Wendover Arm Canal
Encyclopedia
The Wendover Arm Canal is part of the Grand Union Canal
in England
, and forms part of the British canal system
. It originally linked the Grand Union Canal at Bulbourne near Star Top End in Hertfordshire
to the town of Wendover
in Buckinghamshire
. The canal is 6.7 miles (10.8 km) miles long, but has been un-navigable since 1897. It is currently being reconstructed by the Wendover Arm Trust, and Phase 1 of the project, the first 1.3 miles (2.1 km) from the junction at Bulbourne, was completed and reopened in 2005.
and Gade
to pass through Hertfordshire so the canal could easily cross the Chiltern Hills
without the need for costly tunnelling works. During its journey through the Chilterns it reaches a height of 390 feet (118.9 m) at Tring summit before it descends into the Vale of Aylesbury
.
.
The main line of the canal, then called the Grand Junction Canal
, was authorised by an Act of Parliament
obtained in 1793. A second Act was obtained on 28 March 1794, which authorised the construction of branches to Buckingham
, Aylesbury
, and Wendover
. The Wendover branch was conceived as a non-navigable feeder, which would carry water from springs and streams in the Wendover area to the Tringford reservoir
s which fed the Tring summit locks. However, the cost of widening it was small, and so it was always a navigable channel from the time of its completion in 1797.
within 10 years of its construction, to try to prevent some of the leakage. On one occasion a section known as The Narrows leaked so much that it caused a flood in a large neighbouring property called Aston Clinton House
. In 1897, which was drier than usual, the Grand Union company decided that the arm was leaking more water than it was supplying, and stop planks were used to block off the arm at Little Tring. The stop planks were replaced by a stop lock, which was operational by 1901.
By 1904, the decision had been made to abandon the arm as a navigation. The top four miles were again repuddled, the water level was lowered, and all of the water flowing along it was fed into Wilstone reservoir. This put an extra load on the pumps at Tringford, as the Wilstone reservoir is at a lower level than the Tringford one. A pipeline was therefore laid from a sump at Drayton Beauchamp
to the Tring pumping station, along the bed of the disused canal, so that water arrived at the pumps at a higher level. The new system was still not satisfactory, due to the large variations in flow along the feeder, and it was redesigned in 1912. Following reconstruction, the water was pumped directly into the main line, with surplus water flowing into Tringford reservoir. The section between Wendover and Drayton Beauchamp remained in water, resembling a chalk stream
.
in the City of London
driving JCB tractors.
The trust is funded primarily by donations (with some funding from British Waterways), with the major fund-raising activity being the annual canal festival which began in 1990.
Restoration is currently in Phase 2, with plans being developed for the third and final stage.
The trust accepts volunteers to work on the restoration, as well as members and donors.
at the terminus, to allow boats to turn round. Between the two, Little Tring Road crossed the course of the canal on an embankment which was constructed in 1973 when the original bridge was demolished. This was replaced by a new reinforced concrete bridge, built to a traditional design, which is faced with bricks to give it an authentic appearance. Funding was provided by the Wendover Arm Trust, and the award-winning bridge was completed by British Waterways
in 2000/1 at a cost of £223,055.
Key dates are
The total cost of Phase 1 was £400,340.
This phase is expected to be completed in 2010.
(51.7942°N 0.707°W) and Halton
(51.7833°N 0.735°W) to Wendover (51.766°N 0.7411°W), requires major engineering work to three road bridges. This section has never been de-watered but is environmentally sensitive.
Grand Union Canal
The Grand Union Canal in England is part of the British canal system. Its main line connects London and Birmingham, stretching for 137 miles with 166 locks...
in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, and forms part of the British canal system
Canals of the United Kingdom
The canals of the United Kingdom are a major part of the network of inland waterways in the United Kingdom. They have a colourful history, from use for irrigation and transport, through becoming the focus of the Industrial Revolution, to today's role for recreational boating...
. It originally linked the Grand Union Canal at Bulbourne near Star Top End in Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.The county is one of the Home Counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London , Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire and...
to the town of Wendover
Wendover
Wendover is a market town that sits at the foot of the Chiltern Hills in Buckinghamshire, England. It is also a civil parish within Aylesbury Vale district...
in Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....
. The canal is 6.7 miles (10.8 km) miles long, but has been un-navigable since 1897. It is currently being reconstructed by the Wendover Arm Trust, and Phase 1 of the project, the first 1.3 miles (2.1 km) from the junction at Bulbourne, was completed and reopened in 2005.
