Editing River Nene (section)

==Navigation==
{{River Nene map}}

The Nene is navigable from just above its junction with the Northampton Arm of the Grand Union Canal to the sea. Most leisure use is between Northampton and Peterborough, where it makes a junction with the Middle Level Navigations at Stanground Sluice, which give access to the River Ouse. There is no longer any significant commercial traffic above the [[Port of Wisbech]].<ref>{{harvnb |Smith |2006 |pp=3–5}}</ref>

===Above Peterborough===
[[File:River Nene Navigation 1762.JPG|thumb|left|River Nene Navigation Joint Stock certificate for the Western Division of the Navigation, issued 1 April 1762]]

{{Infobox UK legislation
| short_title           = River Nene (Northampton to Peterborough) Navigation Act 1713
| type                  = Act
| parliament            = Parliament of Great Britain
| long_title            = An Act for making the River Nine, or Nen, running from Northampton to Peterborough, navigable.
| year                  = 1713
| citation              = 13 Ann. c. 19{{br}}(Ruffhead: 12 Ann. St. 2. c. 7)
| introduced_commons    = 
| introduced_lords      = 
| territorial_extent    = 
| royal_assent          = 28 May 1714
| commencement          = 
| expiry_date           = 
| repeal_date           = 
| amends                = 
| replaces              = [[Nene Valley Drainage and Navigation Improvement Act 1852]]
| amendments            = 
| repealing_legislation = 
| related_legislation   = 
| status                = repealed
| legislation_history   = 
| theyworkforyou        = 
| millbankhansard       = 
| original_text         = 
| revised_text          = 
| use_new_UK-LEG        = 
| UK-LEG_title          = 
| collapsed             = yes
}}
{{Infobox UK legislation
| short_title           = River Nene (Norfolk) Navigation Act 1724
| type                  = Act
| parliament            = Parliament of Great Britain
| long_title            = 
| year                  = 1724
| citation              = [[11 Geo. 1]]. c. 19
| introduced_commons    = 
| introduced_lords      = 
| territorial_extent    = 
| royal_assent          = 
| commencement          = 
| expiry_date           = 
| repeal_date           = 
| amends                = 
| replaces              = 
| amendments            = 
| repealing_legislation = 
| related_legislation   = 
| status                = 
| original_text         = 
| collapsed             = yes
}}

The first recorded attempts to improve the upper river for navigation occurred in 1567 and 1606, when the people of Northampton commissioned surveys. In 1653, a printed pamphlet suggested that 33 locks to bypass the mills could be built for £8,000, to make the river navigable. Eventually, an [[act of Parliament]], the '''{{visible anchor|River Nene (Northampton to Peterborough) Navigation Act 1713}}''' ([[13 Ann.]] c. 19) was obtained, which appointed large numbers of Commissioners, but stated that work could only proceed if any nine of them could find someone to make the entire river navigable. No-one was prepared to take on the task, although it appears from the Act that the river was navigable from Peterborough to [[Alwalton]] at the time. The act was superseded by a second act of Parliament, the '''{{visible anchor|River Nene (Norfolk) Navigation Act 1724}}''' ([[11 Geo. 1]]. c. 19), which allowed the river to be improved in stages, the work to be carried out at the contractor's expense, with the cost to be recouped from tolls. Robert Wright and Thomas Squire agreed to these terms for the section from Peterborough to the bridge at [[Oundle]] North in September 1726, and completed the work by 1730. Squire then agreed to the same terms for the next section to Thrapston in 1736, and completed it by late 1737. This part of the river was then designated as the Eastern Division.<ref name=boyes>{{harvnb |Boyes |Russell |1977 |pp=196–198}}</ref>

