IN THIS ISSUE 126 Part 1- Editorial Chairman's Report Restoration Roundup Secretary's Column Money Part 2 - News from The Granary B2133 Crossing Model of B2133 Santa Cruises 2003 Pete Wynne Letters Previous issues Contact the Trust

Wey-South issue 126  March 2004 - May 2004

PART 1 EDITORIAL - Tim Jolly Another bumper issue again! Members should have some inserts as well - Poddle forms + a special membership application form for new members in April/May/June, with the opportunity to win a prize. Since the back of the form was free it seemed a good place to print some details of our regular boat trips - in case people didn't know. Thanks to all those who took the time to contribute to this quarter's issue. As well as the usual suspects there is Sally Schupke who, with friends, sent me a CD full of stuff, and Peter Beeston who has made a model of one version of the B2133 crossing. I've had the pleasure of cups of tea with Peter and his lovely wife (not to mention their guided missile of a dog!). His ship models are very impressive too. Christmas Raffle. Winners were:-   1st Meal for two, Amberley Castle, Teresa Hamilton   2nd, ZK Charter, Martin McIntosh   3rd, Woods of Windsor Toiletries, Kathryn King   4th, Day Boat Hire, Farncombe Boathouse, Leslie Pryde Trust member Penny Line provided the toiletries and sent me the list of over a dozen "True Rose" products that I, as a man, wouldn't know what to do with! Thanks Penny. 3786 tickets were sold, 5 more than last year! With donations the total was £2083.50 - thanks everyone. Christmas Dinner. I've not had a report from Iris, but can say that the 59 people who went to Arundel had a splendid time. There were a few problems with the Hotel over payment and minimum numbers of guests but it was all cleared up. The date this year will be Dec 2nd, make a note in your diaries. If any of you want to go to Winston's trail boat rally on May 23rd then please note the start time is 10.30 and that you turn off the B2133 (Adversane to the A272 near Newbridge). Look for a sign on the right hand side (if going south to Adversane). Talking of maps, the new Philips Navigator Britain, a brilliant but big, weighty and expensive road atlas at 1.5 miles to 1 inch, finally shows four restored bits of the Wey & Arun as a Canal. Its fascinating to see the windy blue lines on pages 34 and 50. David Isted has asked me to pass on his apologies that his recent new member mailing omitted the final '3' of the Office phone no. I don't know how many of you subscribe to 'Navvies', the WRG (waterway recovery group) mag, but the current issue (No. 203) has some photos of the Wey & Arun on page 23. If you've seen it then you will have noticed that the pictured bridge is at Haybarn, not Harsfold! Navvies shows the health of the canal restoration movement with new projects starting up and progress on canals previously thought totally impossible. The B2133 crossing at Loxwood might seem impossible too as the cost could well go into 7 figures, but it is critical to the restoration and has to happen. My firm belief is that we have advanced so far now that we will make it as long as we can grow as an organisation with more members and volunteers. The Quarterly Bulletin of The Wey & Arun Canal Trust Registered Charity no. CC265331 The aim of the Wey & Arun Canal Trust is the preservation and conservation of the former inland waterway route between the Rivers Wey and Arun, with a view to reopening this to navigation. The short-term priority is to open to navigation the 25% of the canal from Loxwood to Newbridge. Editor: Tim Jolly All communication and copy either by post to: 2 Southdown Close Roffey Horsham RH12 4LD Or email to: tim.jolly@tesco.net Material published in this bulletin represents the views of the contributors and should not, unless specifically indicated, be assumed to be the policy of the Trust. Next Issue will be published in June. Copy MUST reach the editor by end of April please - note, later than usual. If at all possible please email copy by attachment in Microsoft Word format. However, typed / WP copy can be scanned and ASCII data on floppy disc is acceptable. Photos particularly welcome. CHAIRMAN'S REPORT - Peter Foulger Here we are in another new year with many interesting and exciting challenges facing the Trust. The Canal Completion Strategy Steering Group, made up from representatives of local authorities and other statutory bodies (mentioned in the last edition of Wey-South), has now had two worthwhile meetings. Their assistance and advice in shaping a strategy document for the completion of the canal is essential and much appreciated. A study of the Bramley Corridor by Halcrow Group Ltd has been commissioned recently. The remit is to look at alternative proposals for a canal route through Bramley in preparation for public consultation later this year. We are most fortunate to have Trust member, Chris Harrison, as our manager of the project and feel sure he will succeed in encouraging some positive dialogue. Our