Middle Level Navigations
52°27′40″N 0°14′28″W / 52.461°N 0.241°W
Middle Level Navigations | |
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Specifications | |
Maximum boat length | 80 ft 0 in (24.38 m) |
Maximum boat beam | 11 ft 0 in (3.35 m) |
Locks | 6 |
Status | Navigable |
Navigation authority | Middle Level Commissioners |
History | |
Original owner | Bedford Level Commissioners |
Geography | |
Start point | Peterborough |
End point | Salters Lode |
Connects to | River Nene, River Great Ouse |
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The Middle Level Navigations are a network of waterways in
The Middle Level Main Drain to Wiggenhall St Germans was completed in 1848, which provided better drainage because the outfall was lower than that at Salters Lode. Whittlesey Mere, the last remaining lake, was drained soon afterwards, using one of the first applications of John Appold's centrifugal pump, following its appearance at the Great Exhibition in 1851. Traffic on the network began to diminish after the opening of the railway through March in 1846, and fell dramatically in the early twentieth century. The last regular commercial traffic was the tanker barge Shellfen, which delivered fuel oil to pumping stations until 1971.
As a result of the drainage, land levels continued to fall, and in 1934 the gravity outfall at Wiggenhall St Germans was replaced by a pumping station, with three diesel engines driving 8 ft 6 in (2.6 m) diameter pumps. Its capacity was increased in 1951, and again in 1969–70, when two of the engines were replaced by electric motors. Following over 50 hours of continuous running at maximum capacity in 1998, a new pumping station was commissioned. Work on it began in 2006, and when it was completed in 2010, it was the second largest pumping station in Europe. Much of the drainage of the Middle Levels relies on pumping, and the Commissioners manage over 100 pumping stations throughout the area.
Interest in restoration of the Middle Levels for leisure traffic began in 1949, and the first significant work by volunteers occurred in 1972, when they worked on the restoration of Well Creek, which finally reopened in 1975. Since then, locks have been lengthened, to allow access by modern narrowboats, as they were built for Fen Lighters, which were only 49 feet (15 m) long. The southern reaches became more accessible in 2006, when a low Bailey bridge was raised by soldiers from the 39 Engineer Regiment. The system is managed by Commissioners, and they are the fourth largest navigation authority in Great Britain.
History
The Middle Levels of
Establishment
The next significant advance was in 1630, when the Dutch Engineer
Within the level, there were four large lakes or meres, of which the biggest was
The system was enhanced in 1796 by the opening of the Wisbech Canal, which linked the Well Creek at Outwell to the River Nene at Wisbech. It followed the line of the Wellstream, another ancient waterway. At Outwell the Well Creek is also joined by the old course of the River Nene.[5]
Development
A new Act of Parliament was obtained in 1810, as the 1754 Act did not make sufficient provision for the funding of drainage works, and in some cases ensured that flood relief could not be given until the land had flooded. The new Act transferred responsibility from the Bedford Level Corporation to local Commissioners, who had to be land-owners. They had powers to charge a levy on all land which could be taxed under the Eau Brink Acts.[5] Between 1824 and 1839, John Dyson Jr was employed as the resident engineer by the Bedford Level Commissioners. He had been recommended by John Rennie, and was charged with the reconstruction of ten locks and sluices, together with "a great many other works of great importance", for which the estimated cost was between £50,000 and £60,000. The work included the rebuilding of Salters Lode sluice, which Dyson oversaw himself, as no suitable tenders were received when the work was advertised. It was completed by 1832.[8] Sluices and bridges at Stanground, Welches Dam, and the end of the Old Bedford River, near Salters Lode, were also rebuilt.[5]
As the land dried, the
1862 was also the year in which the Wiggenhall sluice collapsed and around 9 square miles (23 km2) of the levels were flooded. Sir John Hawkshaw constructed a new sluice, consisting of a large cofferdam, with 16 tubes, each 3 feet 6 inches (1.1 m) in diameter, which passed over the top of it. The tops of these pipes were 20 feet (6.1 m) above the inlet and outlet, and an air pump was used to remove the air from them, so that the water would syphon over the cofferdam. It was the only time that such a solution was tried in the Fens, and it was supplemented in 1880 by a more conventional gravity sluice, also constructed by Hawkshaw, as it was unable to discharge sufficient water.[9]
Some commercial traffic on the waterways continued despite the railway competition, with 44,034 tons generating £733 of tolls in 1888, which enabled the Commissioners to show a profit of £216. Traffic had fallen slightly to 42,640 tons in 1898, but by 1905 was down to 12,770 tons, and the Commissioners showed a loss of £702 that year. An Alderman giving evidence to the Royal Commission on Canals and Waterways in 1905 pointed out that one of the railway companies had been paying to collect traffic in hay and straw, although this practice ceased when it became public knowledge. The condition of the Nene and the Wisbech Canal declined, which discouraged navigation, but some trade in agricultural produce, coal, bricks and road building materials continued. Coal was delivered by barge from Outwell Depot to around 40 pumping stations.[12]
There were a few regular carriers left by the 1920s, one of whom ran Jackson's Navy, using horses to tow the barges, and steam tugs after 1930. When the company stopped trading in 1948, sugar beet traffic was carried to Ely in boats owned by the beet factory for another ten years. Fuel oil for the pumping stations was supplied by the tanker barge Shellfen until 1971, by which time the Well Creek was almost impassible.[13]
Pumping stations
The effect of drainage on the light peaty soils was that further shrinkage occurred, and land levels continued to fall. By the late 1920s, gravity discharge alone could no longer be relied upon to provide an adequate level of flood protection, and a change to pumped drainage began. A new sluice and pumping station were constructed at St Germans, which was completed in 1934.
