|
ROOTS
1799 The French revolution was over after 16 years of unrest.
The British had often feared that revolution fever would cross
the channel and cause a rebellion in Britain too. Although this
never happened, the worry was enough to put businessmen off investing
canal ventures and the canal mania era had could to an end. Unfortunately
the end of the French revolution was not the good news it should
have been. France had a new leader - Napoleon! He systematically
began to invade Europe and the worries of a British civil war
now changed into fears of being invaded.
1804 A truce known as the Peace of Amiens had been agreed
between Britain and France but the British were forced to go into
war with Napoleon when he seized Malta. The British military becameincreasingly
worried about a French invasion of Britain. They felt it was only
a matter of time before Napoleon attempted to cross the channel
and land on the south coast. The most likely place for the French
to arrive was at Dungeness, right in the south east corner of
the country. The area was not well defended because much of it
was unused marsh land - ideas were put forward as to how to defend
this land. One idea was to built dozens of fortified towers along
the coast, another idea was to simply flood the flat marsh land
but the assistant Quartermaster-General, Lt. Col. John Brown,
put forward the idea of using a canal as a defence. It would be
wide and deep enough to cause the attacking forces many problems
and could also serve as a fast route on which to move troops and
ammunition. General Dundas and the Commander-in-Chief, the Duke
of York, fully backed the scheme and it was decided to build a
canal slightly inland with 86 defence towers along the coast.
Prime Minister, William Pitt, (himself a great supporter of canals)
received the idea with enthusiasm. The waterway was to be named
the Romney Canal, it would run from Winchelsea Beach in East Sussex
to Hythe in Kent. Civilian contractors were appointed to build
the canal with John Rennie as "consultant". He surveyed
a line and was then given the job of devising ways to stop flooding
in winter. (It is quite ironic that Rennie should have been given
the task of getting rid of surplus water because most of the other
canals he built suffered from water shortages)! Rennie re-routed
streams into the canal and constructed water pipes to serve as
extra feeders in dry weather. The western end of the route would
use two rivers so water would not be a problem there. The main
"ditch" (as it was called by the military) was to be
62 feet wide and 9 feet deep. It would be around 25 miles long
with a further 5 miles made up of the two rivers. A road was to
be built all the way along the northern bank, around 50 feet away
from the water's edge. The road would be raised 3 feet above land
(or marsh) level and would be 30 feet wide. A parapet would be
built along the road, built from the soil dug from the canal cut.
Work was estimated at £200,000 and this was one canal which
would not see prospective shareholders fighting over subscriptions!
It was paid for in full by the government.
William Pitt got very involved with the construction of the new
waterway. He spoke to all the local landowners and convinced them
that the scheme was of great benefit to them whether the French
invaded or not. It would provide an excellent drainage system
during floods and act as a linear reservoir during summer. The
landowners trusted and supported Pitt so much that they willingly
gave up the necessary portions of their land, the canal was often
referred to as "Pitt's Ditch"!
Back
to Top
1805 The government, ever fearful of a French invasion,
grew impatient with the slow progress of construction work, only
6 miles had been built in the first year. There had been delays
caused by bad weather and flooding and the marshes were by no
means the greatest landscape to cut a canal through. The contractors
were to blame (said Rennie) for poor workmanship due to bad supervision.
The government sacked the contractors and took over the running
of the canal themselves. This caused the navvies to walk out and
eventually Rennie resigned. The government then installed a military
work force to continue construction led by the assistant Quartermaster-General,
Lt.Col. John Brown. This would seem to be a devastatingly bad
tactic but in fact the rest of the route was quickly finished
and the whole 30 miles was ready just one year later!
1806 In August the full line of the Romney Canal was complete.
It ran for 25 miles from Hythe to the River Rother. It had cost
(for once) almost the exact amount originally estimated and was
finished well on schedule. However, in the 2 years that it had
taken to construct, the French had lost the Battle of Trafalgar,
given up the idea of taking over Britain and turned their attentions
on Austria instead! The likelihood of an attack on Kent was now
very small. Instead of an important strategic problem for the
French, the waterway was now an important political problem for
its owners - the British government. It was fast becoming an embarrassment
as people began to ask questions about the appallingly high costs
of a 30 mile ditch which did nothing, went nowhere and was widely
regarded (by the press) as something that Napoleon would have
sniggered at if he'd ever come across it! After all, he'd conquered
most of Europe, if he could cross the Channel to reach England
he was hardly likely to be put off by a 60 foot ditch!!
