ANGLIAN CUTTINGS. Ipswich Branch Newsletter. Autumn 2013 No. 126

Transcription

1 ANGLIAN CUTTINGS SUMMER REFLECTIONS Ipswich Branch Newsletter Autumn 2013 No. 126 The IWA may not agree with the opinions expressed in this publication. They are, however, published as a matter of interest to our members and readers. Nothing printed can be construed as policy or an official announcement unless stated. The IWA accepts no liability for any matter in this publication. 1

2 IWA IPSWICH BRANCH YOUR COMMITTEE Chairman - Chard Wadley chairman.ipswichbranch@waterways.org.uk Secretary & Anglia Cuttings Editor - Charles Stride secretary.ipswichbranch@waterways.org.uk editor.ipswichbranch@waterways.org.uk Treasurer Spencer Greystrong treasurer.ipswichbranch@waterways.org.uk Membership Clive Saville membership.ipswichbranch@waterways.org.uk Publicity Brian Holt pro.ipswichbranch@waterways.org.uk Social Secretary Diana Holt socialsec.ipswichbranch@waterways.org.uk River Gipping Trust Lewis Tyler RGTRep.ipswichbranch@waterways.org.uk Pickerel Project/River Stour Trust Brian Cornell pickerelrep.ipswichbranch@waterways.org.uk Officer Gerry Crease officer01.ipswichbranch@waterways.org.uk *************************** IWA Ipswich - 2

3 C H STRIDE EDITOR S PONDERINGS Well Summer did come and stayed with most of us and I am hoping that it will continue for the next few weeks as we are off to try out the Leicester Ring later this month. We last did that ring 18 years ago in 1995; although did plan it last year only to be stopped initially by closures due to lack of water, then closures due to too much water! Keeping fingers crossed. Thank you again to all those who have provided articles and photographs for this edition, a bumper one as we have It really was Summer. had to increase by four pages this time. Again we cover a range of items from right across our Branch area as well as further afield. You will also find on the back page advance notice of our AGM and I make no apologies for repeating the article on page 6 regarding the future of this Branch. The AGM will be the opportunity to come forward to join the Committee to ensure that the Branch goes forward beyond our 40th Anniversary celebrations taking place MORE SUMMER REFLECTIONS 3

4 CHAIRMAN S JOTTINGS At last we have had a brilliant summer and I hope you have all been able to take advantage of the sunshine whilst boating or enjoying other activities. At the end of May into June, Carolyn and I spent three weeks in the USA with Pauline and Charles Stride. We travelled from Washington DC up to Gettysburg to the site of the Civil War then through the Blue Ridge Mountains down to Nashville and Memphis. In Nashville we were lucky enough to attend a show at the Grand Ole Opry and in Memphis we visited Graceland, the home of Elvis Presley. This was certainly something different to our boating holidays. At the gathering on the Sunday we had 45 people in attendance and the staff of the Blue Lias did us proud serving full roast dinners and desserts. During the afternoon we had three speakers showing In July, Jan Roden, the President of the Australian Canal Society, came over for the Gathering of the Friends of the ACS which was held, as usual, at The Blue Lias, Stockton. The weekend was very hot with temperatures up in the 30s which was perfect weather for sitting in the beer garden at the end of the day by the canal. From the Friday, members of the ACS gradually arrived in their narrow boats and by the Sunday we had 9 boats moored outside the Blue Lias. slides, one being our own Spencer Greystrong giving a talk on the River Gipping. Everyone had a great time and said how much they enjoyed the talk given by Spencer. After those who arrived by car said their goodbyes, those of us on boats spent a pleasant evening sitting under the trees where one of our members, Phil, ran a quiz after dividing 4

5 us up into 4 teams; this made an enjoyable end to the weekend. supported. Just to remind you that we will not be holding the usual annual dinner in March As you would have read in the last Anglian Cuttings a lunch will now be held on the 4 th October 2014 at the Cedars Hotel in Stowmarket as part of the Celebrations. 40TH ANNIVERSARY Progress is well underway for our 40 th Anniversary Celebrations with the coach trip in September 2014 being very well Please keep the date free as I will be taking names of those who wish to attend at our forthcoming winter meetings. More information will be in the next Anglian Cuttings if you are not able to attend these meetings. Bye for now. Chard Wadley MEMBERSHIP UPDATE ( Editors Note: Yes the photo above is your very own Courageous Membership Officer, cleaning down after he had dived into the canal to save a young sheep that had fallen in. A passing hireboat pointed out the problem without stopping to help!! We are not sure whether DEFRA will make an award, but a Rewarding Beer will always be welcomed from any Member next time you meet him.) We gladly welcome all our new members From Norfolk: Mr. M B Jones; Mr. & Mrs. J & J Pickett. From Suffolk: Mr. M Pont and Family. From Essex: Mr. M & Mrs. S Key; Mr. K Nash Clive Saville 5

