Basingstoke Canal

Basingstoke Canal This was the first canal that the group worked on and formed the nucleus for its activities from 1977 to 1991.

The canal currently runs from the River Wey at Byfleet for 37 miles to Odiham. Passing through the town of Woking to Brookwood and onto military heathland and pine woods to Aldershot. The cutting alongside the army camp at Deepcut remains one of the most attractive flights of locks in the country. Originally built for the development of the agricultural trade, it was never a profitable venture and the Canal finally fell into disuse in the early 1960's. Following representations from the Surrey and Hants Canal Society (S&HCS), Surrey and Hampshire County Councils purchased the canal in 1973 and the restoration commenced.

The Canal was finally reopened in 1991 and maintained a valuable refuge for wildlife and fauna in an area was developer's are constantly looking for space to build on. Continuing water shortages has severely limited boating on the canal and the project to provide back pumping on the last 6 locks will be a major step to alleviating that problem.

The society has just been awarde a grant of £295,000 to complete this project. Kescrg will be a major contributor to the Volunteer inputthat is neccessary to ensure completion this year. The work camp will offer numerous opportunities to use plant and equipment unequalled elsewhwere on the network.

Cotswold Canals

The Cotswold Canals is a generic title used to describe the two canals linking the river Severn and the river Thames through some of England’s most scenic landscapes and brilliant canal engineering features.

The Stroudwater Navigation begins, for all practical purposes, at Saul Junction on the Gloucester / Sharpness canal and continues for eight miles to Wallbridge in the centre of Stroud.The line is continued by the Thames and Severn Canal to Brimscombe Port (a former transhipment area), up the Golden Valley to the summit. Sapperton Tunnel is some 350ft above sea level and the third longest canal tunnel ever built in this country. From the summit there follows a gradual descent past Cirencester, the Cotswold Water Park and to the final link with the Thames at Inglesham near Lechlade.

Although we have no scheduled working parties this year we will be assisting on an ad hoc basis should specific projects arise.

Cotwolds Canal Home Page

Wey and Arun Canal

London’s Lost Route to the sea. Runs from the River Wey near Guildford to the River Arun near Pulborough, has been derelict since 1871.

The canal was built between 1813 and 1816, to improve the level of local agricultural prosperity, hit by a depression. It was hoped that the canal would flourish as an inland route from London to Portsmouth and although some naval stores including gold bullion, did pass this way, the end of the Napoleonic wars rendered the English Channel safe again. Peak traffic levels were in 1839 but quickly declined with the building of the Horsham - Guildford railway.

A feasibility plan for the complete restoration of the waterway has been prepared. The Wey and Arun Canal Trust continues to work on the canal and have achieved notable success with the restoration of a number of locks and bridges.

Wey and Arun Canal Homepage

Hereford and Cloucester Canal

This canal was started in 1792 but not completed until 1845, making this the last major route built in Britain(excluding Birmingham and the Manchester Ship Canal). The canal stretched for 34 miles from the River Severn at Gloucester, via Newent, Dymock and Ledbury to the city ofd Hereford, utilising 22 locks and 3 tunnels. The canal was formally closed in 1881 to allow construction of the Ledbury to Gloucester railway and this was in turn closed by Dr Beeching in 1964.

The project forms part of the “Dig Deep” initiative and will be focused on House Lock at Oxenhall. The lock is in poor condition is in a poor state but built from local stone and is a grade 2 listed structure. This means that restoration will require use of traditional materials and practices.

Although complete restoration of the canal appears some way off, reopening of this lock together with one 50 yards away will allow a three quarter mile of the canal to be utilised.

Little Venice (London)

Not a canal construction site but the venue for a major Boat Rally organised by the London Branch of the IWA. Little Venice which is close to Paddington station, provides a haven of tranquillity in the heart of London. Over 100 boats assemble for the bank holiday weekend at this large pool which forms the junction between the Paddington Arm and the main line of the Grand Union and Regents Canal.

For a number years KESCRG has provided the sites services team for this event. Work on site starts from the Thursday prior to the festival and continues to the following Tuesday, Tasks undertaken include marquee erection , pontoon bridge control, publicity, cabling the site for power and sound and general site maintenance. We also have our own sales stall and need volunteers to man that during the rally. Most volunteers do only attend for the holiday period but obviously those that can make any of the extra days are very welcome.

This event provides the ideal opportunity for those that cannot attend for a full weekend working parties to participate in our activities. Even a few hours help on the sales stall is useful.

Buckingham Arm Grand Union Canal

Strictly speaking the project covers the restoration of two arms, one leading from the other. The 11/4 Old Stratford Arm, leaving the grand Union Canal main line at Cosgrove was cut as part of the original Grand Junction scheme and opened in 1800. The 91/2 miles from Old Stratford to Buckingham opened a year later. The canal was officially abandoned in 1964 and remains in a variety of conditions, ranging from completely obliterated to a water filled channel. A number of proposals have been put forward to reroute the canal as necessary to overcome the obstacles, the major of which is where the A5 dual carriageway crosses the canal. The restoration of this canal is in its early stages and to date two major sites have been identified for volunteer activity. The initial stretch, which is still owned by British Waterways (BW), has been cleared and has already awakened local interest in further restoration. The second site was Thornton Bridge, which was under threat of demolition. Surveys proved the bridge sound and repairs implemented. It is hoped to start work at the Buckingham end during 1997. This will be our second visit to the site and it is expected that the large numbers attending the Christmas party weekend, will ensure a major impact for this project.