From 1977 to 1983, a series of improvements were carried out, which included the construction of a pumping station at Tebbits Bridge on Bevills Leam, preventing navigation along this channel to the southern reaches of the Middle Levels. A new lock was constructed at Lodes End to provide an alternative route. The banks of the Old River Nene were raised and clay
The Tebbitt's Bridge pumping station houses six Allen 3-foot-3-inch (0.99 m) diameter pumps, each capable of pumping 260 Ml/d. Three of them are powered by 225 bhp (168 kW) electric induction motors, manufactured by Lawrence Scott, which are controlled automatically, while the other three are powered by Dorman 274 bhp (204 kW) diesel engines, which are controlled manually. There is a standby generator, to cope with loss of the electric supply, and when all six pumps are operational, the station can pump 1,586 Ml/d, equivalent to 18 tonnes per second.[15]
In April 1998, the St Germans pumping station ran at maximum capacity, which was 6,134 Ml/d (or 71 tonnes per second), for over 50 hours,[16] and this led to the decision to replace it with a brand new installation, with 40% extra capacity. Work started in December 2006, and the pumping station, which is the second largest in Europe, includes a glass wall to enable visitors to see the pumps.[17] The new station was commissioned on 22 April 2010, after which the old station was demolished. A formal opening ceremony was held on 20 April 2011,[18] when the station was opened by Lord James Russell, brother of the Duke of Bedford, and a descendant of the Earl of Bedford who started the process of draining the Fens in the seventeenth century.[19] There are more than one hundred smaller pumping stations scattered throughout the system to maintain the water levels and prevent flooding.[1]
Restoration
Local interest in restoring the Middle Levels for navigation began to develop in 1949. The Fenlands Branch of the Inland Waterways Association was formed on 30 October 1949, and following assurances from the Ouse Catchment Board that they were planning to restore the river for navigation up to Bedford, the branch decided to devote their energies to the Middle Levels, which were weedy and heavily silted.[20] Salters Lode lock was rebuilt in 1963, but passage along Well Creek was very difficult. The East Anglian Waterways Association and the Middle Level Watermans Club began campaigning for it to be dredged in 1964.[21] The first major working party by volunteers on the system occurred in 1972, when the Well Creek Trust organised a project called 'Fenatic' in October, which involved draining the creek so that it could be cleared of rubbish.[22] It was reopened for traffic in 1975.[13]
When the navigations were built, the boats using them were traditional
Access to the southern reaches of the Levels was improved in 2006, when soldiers from the 53rd Field Squadron of the 39 Engineer Regiment raised the level of a Bailey bridge at Ramsey Hollow. This had previously restricted passage, as it was very low, but the exercise increased the headroom by 3 ft (0.9 m). The Inland Waterways Association raised the funding for the additional materials required, and the reconstruction opened up a 33-mile (53 km) cruising ring on the Levels.[25]
Today
The navigations are managed by the Middle Level Commissioners, who are responsible for about 120 miles (190 km) of waterway, of which around 100 miles (160 km) are navigable.[26] The Commissioners are also responsible for six locks and a number of pumping stations, and are the fourth largest navigation authority in Great Britain.[27]
The navigations often form a short cut for boaters between the River Nene at Peterborough and the River Great Ouse at Salters Lode Lock. The suggested route passes through Stanground Sluice, along King's Dyke to Ashline Lock, and then along Whittlesey Dike to Flood's Ferry junction. From here the route is along the old course of the River Nene, passing through the twin villages of Outwell and Upwell, where the abandoned Wisbech Canal once formed a route back to the new course of the River Nene. The final stretch to Salters Lode lock is along Well Creek, passing over the top of the Middle Level Main Drain on Mullicourt Aqueduct.[24]
The alternative route via Horseway sluice and the Old Bedford River is unusable, as the lock at Welches Dam was declared unsafe and closed in 2006, and a reedbed has taken hold.[28][29] Very low water levels between Horseway sluice and Welches Dam lock often prevented passage.[24][30] This stands to be improved, however, as part of the Fens Waterways Link project, which includes plans for improving the route through the Middle Levels from Stanground to Salters Lode and to Welches Dam.[31]
Points of interest
Point | Coordinates (Links to map resources) |
OS Grid Ref | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
St Germans pumping station | 52°42′12″N 0°21′02″E / 52.7033°N 0.3505°E | TF589143 | St Germans pumping station |
Salters Lode Lock | 52°35′23″N 0°20′25″E / 52.5898°N 0.3403°E | TF586016 | access to River Great Ouse |
Mullicourt Aqueduct | 52°36′09″N 0°15′32″E / 52.6025°N 0.2590°E | TF530029 | crosses main drain |
Marmount Priory Lock | 52°35′22″N 0°11′43″E / 52.5894°N 0.1953°E | TF488013 | |
Horseway Sluice | 52°27′41″N 0°06′42″E / 52.4614°N 0.1118°E | TL435869 | unusable in 2013 |
Ashline Lock | 52°33′03″N 0°07′30″W / 52.5509°N 0.1250°W | TL272964 | |
Stanground Sluice | 52°33′36″N 0°13′06″W / 52.5601°N 0.2182°W | TL208972 | access to River Nene |
Lodes End Lock | 52°28′08″N 0°06′25″W / 52.4689°N 0.1070°W | TL286873 | |
Tebbits Bridge pumping station | 52°30′19″N 0°09′54″W / 52.5054°N 0.1649°W | TL246913 |
Bibliography
- Blackmore, David (20 April 2011). "St German's pumping station, near King's Lynn, officially opened". Eastern Daily Press. Archived from the original on 6 December 2020. Retrieved 6 December 2020.