{{Infobox UK legislation
| short_title           = River Nene Navigation Act 1756
| type                  = Act
| parliament            = Parliament of Great Britain
| long_title            = 
| year                  = 1756
| citation              = [[29 Geo. 2]]. c. 69
| introduced_commons    = 
| introduced_lords      = 
| territorial_extent    = 
| royal_assent          = 
| commencement          = 
| expiry_date           = 
| repeal_date           = 
| amends                = 
| replaces              = 
| amendments            = 
| repealing_legislation = 
| related_legislation   = 
| status                = 
| legislation_history   = 
| theyworkforyou        = 
| millbankhansard       = 
| original_text         = 
| revised_text          = 
| use_new_UK-LEG        = 
| UK-LEG_title          = 
| collapsed             = yes
}}
A failure to find anyone prepared to work on the Western Division from Thrapston to Northampton resulted in a third act, the '''{{visible anchor|River Nene Navigation Act 1756}}''' ([[29 Geo. 2]]. c. 69) being obtained, which allowed the Commissioners to borrow money to finance the work. Lenders would become proprietors of the navigation, and the work was to begin at [[Thrapston]] and extend the navigable section towards Northampton. It took the Commissioners two years to agree who should carry out the work, but on 22 June 1758, John Smith jnr from Attercliffe, Yorkshire was contracted to construct 20 pound locks, 20 horse haling bridges and various other works at a cost of £14,070. The river opened to navigation in stages over the next three years, with a great celebration being held at Northampton on 7 August 1761 when the work was completed.<ref>{{harvnb |Boyes |Russell |1977 |pp=198–201}}</ref>

{{Infobox UK legislation
| short_title           = River Nene Navigation Act 1794
| type                  = Act
| parliament            = Parliament of Great Britain
| long_title            = An Act to remove certain difficulties in the execution of the powers vested in the commissioners appointed by two acts, passed in the thirteenth year of the reign of Queen Anne, and in the eleventh year of the reign of King George the First, for making the river Nine or Nen, running from Northampton to Peterborough, navigable, so far as the same relate to the navigation between Peterborough and Thrapston Bridge.
| year                  = 1794
| citation              = [[34 Geo. 3]]. c. 85
| introduced_commons    = 
| introduced_lords      = 
| territorial_extent    = 
| royal_assent          = 17 April 1794
| commencement          = 
| expiry_date           = 
| repeal_date           = 
| amends                = 
| replaces              = 
| amendments            = 
| repealing_legislation = 
| related_legislation   = 
| status                = 
| legislation_history   = 
| theyworkforyou        = 
| millbankhansard       = 
| original_text         = 
| revised_text          = 
| use_new_UK-LEG        = 
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| collapsed             = yes
}}
The proprietors had the right to use tolls as they saw fit, and the Commissioners found that they had no powers to ensure the navigation was maintained in good order. They obtained another act of Parliament, the '''{{visible anchor|River Nene Navigation Act 1794}}''' ([[34 Geo. 3]]. c. 85), which aimed to rectify the situation, but it was not until 1801 that Thomas Wright replied to their requests, and some repairs were made. There was little traffic and income from tolls was low, at just £488 per year between 1801 and 1804. The commissioners were also keen to see a link constructed from Northampton to the [[Grand Junction Canal]], but the canal company argued that there was an insufficient supply of water. It was agreed that a link would be built in two halves, but that there would be {{convert|1|mi|km}} of railway in the middle. When built, the canal company constructed the entire link as a railway, which opened in 1805. In a bid to get a navigable link, the Commissioners opposed the bill to build a link between the Grand Junction Canal and the Old Union Canal, but relented when they had a firm agreement that a navigable link to Northampton would be built. The link cost £35,000, was supervised by [[Benjamin Bevan]], and was built between 1812 and 1815. It was nearly {{convert|5|mi|km}} long, and dropped {{convert|107|ft|m}} through 17 locks.<ref>{{harvnb |Boyes |Russell |1977 |pp=202–207}}</ref>

Tolls rose to a little over £1,000 per year, but the Commissioners decided that the canal boats damaged the locks, and all traffic had to be transferred to river barges. This order was withdrawn in 1827, but the condition of the river gradually deteriorated, and the arrival of the Blisworth to Peterborough Railway in 1845 further reduced profitability. Flooding was also a problem, but the Commissioners had no powers to act as Commissioners of Sewers, to address the problems of drainage. With serious flooding in December 1848, a public meeting was held, and a committee was elected to consider Nene drainage. The main problem was a restriction at Wisbech, and the engineer [[James Meadows Rendel (engineer)|James Rendel]] estimated that £120,000 was required to reconstruct the river below Peterborough. The Nene Valley Drainage and Improvement Act 1852 was obtained to allow this work to be completed.<ref>{{harvnb |Boyes |Russell |1977 |pp=207–210}}</ref>