6 IPSWICH BRANCH It is thirty nine years since Ipswich Branch was founded and next year we will be celebrating our 40th Anniversary with two events to mark the occasion, details elsewhere in this edition of Anglian Cuttings. During this time the Branch has been very successful in looking after and representing the IWA s interests in the area. In particular it has, through its many volunteer members past and present, done much practical work in the maintenance and restoration of the River Gipping, Stowmarket Navigation, as well as supporting other waterways in North Essex, Suffolk and more recently Norfolk. In order for the Gipping restoration work to continue and, in particular to allow a wider access to funds and donations, it was necessary to set up a separate Trust to further this work, The River Gipping Trust is now well established and is actively taking the restoration work forward. There is still a major role for the Branch in supporting the River Gipping Trust, and other River Trusts in the area, many of which are regularly reported on in Anglian Cuttings, representing the IWA, protecting Waterway interests, and providing contact and social events with our large and widespread membership. To this end our winter social meetings continue to have a good turnout with a range of interesting speakers, and our almost annual outings are nearly always fully subscribed. To run the Branch and these activities it does need input from a number of willing Committee Members. Most of your present Committee have been in place for an extended number of years, our Chairman is one of the longest serving in the IWA with over 20 years in that position. Recent appeals at our AGM s for new members have not brought forward any volunteers, and the recent letter sent out to all Branch Members did not bring any positive response. The present Committee meets about 6 times a year, usually over lunch, and there is of course some background work and arrangements to make for any events. The present Committee is dedicated to marking the 40th Anniversary next year, but after that many of them wish to pass on the baton to fresh minds and input. It is essential therefore that new volunteer Committee Members come forward over the next 12 months, or else it is probable that the Branch will have to close and all the local activities will have to cease. PLEASE CONSIDER SUPPORTING THE CONTINUATION OF YOUR BRANCH 6

7 On Saturday 29th June the Broads Authority (BA) held their annual public meeting. This year the venue was their new workshop at Griffin Lane, Thorpe. By holding the meeting there the BA were also able to show off their new workshop and offices, as for the past few years the team have been working out of a Portacabin in the yard. After an introduction by the BA Chairman, Dr Stephen Johnson, Chief Executive Dr John Packman gave a presentation on what the BA had achieved over the past year and what its plans were for the future. This was followed by a more detailed presentation of the work ongoing on the River Chet with regard to flood defences and dredging. Before the meeting closed Dr Johnson took questions from the floor. The meeting was well attended with the room full to capacity for the first session. Also on display was the BA s new Breydon patrol boat, the "Spirit of Breydon" In the past the BA have only patrolled Breydon Water in the 7 summer months. Since taking full responsibility the BA now patrol 12 months a year and require a vessel suitable for the task. Short river trips were offered to those attending. Also moored at the yard was the BA's new mud wherry. Unlike the patrol boat this was not built locally but constructed in Ireland. One of its features is a demountable wheel house for passing under bridges in times of high water levels. Brian Holt Full details of the Broads Authority and their activities can be found on their website at: index.html