1807 Following the death of William Pitt in 1806 the government
changed from Tory to Whig and back to Tory again within the space
of 12 months. During this period some local landowners began to
get annoyed over the amount of their land that had been taken
up by the "useless ditch" with no compensation being
paid to them. To remedy this the government decided to put the
canal on a proper legal footing and in August parliament granted
itself an Act for "The Royal Military Canal" which would
allow the waterway to be opened to commercial traffic.However,
much improvement work would be needed and it would take around
3 years to bring the route up to commercial standards.
The new "company" needed to be run properly so commissioners
were appointed. Amazingly the government appointed themselves;
the Prime Minister, Chancellor of the Exchequer, Speaker of the
House, the Commander-in-Chief, the Quartermaster General and the
Master General of the Ordnance! The Commissioners first act was
to reward Lt. Col. John Brown for all his efforts in devising
the canal and finishing its construction. He received £3,000
and a mansion in Hythe.
1808 In November, while improvement work was in progress,
a massive storm led to extensive flooding between West Hythe and
Shorncliffe (at the far eastern end) which washed away nearly
2 miles of the south bank of the canal. The government purchased
a wider band of land to the south of the canal to strengthen the
sea defences.
1809 In January the regimental stores burnt down and severely
hampered the repairs to the south bank. Three weeks later a heavy
storm hit the area and coincided with a large spring tide causing
the unfinished repairs to be washed away once again. The canal
became filled with shingle and portions of the military road were
also badly damaged. Amazingly the whole length was fully repaired
within 3 months.
During 1808 and 1809 the commissioners spent over £80,000
of government money finishing off the canal by replacing temporary
wooden bridges and building a brand new stone bridge at Iden.
They resurfaced the whole of the road and re-covered the towpath
with shingle.
1810 Finally, in April, the canal was fully opened to
the public (though short haul journeys were already being made
on the route for several months prior to its official opening).
Before the canal had opened, a wharf at Shorncliffe was already
being used as a busy landing place for timber and coal and the
route also became unique in Britain as it was the only canal to
make a trade out of carrying hop poles!
The canal's Act of 1807allowed the government to charge tolls
on the carriage of manure (fertiliser) and farm produce. It also
allowed the "company" to exclude local landowners (who's
land adjoined the waterway) from having to pay tolls. As well
as the usual navigation tolls the government were also able to
charge for passage along the well built military road which ran
beside the canal throughout the whole route. They also sold grass
for sheep grazing along the canal banks and on the parapet which
ran along the road. The Commissioners even decided to run their
own carrying company with barges pulled by the Royal Wagon Train!
1812 A sluice at Star Lock (known as Scots Float today)
just east of Rye was destroyed by floods and was not replaced
for nearly 20 years. Although this left the land to its east susceptible
to floods and made the river tidal to the east of it, it did not
hamper navigation.
Once again the country was fearing attacks from France and the
government were pleased to have kept the Military Canal under
their own control. A defensive cannon and 80 Danish guns which
had been captured (stolen) from Copenhagen were fixed in place
along the canal. Of course, the attack from France never happened
and the canal simply continued as a fairly useful transport system.
As well as goods there was also a passenger service between Hythe
and Rye which was run by a Mr. Pilcher, though its success was
fairly short lived. The army ran a regular convoy of barges from
the River Rother to Hythe - taking 4 hours.
Back
to Top
1819 Poor Mr. Pilcher's passenger service was struggling
and he cut his route from 22 miles to 19 miles by terminating
at Iden rather than Rye. Three years later he had to cut the service
by a further 3 miles to Appledore.
1831 A sluice was rebuilt (19 years after the original
was destroyed) at Star Lock, just east of Rye. This meant that
the River Rother was no longer tidal to the east of here.
