PETERBOROUGH BRANCH
HEREWARD SUMMER 2015 Easter Cruise AGM Report
The boats on this year’s Easter Cruise moored at Horseways Lock.
www.iwapeterborough.org.uk The IWA charity registered number 212342 The views expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the Inland Waterways Association or of the Peterborough Branch. They are, however, published as being of interest to our members and readers
Below: Winding at Ramsey
The assembled boats moored at Stonea
Easter Cruise 2015 The boats at Ramsey 40-foot
EASTER CRUISE 2015
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recent survey by the IWA revealed that approximately 70% of the navigation structures that the EA were failing to maintain were in the Anglian region of that authority. The IWA Peterborough Branch have for some considerable period of time continued to emphasise this point, particularly since the closure of Welches Dam lock and the Horseway channel. The annual Easter Cruise this year was planned with this in mind. Seven boats with crews of a more determined nature met at the newly installed moorings sited in Three Holes, the cost of which was born by Peterborough IWA and the Middle Level Watermens Club. It was a dull, cold, windy, day. Some would say typical boating weather. Around 2pm we set off down the 16-foot drain with the wind to our faces and to the musical accompaniment of car horns from the road that has a parallel course to us. We reached our first nights stop, at Stonea around 4:30pm and after much maneuvering tied up to the bank. A further member then joined us, and on retiring to the local hostelry we enjoyed a very convivial evening and planned the following days itinerary. Come Saturday the conditions were much the same as the previous day, apart from the wind, which had turned 180 degrees and was now blowing on our backs. Arriving at the junction with the Forty Drain we managed to turn half the boats around, (which caused a few amusing moments in the windy conditions), to enable us to pull the boats in both directions, as there are no winding facilities at Horseways lock. The first bridge hole caused no problems approaching from this direction; there was however a fair amount of floating debris associated with the infrequent use a dead end channel, along with overhanging vegetation and tree branches. We arrived at Horseways Lock free of any damage; and there we moored up for a photo call and a well-deserved coffee. The return journey saw two groundings in the bridge hole and a few weed hatches being raised. From here we proceeded to Ramsey Forty foot arriving at 5pm for the nights mooring. Easter Sunday morning we awoke to clear blue skies, sunshine and the very pleasant sound of birdsong. Todays objective was to take the boats, which by now had grown to ten, to the winding hole at the Ramsey basin, which has had work done to the bank revetments in anticipation of a new bridge being constructed, with mooring facilities. Despite the best endeavors of the overgrown brambles on the offside all the boats winded under their own power with the exception of a 60 footer which required the fenders to be lifted, poling at the stern and bow hauling, yes I was the culprit. From Ramsey we proceeded to Benwick for a very enjoyable social event laid on by the MLWC. Monday morning provided us with more blue skies, sunshine and birdsong. From here we all dispersed to our various home moorings with good memories and a feeling of a job well done. Thank you to all who participated; cruises like this are needed to ensure our waterways are maintained in a navigable condition and to highlight potential problems. David Venn 1
WELCOME The Branch has received a welcome influx of new members and we offer a warm welcome to all of the following new recruits:Andrew Dobson & Family, Market Deeping Ian Tough, Peterborough Julie Henderson, Peterborough Mark and Carol Rogers, Peterborough Howard and Angela Hodgkins, Peterborough Richard and Anita Willis, Peterborough
CHESTERFIELD CANAL John Revell has spent a period in April and May boating on the Chesterfield Canal and with the powers of modern communications sent the Editor a message to say he had touched the eastern portal of Norwood Tunnel with his front fender. He reported that he found the climb up the lock flights from Shireoaks to the tunnel to be one of the most interesting and enjoyable boating experiences he has had. John followed up with the following short report of his cruise:I spent nine days in April this year on the Chesterfield canal. It is an early contour canal designed by Brindley and completed in 1777. The canal declined over the years and most of the mining and heavy industry has long disappeared. This means that most of the canal is surprisingly rural. There are not many boats, a few friendly boat clubs (eg the Retford and Worksop Boat Club), and some good pubs (eg the Brewers Arms in Clayworth). Those venturing beyond Shireoaks can enjoy what I think is one of the finest flights of locks in the country The visitor guide produced by the Chesterfield Canal Trust states that since 1989 twelve miles of canal have been restored along with 36 locks, 11 major bridges and 2 marinas. This should give heart to all of us working to restore to full navigation Horseways Channel, Welches Dam lock and the Old Bedford river.
