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CHAIRMAN'S REPORT - Peter Foulger
The Bridge is finished
WE DID IT ! We finished the first phase of the Loxwood Link Extension Project, the first public road crossing of the canal undertaken by the Trust. As the contractors, Geoffrey Osborne Ltd, left the site on the 9th February our volunteers moved in to plant hedges, erect fencing and hang gates. There only remains some machine work to do in the canal around and under the bridge, and grass seed to sow when the weather improves The elements had done their best to delay work throughout the contract, first with almost continual rain and consequential flooding, then, when the brick work had progressed beyond the reach of the flood waters, the weather turned cold and several hard frosts delayed brick laying.
These problems are behind us now, I thought I heard a sigh of relief when the work finished. The bridge looks great and I am truly proud of all the
effort put into this project by so many people, too many to mention here, except to say a special
thank you on behalf of us all to Eric Walker, the project manager. Eric must have travelled
hundreds of miles and suffered many sleepless nights during the last six months. My thanks also
for the letters of appreciation and congratulations received for completing the bridge in such
adverse conditions.
Formal Opening of the bridge
As mentioned in the last bulletin, Sir Neil Cossons, Chairman of English Heritage and The Waterways Trust, has agreed to be our guest of honour and formally open the Drungewick Lane Canal Bridge on Thursday 13th September. All members are very welcome to attend, members and others who have contributed towards the LLEP Project should have already received an invitation to attend the opening.
It would be helpful if those wishing to attend would please let the WACT office know beforehand, this will assist us in making arrangements for the day. We will try to arrange a fine day, so bring a picnic and have fun. We do of course, have to hope that the present Foot and Mouth Disease outbreak has been contained by that time.
Southern Canals Association
The winter meeting of the Southern Canals Association has just taken place at the Kennet & Avon headquarters in Devizes. The fourteen or so canal Trusts represented there all had useful progress to report.
The Chairman of the meeting, Robin Higgs, remarked during his introduction, "we are living in exciting and dynamic times for canal restoration". How true that is, little more than a year ago British Waterways announced its intention to create a charitable trust. BW consulted a wide range of organisations with interests in the inland waterways, putting forward alternative suggestions on how a trust might be formed.
From that consultation The Waterways Trust (TWT) was born, this trust is able to raise and spend money in ways that would be outside the remit of BW. So far TWT has taken over the three waterway museums and archives, it has played a vital role in the successful restoration of the Anderton Lift, and helped to secure the Ribble Link and the Rochdale Canal.
Last summer the government document "Waterways for Tomorrow" was published and criticised by some, as being full of fine words without the promise of any cash to back it up. The document did however give the seal of approval to TWT, clarify the advisory role of The Inland Waterways Amenity Advisory Council (IWAAC), and encourage BW and the Environment Agency navigation interests to work more closely together. I believe the willingness being shown by all the agencies to work in partnership with one another, rather than independently, bodes well for the future of the inland waterways, including the Wey & Arun Canal.
IWAAC Restoration Priority
Having just mentioned IWAAC, it is a good time to say that their latest Restoration Priority report is due to be published this month and I am hoping that we will appear as a higher priority for funding this time. This latest report is taking interim projects into account, instead of only looking at the need for funding to full restoration. The Drungewick aqueduct must be high on the list, unless it is it will be difficult to get a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund and we need that if we are to succeed in raising enough funds to go ahead with the aqueduct next year.
I have to end this article with the sad news that Greg Henke and Jack Pocock, two personal friends and great supporters of the Trust, have died recently. On behalf of the Trust, I offer our condolences to the wives and families of both. More is written elsewhere in this journal.
RESTORATION ROUNDUP - John Wood
A look at what’s been happening over the last few months.
Despite the exceptionally wet winter our working parties have steadfastly continued, although at the time of writing this report (26 February) we are extremely saddened by the outbreak of foot and mouth disease. The Wey & Arun Canal Trust will naturally comply with all the necessary restrictions to access and already several planned working parties have been postponed until the situation resolves itself. No doubt the working party members will take the opportunity to carry out other tasks, such as equipment maintenance, whilst certain forays into the countryside are "on hold".
The Monday Working Party Group
Leader: Brian Crossley (01737 843192)
Recently have been working alongside Dunsfold Aerodrome removing fallen trees, also at the proposed site of the Drungewick Slipway. During November last year the Group visited Cooks Bridge which was restored in 1981 but badly in need of some TLC because the bridge had become covered in brambles and ivy. In just one day the site was cleared followed by a healthy bonfire.
Whilst the Monday Group was formed mainly for "keeping up appearances" at the numerous road crossings of the canal, therefore operating from April to October each year when grass cutting is the main requirement, it has now been agreed that during the winter months this Group will annually visit a number of already restored bridges, locks and sluices etc. which are currently neglected. For the most part such structures are on sections of the canal to which there is presently no public access.
The Monday Group usually operates twice a month.
The Winston Harwood Group
Contact Winston on 01737 768781
With the Orfold Floodgates Bridge project literally under water during the winter months,
Winston’s Group have been tackling other outstanding tasks. Presently they are working on the in-filling of the breach in the towpath bank to the south of the road crossing at Tickners Heath. This is a fairly labour intensive task requiring the volunteers to barrow in and puddle clay.
Hopefully, by the time you read this, the ground conditions at Orfold and the current agricultural crisis will be over, allowing the Group to continue rebuilding the bridge at Orfold Floodgates.
The Winston Harwood Group usually meets EVERY Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.
