Buckingham Arm
Encyclopedia
The Buckingham Arm is a canal
that once ran from Cosgrove, Northamptonshire
to Buckingham
(in England
). It was built as an arm of the Grand Junction Canal, in two separate phases, opening in 1800 and 1801. It was disused from 1932, but was not finally abandoned until 1964. It is now the subject of a restoration project.
was authorised by an Act of Parliament
, and the act made provision for an arm from the main line to Old Stratford
, ending at the former Roman road of Watling Street
, which was a major communications route. The continuation to Buckingham was surveyed in 1793, and included in another Act of Parliament, passed in September 1794, which authorised the construction of the Aylesbury
, Buckingham and Wendover
arms.
The initial section to Old Stratford was to be constructed as a broad canal, capable of use by boats which were 14 feet (4.3 m) wide. The Grand Junction Canal had to cross the River Great Ouse
at Wolverton
, and the original plan was to construct a crossing on the level, with a flight of locks down one side of the valley and another up the other side. The Old Stratford branch would have had a junction with the main line at the lowest level, and followed the course of the Great Ouse valley. From Old Stratford, the canal was to continue as a 7 feet (2.1 m) narrow canal, which would have joined the river at Passenham
, effectively becoming a navigation, as a number of locks would have been needed along the course of the river. The plans were changed when it was decided to construct a high level crossing of the Great Ouse, ruling out the possibility of a junction, and so the arm left the main line just above Cosgrove lock, following the north side of the Great Ouse valley, and resulted in a canal which was on one level for most of its length, with just two locks as it approached Buckingham.
The Grand Junction Canal, which included the two flights of locks to cross the River Great Ouse, opened in August 1800, and the Old Stratford arm followed six weeks later, in September. The Buckingham branch progressed quickly and was built in 8 months. A formal opening occurred on 1 May 1801, with celebrations as Buckingham. The canal was supplied with water by a feeder from the Great Ouse in Buckingham. The lock flights on the main line were replaced by two embankments and an aqueduct in 1805, but there were problems with the aqueduct, and it was replaced with an iron trough in 1811.
By the 1850s, the canal was suffering from competition from the railways, and the water supply from the river contained much silt, which was deposited in the canal, making navigation difficult. Buckingham Corporation also used the canal as a disposal point for sewage, which added to the problems. Trade continued to reduce, with the Grand Junction company resorting to legal action to prevent the dumping of sewage into the canal in 1890, but Bradshaw's Guide
of 1904 lists the upper section as "barely navigable".
In 1919, a section of the canal near Mount Mill Farm was replaced by a concrete trough, in an attempt to reduce leakage. The last recorded commercial traffic was a delivery of chemicals to Leckhampstead
in 1932. The arm was blocked at the first bridge in 1944, as a precaution against further leakage, and the temporary dam was never removed. The Buckingham branch was formally abandoned in 1964, but the Old Stratford branch was not. Despite this, the Old Stratford branch was severed by the new route of the A5 road, constructed in 1975/6, and Old Stratford basin was sold in 1991. The route of the Buckingham branch was severed by the construction of the A422 Old Stratford Bypass in 1989/90.
at Cosgrove. (The Grand Junction Canal became part of the Grand Union Canal in 1929.) Beyond this point the canal can still be followed as a trench running through open fields as far as Old Stratford
, where a housing estate has been built over the canal's route. Other remnants of the route are decipherable in the landscape as far as Buckingham.
The Buckingham Canal Society was formed in 1992, initially with the aim of clearance and photography of the remains. With encouragement from British Waterways
, who still owned part of the route, cutting down of the vegetation began on the section from Cosgrove to the A5 road. As the society grew, the restoration of the remains and reinstatement of navigation along the arm became the new aim. Other sections of the route have been tackled as negotiations with landowners have resulted in permissive access. In 2008, the structure of Hyde Lane lock was refurbished, following a grant of £38,000 from Waste
Recycling Environmental Limited (WREN) towards the £44,000 cost of the project. This enabled the lock to be restored professionally.