John Revell
This is the view John would have come up against on reaching Norwood Tunnel. A totally blocked off portal heavily overgrown. He would then have had a tricky reverse along the narrow channel shown in the lower view to the last winding hole by Kiveton Park station. One day with the efforts of the local restoration movement it is hoped a through passage will be available. 2
Above: West Stockwith basin where the Chesterfield Canal meets the Trent for its only connection with the navigable waterway system Right: John’s boat ‘Olive Emily’ making the climb through one of the many locks above Shireoaks on his way to the summit at Norwood Tunnel
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2015 BRANCH AGM REPORT
T
he Branch AGM was held on 3rd March and in addition to the formal business the evening included the customary annual update from the EA. The formal AGM business was moved through swiftly with the Chairman and Treasurer presenting their reports. The Branch finances were reported in good order with a working surplus for the year of £602 providing a year-end bank balance of £4,016. Roger Mungham, Richard Fairman and Stephen Heywood were all re-elected to the committee for the statutory three year term of office. David Venn recorded thanks to the committee for their hard work over the year and reflected on two very enjoyable visits made to St Germans and Denver. He was also pleased to be able to record some progress on Welches Dam with the establishment of the ‘Project Hereward’ initiative. The meeting then moved on to welcome Irven Forbes and Sue Cant from the EA and this year Irven turned the tables by asking the questions and seeking feedback from the members present on a range of pertinent topics. Three syndicate groups considered three questions posed by Irven as follows:What 5 key areas did members feel the EA should be addressing? What should the EA be doing to prepare for the anticipated transfer of navigation responsibilities to CRT, whenever that may occur? How can the EA engage more with IWA? Each group responded in turn and a consistent theme came through with a summary of the comments being:Ensure that the whole network is maintained to acceptable standards and remains open for navigation. Dredging and tree-cutting were highlighted as areas needing attention. Also the provision of boater services, pump-out, elsan and water points plus more moorings on the Nene should be a priority. Any transfer to CRT must include the whole of the EA navigable waterways and CRT must not be allowed to ‘cherry pick’ the more popular waterways. A common licensing system was desirable which would give unrestricted access for navigation and harmonised fees where practicable. Members felt IWA can offer experienced volunteer support in many areas and is well provided to assist EA with advice, expertise and a background in campaigning and fund-raising which could aid in alleviating continued grant cuts from Government. Irven and Sue were pleased with the feedback and took away the material generated for detailed consideration. The exercise proved to be enjoyable and worthwhile for all involved. Irven then moved on to his more traditional presentation format and began by outlining the key aims of their current Strategic Plan:To achieve financial security To engage with people To improve the environment To be respected by customers Achieving the first aim remains a severe challenge as it was anticipated the Government 4
grant to the EA for navigation this year will be in the region of £0.8M. Past experience shows that an annual sum of around £2.5M is needed to keep the system on parity. It is against this imbalance that the EA have to prioritise the work they can do. Good news was that the level of boat registrations is currently at its highest ever with income generated from craft licences being over £2M annually. The Northampton Marina has been a tremendous success and is currently 88% full and generating £160k in annual income. Other marinas are also showing high levels of occupancy, Denver 100%; Ely 100% and Upware 94%. Licence evasion is still being rigorously addressed with 21 successful prosecutions so far this year with five more cases outstanding at the present time. A recent report by IWA has identified that EA is falling short on maintaining certain assets and that the Anglian Region has more than its fair share of these. Irven again pointed to limited funding as the reason for this situation and had to admit that at present closed assets in the region include 4 locks (Welches Dam, Harlam, Flatford and Dedham); 2 canoe portage points; 2 lock landings and 8 moorings (including Dog & Doublet, Water Newton and Irthlingborough on the Nene). In an attempt to solve this problem external funding and