8 RESTORATION REPORT The major item to report since the last edition of Anglian Cuttings was the Annual General Meeting of the Trust which was held at the Needham Market Community Centre on 13 th June This was reasonably well attended and the statutory items were disposed of in an exemplary manner by our Chairman, Brian Annis to the extent that the AGM was all over in the space of five minutes! Charles Stride, Colin Turner and Lewis Tyler were re-elected as Directors, the Chairman s. Secretary s and Treasurer s Reports were passed and it was noted that there were currently 107 members in the Trust. This left the floor open for our principal guest Dr Charles Beardall, Area Manager Eastern Area, Environment Agency, Anglian Region his topic was the Water Frameworks Directive which, on his own admission, did not sound a particularly interesting subject! However a wealth of information was forthcoming from which the audience were able to appreciate the various duties vested on the EA and how they were implementing them. The current co-operation between the EA and the RGT was welcomed on both sides we look forward to this continuing into the future. One matter that is causing concern is the current condition of the Towpath this ultimately is the responsibility of Suffolk County Council and we are investigating how the very overgrown state can be improved. Lewis Tyler 8 Sluice Gates in Place at Baylham This summer has seen the conclusion of one long standing project and much progress on our current scheme at Pipps Ford. The installation of the new sluice gates at Baylham had been on hold for several months as we needed to install a coffer dam to work safely. Our discussions with the supplier had been frustrating, with offers of assistance that never came to fruition. However the relatively good weather over the summer came to our aid, and with water levels in the main channel of the Gipping holding low and steady, the team spotted an opportunity in early August when we could install the gates safely, without having to resort to the use of a dam. After a couple of weeks of preliminary work by a small team clearing out the last of the old decayed woodwork and setting up the site, a concerted effort by those who weren t on holiday at the time saw the new timbers slotted into place and the new structure completed in just a couple of visits. It is a tribute to the design and the workmanship of the sluice,and the organisation on site, that even after being stored in our shed for several months, the timbers were safely moved into position and fitted perfectly first time. The new sluice looks superb and I m sure will serve its purpose for another 200 years!

9 This phase of our work at Baylham is now complete, and we will be talking to the landowner soon about our future involvement in the area around the old mill. course. We are currently researching suitable consultants, and hope the IWA may be able to assist. In the meantime we are continuing to work on preparation for the footbridge, Away from Baylham much progress has been made on our other project at Pipps Ford. We are well on the way to completing the new abutment walls for the new footbridge, with just the last couple of courses of brickwork to finish off and backfill. We have been delayed a little in our wider plan here, as the Environment Agency have asked for a professional geo-morphological design for the reinstated river channel. This is to ensure that our solution complies with the European Water Framework Directive and enhances the overall quality of the water and we have been informed that the timber for the bridge itself will be cut and ready for fabrication at the start of October. Our workparties continue every Wednesday and first Saturday of each month, meeting on site at Pipps Ford Martin Bird For photographs of how it was done See over 9

10 10

11 11

12 River Stour Trust Restoring and conserving the River Stour Navigation PIRATES ON THE STOUR! Just one of the River Stour Trust s Annual Summer Events. The Pirates invaded on Bank Holiday Monday 26th August, those under 12 going free with Grown Up s paying towards the on-going restoration and conservation of the river, For More information on past and future events see their website: John Constable Lighter Passenger Services The John Constable is now available for private charters and as a floating classroom for educational visits; subject to existing bookings and commitments. The Lighter operates between Sudbury, Great Cornard and Great Henny. There are a range of trips you can enjoy, such as: Return cruise to Great Henny where passengers can disembark to enjoy a meal at The Henny Swan; A visit to our Visitor Education Centre to enjoy a picnic by the river; River trip with tea and cake at The Granary Tea Room; River trips for guests attending functions at RST venues or The Henny Swan. The River Stour Trust also owns and operates four more boats, Stour Trusty II, Rosette, Francis J and Kathleen. ALL ENQUIRIES/BOOKINGS:

13 Earsham Study Centre Opening 19th October By Grif Rhys Jones (For Trust Members So why not join now?) We are absolutely delighted that Griff Rhys Jones has kindly accepted our invitation to open the Study Centre at Earsham Open Day starting at The event will be by RSVP for members only and some invited guests, so do please click the RSVP button to let us know that you would like to come. We will send out a more complete programme for the day in about 3 weeks time but the main attractions will be: An Open Day at the River Waveney Study Centre with river walks, displays, information about our courses and projects, chances to offer help as a volunteer and more. The tearoom will be in full swing. A "Paddle with Griff" in the afternoon which will be by invitation and simple registration for all our canoeist members A formal (short!) opening ceremony by Griff An evening lecture at Diss Corn Hall at 8 p.m. by Griff - working title "3 rivers and a man" when Griff will entertain us from his great experience of sailing, canoeing and other watery exploits. Tickets will be 10/ 8 concessions and all the proceeds will be shared between RWT and Diss Corn Hall (Griff is generously donating his time with no charge to us). We know this is going to be a great day and hope as many members as possible can make it to support us, find out more about the Trusts's work and meet with many other like minded lovers of the Waveney. Go to our website www. riverwaveneytrust. org and log on using the and password you used to become a member. You can then find the event on the calendar (19 October) and a page with the brief details and an RSVP button to use. 13