The Mid-Week Working Party (MWWP)
Leader: Colin Gibbs (02082417736) or mobile (07870 371019)
During November and December last year the MWWP were working at Sidney Wood continuing the clearance towards Lock 16, also on the section of canal from Drungewick Lane Canal Bridge (DLCB) towards Drungewick Lock. This section had been de-watered last summer to facilitate the building of DLCB.
This February a return to Sidney Wood on 3 consecutive days saw great progress, although with the canal very full of deep water. Since the previous visit a new vista awaited them. Contractors working for Forest Enterprise (FE) had been moving the large oaks growing at the top of the towpath bank, plus some thinning out in adjacent areas. About a dozen of the large specimens were lying across the canal, however it wasn’t long before they were removed and taken away by lorry. Work on this section will hopefully re-commence in the summer by which time all
the trees to be felled by FE will have gone, leaving the volunteers to set to and make the area look tidy again.
With the completion of the building of DLCB, the MWWP set to and planted some 350 hedging plants in the environs of the bridge. All these plants had been grown in the Trust’s own tree nursery. Transfer of the wild flowers which had been carefully removed before the works started, plus grass re-seeding should have been completed by the time you read this report.
Further hedging plants were planted in our car park at the Onslow Arms to replace those that did not survive the original planting when the car park was constructed. The problem here is the wetness of the ground due to the frequency of flooding from the adjacent River Lox, however hopefully we may have better luck this time.
Future tasks include puddling the canal beneath DLCB. The MWWP meet at least twice a month during winter time.
Loxwood Link Maintenance Unit
Leader: Peter Wilding (01483 422519)
Work during January and February has mainly been the removal and repair of the broken bottom gate paddle at Brewhurst Lock and its replacement, with the final fitting of the new paddle gear’s rack and pinion. Fortunately the actual repair work could be done in comfort at home and not in the wet at the lockside.
One consequence of the wet weather is that on every visit to the canal we start with the chore of pumping out our work boat "May Upton". During the work, Baldwin’s Knob pound had to be drained down which revealed a discarded (or stolen?) bicycle thrown in the canal off Brewhurst Bridge. Naturally, now that we need to refill the pound the rain has stopped!
The Loxwood Link Maintenance Unit usually meets at least 2 to 3 times a month.
The Tree Group
Because the land occupied by our tree nursery at Redlands Farm is now required by the owners, we have had to clear it and no longer have a Tree Group. It has usefully supplemented the bought-in stock for our past hedge planting, and I am pleased to say the final clearance has provided all the hedging for our most significant restoration project (so far!), Drungewick Lane Canal Bridge.
Thank you to all those who have kept us supplied with plants, but now we have to ask please do not leave any more at the Granary Office.
The Eric Walker Group
Engaged on the Drungewick Lane Canal Bridge project. The group meets EVERY Thursday and Sunday.
It can be seen from the above that there is considerable and varied activity on the practical restoration front which may give the impression that any extra help in the form of "new faces" is not necessary. This is certainly NOT the case and all the above Groups would dearly like to see some new recruits, even if only you can manage just the occasional visit.
The Leaders are only too pleased to give you further information if you phone them, and will make you welcome, introduce you to other members of the Group and ensure you have something useful to do. No-one is asked or expected to work beyond their capabilities. Why not give it a try, meet new friends whilst enjoying the fresh air and beautiful surroundings.
BRIDGE - A 'DIAMOND CONTRACT' - Jim Phillips, Hon. Treasurer
We didn’t pay for the Drungewick Lane Canal Bridge in diamonds, but they would have been handy as the costs mounted during the wettest autumn since Nelson was a lad. We had spent about £25,000 on preparatory work for the bridge and the aqueduct in the preceding years. Even that was at a much discounted cost thanks to help from firms like Tony Gee & Parmers and from local authorities.
The bills for construction of the bridge, last year and this, total about £316,000. The main contractor, Geoffrey Osborne of Chichester, was paid about £247,000. Halcrows, for supervising the building on behalf of the County Council, who take the bridge over in perpetuity, were paid nearly £27,000. The brickwork, which hides the concrete bridge, cost just over £12,000 in plans,
scaffolding, the bricks themselves and the bricklaying. Diverting the telephone cable and the water main cost about £11,500. It is a paradox of the tax regime that what we received in landfill tax credit roughly equalled what we paid in VAT on the bridge construction.
We had hoped to avoid paying some or all of the VAT, and had had some leads recommended for that purpose during the years of planning. All turned out to be dead ends; one of the more promising was that if the structure contained living accommodation, Customs & Excise might look kindly on a
VAT reduction. lt was simple: we had only to brick up the Restoration Manager in one of the
parapets, and our problems would be solved. For some reason, John Ward voted against the
proposal....
Delays and extra costs
We could not foresee the weather which led to delays and to extra costs, but these were not huge in the overall cost: the over-run was kept to about 4% of the total cost which is quite modest. We were helped in keeping the costs down by many people outside the Trust, not all of whom can be acknowledged here. Those concerned, who read this piece, will know why and I hope will realise that the Trust is much in their debt. Thank you to them all.
Eric Walker, as Project Manager, laboured mightily on all aspects of the bridge-building, including the reduction of costs where that was possible It is plain that without his total dedication to the Project, we would not now have a road bridge in place. It is built, and looks well, with some cosmetic work to be done before the official opening on 13 September. For your Treasurer it is eyes-down for fundraising for Phases 2 and 3 of the Loxwood Link Extension Project.
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The Wey & Arun Canal Trust says Goodbye and Thanks to Two Members.
Sadly the Trust has learnt recently of the deaths of two longstanding members. Various members have worked together to remember Jack Pocock and Greg Henke and the contributions they have made to help to put the Trust in the position it is today.
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Jack Pocock restoring Fastbridge in July 1990