Editing Thames and Severn Canal (section)

==Restoration==
[[Image:South Cerney canal.jpg|thumb|left|The canal towpath at [[South Cerney]] near Cirencester. Large trees have grown up in the 70 years since the canal was abandoned.]]
Following the publication of Ronald Russell's influential book ''Lost Canals of England and Wales'' in 1972, a number of canal restoration schemes sprang up. Among the organisations established that year was the Stroudwater Canal Society, which soon became the Stroudwater, Thames and Severn Canal Trust,{{sfn |Squires |2008 |p=78}} and from 1975, the [[Cotswold Canals Trust]].{{sfn |Cumberlidge |2009 |p=285}} Volunteers for the trust have since been working to restore both the [[Stroudwater Navigation]] and the Thames and Severn Canal. Extensive lobbying in 1979 resulted in Gloucestershire County Council deciding to rebuild a damaged bridge at Daneway, rather than replace it with a much cheaper low-level causeway, which would have severed the route. Two years later, County Council support was required when the project benefited from 20 workers and a £17,000 budget for materials under the [[Job creation program|Job Creation Scheme]] set up by the [[Manpower Services Commission]], as the council had to manage the scheme.{{sfn |Squires |2008 |pp=104,110}}

In 1991, the trust commissioned the engineering consultancy [[Halcrow Group|Sir William Halcrow and Partners]] to conduct a feasibility study for restoration of the eastern end of the canal. Funding was provided by the [[National Rivers Authority]], local authorities, and other interested parties. The report demonstrated that there was a good case for the provision of a navigable culvert beneath the proposed Latton Bypass. Despite initially saying that a culvert would not be built,{{sfn |Squires |2008 |pp=128,130}} negotiation continued, and – helped by grants of £250,000 from Gloucestershire County Council and £125,000 from North Wilts District Council –  the Department of the Environment decided in 1997 that a culvert would be provided under the road.{{sfn |Squires |2008 |p=140}} The completed underpass now lies buried, awaiting the arrival of restoration work on either side.<ref>{{Cite web |title=A419 Underpass at Latton |url=https://www.cotswoldcanals.net/a419-latton-underpass |access-date=2023-04-25 |website=www.cotswoldcanals.net}}</ref>

===Funding===
In order to provide a suitable structure to drive the restoration forwards, the Cotswold Canals Partnership was established in 2001, drawing together people representing the Proprietors of the Stroudwater Navigation, the Cotswold Canals Trust, councils at district and county level, and a number of other interested parties.<ref name=ccp>{{cite web |url=http://www.cotswoldcanalsproject.org/general.asp?pid=2&pgid=171 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120506231256/http://www.cotswoldcanalsproject.org/general.asp?pid=2&pgid=171 |archive-date=6 May 2012 |title=Cotswold Canals Partnership |url-status=usurped |publisher=Cotswold Canals Partnership}}</ref> In 2002, the waterway was identified as being of high priority in the [[Association of Inland Navigation Authorities]] report entitled ''Vision for Strategic Enhancement of Britain's Inland Navigation Network'', and was one of several new projects highlighted at [[British Waterways]]' ''Unlocked and Unlimited'' conference held in March. The estimated cost of the project was £82 million.{{sfn |Squires |2008 |p=154}} Having raised £100,000, the Cotswold Canals Trust lodged the money with the [[Waterways Trust]], in the hope that it could be used as match funding for any grants that might be received. Andy Stumpf became the full-time Regeneration Programme Manager, working on a major bid application to the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) to finance the restoration, and the canal was visited by [[Charles, Prince of Wales]], in his capacity as patron of the Waterways Trust.{{sfn |Squires |2008 |p=156}} A Heritage Survey, which cost £60,000 and was funded by the [[Inland Waterways Association]], was carried out, as was a Community Development Plan and a Visitor Management Strategy, costing another £30,000, all of which were pre-requisites for the main HLF bid.{{sfn |Squires |2008 |p=158}}

