2020

SP9012 : Wendover Arm: Partly restored section south of bridge 4A

taken 4 years ago, near to Wilstone, Hertfordshire, England

Wendover Arm: Partly restored section south of bridge 4A
Wendover Arm: Partly restored section south of bridge 4A
This section of the Wendover Arm of the Grand Union Canal is still undergoing restoration. It is partly "in water" though very shallow and un-navigable not only due to its shallowness, but mainly because it is not yet connected to the restored part of the canal. It is marked on the OS maps as "dry" but as can be seen this is not strictly true.
This photo was taken from bridge 4A (a temporary structure, see SP9012 : Wendover Arm: Bridge 4A) under which there is a temporary dam stopping this water encroaching on the fully dry section on the other (northern) side of the bridge (see SP9012 : Wendover Arm: Partly restored section north of bridge 4A).
Wendover Arm, Grand Union Canal

The Wendover Arm was planned as a feeder to supply water to the Tring Summit of the Grand Junction Canal (now the Grand Union Canal). It was completed as a navigable canal in 1797 and operated as such throughout the 19th century. However the canal leaked water and was closed early in the 20th century, and the water was piped into the reservoirs at Tring. As a result the route of the canal currently splits into three sections:
From Wendover to Drayton Beauchamp (via Halton and Buckland Wharf) the old canal channel carries what is, in environmental terms, a very healthy chalk stream. Because of the minimal human disturbance it supports a wide range of animal and plant species.
Between Drayton Beauchamp and Little Tring the canal channel is currently being relined so that it can be re-watered – allowing canal boats to travel to Buckland Wharf, where low road bridges currently prevent further progress. This work is being carried out by the Wendover Arm Trust LinkExternal link
Between Little Tring and the Tring Summit of the Grand Union Canal the canal is fully navigable, and a short section has recently been reopened to provide a winding hole. This section gives great pleasure to those who travel in barges but is environmentally far less interesting than the Wendover end because passing barges stir up the mud.

Wendover Arm Restoration

The Wendover Arm of the Grand Union Canal was originally planned as a feeder (non-navigable) canal to bring water from the Chilterns near Wendover to the reservoirs feeding the summit level of the Grand Union Canal (at the time known as the Grand Junction) near Tring. The Wendover Arm meets the G.U. a little to the NW of Bulbourne. As the marginal cost of widening the canal to navigabile dimensions was minimal, this was done and the canal opened to traffic in 1799 with a total length of 6.7miles (11km).
However it soon became apparent that the canal was plagued by leakages - so much so, that at times far from providing water to the G.U. it became a net drain on the system. For this reason the canal was closed to traffic in 1897 with a stop-lock being installed at Little Tring with the canal remaining in water from Bulbourne to the Stop Lock. The section of canal from Wendover to Bucklandwharf also remained in water as it was fed by chalk streams, however the middle section between Little Tring Stop Lock and Bucklandwharf had no such regular supply, so some sections of it dried out completely, while others became boggy or stagnant pools.
Nearly a hundred years after the canal's closure, a charitable trust, The Wendover Arm Trust was formed in 1989 with a view to reopening it to canal traffic. The first section to just-beyond Little Tring has been completed, while a good length section from here to Drayton Beauchamp is well advanced as at Spring 2015. The chief obstacles to its completion will be the road bridge carrying the former A41 (now declassified) and issues about the sensitivity of the natural environment nearer Wendover.
For the latest information on the Trust's work see their website here LinkExternal link


Creative Commons Licence [Some Rights Reserved]   © Copyright Rob Farrow and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.
Geographical Context: Canals Canal: Grand Union - Wendover Arm Primary Subject: Canal other tags: Wendover Arm (Grand Union Canal) Click a tag, to view other nearby images.
1:50,000 Modern Day Landranger(TM) Map © Crown Copyright
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1:50,000 Modern Day Landranger(TM) Map © Crown Copyright
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SP9012, 103 images   (more nearby 🔍)
Photographer
Rob Farrow   (more nearby)
Date Taken
Sunday, 26 April, 2020   (more nearby)
Submitted
Monday, 27 April, 2020
Subject Location
OSGB36: geotagged! SP 9090 1249 [10m precision]
WGS84: 51:48.2204N 0:40.9846W
Camera Location
OSGB36: geotagged! SP 9090 1252
View Direction
SOUTH (about 180 degrees)
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Image Type (about): geograph 
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