Editing Thames and Severn Canal (section)

==History==
Since the 1730s, when the first [[act of Parliament]] to authorize a canal from the [[River Severn]] to [[Stroud]] had been passed, the [[Stroudwater Navigation]] had been seen as part of a larger plan to link London and [[Bristol]] by waterway. No work took place immediately, but the Stroudwater was eventually opened in 1779, and within two years the shareholders commissioned a survey for a canal from [[Dudbridge]] to [[Cricklade]], which would complete the link. It is likely that John Priddy – previously the engineer for the Stroudwater scheme – carried out the survey, but others were soon involved including [[Sir Edward Littleton, 4th Baronet|Sir Edward Littleton]], who was connected with the [[Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal]]. Priddy suggested that there were better terminal points at Wallbridge and [[Lechlade]]. [[Robert Whitworth (canal engineer)|Robert Whitworth]] then surveyed two routes, the first as suggested by Priddy, and the second direct from the [[River Severn|Severn]] to the [[River Thames|Thames]] following the valley of the [[River Coln]]. The first route was chosen, based on excellent water supplies at [[Cirencester]], although the estimates of the amount of water available proved to be wildly optimistic.{{sfn |Hadfield |1969 |pp=315–316}}

{{Infobox UK legislation
| short_title           = Thames and Severn Canal Act 1783
| type                  = Act
| parliament            = Parliament of Great Britain
| long_title            = An Act for making and maintaining a Navigable Canal from the River Thames or Isis at or near Leachlade to join and communicate with the Stroudwater Canal at Wallbridge near the Town of Stroud; and also a Collateral Cut from the said Canal at or near Siddington to or near the Town of Cirencester, in the Counties of Gloucester and Wilts.
| year                  = 1783
| citation              = [[23 Geo. 3]]. c. 38
| introduced_commons    = 
| introduced_lords      = 
| territorial_extent    = 
| royal_assent          = 17 April 1783
| commencement          = 
| expiry_date           = 
| repeal_date           = 
| amends                = 
| replaces              = 
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| related_legislation   = 
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{{Infobox UK legislation
| short_title           = {{visible anchor|Thames and Severn Canal Act 1791}}
| type                  = Act
| parliament            = Parliament of Great Britain
| long_title            = An Act to enable the Company of Proprietors of the Thames and Severn Canal Navigation to borrow a further Sum of Money, to complete the said Navigation.
| year                  = 1791
| citation              = [[31 Geo. 3]]. c. 67
| introduced_commons    = 
| introduced_lords      = 
| territorial_extent    = 
| royal_assent          = 13 May 1791
| commencement          = 
| expiry_date           = 
| repeal_date           = 
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The estimated cost of the project was £127,916, most of which was promised within three weeks. The bill to authorise the canal passed through Parliament relatively easily, and became the '''{{visible anchor|Thames and Severn Canal Act 1783}}''' ([[23 Geo. 3]]. c. 38) on 17 April 1783. The company could raise an initial £130,000, with an additional £60,000 if required. The canal was to be suitable for boats {{convert|12|ft|m}} wide, and so could accommodate [[Thames barge]]s, but not [[Severn Trow|Severn trow]]s.{{sfn |Hadfield |1969 |p=316}} [[Josiah Clowes]] was appointed head engineer, surveyor and carpenter to the canal in 1783 to assist Whitworth. Clowes became resident engineer and was paid £300 per year. His work on the canal gave him a reputation that made him highly sought after in the last five years of his life. He left the construction of the canal shortly before its completion, to work on [[Dudley Tunnel]].{{sfn |Skempton |2002}}

There was great debate about the gauge of the tunnel required at [[Sapperton Canal Tunnel|Sapperton]]. Commissioners from the River Thames thought that it would have to be built for narrow boats, since the cost of a larger tunnel would be prohibitive. It was also going to be longer than any tunnel yet built. However, a decision was made that it would be built as a broad tunnel, {{convert|15|ft|m}} wide and high, and so the company advertised for tunnellers. The tunnel was expected to take four years to complete when work began at the start of 1784, but it was not completed until April 1789.