14 Talking of cargo boats... This summer crews have begun learning to work the Stour lighter, John Constable, on the Sudbury Henny run. After crewing the 21ft Frolics, Rosette and Kathleen, and pontoon boat, Francis J Batten, JC feels huge at 45ft long x 10ft 6 wide, completely filling Cornard Lock and needing great care to get it round the sharp bends along the river. With electric motors our task is easier than the old boatmen s, who needed to train their horses to jump onto the foredeck to be quanted across the river whenever the towing path changed sides. From ancient times rivers have been used to transport cargoes. On the small river Stour horse-drawn wooden lighters like the John Constable were built to carry cargo, where their shallow draft and dimensions were tailored to suit their working environment. Along with carrying everyday goods for the towns and villages along the river they transported the unwanted manure from London to be spread on the fields, with bricks produced in Sudbury being a major outgoing cargo. Similarly, in Australia, large quantities of wool produced around the Murray River area was collected from the producing stations by boat, to be transported by water to Echuca Wharf where it was tranferred to the railway to travel to Melbourne for export. One such boat is the paddle steamer Pevensey, which was built to carry bulky bales of wool over long distances on the large Murray river, with a shallow draft allowing it to access the producers wharves. It was made of iron and timber as a barge 112ft long x 23ft wide in 1910 and converted into a paddle steamer in 1911 with an English-built 20hp 2 cylinder Marshalls steam engine running on fuel available locally 1 ton of red gum wood per hour when it is fully loaded with 120 tons of cargo. The wool was loaded into the hold and piled on deck up to the height of the wheelhouse, in the same way as cargo had been carried for many years on barges in England. It carried 815 bales, increased to 2000 bales by towing barges behind. A pair of Stour lighters carried 26 tons. When the river trade ended Pevensey was not holed and sunk like the John Constable, but was tied up until it was restored in 1973 in Echuca, now a centre for these paddle steamers. From here it operates tourist trips from the old, multilevel wooden wharf. On the day of our visit at the end of their summer the water level was low (as can be seen in this 14

15 for the trip, during which the skipper put the bow into the bank to pick up more passengers and turn, then concentrated once more on the small, high-speed picture of P.S. Adelaide) so we embarked from the lowest level of the wooden wharf structure. Incredibly, the river can rise to the top of the wharf in wet times - easily explained as the catchment area for the Murray River is one seventh of the area of Australia. We sat on token bales of wool on deck boats darting around us on the relatively small area of water Long may both P.S. Pevensey and the John Constable delight and educate tourists about a past way of life. Susan Brown *************************************************************************************** RESTORATION REQUIRED BUT WHERE? Chairman will award a prize to the first correct answer drawn out of his hat at the October Branch Meeting. meeting. 15

16 THE DENVER SLUICE PART TWO In the last edition of Anglian Cuttings you will recall that in April I visited the Denver Sluice Complex with the Gt. Ouse branch of IWA and I described the complex from its conception to The Denver Sluice Complex In 1947 a massive flood devastated East Anglia with over 600,000 acres under water, the worst flood ever recorded. After the floodwaters had receded it was decided to put the second part of Vermuyden s plan into action at a cost of 10.5 million, that would be 130 million today. junction of the River Cam known as Popes Corner, this improved the water flow all the way from the Cam to Denver and reduced flooding at higher flow rates. In addition to this a channel, known as The Relief Channel was dug from the Ely Ouse at Denver to join the tidal Gt. Ouse just above Kings Lynn at Saddlebow. The purpose of this channel was to drain the Ely Ouse and its tributaries directly to the sea when levels in the Gt Ouse below Denver Sluice prevented discharge. This Channel is 10.5 Miles long and runs parallel to the Gt. Ouse. It has a sluice connecting it to the Ely Ouse at Denver with 3 X 30ft. gates, which is know as the Head Sluice or the AG Wright Sluice. The Ely Ouse was widened and deepened from Denver through Ely to the 16 When fully open this sluice can pass about 15 million litres of water per second. At Saddlebow there is another sluice, this one is larger with 7 X 30ft. gates and is known as The Tail Sluice.

