Stort Navigation
Encyclopedia
The Stort Navigation is the canal
ised section of the River Stort
running 22 kilometres (13.7 mi) from the town of Bishop's Stortford
, Hertfordshire
downstream to its confluence
with the River Lee Navigation
at Feildes Weir
near Rye House
, Hoddesdon
, Hertfordshire
.
However, there was difficulty in raising sufficient money for construction, and a second act was passed in 1766 entitled An Act for making and continuing navigable the River Stort, in the counties of Hertford and Essex. The second act empowered Charles Dingley, George Jackson and William Masterson to build the Navigation and to collect tolls.
In 1796 Jackson issued a Stort halfpenny token
for use on the Navigation. The reverse shows the course of the river with a horse drawn barge in the foreground. It was struck by Matthew Boulton
in mid-1796, despite the date on the piece (1795). Heinrich Küchler was the designer.
In 1812 and 1814 Acts were passed in Parliament to connect the River Stort to the River Cam, the new waterway was to have been called The London and Cambridge Junction Canal. However the canal was never started.
And so in proportion for any less Quantity.
Boats returning with a back lading of Oil-cake, Malt-dust, Pigeon Dung or any other Kind of Manure, which have passed up or down the River immediately before, and paid the Tolls or Rates on their Cargoes, shall be exempted from Tonnage Rate on such Manure.
Thomas Yeoman was appointed engineer for the Navigation in 1766, and it was opened to boats in the autumn of 1769. The 15 locks are built to take boats 85 feet (25.9 m) by 13 feet 3 inches (4.0 m). A survey was made in 1788 by Samuel Weston for a branch to Saffron Walden
, but this was not built.
.
It is walkable in its entire length, and the trail
is part of the bigger Papposs 1 trail
linking London
with Bishop's Stortford
, Cambridge
and The Wash
.
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:...
ised section of the River Stort
River Stort
River Stort is a tributary of the River Lea which it joins at Hoddesdon, Hertfordshire at Feildes Weir-Overview:River Stort takes its name from Bishop's Stortford, a town through which it flows. It was given the name in the 16th century....
running 22 kilometres (13.7 mi) from the town of Bishop's Stortford
Bishop's Stortford
Bishop's Stortford is a historic market town and civil parish in the district of East Hertfordshire in the county of Hertfordshire in England. It is situated just west of the M11 motorway, on the county boundary with Essex and is the closest large town to London Stansted Airport and part of the...
, Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.The county is one of the Home Counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London , Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire and...
downstream to its confluence
Confluence
Confluence, in geography, describes the meeting of two or more bodies of water.Confluence may also refer to:* Confluence , a property of term rewriting systems...
with the River Lee Navigation
River Lee Navigation
The Lee Navigation is a canalised river incorporating the River Lea . Its course runs from Hertford Castle Weir all the way to the River Thames at Bow Creek. The first lock of the navigation is Hertford Lock the last being Bow Locks....
at Feildes Weir
Feildes Weir
Feildes Weir is a weir on the River Lea located near Hoddesdon, Hertfordshire at the confluence of the River Lea and River Stort. The weir marks the start of the Lower Lee. A channel of the man-made River Lee Flood Relief Channel is incorporated into the weir.- History :The weir has had a complex...
near Rye House
Rye House
Rye House may refer to:*Rye House , a Registered Historic Place in Litchfield, Connecticut*Rye House Cobras, a speedway team*Rye House Kart Circuit, karting circuit in Rye House, Hertfordshire, England...
, Hoddesdon
Hoddesdon
Hoddesdon is a town in the English county of Hertfordshire, situated in the Lea Valley. The town grew up as a coaching stop on the route between Cambridge and London. It is located southeast of Hertford, north of Waltham Cross and southwest of Bishop's Stortford. At its height during the 18th...
, Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.The county is one of the Home Counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London , Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire and...
.
History
The first act of parliament relating to this river is entitled An Act for making the River Stort navigable, in the counties of Hertford and Essex, from the New Bridge, in the town of Bishop Stortford, into the River Lea, near a Place called the Rye, in the county of Hertford, and appointed certain persons commissioners for carrying into effect the provisions of the act.However, there was difficulty in raising sufficient money for construction, and a second act was passed in 1766 entitled An Act for making and continuing navigable the River Stort, in the counties of Hertford and Essex. The second act empowered Charles Dingley, George Jackson and William Masterson to build the Navigation and to collect tolls.