The canal opened in stages as it was completed. The first {{convert|4|mi|km}} from Wallbridge to [[Chalford]] opened in January 1785, and by mid-1786, the navigable section had reached the western portal of the tunnel, {{convert|7+1/2|mi|km}} and 28 [[Lock (water navigation)|locks]] from Wallbridge. A wharf was built at Daneway Bridge, equipped with a warehouse and coalyard.<ref name="hadfield316">{{harvnb |Hadfield |1969 |pp=316–319}}</ref>

[[File:East from Upper Wallsbridge Lock.jpg|thumb|left|Looking east from Upper Walbridge Lock]]
The tunnel was constructed from many workfaces, with 25 shafts sunk along its course to provide access. After completion there were problems, and the tunnel was shut for two and a half months during 1790 for further work to be carried out. The summit level and the branch to Cirencester were completed in 1787, and became operational as soon as the tunnel opened. The final section to the junction with the Thames at [[Inglesham]], which descends through 16 locks, was finished in November 1789.<ref name=hadfield316/> The canal was completed at a cost of £250,000.{{sfn |Jackson |Chaloner |1962}} With the Stroudwater Navigation, which had been completed in 1779, it completed a link between the River Severn in the west and the River Thames in the east.

As built, the main line was just under {{convert|28.7|mi|km}} long and had 44 locks. The branch to Cirencester added a further {{convert|1.5|mi|km}}. The first {{convert|2.5|mi|km|0}} from Wallbridge to Brimscombe, where there was a [[canal basin|transhipment basin]], was built with locks {{convert|69|by|16|ft|m}}, enabling Severn trows to use it. Beyond that, the locks were {{convert|90|by|12.7|ft|m}} and the boats used were Thames barges. The canal's summit, which is {{convert|362|ft|m}} above sea level and {{convert|8.1|mi|km}} long, includes the {{convert|3817|yd|m|adj=on}} Sapperton Tunnel, at the time, the longest in England. Its length has only been exceeded by two other canal tunnels, at [[Standedge Tunnels|Standedge]] in the Pennines and at [[Thames and Medway Canal|Strood]] in Kent.{{sfn |Hadfield |1969 |p=319}}<ref name=jane>{{harvnb |Cumberlidge |2009 |pp=309–310}}</ref>

===Operation===
Until the summit level was completed, little thought seems to have been given to water supply. It was assumed that the [[River Frome, Stroud|River Frome]], to the west of the tunnel, the [[River Churn]] which flows through [[Cirencester]], and the [[River Coln]], together with springs at [[Boxwell]] and a well near the source of the River Thames at [[Thames Head]], would be sufficient. The original horse pump at Thames Head was replaced by a windmill, but Clowes found that he could not stop the summit [[canal pound|pound]] from leaking. The flow on the River Churn was {{convert|1.7|e6impgal/day|Ml/day}}, whereas the calculated flow at the start of the project had been more than ten times this value. The summit level was losing around {{convert|1.1|e6impgal/day|Ml/day}}, largely because the underlying rock was porous [[limestone]], and it was estimated that around half of the daily requirement could actually be supplied. The wells at Thames Head were extended and a [[Boulton & Watt]] steam engine was installed in 1792 to pump the water into the canal. An extra, shallow lock was built at Boxwell, which allowed the level of the canal to be dropped beyond it, and more water to be taken from Boxwell springs. The new arrangements were adequate, although some of the reason was the failure of traffic to develop to the levels anticipated.<ref name=jane/>{{sfn |Hadfield |1969 |pp=323–324}}