===Below Peterborough===
Below Peterborough, the river meandered to [[Tydd Gote]], where it shared an outfall to the Wash with the [[River Great Ouse]]. Once the latter was diverted to [[King's Lynn|Bishop's Lynn]] in 1236, the Nene outfall deteriorated. Navigation was improved in the 1470s when Morton's [[Morton's Leam|Leam]], a straight channel between Peterborough and Wisbech, was constructed by [[John Morton (cardinal)|Bishop Morton]]. It was improved in 1570 and 1631. In 1631 a sluice was built at Wisbech by [[Cornelius Vermuyden|Vermuyden]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.heritagegateway.org.uk/Gateway/Results_Single.aspx?uid=MCB17292&resourceID=1000|title=Cambridgeshire HER|website=www.heritagegateway.org.uk |access-date=6 October 2019}}</ref>

Morton's Leam was largely superseded by Smith's Leam, a straight cut from Peterborough to [[Guyhirn]] made by the Bedford Level Corporation in 1728. In order to improve the mouth of the river, which followed a tortuous route through salt marshes, the construction of a new channel was proposed by Nathaniel Kinderley, and work started on it in 1721. It was nearly completed when Wisbech Corporation's support turned to opposition, and they destroyed the work. The cut was eventually completed in 1773, but was not long enough to be a complete success.<ref>{{harvnb |Boyes |Russell |1977 |pp=211–212}}</ref> The [[Wisbech Canal]], opened in 1797, joined the river at Wisbech, the canal was filled in during the 1960s.<ref>{{cite news|title= Wisbech Canal|newspaper= Stamford Mercury |date= 27 June 1794|page= 3}}</ref>

Various proposals for improvements near Wisbech were made, notably in 1814 by [[John Rennie the Younger|John Rennie]] and again in 1821 by [[Thomas Telford]], but all were opposed by Wisbech Corporation. An act of Parliament{{which|date=September 2024}} was obtained in 1827 to enable the works and Wisbech contributed £30,000 to the project. The contractors for the new cut below Wisbech were Jolliffe and Banks, who charged £149,259 for the channel. Once the old channel was dammed up, the tidal scour in the new channel was sufficient to remove silt deposits, and large volumes of stone were needed to stabilise the banks. The effects on the [[Port of Wisbech]] were immediate, with tonnage rising from {{convert|63180|LT|t}} in 1830 to {{convert|159678|LT|t}} in 1845.<ref>{{harvnb |Boyes |Russell |1977 |pp=212–215}}</ref>

The [[Nene Valley Drainage and Navigation Improvement Act 1852]] ([[15 & 16 Vict.]] c. cxxviii) gave the commissioners wide powers to manage the river, but created an administrative structure that was too complex to be workable. With the river in a poor state, James Rendel was appointed as engineer, and began dredging the channel and raising the banks, which cost £124,000. Another Act of Parliament was obtained in 1854, to allow the Commissioners to borrow £325,000 to pay for the work. A new iron swing bridge was built in Wisbech, to replace a narrow stone bridge which restricted the flow of the river, and although it was tested on installation, it was not operated subsequently. In 1856 a very high tide came within two feet of the newly installed pilings. Dams across the river were built at Waldersea and Guyhirn, and an underwater weir was constructed below the bridge at Wisbech. Wisbech Corporation took the Commissioners to court in 1859 for obstructing the river, and when an initial judgement was made in their favour, gangs of men destroyed most of the Waldersea dam overnight. An appeal to the [[Court of Chancery]] by the Commissioners also failed, and the dams were removed, as was the Wisbech weir, after an accident involving a train of lighters.<ref>{{harvnb |Boyes |Russell |1977 |pp=215–218}}</ref>