1833 Mr. Pilcher gave up his packet boat service and passenger
travel on the canal came to an end. His reason for abandoning
the business was mainly due to pressure from the canal commissioners
who claimed his fast moving boats were damaging the canal banks.
1836 The canal saw its best year in terms of income though
just as much money was coming in from the canal side road tolls
as it was from the actual waterway. Even then the usage was low
compared to most canals and the route never returned a profit.
1837 The government decided it was time to stop playing
with boats and they handed the running of the route to the Ordnance
Department. The whole canal was run by one army officer and 60
troops who performed the duties normally associated with lengthsmen
an lock keepers.
At first very little changed and commercial traffic continued
to use the waterway as it always had done. However, once again
the public were asking questions about the cost of the route,
the canal was well known throughout the country as an embarrassing
military folly, people like William Cobbett wrote articles on
the great waste of public funds and also harped back to the ridiculous
notion that Napoleon could ever have been foiled by a 60 foot
ditch. No matter how ridiculous its defensive qualities were,
there is no doubt that the Royal Military Canal helped the local
people immensely.It provided both a waterway and one of the best
roads in the country.People could travel easily between Rye and
Hythe which had previously been a near impossible journey across
Romney Marsh. The canal also provided excellent drainage which
meant there was more arable land available and this in turn greatly
reduced incidents of "marsh fever"!
1840 A new passenger service is thought to have begun
though the dates are not clear and the service didn't last long.
In total there were just 21 barges licensed to use the canal at
this time.
1841 A survey showed that the canal desperately needed
dredging if it was to stay open to navigation. The man in charge
at this time was Master General Sir Hussey Vivian who had already
described the canal as "an absurd means of defence which
ought never to have been built". Clearly the right man for
the job (not).
He clearly did not understand (or agree) that dredging would
aid passage on the route, he thought enough money had already
been wasted on the canal over that past 40 years and rather than
help to keep theroute going, he drastically cut the number of
soldiers who were employed on it. He also reduced expenditure
and maintenance.
By May of 1841 Sir Hussey Vivian cut the work force down from
60 Royal Sappers to just 7 full time workers - and these were
mainly pensioners!By October he'd cut the work force to zero.
1845 The Royal Military Canal began to suffer the fate
of many other canals; poor maintenance, competition from 2 local
railways and tonnage's fell each year.
1848 While still receiving periodic knocks from the public
and press, the canal received a bit of a confidence boost when
the Duke of Wellington (who had been Prime Minister from 1828
to 1830 - and therefore had been Head Commissioner of the canal)
commented on its strategic value.
1849 Despite the efforts of Wellington and other prominent
spokesmen, the canal was virtually on its last legs with the only
cargo being shingle, carried inland for use in repairing roads.
In fact, the canal was receiving more income from sheep grazing
than waterborne transport! The government tried to increase its
"grass sales" by leasing more land to farmers.
1850 Two attempts were made in the early 1850's to buy
the canal. One was a railway who wanted to close the canal and
lay tracks in its place, this was rejected by parliament. The
other was a proposal by the Lords of Romney Marsh but this fell
through due to financial difficulties.
Back
to Top
1855 Britain was once again at war, this time in Crimea.
The Royal Military Canal was placed under the authority of the
Secretary of State for war. The first thing he had to do was refuse
another offer to buy the canal, this time from a Mr. Smith. The
best policy was now thought to be to keep the canal in government
hands because even as a flimsy line of defence it could still
stall an attacking force - if they came that way!
1857 A survey was published which made suggestions on
how the canal could be used to earn more money. Among other things
it was suggested that the government could make money from selling
Elm wood from the trees along the banks which were now over 50
years old.
1860's Traffic continued to use the canal at a small but
steady level. There was never a profit though the losses were
never more than £400 a year.
1867 Discussions were continually brought back to the
subject of public money being wasted to keep the line open. It
was finally decided that the canal should be sold off. In February
the Kentish Gazette reported that Seabrook Harbour & Dock
Company was about to buy the canal (which terminated very close
to them near Hythe). However, there was more to it than simply
taking on the running of an old waterway. The canal served more
importantly as a land drainage system than as a goods carrying
route and anybody who took it on had to realise this.
