Geldeston Lock - Repair

[BroadAmbition]

http://www.edp24.co.uk/news/river-waveney-trust-announces-15-000-project-to-save-lock-from-collapsing-1-5103663

Some good news

Griff

[BroadAmbition]

If you want to help out with the ongoing restoration work at Geldeston Lock, you can sponsor a brick, details as per below.  I have opted for the £45 option with R641 Broad Ambition on two lines

Griff

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From: Andrew Mackney
Sent: 09 August 2018 13:02
To: Charlie Griffin
Subject: Fwd: Geldeston Lock - Bricks

Dear Charlie

Thank you very much for your enquiry and for your interest in supporting the Geldeston Lock Project.

 

Firstly we need to know what inscription you would like on the engraved brick.

On each brick we can fit 16 characters per line (spaces have to be counted)

The cost is £35 for one line and £45 for two lines of text.

 

When we have agreed on the text, you can pay for the brick using the myDonate online payment on our website (I will send you the link).  The next batch of bricks is being ordered shortly and so please let us have your choice of text as soon as possible. When we receive the engraved bricks, they will be put into the wall, hopefully in late-September.

 

If you have any problems or questions, please contact me by email or phone.

 

Thanks again

 

Andrew Mackney

andrew.mackney@googlemail.com

[Paul]

I might be playing devil's advocate here, but is there any point?

It's not part of the Navigation and never will be again. It's not in anyway aesthetically pleasing. What is left is of little if any historic value and these current repairs, to replace failing brickwork and pointing which has been damaged by plant growth will only be temporary. Plant regrowth will eventually bring us back to this point. Do we keep patching it up or do we simply accept the passage of time and let these things pass into history?

[ranworthbreeze]

14 minutes ago, Paul said:

I might be playing devil's advocate here, but is there any point?

It's not part of the Navigation and never will be again. It's not in anyway aesthetically pleasing. What is left is of little if any historic value and these current repairs, to replace failing brickwork and pointing which has been damaged by plant growth will only be temporary. Plant regrowth will eventually bring us back to this point. Do we keep patching it up or do we simply accept the passage of time and let these things pass into history?

Hi Paul,

There is no such thing as never part of the navigation. 

Look at the miles of canals that have been restored or just kept open on the canal network over the last 40 or 50 years, canal societies all over the country have helped keep the waterways open.

Regards

Alan

 

[Paul]

Just being realistic, Bungay will never see boats from the Broads again, not in my lifetime, my childrens lifetime, their childrens lifetime, childrens childrens lifetime et ad infinitum

[Guest]

12 minutes ago, Paul said:

Just being realistic, Bungay will never see boats from the Broads again, not in my lifetime, my childrens lifetime, their childrens lifetime, childrens childrens lifetime et ad infinitum

You might well be right, but then you could perhaps be wrong... 'Canal societies' have kept  many miles of navigation open, restored and re-opened many more miles too, all around the country.

The 'North Walsham & Dilham Canal Trust' are quietly and busily repairing locks and other canal structures, along that waterway.

The 'River Waveney Trust' too, aren't prepared to just "let things pass into history", their volunteers are out, in all weathers, working to keep that river and it's history alive.

On the navigable Norfolk & Suffolk rivers and broads too, unpaid volunteers work tirelessly with the B.A. to help maintain our beautiful waterways.

Never say never, while there are still dedicated people around, willing to give time, hard work and money to these projects, anything is possible. More power to their elbows, I say...

[Paul]

I hear what you're saying. I'm involved with two canal restoration societies myself but restoring, even rewatering a canal is a very different proposition from restoring a fluviatile navigation. The NW&DCT are doing a fabulous job, though even there I seriously doubt that section of canal will ever carry boat traffic again. At best it might see some kind of trip boat operating irregularly and will provide a valuable resource for small watercraft.

From my own experiences I can assure you of one thing. The support of the relevant navigation authority is vital. One of the societies I support has the full backing of the C&RT and is making great strides with new stretches bought into water on a regular basis. The other doesn't and whilst it works just as hard has not reopened a single yard of navigable water in it's twenty odd years. 