Navigation was always hampered by the Northey Gravel shoal near Dog-in-a-Doublet. Together with a sluice, this prevented salt water from entering the Thorney River, and the Duke of Bedford had obtained an injunction in 1865 to prevent interference with it. An appeal to have the injunction removed in 1880 failed. A dock covering {{convert|13|acre|ha}} was built at Sutton Bridge at this time, but the outer wall collapsed on 9 June 1881, a few days before it was officially opened, and the estimated repair costs of £160,000 resulted in the project failing. Sporadic traffic managed to use the river, but its condition continued to deteriorate.<ref>{{harvnb |Boyes |Russell |1977 |pp=218–220}}</ref> In 1893, a boating tragedy occurred near Sutton Bridge, in which 9 people died.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000400/18930826/103/0006|title=Grantham Journal|via=[[British Newspaper Archive]]|access-date=6 October 2019}}</ref>

===Reconstruction===
By the time the Nene Catchment Board took control of the river, as a result of the passing of the [[Land Drainage Act 1930]], the river was "in unparalleled decay and dilapidation". They rebuilt all of the locks, and replaced the remaining staunches with locks. A new lock and sluice were built at Dog-in-a-Doublet, to prevent salt water passing up the river, and to maintain water levels to Peterborough. The Thorney River was closed for navigation, arrangements were made for the supply of fresh water to the Thorney Estate, and the Northey Gravel shoal was blown up with dynamite. The banks of the river at Wisbech were protected with piling for a distance of {{convert|2|mi|km}}, and a new quay was built. A new concrete bridge was built at Wisbech, at the time it was the largest portal bridge in the country, the span being 92.5 feet.<ref>{{cite book|title= A History of Wisbech River|author= Arthur Artis Oldham|publisher= Arthur Artis Oldham|year= 1933|page= 112}}</ref> The benefits of the new works were proved in the floods of 1947, when land bordering the Nene was not inundated.<ref name=boyes220>{{harvnb |Boyes |Russell |1977 |pp=220–222}}</ref>

The new locks resulted in some commercial traffic returning to the river.<ref name=boyes220/> The [[Port of Wisbech]] can handle ships up to {{convert|260|by|40|ft|m}} long and with a draught of {{convert|17|ft|m}},<ref name=smith4/> and remains a commercial port in 2021. It also caters for smaller boats, with a major expansion of the facilities at the yacht harbour completed in May 2000.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ports.org.uk/port.asp?id=57 |title=Ports and Harbours of the UK: Wisbech |access-date=2009-10-31}}</ref>

=== Eagre ===
In a lecture at [[Wisbech & Fenland Museum]] John Gardiner recalled seeing the rush of the tide below, and an 'eagre' or '[[tidal bore]]', which was a great wave that came rolling up on the tide from the mouth of the Nene, one to four feet high in height. This ceased after the opening of a new cut.<ref>{{cite book|title= A History of Wisbech River|author = Arthur Artis Oldham|year= 1933|publisher= Arthur Artis Oldham|pages= 113–114}}</ref>

===Operation===
There are canal locks at fairly regular intervals which will accommodate boats up to {{convert|78|by|13|ft|m}}, with a draught of {{convert|4|ft|m}}, although most of the boats on the upper river are canal-type narrowboats and river cruisers. Below Peterborough, boats are restricted by the size of Dog-in-a-Doublet lock, which is {{convert|130|by|20|ft|m}} (a measured width of {{convert|7.937|m|ft}}) with {{convert|6.7|ft|m}} draught, while below Wisbech, small ships can be accommodated.  All but a handful of the locks have conventional mitre gates at the upstream end and a single vertically lifting guillotine gate at the downstream end. This arrangement permits the use of the locks as additional weirs in time of flood, when the mitre gates are chained open and the guillotines lifted to allow the water to flow straight through. This precludes navigation at these times.<ref name=smith4>{{harvnb |Smith |2006 |pp=4–6}}</ref>

Traditionally the guillotines were manually operated by turning a large wheel some 150 times to raise or lower the gate; since the locks have to be left empty this operation will always have to be done twice to pass through. In recent years the Environment Agency, who are the navigation authority for the river, have been installing electric operation of the guillotines<ref name=smith4/> and in some cases replacing them altogether with mitre gates.