1872 Five years later the government were still running
the route but had passed an Act allowing them to give the canal
away to anybody who agreed to take on the responsibility of looking
after land drainage.
1873 The Lords Of The Level (!) offered to take the canal
on and the war department was able to lease the whole artificial
stretch from Iden to Hythe. This was no small agreement though,
the lease would not run out till 2872! It could be argued that
the rent was a little high however - it was set at one shilling
per year! This was soon followed by Hythe Corporation who wanted
to buy the stretch through their town to convert it into ornamental
gardens.
1874 The war department sold off the stretches on the
west side of Rye to 4 different owners. By now, trade on the canal
was almost none existent.
1903 After a few years of mini revival the canal was down
to its last boat.
1909 Commercial traffic ceased after 99 years when the
barge "Vulture" paid the last toll at Iden Lock.
1935 The final stretch of the canal to be sold was the
length between Appledore and Hamstreet. This was sold to a woman
named Miss Dorothy Johnston who instantly presented the whole
length to the National Trust. The last part of the "canal"
still under War Department ownership was the parapet along the
side of the military road. However, just 4 years later the whole
canal was requisitioned when WW2 began.The government had a brain
storming idea.... If the Germans attacked .... maybe the canal
could be used as a line of defence!!!!!
RESTORATION
As far as I am aware, there are no plans to restore the RMC to
full navigation. However, such a scheme would probably be relatively
easy.Locks would need to be converted back from their sluices
and culverts under flattened bridges would have to be rebuilt
into navigable bridges but most of the canal is in pretty good
condition. The waterway's survival is secure as it is used for
irrigation, fishing and pleasure-boating for a short stretch within
Hythe and also near Rye.
From a walkers point of view there are many stretches which would
make for a good day out though annoyingly there are other stretches
which are closed to the public for no real reason. However, Kent
County Council are said to be strongly looking into creating a
continuous linear walkway along the canal. Maybe this has been
created by now?
There is nothing left on the route to hint to the unwary as to
why the canal was originally built. The only obvious signs of
a military or defensive presence are the second world war pill
boxes positioned along the route which were built some 130 years
after the canal was opened!
Back
to Top
THE ROUTE
All of the Royal Military Canal is still fully watered and can
be seen on any good road atlas. It begins in Kent at Shorncliffe,
about 3 miles west of Folkstone and 1 mile east of Hythe. Its
starting point is just a few yards from the sea wall at the junction
where the sea-front road (Princes Parade) meets the A259. There
is nothing much to see here today apart from a sluice and a stone
landing stage. At first the route is hemmed in, running west below
both the sea-wall and the road. Soon it moves away from the sea
and runs behind the Imperial Hotel's 9 hole golf course. The hotel
is a huge building which stands on the sea-front. Within a mile
the route passes right through the centre of Hythe, the local
council look after this part of the route and it has been kept
pretty and tidy where it runs through the park in central Hythe.
My 1971 reference book says pleasure boats could be seen here
in summer months. Whether it meant motorised boats or just rowing
boats is not clear. Today the canal is the central feature of
the town, more like an ornamental lake than a commercial (or military)
ditch.The towpath is paved and in excellent condition. Once every
two years the town holds "The Venetian Fete" which is
said to be a wonderful carnival of boats, floats, entertainment's
and fireworks. On the west side of Hythe the canal comes close
to the Romney, Hythe & Dimchurch Railway which at one third
the normal gauge is said to be the smallest public railway in
the world. It runs parallel to the coast for 14 miles to the remote
Dungeness lighthouse in the far south eastern corner of Britain.
The route continues westerly out of Hythe with high ground to
the north on which stands Lympne ("Lim") Castle and
nearby is Port Lympne wildlife sanctuary. The minor road from
Lympne to Botolph's Bridge crosses the canal and passes the castle.
The canal has a parapet running alongside it for most of its route
and the original military road runs along its north bank. The
road is now open to the public as a footpath.