In 2010, Halcrow Engineering produced a report, which assessed whether the aim of restoration was realistic. While it identified a number of significant issues, including the crossings of the A5 road and the A413 ringroad, it concluded that reinstatement was feasible, and would bring economic, environmental and social benefits to the area. One possible solution to the A413 crossing would be to terminate the canal outside the ringroad, where there would be room for a new terminal basin which could form the centrepiece of other development. The estimated cost for the restoration was put at £64 million. One interesting aspect of the project is that the original Act of Parliament, granted in 1794, has not been repealed, and therefore its powers still apply. This should make it somewhat earier to achieve the aims of the society than might otherwise be the case. The first section of canal that the group intends to reopen is the stretch from Cosgrove to the A5 road near Old Stratford.
Buckinghamshire County Council
have produced a leaflet entitled The Ouse Valley Walk, which describes a walk from Buckingham to Milton Keynes
, and covers most of the canal's route.
Canal
Canals are man-made channels for water. There are two types of canal:#Waterways: navigable transportation canals used for carrying ships and boats shipping goods and conveying people, further subdivided into two kinds:...
that once ran from Cosgrove, Northamptonshire
Cosgrove, Northamptonshire
Cosgrove is a village in Northamptonshire, England about north of Stony Stratford, north of central Milton Keynes and south of Northampton along the A508 road and south-east of Towcester along the A5 road...
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 ,...
(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...
). It was built as an arm of the Grand Junction Canal, in two separate phases, opening in 1800 and 1801. It was disused from 1932, but was not finally abandoned until 1964. It is now the subject of a restoration project.
History
On 30 April 1793, the Grand Junction CanalGrand 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...
, and the act made provision for an arm from the main line to Old Stratford
Old Stratford
Old Stratford is a village in the south of the English county of Northamptonshire. The river Great Ouse forms the boundary with Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes.-Location:...
, ending at the former Roman road of Watling Street
Watling Street
Watling Street is the name given to an ancient trackway in England and Wales that was first used by the Britons mainly between the modern cities of Canterbury and St Albans. The Romans later paved the route, part of which is identified on the Antonine Itinerary as Iter III: "Item a Londinio ad...
, which was a major communications route. The continuation to Buckingham was surveyed in 1793, and included in another Act of Parliament, passed in September 1794, which authorised the construction of the 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...
, Buckingham and Wendover
Wendover Arm Canal
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 miles long, but has been un-navigable...
arms.
The initial section to Old Stratford was to be constructed as a broad canal, capable of use by boats which were 14 feet (4.3 m) wide. The Grand Junction Canal had to cross the River Great Ouse
River Great Ouse
The Great Ouse is a river in the east of England. At long, it is the fourth-longest river in the United Kingdom. The river has been important for navigation, and for draining the low-lying region through which it flows. Its course has been modified several times, with the first recorded being in...
at Wolverton
Wolverton
Wolverton is part of Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England.Wolverton may also refer to:Places in England:*Wolverton, Dorset*Wolverton, Kent*Wolverton, Hampshire*Wolverton, Shropshire*Wolverton, WarwickshirePlaces in the United States:...
, and the original plan was to construct a crossing on the level, with a flight of locks down one side of the valley and another up the other side. The Old Stratford branch would have had a junction with the main line at the lowest level, and followed the course of the Great Ouse valley. From Old Stratford, the canal was to continue as a 7 feet (2.1 m) narrow canal, which would have joined the river at Passenham
Passenham
Passenham is a small village in the civil parish of Old Stratford in South Northamptonshire, England. It is just north of the River Great Ouse, which forms the boundary with Buckinghamshire, and close to Stony Stratford in Milton Keynes.-Governance:The village parish council is joined with the...
, effectively becoming a navigation, as a number of locks would have been needed along the course of the river. The plans were changed when it was decided to construct a high level crossing of the Great Ouse, ruling out the possibility of a junction, and so the arm left the main line just above Cosgrove lock, following the north side of the Great Ouse valley, and resulted in a canal which was on one level for most of its length, with just two locks as it approached Buckingham.
The Grand Junction Canal, which included the two flights of locks to cross the River Great Ouse, opened in August 1800, and the Old Stratford arm followed six weeks later, in September. The Buckingham branch progressed quickly and was built in 8 months. A formal opening occurred on 1 May 1801, with celebrations as Buckingham. The canal was supplied with water by a feeder from the Great Ouse in Buckingham. The lock flights on the main line were replaced by two embankments and an aqueduct in 1805, but there were problems with the aqueduct, and it was replaced with an iron trough in 1811.