By the time the bid was ready for submission, the HLF were under pressure for the funds they had, and asked British Waterways, who were managing the application, to split the bid and the project into smaller phases. At the end of 2003, a provisional grant of £11.3 million was awarded by the HLF, to enable the restoration of the Stroudwater Navigation between [[Stonehouse, Gloucestershire|Stonehouse]] and Wallbridge, and the Thames and Severn Canal between Wallbridge and [[Brimscombe]] Port. An additional £2.9&nbsp;million was received from the European Inter-Regional budget for this first phase.{{sfn |Squires |2008 |p=164}} By the time the grant was awarded in January 2006, it had risen to £11.9&nbsp;million, and a further £6&nbsp;million of match funding was received from the South West of England Regional Development Agency.<ref name=ccp/> Alongside these major developments, the Cotswold Canals Trust has rebuilt a number of locks and bridges and some small sections of the rest of the route are now in water.

With the restoration underway, British Waterways pulled out of the partnership in 2008 because of financial difficulties. The role of project leader was taken over by Stroud District Council, and a new body, the Stroud Valleys Canal Company,<ref name=SN-heritage>{{cite web |url=http://www.stroudwater.co.uk/cpsn/heritage.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191025095804/http://www.stroudwater.co.uk/cpsn/heritage.html |archive-date=25 October 2019 |url-status=live |title=Heritage |publisher=Stroudwater Canal Proprietors}}</ref> was created in March 2009 to act as a holding company for the assets of the waterway, with a responsibility to manage and maintain it once it is reopened. They now own most of the canal bed between Wallbridge and Brimscombe.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cotswoldcanalsproject.org/general.asp?pid=2&pgid=1913 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120526022149/http://www.cotswoldcanalsproject.org/general.asp?pid=2&pgid=1913 |archive-date=26 May 2012 |title=Stroud Valleys Canal Company |url-status=usurped |publisher=Cotswold Canals Partnership}}</ref> The cost of the restoration exceeded estimates, and as a result, the Heritage Lottery Fund agreed to supply an additional £800,000 in December 2012, to allow full restoration between Stonehouse and Bowbridge, and the upgrading of the towpath onwards to Brimscombe Port. Work on the canal beyond Bowbridge would be handled by volunteers.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cotswoldcanalsproject.org/_documents/2_SDC%20December%202012.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150511052451/http://www.cotswoldcanalsproject.org/_documents/2_SDC%20December%202012.pdf |archive-date=11 May 2015 |title=Project Update |date=December 2012 |publisher=Stround District Council |url-status=usurped |access-date=11 June 2013}}</ref>

===Progress===
The restoration programme is divided into several phases. Phase 1a covers {{convert|6|mi|0}} of the most difficult section to restore, centred on Stroud, comprising the lengths of the Stroudwater Navigation between [[Stonehouse, Gloucestershire|Stonehouse]] and Wallbridge, and the Thames and Severn Canal between Wallbridge and [[Brimscombe]] Port. Phase 1b connects the completed Phase 1a section, westwards, to the rest of the inland waterways network, at Saul Junction on the [[Gloucester and Sharpness Canal]]. Phase 2 covers work at the eastern end of the canal, between Gateway Bridge in the [[Cotswold Water Park]] (Cerney Wick), and Inglesham Lock, the junction with the Thames.<ref name="RestorationPhase2">{{cite web|title=Cotswold Canals – Phase 2 Restoration|url=http://www.cotswoldcanals.net/phase_2.php |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304040449/https://www.cotswoldcanals.net/phase_2.php |archive-date=4 March 2016 |url-status=live |publisher=Cotswold Canals in Pictures|access-date=4 May 2015}}</ref> It will form a link between the upper Thames, the North Wilts Canal and the [[Wilts & Berks Canal]]. Phase 3 completes the project, connecting Brimscombe Port in the west with Gateway Bridge in the east, via [[Sapperton Canal Tunnel|Sapperton Tunnel]].<ref name="RestorationPhase3">{{cite web|title=Cotswold Canals – Phase 3 Restoration|url=http://www.cotswoldcanals.net/phase_3.php |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160402230942/http://www.cotswoldcanals.net/phase_3.php |archive-date=2 April 2016 |url-status=live |publisher=Cotswold Canals in Pictures|access-date=4 May 2015}}</ref>