History
The Grand Union Canal makes use of the river valleys of the rivers BulbourneRiver Bulbourne
The River Bulbourne is a river in Hertfordshire, England. It runs from Dudswell in Northchurch, through Berkhamsted , Bourne End and Boxmoor to where it joins the River Gade at Two Waters in Apsley near Hemel Hempstead. The total length of the river is 11 Km....
and Gade
River Gade
The River Gade is a river running almost entirely though Hertfordshire. It rises from a spring in the chalk of the Chiltern Hills at Dagnall, Buckinghamshire and flows through Hemel Hempstead, Kings Langley and Croxley Green to Rickmansworth where it joins the The River Colne...
to pass through Hertfordshire so the canal could easily cross the Chiltern Hills
Chiltern Hills
The Chiltern Hills form a chalk escarpment in South East England. They are known locally as "the Chilterns". A large portion of the hills was designated officially as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in 1965.-Location:...
without the need for costly tunnelling works. During its journey through the Chilterns it reaches a height of 390 feet (118.9 m) at Tring summit before it descends into the Vale of Aylesbury
Aylesbury
Aylesbury is the county town of Buckinghamshire in South East England. However the town also falls into a geographical region known as the South Midlands an area that ecompasses the north of the South East, and the southern extremities of the East Midlands...
.
The need for water
Each lock uses 50000 gallons (227.3 m³) of water every time a boat passes so the main canal needs to find an adequate supply from the local watercourses. Fortunately the north-facing escarpment of the Chiltern Hills has an abundance of streams fed by the chalk aquiferAquifer
An aquifer is a wet underground layer of water-bearing permeable rock or unconsolidated materials from which groundwater can be usefully extracted using a water well. The study of water flow in aquifers and the characterization of aquifers is called hydrogeology...
.
The main line of the canal, then called the Grand Junction Canal
Grand Junction Canal
The Grand Junction Canal is a canal in England from Braunston in Northamptonshire to the River Thames at Brentford, with a number of branches. The mainline was built between 1793 and 1805, to improve the route from the Midlands to London, by-passing the upper reaches of the River Thames near Oxford...
, was authorised by an Act of Parliament
Act of Parliament
An Act of Parliament is a statute enacted as primary legislation by a national or sub-national parliament. In the Republic of Ireland the term Act of the Oireachtas is used, and in the United States the term Act of Congress is used.In Commonwealth countries, the term is used both in a narrow...
obtained in 1793. A second Act was obtained on 28 March 1794, which authorised the construction of branches to Buckingham
Buckingham
Buckingham is a town situated in north Buckinghamshire, England, close to the borders of Northamptonshire and Oxfordshire. The town has a population of 11,572 ,...
, Aylesbury
Aylesbury
Aylesbury is the county town of Buckinghamshire in South East England. However the town also falls into a geographical region known as the South Midlands an area that ecompasses the north of the South East, and the southern extremities of the East Midlands...
, and Wendover
Wendover
Wendover is a market town that sits at the foot of the Chiltern Hills in Buckinghamshire, England. It is also a civil parish within Aylesbury Vale district...
. The Wendover branch was conceived as a non-navigable feeder, which would carry water from springs and streams in the Wendover area to the Tringford reservoir
Reservoir
A reservoir , artificial lake or dam is used to store water.Reservoirs may be created in river valleys by the construction of a dam or may be built by excavation in the ground or by conventional construction techniques such as brickwork or cast concrete.The term reservoir may also be used to...
s which fed the Tring summit locks. However, the cost of widening it was small, and so it was always a navigable channel from the time of its completion in 1797.
Decline
The Wendover Arm itself only had a working life of 100 years. Part of its downfall was that some sections leaked. Much of it was repuddledPuddling (engineering)
Puddle is a watertight material based on clay used in building and maintaining canals or reservoirs. Puddling is the process of lining the channel with puddle....
within 10 years of its construction, to try to prevent some of the leakage. On one occasion a section known as The Narrows leaked so much that it caused a flood in a large neighbouring property called Aston Clinton House
Aston Clinton House
Aston Clinton House was a large mansion to the south-east of the village of Aston Clinton in Buckinghamshire, England....
. In 1897, which was drier than usual, the Grand Union company decided that the arm was leaking more water than it was supplying, and stop planks were used to block off the arm at Little Tring. The stop planks were replaced by a stop lock, which was operational by 1901.