sincere thanks also to Gerald Fox, a member residing in the USA, who has given time in planning alternative routes and, while on vacation here, surveying the possibilities. Gerald is an engineer with experience in the design of light railways and his work will make considerable savings in producing the study. Alternative routes for the canal through the southern end of Sidney Wood to avoid two residential properties have been produced and are being evaluated. As part of Sidney Wood is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), English Nature has asked that the Trust carries out an Environmental Impact Assessment over the full length of the canal before any deviation could even be considered. Our main restoration project at present is of course the B2133 crossing adjacent to the Onslow Arms in Loxwood. Eric Walker has been battling away at the many challenges this project manages to provide. There is more detail elsewhere in this bulletin. All of this needs funding and to raise it will require a great deal of dedicated time. I have given a brief description of some of the higher profile projects the CoM is dealing with, and there are many more that have to be dealt with to keep the Trust functioning on a daily basis. It is all very rewarding, especially when another project is completed or a section of canal comes back into use. However, as the complexity of larger projects created by the increasing pace of restoration takes effect, there is a growing workload and a need to search for extra willing hands to help. There will be vacancies for election to the Council of Management at the AGM in April. If anyone has the time and energy to help with the administration of Trust affairs, please ask to be nominated for election to the CoM (details page 7/8): your help is needed! This year's annual Small Boat Rally is to be held on Sunday the 16th of May (details on page 6). In conjunction with this we shall hold an opening ceremony of the new Drungewick Slipways in recognition of the Roger Dimmick bequest, which helped to make the construction of the slipways possible. This will take place at approx. 11.30 a.m. and, everyone is very welcome to attend. Roger was a member of the Middlesex branch of the IWA. Each year the Inland Waterways Association presents the Kenneth Goodwin Trophy to "The society or trust engaged in the restoration of a waterway or associated structure that has made the most significant progress in achieving their objective during the previous year". I am pleased to say that the Wey & Arun Canal Trust has been selected for the award for 2003. This will be presented to the Trust following the opening ceremony at the slipway. The Loxwood Link Extension Project has been entered for The Waterways Renaissance Awards 2003 and is short-listed along with thirteen other projects spread throughout the country. The winner of each category will be announced at a dinner to be held at Madame Tussauds in London on the 16th March. The competition is organised by The Waterways Trust and BURA. As you can see there is a great deal happening as the Trust continues to go from strength to strength. Peter Foulger

RESTORATION ROUNDUP - John Wood A look at what's been happening over the last few months THE TSG (formerly the Eric Walker Group) Contact Eric on 023 9246 3025 MEETS: Every Thursday and Sunday at least! Eric writes, "As you know diesel engines need both fuel and air. As we were about to leave Devil's Hole Lock our 12 tonne 'Yumbo' digger became very lethargic. Fortunately Peter Andrews did his magic and diagnosed the need for 2 new fuel filters. Once these were fitted the machine sprang into life as only an old machine can. Peter's parting shot was "That air hose should be repaired, rainwater in a diesel engine can be terminal". John Verrall kindly transported the digger from Devil's Hole Lock to Drungewick for it to demonstrate its new lease of life. Once at Drungewick Lock, being unable to find a suitable hose to follow Peter's instructions, we taped over the holes in the air hose. That must be good, we thought, connecting the air filter. Oh no, the engine would not start at all! Disconnecting the air filter, the engine is back on song. Diligent as ever, Dave Kersley opened the air filter and found a mouse nest inside, Oops! Subsequently Dave restored the air filter and it is probably the best looking item on the machine. At Drungewick Lock our task was to replace some very badly eroded sandstone blocks at the base of the lock chamber wall. This entailed taking down the entire wall from top to bottom, along a length of 12ft. By the middle of November, with the days getting shorter and the working area being kept dry only by pumping, the defective section of chamber wall was removed. By working well into the ensuing gloom, the first course of the rebuilding was laid. Actually, taking down the wall had not been that difficult albeit that the wall was 3ft thick at the top and 4ft at the bottom. In some places the original