Leakage was affected by [[spring (hydrosphere)|springs]] breaking through the [[clay]] lining of the canal bed. In summer, when the springs receded, water was lost through these holes at a rate greater than the available supply.{{sfn |Household |2009 |p=178}} In one of the attempts to conserve water, the length of the locks was reduced by {{convert|20|ft|m}}, giving them an unusual double-headed appearance.{{sfn |Household |2009 |p=182}} In a further attempt to prevent water loss, at King's Reach, the section immediately east of Sapperton Tunnel, the canal was lined with [[concrete]] rather than [[puddle clay]]. The concrete invert was {{convert|18|in|cm}} thick, and A. Brome Wilson, the canal's engineer, used pipes to feed water from the underlying springs into the canal, but at a level above the waterline.{{sfn |Household |2009 |p=233}}

Neither of the river navigations to which the canal connected were satisfactory. In the west, the situation was remedied in 1827, on completion of the [[Gloucester and Sharpness Canal]]. On the Thames, there had been a proposal for a canal from [[Lechlade]] to [[Abingdon-on-Thames|Abingdon]] in 1784, and for a cut from [[Inglesham]] to [[Buscot]] in 1788, but neither had been built. Some improvements were made to the river after 1786, but the canal company encouraged the building of bypasses. The [[Wilts & Berks Canal]] was one Thames bypass, providing a link to the river at Abingdon, but did not initially connect to the Thames & Severn Canal. Although it was proposed in 1793, it was not opened until 1810, and the [[North Wilts Canal]], which eventually provided the connecting link from [[Latton, Wiltshire|Latton]] to [[Swindon]] for Thames & Severn traffic to bypass the upper river, was not completed until 1819. Even after this, vessels were restricted by the [[Narrowboat|narrow 7ft width]] of the North Wilts, which was considerably smaller than the rest of the link between the Thames and the Severn, limiting income from cargo.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Household |first=Humphrey |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/1037949345 |title=The Thames & Severn Canal |date=1987 |publisher=Alden Press |isbn=0-86299-446-2 |edition=First paperback |location=Gloucester |oclc=1037949345}}</ref>

Ultimately, most of the Bristol to London trade used the [[Kennet and Avon Canal]] after it opened in 1810, as it provided a much shorter route than the Thames and Severn Canal.{{sfn |Hadfield |1969 |pp=322–324}} Similarly, the Midlands-London traffic that the proprietors had hoped to attract via the Severn found newer routes further east, such as the [[Grand Junction Canal]], considerably more direct.<ref name=":0" /> Thus, the compromise alignment of the Thames & Severn found itself bypassed, with income mainly generated by carriage of [[Forest of Dean Coalfield|Forest of Dean coal]] to places along the canal rather than the balanced trade of long-distance traffic between Thames and Severn that had been anticipated.<ref name=":0" /> Pleasure cruising, meanwhile, was firmly discouraged, with the proprietors setting a punitive toll of £1 per lock for such boats (equivalent to over £120 today).{{sfn |Household |2009 |p=205}}

===Decline===
Railway competition began in 1836, when the Cheltenham and Great Western Railway proposed a line between Swindon and [[Cheltenham]], via [[Gloucester]]. The canal company opposed the scheme, and received compensation of £7,500 from the railway company over the next four and a half years. The line opened to [[Kemble, Gloucestershire|Kemble]] in 1841, and the tolls on the carriage of materials for the railway's construction improved the financial position of the canal for a short time.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Viner |first1=David J. |title=The Thames & Severn Canal: A survey from historical photographs. |date=1975 |publisher=Hendon Publishing Co. Ltd. |location=Hendon Mill, Nelson, Lancashire, UK |isbn=0-902907-65-4 |page=5}}</ref> The railway company was then taken over by the [[Great Western Railway]], who built a new tunnel at [[Sapperton Railway Tunnel|Sapperton]], and opened the railway to Gloucester in 1845. Canal tolls were cut in an attempt to retain traffic, but toll revenue fell from £11,000 to £2,874 between 1841 and 1855. The Thames Commissioners were also in financial difficulties, and the Thames was almost unnavigable from Oxford to Lechlade after 1855. In 1866, plans to convert the canal to a railway were rejected by Parliament, but the Thames Commissioners were replaced by the [[Thames Conservancy]], and most of the river was soon returned to a navigable state.{{sfn |Hadfield |1969 |pp=333–335}}