17 Again the land between the Relief Channel and the river can be flooded to store excess floodwater if the tide at Kings Lynn is too great for it to discharge out to sea. The relief Channel was designed so that in times of serious flood risk it would be possible to breach its banks at predetermined points to allow the water to flow onto the flood plains between the two waterways faster. This was originally by using explosives set into the breach points, later superseded by dragline. How it would happen today is not known. The second part of Vermuyden s delayed plan was to excavate what is known as The Cut Off Channel. This takes waters direct from the head waters of three of the tributaries of the Ely Ouse down to the relief channel so bypassing the Ely Ouse to reduce the flow in it and the risk of flooding. The Cut Off Channel starts where it connects to the River Lark near Barton Mills via a sluice, from here it runs northwards in a large semicircle passing under both the river Little Ouse and the Wissey before joining the relief channel. Where it passes under both the Little Ouse and the Wissey it is connected to the rivers by a sluice. Also at this point there is a second sluice in the river, so in theory at times of flood it is possible to close the sluices in the rivers so stopping all flow from them to the Ely Ouse and open the sluices to the Cut Off channel, so that all the flow from the three rivers can flow straight into the Relief Channel. Brian Holt Part Three to follow. ********************************************************************* IPSWICH BRANCH BOATS SUMMER MEMORIES 17

18 OBITUARY Doreen Ruff Sadly I am writing to say that Doreen Ruff passed away on 27 April 2013 aged 91 after a short illness. Doreen joined the committee of the Ipswich Branch in 1978 starting as the River Gipping Representative and then moved on to Sales Representative, a position she held for many years. Many of you may remember our branch meetings when Doreen would set up a table with the IWA stock for us to purchase such items as books, maps, pens, etc. In June 1996 Doreen, with her friend Rosemary, took part in the Jubilee Journey celebrating the 50 th Anniversary of the IWA. This entailed taking the Ipswich Branch section of the jigsaw on their narrow boat Reeve for the last part of its journey from Kegworth to Birmingham where it was put in place as part of a map of the waterways. Brian Cornell, Carolyn and I attended Doreen s funeral as friends and representatives of the branch. Chard Wadley 18

19 1st 2nd DATES for your DIARY BRANCH MEETINGS & EVENTS 2013/2014 Branch Meetings held at the Community Centre, School St., Needham Market At 7.30, unless otherwise stated. FRIDAY 11TH OCTOBER Talk by Peter Minter. Bulmer Brick & Tile Company FRIDAY 8TH NOVEMBER Talk by Brian Dyes, Ipswich Transport Museum Made in Britain FRIDAY 13TH DECEMBER Presentation by Geoff Doggett Chairman River Waveney Trust FRIDAY 10TH JANUARY 2014 Members Evening or Speaker tbc FRIDAY 14TH FEBRUARY AGM FRIDAY 14TH MARCH Speaker or Members Evening tbc FRIDAY 5TH SEPTMBER 2014 SUNDAY 7TH SEPTEMBER 2014 Branch 40th Anniversary Outing SATURDAY 4TH OCTOBER 2014 Branch 40th Anniversary Luncheon Stowmarket Details to come. WORKING PARTY DATES Working Parties are held by the River Gipping Trust from 0900 to 1700 every Wednesday and on the first Saturday of each month, unless that Saturday is a Bank Holiday in which case it will then be held on the second Saturday of that month. For further information and to confirm dates contact Martin Bird Tel: restoration@rivergippingtrust.org.uk 19

20 40TH ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING Notice is hereby given that the AGM of the Ipswich Branch of the Inland Waterways Association will be held at the Needham Market Community Centre, School Street, Needham Market at 7.30pm on Friday 7th February, 2014 AGENDA 1) Apologies for absence 2) Approval of the 2013 AGM Minutes 3) Matters arising from those minutes 4) Chairman s report 5) Treasurer s report and presentation of accounts 6) Adoption of the accounts 7) Election of Committee members USEFUL WEBSITES IWA Head Office - Waterway Recovery Group - River Gipping Trust - River Stour Trust - East Anglian Waterways Association Aylsham Navigation - River Waveney Association - IWA Peterborough Branch - The Broads Society - The Australian Canal Society - The Canal & River Trust - DEFRA Dept. for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs - The Inland Waterways Association is a non-profit distribution company limited by guarantee. Registered Office; Island House, Moor Road, Chesham, Buckinghamshire. HP5 1WA Tel: Web: Registered in England No Registered as a Charity No