River Gipping

River Gipping Trust’s volunteers are opening up lengths of towpath and planning to rebuild the only missing lock on the navigation

River Gipping (Stowmarket Navigation)

River Gipping Trust volunteers have been busy reinstating around 3km of riverside footpath, and plan to reopen more in 2024. With the Trust’s new footbridge at Baylham now open to walkers a permissive path has been created that’s about 1km long, retracing the original line of the towpath which was lost to walkers around 100 years ago when the towpath bridge collapsed into the river. The official grand opening of the footbridge, which sits on restored 230-year-old brick abutments, will be on Saturday 20 th May at 11am at Baylham.

A 1km stretch of towpath at Claydon and a 1km stretch above Needham lock have also been reinstated adjacent to the river by Trust volunteers this year. All three lengths are now open to the public giving a better walking experience along the river. More than 10% of the Gipping footpath is now on the riverside.

The 1km of towpath alongside the river at Claydon runs parallel to the current Gipping Valley River Path which is around 30m away from the river with few, if any, views of the river in summer. Judging by the density of vegetation cleared, volunteers believe this riverside towpath has not been used for around 15 years.

Further upstream, between Needham Market and Stowmarket, Trust volunteers have been clearing around 1km of vegetation between the footpath and the river to allow the footpath to be moved closer to the river along the original towpath line, affording a far greater riverside walking experience. Over the past few years much of this footpath has been 3m away from the river, along a 2m high corridor of nettles in summer, often virtually impassable, and with no river views.

As well as improving the riverside walking experience and offering better views of the river, having the footpath directly alongside the river helps restrict the problematic growth of Himalayan Balsam by providing easier access to the bank side growth which is where the plant is most deadly, as it leaves the river banks vulnerable to serious erosion when it dies back over winter

The Trust have recently planted more than 300 trees alongside the sunny side of the river which should give the river some shade from the sun when they are mature (making over

Stowmarket

Needham Lock

Bosmere Lock

Creeting Lock

Needham Market

Stowmarket Navigation (River Gipping)

Pipps Ford Lock

Baylham Lock

Ipswich

Length: 16 miles

Locks: 15

Opened: 1793

Closed: 1934

River Gipping

Existing footpath route

New footpath route

1,000 trees planted over the last 3 years). There is local evidence that shade from the sun reduces silting and overgrowth in the river. The Trust avoids planting trees between the river and the footpath so as not to cause possible future obstructions along the path and to afford better views of the river for walkers.

The Trust is working with National Highways to investigate the feasibility of restoring the 1793 John Rennie-designed brick lock at Claydon, lost some 40 years when the A14 was built. This is the only lock structure missing along the river’s 16-mile 15-lock length, with water flowing though all the other 14 lock structures.

This year’s major project is to complete the restoration of Pipps Ford Lock. A temporary PortaDam will be installed by OnSite for two weeks at the end of July enabling the lock structure to be pumped dry. Stop planks grooves and a concrete base under the stop planks will be installed, making the lock ‘lock gate ready’. This will be the fourth lock to be restored, ready for lock gates, along the river.

The Trust has recently published a history book of the Gipping, titled The Ipswich to Stowmarket Navigation – John Rennie’s First Canal Project. Available directly through eBay at £10 each + £2.50 postage, search ‘Stowmarket Navigation’ on eBay.