Editing River Welland (section)

==Navigation==
[[File:Deeping bridge 2.jpg|thumb|The bridge connecting Deeping St James and Deeping Gate crosses the old course of the River Welland.]]
The river as far as Stamford was used by the Romans for navigation, as it formed part of a system including the [[Car Dyke]],<ref name=jane>{{harvnb|Cumberlidge|2009|p=326}}</ref> which ran along the western edge of the Fens and crossed the river near the modern Folly River. Navigation to Stamford was improved by the canal. Boats used on the canal were small lighters, around {{convert|7|ft|m}} wide, capable of carrying from seven to fourteen tons, and normally worked in trains of four vessels. With the arrival of the railways, river trade declined. The [[Midland Railway]] reached Peterborough in 1846, and opened their line to Melton Mowbray, passing through Stamford, in 1848. Carriage of coal on the upper river stopped, and the locks deteriorated. By April 1863, all traffic had ceased, and Stamford Corporation tried to sell the line at auction, but failed because their ownership of it was disputed.<ref>{{harvnb|Boyes|Russell|1977|p=241}}</ref>

Trade on the lower river was carried in barges and keels. During the early 1800s as trade was increasing, so the river was simultaneously silting up. Around 1800, vessels carrying 60 tons could reach the port facilities at Spalding; however, by the 1820s, ships could only be loaded with 40 tons each as the river silting had worsened. Trade records indicate that in 1829, vessels carried just under 20,000 tons to and from Spalding, and by 1835 this had increased to over 34,000 tons.{{sfn|Saunders|1836|p=123}} There was pressure from merchants to cater for larger vessels, and with later improvements, carried out under an Act of Parliament obtained in 1837, barges and sloops of up to 120 tons could use the port. Because the river was maintained for drainage, some commercial traffic continued despite the railways, and tolls of £478 were collected on 11,690 tons in 1888. Coal for Spalding gasworks arrived by boat until the early 1900s, and the last regular trade was the carriage of corn, hay and straw from Spalding to Fosdyke, where the cargo was transferred to larger ships. All commercial carrying had ceased by the end of the Second World War.<ref>{{harvnb|Boyes|Russell|1977|pp=246–247}}</ref>

[[File:Spalding Water Taxi - geograph.org.uk - 190952.jpg|thumb|left|Spalding water taxi]]

A [[water taxi]] service was launched in Spalding in July 2005. Its route is from just off Spalding's High Street upstream along the river, turning onto the Coronation Channel, and going to Springfields Outlet Shopping & Festival Gardens, and back.<ref>{{cite web |title=Spalding water taxi |url=http://www.spaldingwatertaxi.co.uk/map.php |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210119170630/https://www.spaldingwatertaxi.co.uk/map.php |archive-date=19 January 2021 }}</ref>

Vessels of {{convert|110|by|30|ft|m}} and drawing {{convert|8|ft|m}} can still proceed along the estuary at high water, and can travel inland as far as Fulney lock. They cannot pass through the lock as it is only {{convert|62.3|by|27.8|ft|m}} and at normal summer water levels, can accommodate boats drawing {{convert|2.6|ft|m}}. The river is officially navigable to the point at which the Folly River joins it, but the length of boats allowed on this section is restricted to {{convert|35|ft|m}} long, considerably less than the lock dimensions would suggest.<ref name=jane/> Navigation on this stretch was severely restricted by Four Mile Bar footbridge, which provided just {{convert|5.25|ft|m}} of headroom, but this was increased when a new single-span arched bridge was installed in early 2007 by the Lincolnshire Waterways Partnership.{{sfn|Powell|2007|pp=1, 3}} Smaller boats such as canoes, which can be carried around obstructions, can continue up to Stamford,<ref name=jane/> but they must use the old course of the river through the Deepings, rather than the Maxey cut.<ref name=users>{{harvnb|Users Guide|2008}}</ref>

[[File:Barge and passing yacht - geograph.org.uk - 1453452.jpg|thumb|Barge and passing yacht between Fosdyke and the Wash]]

Below Spalding, there were no restrictions on headroom, which allowed small coasters to reach the town. The bridge at Fosdyke was a [[swing bridge]], to comply with the provisions of the Fosdyke Bridge Act of 1870. The demise of such traffic allowed it to be replaced by a fixed bridge with headroom of {{convert|16.5|ft|m}}, but the powers of the original Act had to be rescinded, and the Port of Fosdyke Act was obtained in 1987 to allow this to happen.<ref>{{harvnb|Edwards|1985|p=388}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/lords/1983/dec/05/fosdyke-bridge-bill-hl |title=House of Lords debate |date=5 December 1983 |work=[[Hansard|Parliamentary Debates (Hansard)]] |access-date=17 December 2010}}</ref> The redundant wharfs at Fosdyke have been developed to provide moorings for yachts and other pleasure craft.<ref name=jane/> The lock at Fulney has three sets of gates, two pointing towards the sea, and a third between them which points upriver. Thus, the lock can only be used when the level below it is higher than the level above it, and as the tide falls, the intermediate gate closes to prevent its use.<ref name=users/>

The principle of there being no tolls for use of the river was established by the 1664 Act of Parliament. This was reversed by the 1794 Act, which imposed high tolls, until they were reduced by the provisions of an Act of Parliament obtained in 1824.<ref name=boyes246>{{harvnb|Boyes|Russell|1977|p=246}}</ref> The river is now managed by the [[Environment Agency]] between Stamford and just below Fosdyke bridge, and a licence is required to use it. From there to the Wash, it was managed by the Port of Fosdyke Authority,<ref name=jane/> but since they went into administration, the Environment Agency have also managed the section from Fosdyke Bridge to below the Holbeach River.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.fenswaterways.com/Portals/0/docs/navigation_guides/Welland_Glen_Navigation_Guide.pdf |title=Welland and Glen Navigation Guide |publisher=Environment Agency |access-date=21 March 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110726083038/http://www.fenswaterways.com/Portals/0/docs/navigation_guides/Welland_Glen_Navigation_Guide.pdf |archive-date=26 July 2011}}</ref>