In 1796 Jackson issued a Stort halfpenny token
Token coin
In the study of numismatics, tokens are coin-like objects used instead of coins. The field of tokens is part of exonumia. Tokens are used in place of coins and either have a denomination shown or implied by size, color or shape...
for use on the Navigation. The reverse shows the course of the river with a horse drawn barge in the foreground. It was struck by Matthew Boulton
Matthew Boulton
Matthew Boulton, FRS was an English manufacturer and business partner of Scottish engineer James Watt. In the final quarter of the 18th century the partnership installed hundreds of Boulton & Watt steam engines, which were a great advance on the state of the art, making possible the...
in mid-1796, despite the date on the piece (1795). Heinrich Küchler was the designer.
In 1812 and 1814 Acts were passed in Parliament to connect the River Stort to the River Cam, the new waterway was to have been called The London and Cambridge Junction Canal. However the canal was never started.
Table of tolls
| Tonnage rates | |
| For wheat, rye, beans or peas | 0s 6d per quarter. |
| For malt or oats | 0s 4d ditto. |
| For barley, or any other sort of grain not before enumerated | 0s 5d ditto. |
| For meal or flour (five bushels to a sack) | 0s 4d per sack. |
| For coal, culm Culm Culm, in botanical context, originally referred to a stem of any type of plant. It is derived from the Latin word for 'stalk' and now specifically refers to the above-ground or aerial stems of grasses and sedges.... or cinders |
2s 6d per chaldron (£0.13/m³) |
| For lime | 2s 6d ditto (£0.13/m³) |
| For oil-cakes, malt-dust, pigeon dung or other manure of any Kind | 1s 6d per ton |
| For goods, wares or merchandize not before enumerated | 2s 6d ditto. |
And so in proportion for any less Quantity.
Boats returning with a back lading of Oil-cake, Malt-dust, Pigeon Dung or any other Kind of Manure, which have passed up or down the River immediately before, and paid the Tolls or Rates on their Cargoes, shall be exempted from Tonnage Rate on such Manure.
Thomas Yeoman was appointed engineer for the Navigation in 1766, and it was opened to boats in the autumn of 1769. The 15 locks are built to take boats 85 feet (25.9 m) by 13 feet 3 inches (4.0 m). A survey was made in 1788 by Samuel Weston for a branch to Saffron Walden
Saffron Walden
Saffron Walden is a medium-sized market town in the Uttlesford district of Essex, England. It is located north of Bishop's Stortford, south of Cambridge and approx north of London...
, but this was not built.
Present day
The Navigation is now managed by British WaterwaysBritish 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...
.
It is walkable in its entire length, and the trail
Trail
A trail is a path with a rough beaten or dirt/stone surface used for travel. Trails may be for use only by walkers and in some places are the main access route to remote settlements...
is part of the bigger Papposs 1 trail
Pappoos 1
Pappoos 1 is a walking trail that links North East London to Cambridge and The Wash- Stretch 1 : London to Cambridge :From North East London , or as far afield as the Thames the trail follows the canal up to the branch at Hoddesdon, where much of the traffic turns left to Ware and Hertford,...
linking London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
with Bishop's Stortford
Bishop's Stortford
Bishop's Stortford is a historic market town and civil parish in the district of East Hertfordshire in the county of Hertfordshire in England. It is situated just west of the M11 motorway, on the county boundary with Essex and is the closest large town to London Stansted Airport and part of the...
, Cambridge
Cambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
and The Wash
The Wash
The Wash is the square-mouthed bay and estuary on the northwest margin of East Anglia on the east coast of England, where Norfolk meets Lincolnshire. It is among the largest estuaries in the United Kingdom...
.
Further reading
- Paget-Tomlinson E, Illustrated History of Canal & River Navigations p180-181, 2006 Landmark Publishing Ltd ISBN 1843062070
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...
External links
- Stortford history site
- History of locks on the Stort Navigation
- Stort Navigation Old Postcard images in A Guide to Old Hertfordshire