Would the Broads Authority seriously back a restoration of the Upper Waveney Navigation? I doubt it. And if it involved significant capital outlay would we want it to, or to concentrate on proper maintenance of the existing navigable water?

Anybody who knows me, or has followed my posts for any time will appreciate that Geldeston is my favourite part of the river. I just think sometimes we have to acknowledge the passage of time.

[ChrisB]

Funny old world, I went to Tavern meats to get a pork pie this morning. And before I got in the car looked over Swafield Bridge. 

The open stretch of water that was dredged a couple of summers ago down stream of the bridge is completely overgrown again. It will have to be done again. 

Wish I had photographed it now.

[Meantime]

Anyone who knows the lie of the land down there will know that the main river bypasses the lock and carries on to Bungay anyway. Ok it may be limited to small boats and rowing boats but I believe it is navigable? There is the not so small matter of a foot bridge that blocks the end of the lock and the main river stopping any larger craft from heading upriver.

Supposing the footbridge was removed, then I guess the lock would be needed to raise water levels above the lock to give any chance of bigger boats needing more depth the chance to head upriver. That would also mean the purchase and re-installation of the lock gates.

What would be the knock on effect to flood defences above the lock from raising the water level by re-instating the lock.

A lot of what ifs and hurdles to overcome if there was ever to be a chance of heading further upriver. I cannot see it ever happening, which means that Paul does seem to have a good point.

I guess the only benefit from the lock being stabilised is that it may provide a little more informal mooring when visiting the pub.

51 minutes ago, Paul said:

Anybody who knows me, or has followed my posts for any time will appreciate that Geldeston is my favourite part of the river. I just think sometimes we have to acknowledge the passage of time. 

Funny who you bump into at times lurking in pub gardens!  Remember it well, and the hangover the next day.

[Paul]

Upstream of Geldeston the flood defences are all but gone and the river bank has naturalised. The former lock at Ellingham has been replaced by a weir, one of three unless my memory fails me which maintain sufficient depth of water to make the river navigable to canoes and punts but you have to port around the weirs. Last time I tried the passage, which is many years ago the river was all but blocked by Podgett's Island which seemed to be expanding (rather like me!) and scrub and brush stretched pretty much bank to bank. In places the rowing boat I was using was rubbing bottom so the depth was perhaps 8 - 10 inches

Roger Deakin made the trip from the source of the river down to Geldeston in his canoe "Cigarette" for a BBC Radio program, and an extended clip from that is still available in the BBC archives HERE

[wuffa]

I have taken a sailing dinghy up to Ellingham approximately every other year for nigh on 60 years. Now that the river is tidal to Ellingham there is plenty of water (near high water) except for the last quarter mile when the centreboard needs a bit of attention. It is some of the best sailing on the Waveney with the wind unobstructed by reeds or trees. This makes for great views as well. The width is greater than the Ant so plenty of room to tack.

I have portaged my Wayfarer round Coltishall lock, both directions,  on inflatable rollers so, with a bit of a ramp or low bank at Ellingham. I could roll it over the road and on further upstream - close enough to Bungay to walk to a pub - so navigation to Bungay for a sixteen foot dinghy would be entirely possible with minimal civil engineering.  Simple ramps, trimming back of a few overhanging trees.  I am sure that the Dinghy Cruising Association would be very interested, as would Bungay publicans. These can be thirsty people.

Wuffa

 

[SPEEDTRIPLE]

I`ve often looked at the upper Waveney Navigation on Google satelite view and wondered whether any canal society would try to re-instate it?. There does look to be plenty of width for a number of miles (as Wuffa mentions above),  so with some dredging (that troublesome word again) and the weed growth kept under control, it`s feasable to re-open it. As also mentioned above, the upper Waveney is tidal to the first weir some miles up, so the lock at Geldeston is pretty much irrelevant, BUT, Geldeston lock is one of very few "oval" locks on any of Britains waterways, so in my opinion, even if it serves no purpose for navigation, it still serves a purpose re history because of its rarity. 

Personally, i`d love to see ALL the upper navigations restored and fully open for navigation to the broads. It will never happen in my lifetime, well not unless i can win 9 figures on the euromillions?.