====Phase 1a====
[[File:Gates being fitted to bowbridge lock.JPG|thumb|right|Gates being fitted to Bowbridge Lock as part of phase 1a]]
Phase 1a of the restoration programme covered the length of canal from The Ocean at Stonehouse, on the Stroudwater Navigation, to Brimscombe Port, east of Stroud, on the Thames and Severn Canal – a length of about {{convert|6|mi|0}}. The work included restoration of 10 locks, reconstruction of 10 bridges, and reinstatement of about {{convert|2100|m|yd|order=flip}} of in-filled canal; plus the major reconstruction of Brimscombe Port.<ref name="RestorationPhase1a">{{cite web|title=Cotswold Canals Restoration – Phase 1A |url=http://www.cotswoldcanals.net/phase_1a.php |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190216071753/https://www.cotswoldcanals.net/phase_1a.php |archive-date=16 February 2019 |url-status=live |publisher=Cotswold Canals in Pictures|access-date=4 May 2015}}</ref> Funding was in place for all of the scheduled work, but increasing costs curtailed the programme. A revised plan – with increased support from volunteer labour – aimed to have restoration completed to Bowbridge by the end of 2015, with all major work eastwards put on hold.<ref name="RestorationPhase1a"/> Phase 1a also included the provision of a multi-user trail between Stonehouse and Saul, but this was held over to Phase 1b.<ref name="RestorationPhase1a"/>

The final section of the canal before it joins the Stroudwater Navigation presented particular problems for restoration, as the channel had been used as part of a flood relief scheme by the [[Environment Agency]]. Water from [[Slad Brook]], which is culverted beneath Stroud, joins the canal a short distance above Lower Wallbridge Lock. [[Painswick Stream]] and [[Ruscombe Brook]] join the channel below the junction and flow through the Dudbridge locks, after which the water is discharged into the River Frome below the A419 Dudbridge Road bridge. As a consequence of its flood relief function, the channel here is classified as a "[[main river]]".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.stroudwater.co.uk/cpsn/guides/section%203.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201032137/http://www.stroudwater.co.uk/cpsn/guides/section%203.html |archive-date=1 December 2017 |url-status=live |title=Ebley to Wallbridge |publisher=Proprietors of the Stroudwater Navigation}}</ref> Designs for reinstatement of the canal had to accommodate large flows on this section, and include underground bywash culverts, capable of carrying the full flood flow of the streams.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://community.stroud.gov.uk/_documents/2_Cots_Project_Atlas_Page_62_and_63_Dudbridge_Locks_and_the_Lawns.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120314142331/http://community.stroud.gov.uk/_documents/2_Cots_Project_Atlas_Page_62_and_63_Dudbridge_Locks_and_the_Lawns.pdf |archive-date=14 March 2012 |title=Plan 11a Dudbridge Locks |publisher=Cotswold Canals Partnership |url-status=dead}}</ref>

At Capels Mill, the bed of the canal was used as the route for the Stroud Bypass in the 1980s, and so a diversion had to be built at this point. It passes through an area that was used as a landfill site in the 1960s and 1970s. Some {{convert|355|yd|m}} of new channel was constructed, some of it edged with sheet piling. After passing through a railway viaduct, the bank is supported by a series of contiguous concrete piles, which were drilled to a depth of between {{convert|30|ft|m|0}} and {{convert|49|ft|m}} and provide a retaining wall which is {{convert|35|ft|m}} tall at its highest point. As the project neared completion, open days to allow the public to walk along the bottom of the new canal section were held on 10 and 11 May 2013, and were attended by over 1,800 people. Where domestic rubbish had to be removed, it was relocated on the site, covered with {{convert|2|ft|cm|sigfig=1}} of crushed recycled concrete and a layer of Bentomat geotextile, which was topped by [[subsoil]] and topsoil obtained from elsewhere on the site. Tubular vents allow any methane produced by the disturbed rubbish to escape safely. The new section was filled with water and officially completed on 2 June 2013.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://cotswoldcanals.com/capels-mill-conclusion-2/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201031151/https://cotswoldcanals.com/capels-mill-conclusion-2/ |archive-date=1 December 2017 |url-status=live |title=Capels Mill - Conclusion |publisher=Cotswold Canals Trust |access-date=9 June 2013}}</ref>

