Northern Canals Association Meeting, Pinxton Village, 4th October 2009
Report by Peter Keen

Whenever possible SCARS representatives attend the NCA meetings to maintain contact with other Societies regarding their progress in restoration work and discuss any problems encountered. The meetings also afford excellent opportunities to make site visits to other canals which would not usually be possible.

The October meeting took place at Pinxton, a small settlement at the terminus of the similarly named north eastern arm of the Cromford Canal. The latter's main line passes from Cromford, Derbyshire, to Langley Mill Lock at its junction with the Erewash Canal in Nottinghamshire. One of its instigators was Richard Arkwright who had built the world's first successful water powered cotton spinning mill in Cromford in 1771. He wanted an efficient transport method for his raw cotton and finished yarn but the canal also carried iron, lead, building stone and, of course the staple of most canals, coal.

The day kicked off with a presentation on the Cromford by Mike Kelley, the Vice Chairman of the Friends of the Cromford Canal. Whilst IWAC regards this canal as being of national importance much of its course has been abandoned, neglected or even totally destroyed. Mike however described the canal as a "sleeping beauty" only awaiting the necessary restoration to bring huge benefits to what is officially designated a deprived area. The tourist potential is enormous since the restored canal could act as the link between large numbers of already existing tourist attractions including preserved railways, a tram museum, a working beam engine, formal gardens, countryside walks and other industrial heritage sites.

The Cromford, the work of Benjamin Outram and Josiah Jessop, dates from 1794, and boasts amongst its engineering features three aqueducts, three tunnels, a long elevated embankment, and a set of 14 locks, all located between Langley Mill and Ironville. Remarkably, considering the nature of the landscape through which the canal passes, the remainder of the canal is lock free. The north western section is cruised annually to demonstrate its capability but through traffic is barred by the collapse of the Butterly Tunnel. This never had a tow path and was negotiated with the aid of teams of "leggers" who would lie on the boats and walk against the tunnel walls to propel the vessel along. Other obstacles can be seen in the dye works which were built across the course of the canal, the complete destruction of parts of the canal by open cast mining and the demolishing of one of the aqueducts in order to widen the road beneath, Ironically, only two years after this demolition took place, a preservation order was placed upon the canal.

Initially a group devoted to the restoration of the Erewash Canal, which joined the Cromford at Langley Mill, the Friends of the Cromford Canal began in 2002, since when they have made a great deal of progress. Working with WRG, volunteers have cleared many sections of the canal and tow path of vegetation and rubbish, raising the profile of the group and winning increasing public support. It has managed to obtain the services of the actor Brian Blessed as president, a man accustomed to making lots of noise to achieve his objectives. The local MP is actively supportive, and Derbyshire Country Council has been supportive from the outset, anticipating the benefits the restored canal could bring. Various events have been organised including the Pinxton Push and the Level Pond Plod, two sponsored walks in which over 200 walkers participated.

A major problem occurred when UK Coal decided to carry out open cast mining across part of the canal's course. For well over a year the Friends were unable to make any contact with UKC for discussion purposes and it was only after their MP became involved that the contact was eventually made, too late to prevent the mining from taking place.

The canal disappeared from what the Friends call the "Smotherfly "section and the landscape was completely changed. However, in preparation for mining the coal, UKC had to divert the River Erewash and following energetic campaigning to prevent this temporary channel from being filled in, it is hoped that the canal will be rerouted along it.

The Smotherfly Section and Pinxton Wharf

Mike then handed over to John Boucher, the Friends' Honorary Engineer, who is a retired engineer, a priceless asset for any restoration society. His brief was to address the major engineering problems.

The open-cast mining has already been mentioned. The river diversion channel which it is hoped will cater for the re-routed canal is at a lower level than the original canal. However the large quantity of top-soil, sub-soil and other overburden had been stockpiled to back-fill the channel. Now it is intended to be used to realign the canal levels on either side of the opencast section. Any excess materials will be landscaped in the immediate area, and dredgings from the canal will also be used to promote new plant growth. Two tow paths are to be provided at this section, a low level one for fishermen and a higher one for other users. Excess water will be spilled into the restored River Erewash so the canal is acting within the flood control system to reduce flooding downstream.

Road bridges which have been demolished will of course have to be provided when water is restored to the canal. As with the Sankey, bridges were swing bridges and will have to be of a similar type when replaced.

Butterley Tunnel, of 3100 yards length, is more than a horizontal hole in the ground. Its bore varies from point to point where provision was made for boats pass or to moor to receive their cargoes of coal, from mines connected by both vertical shafts and horizontal drifts, all of which opened out inside the tunnel. Butterly Iron Works was built above the tunnel and it too used vertical shafts for the transfer of materials from works to boats. Underground winding holes were also provided so that boats did not have to travel loaded through the tunnel only to turn round and have to traverse the whole of the tunnel again.

Pinxton Wharf was once the scene of great activity with an extensive colliery, lime kilns and a pottery with all the ancillary buildings and living accommodation such activities would have called for. Today there is no sign of these industries, indeed the only sign of habitation is the Boat Inn, presently undergoing refurbishment. Today the terminal basin is a tranquil place, a fishing pond, picnic site and host to local families taking the air.

The site visit in the afternoon enabled the delegates to see first hand the terminal wharf, the Boat Inn and the open cast site with its landscaped areas, spoil heaps ( now adopted by the public as part of the local footpath network) and the river channel diversion which could become the new canal.