support from partners is being actively sought and successful examples are on the Ouse where Pagnal Fen 48 hour moorings have been handed over to GOBA and on the Ancholme Brigg Moorings have been handed to a locally based trust. The Stour is a big problem for the EA as annual running costs amount to £700k yet direct income is only £3k per annum. Flatford Lock is in the process of being re-opened following work by the River Stour Trust who have raised funds and provided volunteer labour. It is hoped that Dedham Lock can receive similar attention and that more general maintenance can be passed on to the Trust to save costs. An update was given on the Fens Waterways Link where a new slipway was completed in September 2014 at Black Sluice which was funded to the sum of £175k by Lincolnshire CC. The same body will be involved in a partnership with EA and provide £11M towards the construction of the Boston Flood Barrier which is scheduled to start in 2017 with targeted completion by the end of 2019. This project will maintain a constant nontidal level through Boston and allow safe navigation from the Witham through The Haven into Black Sluice and vice versa without time and tide restrictions. The Chairman thanked Irven and Sue for taking the time to visit us and the members present responded with acclamation for a very enjoyable and informative evening. BRANCH NEWS Discussions are proceeding with the EA to conclude an agreement for the Branch to be granted a licence to gain access to Welches Dam Lock to make an inspection of the present state of the structure. We are receiving support from IWA HQ on the technicalities and documentation involved. Also a meeting has been arranged for June to discuss with the Middle Level Commissioners the opportunities for holding volunteer work parties on their system. We hope to have more conclusive news on these issues by the next issue of Hereward which is planned for September publication. 5
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‘PROJECT HEREWARD’
Update by Andrew Storrar
P
rogress is continuing behind the scenes on the engineering front for ‘Project Hereward’.
A further survey of the dimensions of the drained Forty Foot channel at points all the way along from Horseway Lock to Welches Dam Lock has enabled calculations to be made on channel profiling in preparation for the laying of a sealing membrane along the bottom and sides of the bed. The photograph below shows a recent scene at Welches Dam looking westwards.
The profile of the channel can be seen but the lack of water and heavily overgrown state of the bed and banks is clearly evident. In order to make the channel watertight some sealing method is obviously needed in order to avoid the previous situation whereby the re-watered channel drained in a very short period of time giving a very limited window for any form of navigation. Four sealing membranes have now been investigated and quotations from the suppliers obtained - these are Bentomat, Sahara, Concrete Canvas and Plastech Southern HDPE. An engineering study, based on performance and ease of installation, and economic analysis will lead to the selection of the most appropriate for our purpose. The fact-finding visit made by members of your committee to the Wendover Arm Trust was detailed in the Spring issue of Hereward and following on from the information gleamed on that visit contact has been made with further canal societies using these 7
Mill Drove, Ramsey Cambs. PE26 2RD Tel: 01487 813621 billfenmarina@tiscali.co.uk www.billfenmarina.com
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sealing membranes and their experiences with the use of the various sealing methods are being explored. Discussions are particularly advanced with the Buckingham Canal Society and the Shropshire Union Canal Society, and we extend our thanks to them for their friendly help. A further fact-finding visit by your committee to the latter at their Montgomery Canal workplace is planned for the beginning of June and the outcome will be reported in due course in Hereward. A sketch of the profile plan anticipated for the Horseway Cut is shown below.
REPROFILING AND SEALING OF HORSEWAY CUT Welches Dam lock has been undergoing further study. The wooden transoms forming the base of the lock chamber would appear to be the area most in need of restoration. Talks are in hand aimed at giving us access to the lock to drain the bottom for a detailed survey of the An indication of one possible solution for work required, sealing the channel as used by the Wendover for which expert Arm Trust assistance from the IWA Headquarters has been agreed. It is envisaged that restoration of the lock will be the first item of work as a step to the reintroduction of water to the Horseway Cut.