By 1904, the decision had been made to abandon the arm as a navigation. The top four miles were again repuddled, the water level was lowered, and all of the water flowing along it was fed into Wilstone reservoir. This put an extra load on the pumps at Tringford, as the Wilstone reservoir is at a lower level than the Tringford one. A pipeline was therefore laid from a sump at Drayton Beauchamp
Drayton Beauchamp
Drayton Beauchamp is a village and civil parish within Aylesbury Vale district in Buckinghamshire, England. It is in the east of the county, near the border boundary Hertfordshire, about six miles from Aylesbury and two miles from Tring.-History:...
to the Tring pumping station, along the bed of the disused canal, so that water arrived at the pumps at a higher level. The new system was still not satisfactory, due to the large variations in flow along the feeder, and it was redesigned in 1912. Following reconstruction, the water was pumped directly into the main line, with surplus water flowing into Tringford reservoir. The section between Wendover and Drayton Beauchamp remained in water, resembling a chalk stream
Chalk stream
Chalk streams have characteristics which set them apart from watercourses associated with other rock types.Aside from those with an interest in the geological and ecological disciplines, the term chalk stream is most widely used among a small group of fly fishermen ,...
.
Wendover Arm Trust
In 1989 the Wendover Trust was formed as a Charitable body with the aim of restoring and promoting the canal. Members and volunteers of the trust have even appeared at the Lord Mayor's ShowLord Mayor's Show
The Lord Mayor's Show is one of the longest established and best known annual events in London which dates back to 1535. The Lord Mayor in question is that of the City of London, the historic centre of London that is now the metropolis's financial district, informally known as the Square Mile...
in the City of London
City of London
The City of London is a small area within Greater London, England. It is the historic core of London around which the modern conurbation grew and has held city status since time immemorial. The City’s boundaries have remained almost unchanged since the Middle Ages, and it is now only a tiny part of...
driving JCB tractors.
The trust is funded primarily by donations (with some funding from British Waterways), with the major fund-raising activity being the annual canal festival which began in 1990.
Restoration is currently in Phase 2, with plans being developed for the third and final stage.
The trust accepts volunteers to work on the restoration, as well as members and donors.
Phase 1
Phase 1 of the restoration involved the first 1.3 miles (2.1 km) of the canal from Bulbourne Junction (51.8156°N 0.6538°W) to Little Tring Farm (51.8072°N 0.6741°W). Major engineering work included the refurbishment of the stop lock, and the construction of a winding basinWinding hole
A winding hole is a widened area of a canal , used for turning a canal boat such as a narrowboat. "Winding" is pronounced as in a flow of air, not as in to rotate.-Etymology:...
at the terminus, to allow boats to turn round. Between the two, Little Tring Road crossed the course of the canal on an embankment which was constructed in 1973 when the original bridge was demolished. This was replaced by a new reinforced concrete bridge, built to a traditional design, which is faced with bricks to give it an authentic appearance. Funding was provided by the Wendover Arm Trust, and the award-winning bridge was completed by British Waterways
British Waterways
British Waterways is a statutory corporation wholly owned by the government of the United Kingdom, serving as the navigation authority in England, Scotland and Wales for the vast majority of the canals as well as a number of rivers and docks...
in 2000/1 at a cost of £223,055.
Key dates are
- Completed November 2004
- re-watered March 2005
- opened 28 March 2005
The total cost of Phase 1 was £400,340.
Phase 2
Phase 2 involves a 1¾-mile dry section from Little Tring to Drayton Beauchamp (51.799°N 0.6915°W).This phase is expected to be completed in 2010.
Phase 3
Phase 3, from Drayton Beauchamp via Buckland WharfBuckland, Buckinghamshire
Buckland is a village and civil parish in Aylesbury Vale district in Buckinghamshire, England. The village near the boundary with Hertfordshire, close to Aston Clinton.-History:...
(51.7942°N 0.707°W) and Halton
Halton, Buckinghamshire
Halton is a small village and is also a civil parish within Aylesbury Vale district in Buckinghamshire, England about 2 miles from Wendover and 5 miles from Aylesbury. It lies just outside the Metropolitan Green Belt so it has not been protected from postwar housing development...
(51.7833°N 0.735°W) to Wendover (51.766°N 0.7411°W), requires major engineering work to three road bridges. This section has never been de-watered but is environmentally sensitive.