Grantham Canal - bits of rusty metal and other interesting stuff.

'Scuse my ignorance but are these works extending an existing navigable section of canal?

It seems an awful lot of work (but very well done of course ) if it was simply restoring the lock for the canal trust to 'show off' to visitors.

 

Suggest you start at page 1 of this thread to understand about the great work that is going on there, rebuilding a lock is a tad like restoring a locomotive, it take time and a lot of it, money and patience.

 

May I refer the honourable gentleman to post #143 where I outlined the bigger, long term picture: working from the Grantham end back to the Trent

In the shorter term, there is a plan to dredge the half mile section between Lock 15 and Lock 16 (Dirty Duck pub) where the current 4 and a half mile navigable section starts. When GCS volunteers aren't working on Lock 15 (Mondays to Fridays every week ), they are clearing sections of the existing navigable length on Fridays and Saturdays. We take Sundays off to refresh our ageing bodies.

 

Yes OK, been there, done that. I realise there is a lot of works going on or to be done, I have been following this thread for some time. But having no knowledge of the local area I'd still like to know, just out of interest, if the canal is navigable up to this point. A simple yes or no would have sufficed.

And why the abrupt and completely unnecessary lecture on restoration?

 

Whoa. Hold on a minute, where's all this defensive talk coming from?
I've made no criticism of the work that has been done. It is impressive and you should be justifiably proud of what you have achieved. I know how hard volunteers work and how much time and effort they put in. I also know that some large organisations like the National Trust (and I'm assuming the Canal Trust is a similar sort of organisation) will sometimes do things for no practical reason, just for show. Hence my question, because I believe that something like this restoration is even more successful if it is returned to its proper use rather than just being left like an exhibit in a museum (like many NT properties )

 

I'm sure @baldbof can tell the story much better, but restoration of the Grantham Canal is a slow process. Currently, there's a stretch of about 4 miles navigable from the A1 at Grantham to 1/2 mile or so from lock 15 (the "Dirty Duck"), and the canal is then unnavigable to the Trent. However, after the set of locks that lock 15 is part of, there is a long reach on the level.

Part of the canal is completely dry, while there are significant challenges to be met to reopen the canal fully. One will be to create a new channel to the Trent (the existing one is completely blocked by road bridges in a way that would defy any restoration attempt); another is the access near where the canal goes under the A46.

These are all results of the canal having been fully abandoned.

On organisations, the Canal & River Trust is what used to be British Waterways, and own the canal; the Grantham Canal Society are the volunteer body.

I write this as a local resident who often walks his dog on the towpath and has tried to work out what is going on!

 

Sorry, but I don't see any defensive talk in @baldbof 's reply to you. He merely referred you back to a previous posting to answer your question about how the canal is being restored.


Keith

 

@baldbof has been doing a grand job keeping us informed of the restoration work on the lock and I aim to visit the canal as soon as possible. I must report, however, that once my interest in the canal began thanks to his posts I found it difficult to discover the state of the canal and its restoration from the website:

http://www.granthamcanal.org

A better map showing restored, being restored, abandoned etc. would help enormously.

 

Agreed. The society sell a good guide to the canal, and the maps from that would help the website considerably.

 

Oh dear, It seems that my post wasn't taken in the manner that was intended. I used the reference to a previous post to save me repeating what was written - having completely overlooked the fact that I could have used 'cut and paste'. If I've upset some sensitivity , then may I offer my apologies. My thanks for the supportive comments.

As far as us volunteers are concerned, the work we are doing at Lock 15 is part of the overall mission to restore the canal to a usable/working waterway with a new link into the River Trent which will allow boats to travel it's whole length upto Grantham - in fact, the CEO of the Canal & River Trust has stated that it is also his intention; it's his flagship project. If the intention was to display Lock 15 as an isolated exhibit similar to a locomotive that has been stuffed, mounted and put in a museum then I, for one, wouldn't spend a minute of my time getting hot, sweaty and dirty/cold, wet and dirty. The lock is being restored so it can be used for the purpose for which it was designed - the passage of boats.

As for the points raised by other posters. Yes! I agree that the maps of the canal that are published in our guide and elsewhere are very lacking in detail as to the current state of the canal. Just to compile a map for the workparty, covering the current navigable length, I spent a couple of days walking back and forth making notes and sketches that I incorporated into a schematic diagram that could be used for work planning. To do that for the whole 33 miles is not something I'd relish doing on me Jack Jones.

I will however, draw posters comments to the attention of the GCS members responsible for our publications and website and hopefully give them a gentle prod to put matters right.

 

Just a couple of photos from yesterday. I couldn't stay as I had a hospital appointment.

The brickwork for the off-side wing wall has been finished and the wall is now awaiting the capping stones to finish it off.



..and now....roll of drums...clash of cymbals....ta da!!

The lock chamber with all the scaffolding removed. This is the view from the lower end looking upstream toward the cill. The teams have made a start on cleaning the invert of the debris and detritus that accumulated there during the building phase and which the scaffolding prevented from being removed. It looks fairly benign but it's a bit slippy and care must be taken.

The tower has been installed to provide safe access to the chamber floor.



This view is taken with my back to the cill and looking downstream. Can you spot the bricks I laid??



Meanwhile, work was continuing at the top end of the lock, where my colleagues are working on the near-side letter-box and the archaeologists were mapping the upper fore-bay floor, whilst at the lower near-side wing wall more bricks were being laid.

 

Great work John


Keith

 

Well, it's the end of another year and, apart from the small matter of gates and paddles which are now scheduled for March/April plus the upper mooring wharf, this particular job is just about done.

Work has further progressed in a number of areas.

The lower wing walls have been completed with the edge capping stones now in place and the surrounding earth banks in-filled and shaped to make up the levels.

The lower nearside wing wall (photo courtesy of Bob T who is the Thursday team leader).



The off-side wing wall.



A little bit of work was required to shape the capping stone at the top of the wall.



Shaping the stop planks for the upper fore bay.



The upper stop planks in place. The plan is to move some of the temporary upper dam to allow the upper mooring wharf to be built, then restore the dam to provide a crossing place in readiness for the installation of the gates and paddles. Once the gates are installed, the dam will be permanently removed and the material possibly used for similar purposes at Lock 14.



The lump of oak for the plinth for the lower stop planks.



That lump of oak cut, shaped and bolted into place.



The stonework for near-side letter box is finished and it's awaiting the grill cover.



Stonework for the off-side letter box being positioned for sizing. The red area behind is a protective covering for the recently laid bricks of the upper off-side quadrant.



You know a project is reaching its conclusion when the landscaping is being done.



That's it for this year. In the mean time have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

 

Back to the thread title.

Here's a bit of rusty metal that was recovered from the downstream silt of Lock 15. Any ideas on what it may be. It's got the GCS volunteers a bit baffled.

 

Could it possibly be a core/framework or former of some sort for one of those elaborate decorative rope "Fenders" sometimes seen on narrowboats?

 

Isn't it what I call a 'springer'? With eyelets for ropes at each end, one end being connected to the opposite end of the outer 'spring' and the other end connected to 'hooks' that pass back through the centre to hook on the open end of the spring so that any tension on the ropes compresses the spring and it acts a bit like a shock absorber when moored?

Just guessing

EDIT, Added:- Possibly also used on tow ropes to prevent snatches breaking the rope?

 

I also think so, you often see them on expensive yatchs in tidal marinas.

Sent from my SM-T700 using Tapatalk

 

Some interesting thoughts there. I will pass your comments on to my colleague who "discovered" the article.

 

An early version of Swingball?!

 

Perhaps an underwater one?