- Blair, Andrew Hunter (2006). Fenland Waterways of the Middle Level. Imray Laurie Norie and Wilson. ISBN 978-0-85288-994-7.
- Boyes, John; Russell, Ronald (1977). The Canals of Eastern England. David and Charles. ISBN 978-0-7153-7415-3.
- Cumberlidge, Jane (2009). Inland Waterways of Great Britain (8th Ed.). Imray Laurie Norie and Wilson. ISBN 978-1-84623-010-3.
- Hinde, K. S. G. (2006). Fenland Pumping Engines. Landmark Publishing Ltd. ISBN 978-1-84306-188-5.
- Page, William; Proby, Granville; Ladds, S Inskip, eds. (1936). "The Middle Level of the Fens and its reclamation". A History of the County of Huntingdon. Victoria County History. Vol. 3. Retrieved 30 December 2010.
- Skempton, Sir Alec; et al. (2002). A Biographical Dictionary of Civil Engineers in Great Britain and Ireland: Vol 1: 1500 to 1830. Thomas Telford. ISBN 0-7277-2939-X.
- Sly, Rex (2003). From Punt to Plough - The History of the Fens. Sutton Publishing. ISBN 978-0-7509-3398-8.
- Smith, William P (2021). The Ancient Town of Wella. Carillson Publications. ISBN 978-09543997-6-4.
- Squires, Roger (2008). Britain's restored canals. Landmark Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84306-331-5.
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "St Germans Pumping Station: History". Middle Level Commissioners. Archived from the original on 9 October 2013.
- ^ Sly 2003, p. 30
- ^ a b Blair 2006, p. 53
- ^ a b c Boyes & Russell 1977, p. 223.
- ^ a b c d e Boyes & Russell 1977, p. 225.
- ^ Boyes & Russell 1977, pp. 223–224.
- ^ Boyes & Russell 1977, pp. 224–225.
- ^ Skempton 2002, p. 201
- ^ a b c d Hinde 2006, pp. 38–40
- ^ Boyes & Russell 1977, p. 226.
- ^ Page, Proby & Ladds 1936, pp. 249–290.
- ^ Boyes & Russell 1977, pp. 227–228.
- ^ a b Boyes & Russell 1977, p. 229.
- ^ a b Hinde 2006, pp. 40–42
- ^ Hinde 2006, p. 42
- ^ "St Germans Pumping Station: Why?". Middle Level Commissioners. Archived from the original on 21 July 2011.
- ^ "St Germans Pumping Station: How?". Middle Level Commissioners. Archived from the original on 21 July 2011.
- ^ "St Germans Pumping Station Formal Opening" (PDF). Middle Level Commissioners. pp. 17, 21. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 October 2015. Retrieved 27 June 2013.
- ^ Blackmore 2011.
- ^ Squires 2008, pp. 24–25.
- ^ Squires 2008, p. 51.
- ^ Squires 2008, p. 79.
- ^ a b Cumberlidge 2009, pp. 192–199
- ^ ISSN 0309-1422.
- ^ "Ramsey Hollow bridge raised". Inland Waterways Association. 10 December 2005. Archived from the original on 13 August 2012. Retrieved 22 June 2011.
- ^ "About Us". Middle Level Commissioners. Archived from the original on 19 September 2020. Retrieved 22 June 2011.
- ^ "Navigation". Middle Level Commissioners. Archived from the original on 4 August 2007. Retrieved 22 June 2011.
- ^ "Lock at Welches Dam".
- ^ "Navigation Notes for 2013" (PDF). Middle Level Commissioners. p. 12. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 April 2013.
- ^ Blair 2006, p. 29
- ^ "Fens Waterways Link overview". Inland Waterways Association. Archived from the original on 6 August 2012. Retrieved 22 June 2011.
External links
Media related to Middle Level Navigations at Wikimedia Commons