember for certain. It must have been dredged as that length of river was very deep. Out of interest, where was the tug?

[mark99]

There are ex dumb type barge(s) in the big pit (Broadwater next to the reworked pit in Harefield) too if you know where to look.

[BWM]

10 minutes ago, mark99 said:

There are ex dumb type barge(s) in the big pit (Broadwater next to the reworked pit in Harefield) too if you know where to look.

I seem to remember some but can't recall where they were. I'm guessing that some or all these gravel workings had access to the canal in the past, with the Troy arm being a likely candidate, but for some it would mean crossing the river Colne to reach the arm.

[mark99]

The barge(s) are in this yellowed highly overgrown area from distant memory. So long ago I can't remember whether there was more than 1. South of the yellow highlight is the discoloured Harefield Pit (being reworked). Broadwater east side originally was worked far (circa 150m) from the canal bank but they opened up the next phase in 70's I think working from the right hand side string of islands (which was the original bank) to close to the canal as it is currently. NB One can see the draglines.

 

 

 

Edited July 7, 2018 by mark99

[mark99]

Further up the valley I wondered if the entrance to the Stinkole was used to get gravel out of Stockers Lake. In the1945 image  the yellow is the Colne.

 

[BWM]

On 07/07/2018 at 09:10, mark99 said:

Further up the valley I wondered if the entrance to the Stinkole was used to get gravel out of Stockers Lake. In the1945 image  the yellow is the Colne.

 

It is highly likely to have been, possibly including the aquadrome lakes. The stinkhole runs up to what is labelled on the map as Springwell lake-there is also a branch of the Colne running behind this lake, my understanding is that it fed crests beds in the past, and this joins the end of the stinkhole. 

It seems to have been common for gravel workings to feed into rivers, one interesting example is in Rickmansworth just above the lock to the Chess. A long, narrow branch runs towards the chain of pits that continue to Watford, it is now disconnected at both ends but clearly had a purpose. 

[mark99]

IIRC coal used to be brought to Maple Cross Sewage Works (Stinkole). I could be wrong however.

[Derek R.]

It was, used in the treating of sewage and I did have a reference for it long ago but cannot find it now! It may have been to power steam pumps, though I could be remembering wrong.

 

There are some interesting maps showing water courses long gone here:

http://www.disused-stations.org.uk/r/rickmansworth_church_street/

Scroll down to the 1914 map. You will see a lock from the Batchworth arm that appears to connect with the Colne.

Edited July 10, 2018 by Derek R.
Added text

[Paul H]

Coal was delivered to Maple Lodge by Willow Wren until 1969.

 

Paul

[mark99]

9 hours ago, Paul H said:

Coal was delivered to Maple Lodge by Willow Wren until 1969.

 

Paul

Is Maple Lodge part of the sewage "farm".

 

I'm sure I read this <coal delivery route> in a David Blagrove book some time ago.

[mark99]

9 hours ago, Derek R. said:

It was, used in the treating of sewage and I did have a reference for it long ago but cannot find it now! It may have been to power steam pumps, though I could be remembering wrong.

 

There are some interesting maps showing water courses long gone here:

http://www.disused-stations.org.uk/r/rickmansworth_church_street/

Scroll down to the 1914 map. You will see a lock from the Batchworth arm that appears to connect with the Colne.

Pity that the base map I've chosen on the link below does not show the old lock.

 

http://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=17&amp;lat=51.6368&amp;lon=-0.4645&amp;layers=168&amp;b=1

 

Click on link above and click and move the blue blob slider (see below for what the blob slider looks like) to the left.

 

PS Croxley Hall fisheries (behind Lock 80) is up for sale as we speak. £1.6M. If it included the house I would buy it!

 

 

Edited July 10, 2018 by mark99

[Paul H]

One and the same.  It was known as Maple Lodge Sewage Works and I understand that coal dust was burnt as part of the process with some of the “residue”.  The boats had to be clothed up to keep the coal dry.  I believe the traffic was originally gained by John Knill.

 

One  of the last traffics carried by Willow Wren was concrete sewer pipes from West Drayton to Maple Lodge which in part superseded the need for some of the processing at Maple Lodge.  Not sure if I need to know the detail!

 

Paul

[BWM]

10 hours ago, Derek R. said:

It was, used in the treating of sewage and I did have a reference for it long ago but cannot find it now! It may have been to power steam pumps, though I could be remembering wrong.

 

There are some interesting maps showing water courses long gone here:

http://www.disused-stations.org.uk/r/rickmansworth_church_street/

Scroll down to the 1914 map. You will see a lock from the Batchworth arm that appears to connect with the Colne.

The 1914 map shows the lock on the Chess that I speculatedabout in an earlier post and would have accessed the chain of gravel pits, I have always assumed that there was one but had no evidence. Thanks 

[WJM]

Yes, I found it today. The Coln really was navigable. Though the air draft was tight. 

[mark99]

Trying to ID that bridge.....

[Paul H]

Isn’t that under one of the aqueducts on the Slough Arm?

 

Paul

[WJM]

That is the Slough Arm Aqueduct - the one nearest the junction.