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INLAND WATERWAYS ASSOCIATION Peterborough Branch
COMMITTEE MEMBERS AI MA : avid Venn, Bruffs odge, igh treet, ordelph, ownham Mar et P 38 B Tel: 13 3 41 e-mail:davidgvenn@gmail.com TA Y: oger reen, 7 Windmill lose, llington, untingdon, ambs P 8 AJ Tel: 148 89 15 Mobile: 7799 1 e-mail: nb.chatsworth@gmail.com T A U : oger Mungham Boatmans ottage, Wor house ane, Upwell, Wisbech P 14 9 T Tel: 1945 773 e-mail: rogerboatmans@tal tal .net
Philip alstead, Tel: 1733 3485
ITO : ane Avenue, Peterborough P 9QT e-mail: pp@halstead5.orangehome.co.u
T TAI M T OFFI : ichard Fairman, The Old ailway ouse, palding, incs P 1 X Tel: 14 38 575 oger exton,
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rive, March, ambridgeshire P 15 9TB Tel: 1354 5 3 9
Andrew torrar, 48 tation oad, Morton, Bourne, incolnshire P 1 Tel: 1778 57 1 e-mail: andrewstorrar@aol.com tephen eywood, Whitehouse Farm, ownham Mar et P 38 B Tel: 13 3 447
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ordelph,
NEWARK-ON-TRENT
Riverside Town with an Interesting Past A recent visit by The Editor
N
ewark on Trent is only half an hour from Peterborough by Virgin East Coast train and is a town with an interesting history. It also provides some present day interest, be it a stroll to seek out some of that history, a shopping expedition at the extensive market or a visit to the many pubs and eating places that the town provides . As its name implies Newark sits on the mighty River Trent and there is plenty to interest any waterways enthusiast whether cruising through on a boat or taking a walk along the lock cut beside the impressive castle ruins which dominate the river at this point. During the English Civil War 1642-46, the market town of Newark played a role out of all proportion to its size. Troops loyal to the King swelled its population many times over and, from the safety of its defences, they would launch attacks on local Parliamentarians - hence the town's motto Deo fretus erumpe or "Trust in God and sally forth�. Newark was besieged on three occasions and finally surrendered only when ordered to do so by the King after his own surrender. A good place to start a walk is in the Castle grounds where you will see the Castle Gatehouse which is the best preserved Norman castle gatehouse in Britain. Walk towards the gatehouse and look under the archway. The stonework is still blackened by the gunpowder that Parliamentary forces used in 1646 when attempting to destroy the castle after the town's Royalist garrison had obeyed King Charles's order to surrender. In later years much of the castle's stone was removed by local people to repair houses damaged during the siege and today only a ruined shell remains to give us a flavour or those violent times. Another aspect of Newark that is probably dear to many boaters hearts is that for many years it was a major centre for malting and brewing. Beer has been brewed in many parts of the world for thousands of years. An essential ingredient is malted barley - after steeping in water, the grains are spread on a floor to germinate and produce enzymes before the process is halted at the critical point by careful drying in a kiln. During the 18th century, throughout the 19th, and until the second half of the 20th century, Newark was the centre of the English brewing and malting industries. With excellent water quality, unrivalled road, rail and river transport links, and with easy access to barley-growing country, the town had many advantages over the competition, becoming known as 'The Metropolis of Malt'. Beer and malt in all their glorious varieties were produced in vast quantities for local consumption and exported around the world. The brewers and maltsters built large works as well as elegant family homes. A walk around Newark today still reveals many interesting architectural remnants of that splendid era. Start the walk at the bronze model of Newark in the castle grounds. Leave the castle grounds via the iron gates which were erected in 1951 to mark the Festival of Britain and turn left, towards Trent Bridge. Cross the zebra crossing towards the Ossington Coffee Palace. 15
This was built in 1881 to provide a temperance alternative to beer! Two of the major Newark brewers that survived into the 1960’s were James Hole & Co. Ltd and Warwicks & Richardsons, both being taken over by John Smiths and closed. The Northgate Brewery and Maltings of Warwicks & RichOssington Coffee Palace ardsons, located on the banks of the river was closed and for many years stood derelict and decaying. Happily the large complex has been rescued for development and has been tastefully refurbished for residential use while still retaining the external character of the building. The Northgate Brewery Complex prior to restoration having commenced. An impressive building saved for purposeful use.
route map for walks around the town centre area with points of interest highlighted and described. For those more interested in the river aspect there is an easy circular walk following the Millennium Way footpath which is signposted and takes in the river and the canalised lock cut. 16
For anyone visiting Newark there are interesting leaflets available from the Town Hall Museum located in the Market Place. One is the Newark Civil War Trail and the second is the Newark Malting & Brewing Trail. Both leaflets are attractively illustrated and include a
Town Hall in the Market Place
The Castle stands guard by the Trent
The Town Lock and Thorpes Warehouse
WATERSIDE VIEWS OF NEWARK & THE TRENT
The Corn Exchange with pleasure boat on the river