[[File:Cerney Wick Lock, Thames and Severn Canal - geograph.org.uk - 1513935.jpg|thumb|Cerney Wick Lock, Thames and Severn Canal]]

{{Infobox UK legislation
| short_title           = Thames and Severn Canal Trust Act 1895
| type                  = Act
| parliament            = Parliament of the United Kingdom
| long_title            = An Act for vesting in a Public Trust to be incorporated for that purpose the Undertaking of the Company of Proprietors of the Thames and Severn Canal Navigation and for other purposes.
| year                  = 1895
| citation              = [[58 & 59 Vict.]] c. cxlix
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| introduced_lords      = 
| territorial_extent    = 
| royal_assent          = 6 July 1895
| commencement          = 
| expiry_date           = 
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| original_text         = https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukla/Vict/58-59/149/pdfs/ukla_18950149_en.pdf
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The condition of the canal continued to decline. Complaints were made about its state in 1874 and 1885, which resulted in surveys being undertaken, but little was done to remedy the situation. In 1893, the Thames and Severn company announced that the canal between Chalford and Inglesham would close two days later. Negotiations with a number of interested parties took place, and having given an assurance to the Great Western Railway that it would not be converted into a railway, an act of Parliament was obtained in 1895, the '''{{visible anchor|Thames and Severn Canal Trust Act 1895}}''' ([[58 & 59 Vict.]] c. cxlix), which formed a trust with powers to raise £15,000. The trust included representatives from the [[Sharpness, Gloucestershire|Sharpness]] New Docks & Gloucester & Birmingham Company, the [[Stroudwater Canal]], the [[Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal|Staffs & Worcs Canal]], the Severn Commissioners, [[Berkshire County Council|Berkshire]], [[Gloucestershire County Council|Gloucestershire]] and [[Wiltshire County Council|Wiltshire]] county councils, and [[Stroud]] and [[Cirencester]] district councils. At the same time as the trust refurbished the canal, the upper Thames was upgraded by the [[Thames Conservancy]].{{sfn |Hadfield |1969 |p=338}}

{{Infobox UK legislation
| short_title           = Thames and Severn Canal Order Confirmation Act 1901
| type                  = Act
| parliament            = Parliament of the United Kingdom
| long_title            = An Act to confirm an Order made by the Board of Trade under the Railway and Canal Traffic Act 1888 for the transfer of the Thames and Severn Canal to the County Council of Gloucestershire and for other purposes.
| year                  = 1901
| citation              = [[1 Edw. 7]]. c. iii
| introduced_commons    = 
| introduced_lords      = 
| territorial_extent    = 
| royal_assent          = 2 July 1901
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| original_text         = https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukla/Edw7/1/3/pdfs/ukla_19010003_en.pdf
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Although the canal was re-opened in March 1899, lack of water on the summit level soon closed it again, after which Gloucestershire County Council suggested that they take it over, which was the first instance of a public body taking over a waterway in the public interest.<ref>{{Cite news |date=15 February 1900 |title=News |work=The Manchester Guardian |pages=10}}</ref> They did so on 2 July 1901, by the '''{{visible anchor|Thames and Severn Canal Order Confirmation Act 1901}}''' ([[1 Edw. 7]]. c. iii). In 1925 they began negotiations with interested parties which ultimately led to the abandonment of the canal from Chalford to Inglesham in 1927. The [[Stroudwater Navigation]] managed to keep the remaining section open until 1933, when it was abandoned,{{sfn |Hadfield |1969 |pp=335–340}} and their own canal closed in 1941.{{sfn |Hadfield |1969 |p=314}}