lime mortar was, frankly, just sand. At the back of the wall, behind the quoin, it was just clay not masonry. Not only that, the sandstone was poor quality in the critical areas at the base of the wall, the stone being soft or cracked. For instance, the last stone to be removed, in the foundation layer, had 2 large cracks in it, which could only be seen when the stone above had been removed. Plainly the poor quality of stone and the original workmanship may well have accounted for the bulge that we were repairing. With the volunteers working extra days, it meant that by Christmas the rebuilt wall was above normal water level and the project target of enabling boats to pass through by the end of February looked a reality. With the milder weather and the extra effort of the volunteers, the rebuilding of the wall was completed by the end of January. Also at Drungewick Lock was a cracked sandstone block (this time on the towpath side) out of which water spurted when the top gates were in use. When removing this stone we found a tree root had grown through it. Between the stone and the quoin was a hole, where there should have been mortar. This explained where and why the water came out at the front of the wall. The next priority jobs at Drungewick Lock are installing the lock ladder and the wooden bumper on the top cill. These, together with pointing the lock walls, pipes for the back-pumping and building 2 waterfalls, mean there is still much more work to be done before boats can come through again. Clearance and tidying up the site will also be no small task. There are still some jobs to be done at Devil's Hole Lock, together with some smaller construction jobs along the line of the canal that are awaiting the attention of the TSG. Therefore we would warmly welcome some 'new blood', skilled or unskilled. Finally, the footpath gate now installed at Drungewick Lane Canal Bridge offers a pleasant, if sometimes muddy, walk to the Lock. If you do come, look out for the heron, there are 2 on this section. If you are very observant and lucky, you may also see kingfisher, small owl or the deer that live in these parts. However, please be aware that this section of the former towpath is a 'permissive right of way' by kind permission of the landowner, our Chairman Peter Foulger. The path does not continue past the lock, so you must retrace your steps to Drungewick Lane. THE MID-WEEK WORKING PARTY (M.W.W.P.) ACTING LEADER: Peter Jackman: - 01483 772132 MEETS usually twice a month The Group has been involved in many activities since the last report, but is now tackling a major project that will probably take us into March or early April. This is on the Devil's Hole to Southland section, removing and disposing of the vast number of tree stumps, which had been pulled out by a digger and deposited by the towpath. Also clearing out the oxbow below Devil's Hole Lock. So a working party, working in groups of four or five using 'Tirfor' winches, and mattocks to separate earth from roots, will be piling up the roots for burning. No noisy brushcutters (yet), the occasional chain saw, some cracking bonfires and enormous satisfaction at the end of the day. THE MONDAY WORKING PARTY GROUP ("Keeping Up Appearances") LEADER: Brian Crossley - 01737 843192 MEETS: Usually twice a month As usual during the winter months the group has been involved in many tasks, which have included keeping the vegetation in check at Lee Farm Lock and installing a bench seat and levelling the ground at Devil's Hole Lock in readiness for grass seeding when the weather becomes warmer. The area around Devil's Hole Lock is to be added to our sites whose appearance we look after throughout the year. We have helped the MWWP to tidy up the towpath from Loxwood High Street to Southland Lock. We have helped Keith Nichols' Group by having big bonfires of all the brambles and dogwood removed from the hedge beside the Gauging Station Meadow. THE LOXWOOD LINK MAINTENANCE UNIT LEADER: Peter Wilding - 01483 422519 MEETS: Wednesdays How good it was to see the canal full of water again! We were allowed to start pumping again from the rivers Lox and Arun on 4th November and with 6" of rain in November we were up to level by the end of the month. Unfortunately not for long in the Drungewick pound, as a serious leak opened up over a land drain under the canal. So the stop planks are back in at the Heavy Plant Crossing to maintain level in half of the pound. There were 3 other much less serious leaks near Baldwin's Knob Lock to deal with. Our workboat May Upton was able to move back up to Brewhurst to collect the fallen and cut tree branches for Santa's Lock Keepers' fires. The very large logs left after the tree surgeons' work were chain-sawed down to lifting size and a very full load taken up to the Onslow Arms. We will now make our way back down to Drungewick to put everything in good order for the start of the boating season and the small boat rally and slipways opening in May. More helpers welcome - you