An evaluation cruise was held on 10 November 2017, when the maintenance boat ''Wookey Hole'' carried three assessors from the Heritage Lottery Fund, the chief executive from Stroud District Council and their canal project manager, the Mayor of Stroud, and the Cotswold Canal Trust chief executive and vice-chair. It travelled from The Ocean at Stonebridge eastwards to Bowbridge Lock, with a stop for lunch at Upper Wallbridge Lock. The cruise enabled the HLF assessors to view the work done and to sign off the Phase 1a project, bringing it to a conclusion.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://cotswoldcanals.com/heritage-lottery-fund-cruise-report/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201035406/https://cotswoldcanals.com/heritage-lottery-fund-cruise-report/ |archive-date=1 December 2017 |url-status=live |title=Heritage Lottery Fund – Evaluation Cruise |publisher=Cotswold Canals Trust |access-date=21 November 2017}}</ref> An official opening of Wallbridge Lower Lock took place on 2 February 2018, when [[Charles, Prince of Wales|Prince Charles]] cut a ribbon to celebrate the reconnection of the Thames and Severn Canal with the Stroudwater Navigation, and unveiled a commemorative plaque.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://cotswoldcanals.com/royal-recognition-of-restoration/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180611032857/https://cotswoldcanals.com/royal-recognition-of-restoration/ |archive-date=11 June 2018 |url-status=live |title=Royal Recognition of Restoration |publisher=Cotswold Canals Trust |access-date=5 February 2018}}</ref>

During the execution of the phase 1a project, it became obvious that there would be a shortfall in funding, caused in part by the development of Brimscombe Port being deferred. Thus the Heritage Lottery funded works ended at Bowbridge Lock, and work up to Hope Mill Lock has been undertaken largely by volunteers. Some work to prepare the Brimscombe Port site for development was funded by a £2&nbsp;million grant from the Homes & Communities Agency given in October 2015.<ref name="RestorationPhase1a"/> Volunteers completed restoration of Griffin's Mill Lock in 2017, but dredging of the intervening channel took rather longer, and the lock was opened on 9 July 2018. Work had already begun on the restoration of Ham Mill Lock, the next one upstream. In a separate development, water supply to the restored section was improved by building a feeder siphon at Gough's Orchard Lock, which takes water from a millpond supplied by the River Frome and feeds it into the lock. The pipeline runs over the top of the canal bank, and a solar-powered pump creates a vacuum within the pipe to allow the siphoning to begin. The volume of water taken is regulated by a gate valve, and is governed by an abstraction licence issued by the Environment Agency.<ref>{{cite journal |title=More Cotswold channel opened |journal=Waterways World |date=October 2018 |issn=0309-1422 |page=29}}</ref>

====Phase 1b====
{{main|Stroudwater Navigation#Restoration}}
The second phase of the restoration programme covers the length of the Stroudwater Navigation between the Ocean Railway Bridge, Stonehouse, and Saul Junction on the [[Gloucester and Sharpness Canal]], a distance of about {{convert|4|mi|km}}. The simpler work includes construction of two new locks, restoration of a further six locks, construction of several minor road bridges, and reinstatement of about {{convert|1|mi|km}} of in-filled canal.<ref name="RestorationPhase1b"/> This section poses some significant engineering problems. A new railway bridge was required at Stonehouse, where the canal had been culverted underneath the [[Cross-Country Route|Bristol–Birmingham line]].<ref name="RestorationPhase1b"/> Since the canal was abandoned, the [[River Frome, Stroud|River Frome]] and the Oldbury Brook have both been diverted to use part of the canal bed.<ref name="RestorationPhase1b"/> Most significantly, the original route has been divided by both the construction of the [[M5 motorway]] and development of the [[A38 road|A38]] trunk road. Plans to overcome these obstacles were produced, in anticipation of the necessary funding becoming available.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://community.stroud.gov.uk/_documents/2_Cots_Project_Atlas_Page_36_and_37_Occupation_Bridge_to_Westfield_Lock.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120314142311/http://community.stroud.gov.uk/_documents/2_Cots_Project_Atlas_Page_36_and_37_Occupation_Bridge_to_Westfield_Lock.pdf |archive-date=14 March 2012 |title=Occupation Bridge to Westfield Lock |publisher=Cotswold Canals Partnership |url-status=dead}}</ref>