Near St. Rumwold's Church the canal turns south west and crosses
the reclaimed land which makes up Romney Marsh. This sounds like
a barren bog-land but it is well populated by villages and small
towns. The land is very flat however and when the sun shines -
it really shines! The water in this stretch of the canal has been
protected for fishing though in 1971 there were strong notices
warning people to keep out of the water.
The stretch from Warehorne to Appledore is owned by the National
Trust and they keep it in excellent condition, apparently looking
more like a beautiful river than a canal. Appledore is said to
be a delightful village though before the canal came along it
was a marooned island in the centre of the marsh land. The canal
provided it with its first safe routes out to Rye and Hythe by
both water and road. The flooded marsh was drained into the canal
by windmill pumps (later replaced by steam and now electricity).
The land became dry and is now used for farming.Marsh fever was
virtually wiped out in an instance. The B2080 crosses the can
in Appledore.
From Appledore to Houghton Green a minor road clings to the west
bank of the canal as it heads south west towards Rye. A lot of
the canal section was built with "steps" along its course
which were planned as a defence against an attacking army. These
take the form of "zigzag" bends where guns could be
placed with a perfectly straight view along the canal. An approaching
invader could (theoretically) be destroyed before they knew what
hit them. Ironically this idea was invented by a French military
engineer! A number of these steps can be seen from the road.
About 3½ miles along the canal (or parallel minor road)
is Iden Lock where the canal joins the River Rother which enters
from the north. The lock had double gates on the lower side to
stop excess water from getting into the canal. The lock chamber
is still intact and is 72 feet by 16 feet though it was converted
into a sluice in the 1960's.Alongside is a fairly large lock cottage
built by the army. A toll house and military barracks (now used
as a private residence) are also close by. This was where tolls
were collected for the western end of the route.
The river stretch is run by the Environment Agency and it is
still navigable by permission. The minor road continues to follow
the course of the river into Rye. On route there is another lock
about 1½ miles on from Iden at Houghton Green. This is
Scots Float Lock and sluice built in 1984 to replace the former
Star Lock sluice. Basically a sluice is a large lock gate which
can open either way to control passage of boats (and water) depending
on the state of the tide. Beyond here the River Rother is tidal.
A sluice keepers cottage stands alongside the lock.
The A259 crosses over and then the River Brede runs into the
River Rother on the south east side of the Cinque Port town of
Rye. The Rother heads south into its estuary and out to sea while
the canal heads west, upstream on the River Brede. The Brede curls
around the base of Rye (which stands up on a rock to the north).
There are many interesting things to see in the town away from
the canal, including Landgate (part of the town wall), Ypres Tower
(part of the castle) and the many ancient streets. A great view
can be had from the tower of St. Mary the Virgin.
At the south west side of town the River Brede (the "canal")
reaches a sluice and a lock. Here the River Tillingham runs in
from the north. Near this confluence is one of the 86 Martello
towers which were built all along the south east coast around
the same time as the canal as a defence against Napoleon. In 1993
the tower was reported to be in a rather sorry looking state and
was slowly crumbling into the scrap yard which surrounded it.
A little way up stream on the Tillingham is a sluice gate beside
the main road bridge (A259) and just up from the sluice is an
ornamental windmill.
The stretch of the Brede which heads south west from Rye was
the last part of the canal to be built (in 1809). The A259 stays
pretty close to the river on its northern side as both leave Rye.
The final part of the canal was probably never used by boats.
It leaves the River Brede where the road to Winchelsea Beach leaves
the A259, just before Winchelsea itself. There was no lock built
at the junction with the river and the course of the canal is
too narrow here to have been used with any efficiency. It curves
south westerly to the north of Pett Level and then it turns abruptly
south near the east side of Hog Hill, though there is no access
by road.
One mile further south is the terminus at Cliffe End (about 4
miles east of Hastings) on the north side of the sea-front road.
There is no basin, the canal just comes to an end near a bend
in the road. Nearby is a white cottage and The Market Stores.
Standing on the bank where the canal would have been if it had
continued is a public toilet.
Back
to Top
Canals & Waterways: Roots
& Routes © Peter
Hardcastle 1994-2006
Website Design © Shaun
Smith 2003
|