do not have to come every Wednesday. THE WINSTON HARWOOD GROUP CONTACT: Winston on 01293 424672 Meets every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday Work continued at Lording's Lock and Aqueduct until the coming of the heavy rains in November. Following this, a considerable amount of surveying work at different sites along the line of the canal was undertaken. The Lording's Flood Gates have been adjusted and now work well, and some tree planting has taken place further south near Harsfold Bridge. Other work planned is to construct a second wooden towpath bridge over the canal bank cut out between Lording's Lock and the flood gates, in order to close the present gap in the towpath there. Adjacent to Lording's Lock a picnic area will be created. Work on the aqueduct will recommence towards the end of April. There will be a trail boat rally on Sunday 23rd May to formally re-open the section of canal from the river at Lording's to Harsfold Bridge, passing through the floodgates and adjacent bridge. There is a good track down to the slipway on this section, so we look forward to seeing and meeting many intrepid boaters. You will also be able to see the newly installed waterwheel in operation and check the progress with the aqueduct reconstruction. There will also be a 'Name the Trees and their Significance' quiz. THE KEITH NICHOLLS GROUP CONTACT: Keith on 01403 753882 for dates and times. The season's hedge laying commenced on the 9th December and by the end of January we had layed approx. 80m of hedge, coppiced and transferred about 400 stakes and binders, felled 3 medium sized trees and removed almost all of the fence for the 250m towards Drungewick Lane. Also, the bramble and dog rose cuttings from the hedge clearance have been burnt by the Monday Group. Work will probably continue until the end of March, so there could still be time to come along and find out more about the art of hedge laying. MAINTENANCE SESSIONS AT TICKNER'S HEATH DEPOT Contact Colin Gibbs on 020 8241 7736 for more information Many thanks to all the Members who donated tools following recent requests in Wey-South. They have been very much appreciated. One particular tool we are still short of at the Depot is a very large wrench (a new one would cost between £60-£100). Our 'Wizard of the Listers and Petters', Michael Whyte-Venables, had to hire a chain wrench at £6 per day. As a result of this action he has managed to rejuvenate the 'mud' pump, now giving very useful service at Drungewick Lock. Michael also has the expertise to bring our tired pumps and concrete mixers back to life. All bar one of the pumps now work. One of his next projects is to fix the pumps onto their own wheeled trolleys for easier access to and from the site. Anyway, the point of this preamble is to ask if you happen to have an unused wrench hanging up in the garage or even lying around through lack of use. Whilst you are looking for a wrench would you also see if could find an unwanted crowbar or two, or even a Black & Decker-type workmate or dumper truck. (do B & D do dumpers? - Ed) Over the past few years, in fact mainly since he retired, Dave Kersley has been at everyone's beck and call to drive the Trust's Landrover - almost always with a trailer attached to it. Dave regularly does the site deliveries and collections, sometimes 3 or 4 times a week. In addition to this he is responsible for the whole Trust Landrover operation, on the spot maintenance, keeping it topped up, clean and presentable etc. etc. You can often see him hosing it down at the Depot or clearing one of the working party's gear from the back. Many thanks Dave for your support, on behalf of all the working party leaders. As the only Landrover driver we have on a regular basis he would be delighted if someone else could assist with the driving - even if only a couple of times a month. He would be delighted to instruct any frustrated 4 x 4, off road driver, in the art of manoeuvring the Landrover around the W & A. and, indeed, around the yard at the Depot. Talking of frustration - are you a frustrated 'brushcutter', or even a 'strimmerer? The Trust now has a first rate selection of petrol driven brushcutters and could do with more operators. All the gear is readily available - harness, helmet, ear defenders and tools for on the spot maintenance. Your services would be most appreciated and training will be arranged. If you can help us with any of the above, please give me a ring-Colin Gibbs 0208 241 7736. Finally, my apologies for resigning as leader of the MWWP at such short notice.   Dramatis Personae from front cover (from left to right) Back row: Ron Chamberlain John Guthrie Ian Edwards Richard Watson Dave Kersley Chris Guthrie Jim Phillips Andrew Black Winston Harwood Middle row: John Empringham Iris Piggott Bob Potts Colin Gibbs Geoff Perks Roger Ashton Ray Welch Peter Jackman Peter Wilding Peter Sterling Robin Chase Kneeling; Brian Crossley Nick Wood David Junkison Janet Phillips

Last updated April 2004