Bids for [[Heritage Lottery Fund|Heritage Lottery funding]] were rejected in May 2012 and November 2015. A revised bid was submitted in November 2017, and following criticism of the lack of investment by partners in the project, was backed by a promise of £3&nbsp;million from [[Stroud District Council]], £700,000 from [[Gloucestershire County Council]] and £675,000 from the [[Canal & River Trust]], who also pledged practical support. In addition, the Cotswold Canals Trust offered financial assistance and volunteer labour. A development grant of £0.8&nbsp;million was received from the Heritage Lottery Fund in April 2018, which led to the award of £8.9&nbsp;million in October 2020.<ref name="RestorationPhase1b"/> A further boost was the granting of £4&nbsp;million from [[Highways England]] in May 2019, to cover the cost of tunnelling under the A38 roundabout and other environmental projects along the "missing mile", the new route of the canal to replace the section obliterated by road construction and infilling.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.stroud.gov.uk/news-archive/missing-mile-of-canal-can-be-restored-thanks-to-4million-highways-england-grant |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210124085910/https://www.stroud.gov.uk/news-archive/missing-mile-of-canal-can-be-restored-thanks-to-4million-highways-england-grant |archive-date=24 January 2021 |url-status=live |title='Missing mile' of canal can be restored thanks to £4million Highways England grant |publisher=Stroud District Council |date=8 May 2019}}</ref> Phase 1b, which became known as Cotswold Canals Connected in 2018, is expected to be completed by 2028.<ref name="RestorationPhase1b"/><ref name="StroudUpdate24"/>

Stroud District Council decided that the infrastructure costs for the development of Brimscombe Port were too high to entice developers to the scheme, and made a bid to [[Homes England]] in 2015 for public funding. They received £2&nbsp;million from this source, to which they added another £2&nbsp;million as match funding. They also received £776,000 from the One Public Estate Land Release Fund, which is given for the development of brownfield sites. Planning permission was obtained on 24 March 2021 for the development of the port, including reinstatement of the canal, basin and various bridge works. The initial work includes demolition of modern additions to Port Mill,<ref name=dev-plan>{{cite web |url=https://www.stroud.gov.uk/environment/brimscombe-port/brimscombe-port-redevelopment-plans |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211103062409/https://www.stroud.gov.uk/environment/brimscombe-port/brimscombe-port-redevelopment-plans |archive-date=3 November 2021 |url-status=live |title=Brimscombe Port redevelopment plans |publisher=Stroud District Council |year=2021}}</ref> so that a new canal channel and river bed can be constructed further to the south than formerly, with the new river channel replacing the previous culvert under the modern parts of Port Mill.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.stroud.gov.uk/media/1485866/item-9-appendix-a-ii-infrastructure-_approved-general-arrangement-drawing.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210628121211/https://www.stroud.gov.uk/media/1485866/item-9-appendix-a-ii-infrastructure-_approved-general-arrangement-drawing.pdf |archive-date=28 June 2021 |url-status=live |title=Infrastructure General Arrangement Drawing |publisher=Stroud District Council |date=10 June 2021}}</ref> In July 2022, the council selected St. Modwen Homes as the developer to work on the project.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.stroud.gov.uk/environment/our-vision-for-brimscombe-port |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220729162457/https://www.stroud.gov.uk/environment/our-vision-for-brimscombe-port |archive-date=29 July 2022 |url-status=live |title=Our Vision for Brimscombe Port |publisher=Stroud District Council |year=2022}}</ref>