Boston barrier and the Boston and Spalding Link

The next speaker was Brian Woolford who addressed the meeting as a representative of the Environment Agency which has responsibility for the drainage of the flat land around Boston and The Wash. Whilst the water courses involved are man-made, or adaptations of existing waterways, they are of interest to canal organisations as part of the countrywide system of flood control which is becoming increasingly important under the threat of global warming.

Computer models have shown that Boston itself is vulnerable to high tidal surges up the Haven, a tidal watercourse which passes through the town, formed by the confluence of the River Witham and the North/South Forty Foot Drains. Over 45,000 properties are at risk so the project is of great importance. An existing barrier affords some protection but forecasts of higher sea levels mean that this would be inadequate. The new barrier is planned to be downstream of the present one and much higher. It will incorporate a lock to allow sea going vessels to access the town and could include provision for the production of hydro electric power, using the tidal flow to produce energy.

It will lie flat on the river bed for some of the time and partly or fully raised at others according to demand. The water level in the area between the barriers will be varied according to the state of the tide and the wind so as to provide maximum protection.

There are various limitations on the new barrier. Most importantly, its construction must not transfer the flood risk to adjacent areas which have no extra protection. It must not allow the salinity of the river water upstream of the barriers become greater than that which already exists. When planning water levels within the system it must consider the clearance between these and the existing bridges. The design must incorporate some means of flushing out silt deposits which would otherwise prevent or hinder its operation.

A number of historic hulks, partially submerged in the sand have been declared as being of archaeological interest so provision must be made for their protection, recording and possible recovery.

The timetable for the scheme commences with the initial appraisal ( 2009 to 2013) and goes on with the detailed design work (2013 to 2015) and the construction phase (2015 to 2017).

Brian went on to describe an ambitious plan to create 80 kms of new waterway in the flat lands between Boston and Spalding, at a cost of between £25M and £50M, by improving existing channels, creating new channels and cutting new links between them. The proposals will join the two places along the South Forty Foot Drain, the River Glen, Vernatt's Drain and the River Welland via Surfleet Seas End.

The SFFD is a typical local watercourse, arrowing straight across the landscape for some miles. It carries surface run off and its flow therefore varies according to the weather. The intention is to deepen its channel and improve the flow to prevent future silting. Close to the River Glen, the Drain, by this time much smaller, makes a sharp turn away from the river. By installing a link between the two, water can be led off via two waterways rather than the existing one.

A sluice on the River Glen is presently an obstacle to navigation. By converting this into a lock access becomes available in both the upstream and downstream directions.

At present boaters on the River Glen and Vernatt's Drain must travel a considerable distance north eastwards to the confluence with the River Welland before turning back to travel south westwards along that river to Spalding. A new link is proposed which will cut across the narrow neck of land which separates the waterways thus reducing journey distance and time.

These plans would only be phase one of an on going programme of improvement work along the Welland. Beyond Spalding, to the south, is Croland, the next target. Improving access here would be mainly a dredging operation with a bit of channel tweaking here and there.

In the present economic climate it is a refreshing change to see the E.A. going ahead with a project of this nature and it is to be congratulated on its positive attitude.

Volunteers and Paper Work

The last session of the meeting concerned the new designation of volunteers as "Self Supervised" and how this could be achieved. It stemmed from the successful restoration of the Bugsworth Basin, in Derbyshire, by the Inland Waterways Protection Society. Having completed the project over a great many years the Society was invited to take a role in the on-going maintenance programme by B.W. This they agreed to do. To eliminate the need for a B.W. person to be present at any project the volunteers had to agree to self supervision but to do this they had to assure BW that they were responsible, skilful and fully aware of health and safety requirements on the proposed work site. The requirements are covered in a B.W. information pack which gives details of possible activities, guidance notes, health and safety issues, management methodology and risk assessment.

When work commenced at Bugsworth the pioneer canal restoration volunteers used their own common sense in carrying out the work. They used unsophisticated methods and non specialised equipment, improvising as they went along. Over the years there has been a tendency to look more formally at the tasks undertaken, to consider the risks involved, to plan ahead more carefully and to make detailed records of what has been achieved. B.W. has taken this further and produced a framework of requirements which can be adapted as the volunteers see fit.

Restoration Societies have always planned their work carefully but by examining the BW Framework and completing the questionnaire provided they can be made aware of any deficiencies in their organisation and provide appropriate replacement activity.

The questionnaire covers a range of topics and activities, most of which the party leader would have factored in to the planning process, but some are more vital than others. An adequate health and safety policy is essential to protect the Societies and individual volunteers. The planning and implementation of the work should consider personal skills available, equipment, materials, accommodation and food. Records of training and qualifications should be available on site in case they are needed. There should be written site regulations which would be inspected by all new volunteers and signed by them to indicate that they had done so.

The Self Supervised qualification applies to any group working on B.W. waterways but if this has not been obtained the work could still go ahead under B.W. supervision. Volunteers on other waterways need not undergo the somewhat onerous task of completing the questionnaire but the speaker suggested that they should nevertheless send for the information pack and adopt as many of its recommendations as possible, thus making a safer and more enjoyable project, where targets are clear cut and all the necessary requirements are to hand.

Society Round-ups

Unlike at previous meetings it was proposed that, rather than present their reports verbally, representatives should submit them in written form for later circulation to those who had attended the meeting. This was agreed and a most enjoyable event was drawn to a close. Or was it? See item on "Perks of the Job", next.

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