By the 1850s, the canal was suffering from competition from the railways, and the water supply from the river contained much silt, which was deposited in the canal, making navigation difficult. Buckingham Corporation also used the canal as a disposal point for sewage, which added to the problems. Trade continued to reduce, with the Grand Junction company resorting to legal action to prevent the dumping of sewage into the canal in 1890, but Bradshaw's Guide
George Bradshaw
George Bradshaw was an English cartographer, printer and publisher. He is best known for developing the most successful and longest published series of combined railway timetables.-Biography:...
of 1904 lists the upper section as "barely navigable".
In 1919, a section of the canal near Mount Mill Farm was replaced by a concrete trough, in an attempt to reduce leakage. The last recorded commercial traffic was a delivery of chemicals to Leckhampstead
Leckhampstead, Buckinghamshire
Leckhampstead is a village and civil parish within Aylesbury Vale district in Buckinghamshire, England. It is near the border with Northamptonshire, about three miles north east of Buckingham, and to the west of Milton Keynes....
in 1932. The arm was blocked at the first bridge in 1944, as a precaution against further leakage, and the temporary dam was never removed. The Buckingham branch was formally abandoned in 1964, but the Old Stratford branch was not. Despite this, the Old Stratford branch was severed by the new route of the A5 road, constructed in 1975/6, and Old Stratford basin was sold in 1991. The route of the Buckingham branch was severed by the construction of the A422 Old Stratford Bypass in 1989/90.
Today
The arm is closed, with the exception of a short stretch (about 100 metres) running westwards from the junction with the Grand Union CanalGrand 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...
at Cosgrove. (The Grand Junction Canal became part of the Grand Union Canal in 1929.) Beyond this point the canal can still be followed as a trench running through open fields as far as Old Stratford
Old Stratford
Old Stratford is a village in the south of the English county of Northamptonshire. The river Great Ouse forms the boundary with Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes.-Location:...
, where a housing estate has been built over the canal's route. Other remnants of the route are decipherable in the landscape as far as Buckingham.
The Buckingham Canal Society was formed in 1992, initially with the aim of clearance and photography of the remains. With encouragement from 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...
, who still owned part of the route, cutting down of the vegetation began on the section from Cosgrove to the A5 road. As the society grew, the restoration of the remains and reinstatement of navigation along the arm became the new aim. Other sections of the route have been tackled as negotiations with landowners have resulted in permissive access. In 2008, the structure of Hyde Lane lock was refurbished, following a grant of £38,000 from Waste
Recycling Environmental Limited (WREN) towards the £44,000 cost of the project. This enabled the lock to be restored professionally.
In 2010, Halcrow Engineering produced a report, which assessed whether the aim of restoration was realistic. While it identified a number of significant issues, including the crossings of the A5 road and the A413 ringroad, it concluded that reinstatement was feasible, and would bring economic, environmental and social benefits to the area. One possible solution to the A413 crossing would be to terminate the canal outside the ringroad, where there would be room for a new terminal basin which could form the centrepiece of other development. The estimated cost for the restoration was put at £64 million. One interesting aspect of the project is that the original Act of Parliament, granted in 1794, has not been repealed, and therefore its powers still apply. This should make it somewhat earier to achieve the aims of the society than might otherwise be the case. The first section of canal that the group intends to reopen is the stretch from Cosgrove to the A5 road near Old Stratford.
Buckinghamshire County Council
Buckinghamshire County Council
Buckinghamshire County Council is the upper-tier local authority for the non-metropolitan county of Buckinghamshire, in England, the United Kingdom. Its area of control does not include Milton Keynes, which is a unitary authority...
have produced a leaflet entitled The Ouse Valley Walk, which describes a walk from Buckingham to Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes , sometimes abbreviated MK, is a large town in Buckinghamshire, in the south east of England, about north-west of London. It is the administrative centre of the Borough of Milton Keynes...
, and covers most of the canal's route.
Points of interest
See also
- Canals of the United KingdomCanals of the United KingdomThe 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...
- History of the British canal systemHistory of the British canal systemThe British canal system of water transport played a vital role in the United Kingdom's Industrial Revolution at a time when roads were only just emerging from the medieval mud and long trains of pack horses were the only means of "mass" transit by road of raw materials and finished products The...