====Phase 2====
Restoration programme phase 2 covers work at the eastern end of the canal, between Gateway Bridge in the Cotswold Water Park (Cerney Wick), and the junction with the Thames at Inglesham Lock, a distance of about {{convert|10|mi|km}}. The section does not pose the major engineering challenges faced elsewhere, but land ownership is an issue, and there are several miles of infilled canal around Kempsford.<ref name="RestorationPhase2"/> Funding is only in place for minor projects, but several locks have been substantially restored, lengths of towpath reconstructed, and dredging completed.<ref name="RestorationPhase2"/>

In 2002, [[British Waterways]] bought the lock at Inglesham and the adjacent [[Roundhouse (Thames and Severn Canal)|round house]], to safeguard the route of the canal. After they pulled out of the restoration scheme, they sold the house, which was bought by a member of the Cotswold Canals Trust, and transferred the ownership of the lock to the trust.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://community.stroud.gov.uk/_documents/2_BWownershiprelease.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120314142354/http://community.stroud.gov.uk/_documents/2_BWownershiprelease.pdf |archive-date=14 March 2012 |title=British Waterways transfers ownership |publisher=Cotswold Canals Trust |url-status=dead}}</ref> In June 2010 the [[Inland Waterways Association]] (IWA) mounted a national campaign for £125,000 to enable Inglesham Lock and around {{convert|420|yd|m}} of the [[canal pound|pound]] above it to be restored.<ref>{{cite web |title=Inglesham Lock – IWA National Restoration Appeal ('We want to extend the Thames!') |url=http://www.waterways.org.uk/campaigns/appeals/iwa_national__restoration_appeal___inglesham_lock_ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110404043641/http://www.waterways.org.uk/campaigns/appeals/iwa_national__restoration_appeal___inglesham_lock_ |archive-date=4 April 2011 |publisher=[[Inland Waterways Association]] |access-date=1 July 2010 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Work on the refurbishment of the lock structure began in 2016 and was completed in May 2019, with some tidying up of the site continuing until September.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://kescrgonline.co.uk/inglesham-lock/5/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210304150420/https://kescrgonline.co.uk/inglesham-lock/5/ |archive-date=4 March 2021 |url-status=live |title=Inglesham Lock 2019 |publisher=Kescrg Canal Restoration Group |year=2019}}</ref>

====Phase 3====
The completion of the project is outlined in phase 3, to connect Brimscombe Port in the west with Gateway Bridge in the east, a distance of about {{convert|16|mi|km}}.<ref name="RestorationPhase3"/> Restoring this central section poses several major engineering difficulties: firstly to overcome the water supply that was always inadequate, and secondly because the {{convert|2.2|mi|km|adj=mid|-long}} [[Sapperton Canal Tunnel|Sapperton Tunnel]] is blocked by two rock falls. In addition, there are two missing railway bridges, an aqueduct, and 31 locks to rebuild. As of May 2015, there was no significant funding in place for any restoration projects on this section of the canal.<ref name="RestorationPhase3"/>

Parts of the tunnel are in good condition, where it has been cut through stable rock, either [[Great Oolite Group|Great Oolite]] limestone at the Coates end, or [[Inferior Oolite]] towards the Daneway end. However, a length of {{convert|0.63|mi|km}} near the middle of the tunnel and {{convert|0.28|mi|km}} at the Daneway end are cut through [[fuller's earth]], and although lined with brick, the fuller's earth expands when wet, and this has resulted in heave of the bottom of the tunnel, causing wall and roof falls.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://cotswoldcanals.org/canals/about-the-canals/the-thames-severn/#iLightbox[phase-2]/0 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211231120358/https://cotswoldcanals.org/canals/about-the-canals/the-thames-severn/#iLightbox[phase-2]/0 |archive-date=31 December 2021 |url-status=live |title=Tunnel Cross Section |publisher=Cotswold Canals}}</ref>