- Thames Conservancy
The Thames Conservancy was a historical body responsible for the management of the
River Thames inEngland . It was founded in 1857 and, although the length of the river it was responsible for varied over time, at the maximum extent it controlled the river fromCricklade inWiltshire to the sea at Yantlet Creek on theIsle of Grain .The Thames Conservancy was originally formed to manage the river, and to own the bed of the river, between the town of
Staines , just to the west ofLondon , and Yantlet Creek. This stretch of river had long been claimed by theCity of London , and the creation of the Thames Conservancy was one result of the resolution of a long standing property dispute between the City andThe Crown .At this time the management of the bulk of the upstream river was the responsibility of the
Thames Navigation Commission . However in 1866 it was considered expedient to put the navigation of the whole of the River under one management. The Thames Conservancy took over management of the river from Cricklade to Yantlet Creek, a distance of 177 miles (285 km). It should be noted that the Thames Conservancy did not acquire the ownership of the river bed for the section above Staines, this remained (and remains) the property of theriparian owners.At the end of the 19th century the advance in the size of ships required that a single body take responsibility for the port of London. As a result of a
Royal Commission in 1900, the powers of the Thames Conservancy below the tidal limit atTeddington Lock were transferred to thePort of London Authority , which commenced its duties onMarch 31 1909 . The Thames Conservancy remained responsible for the non-tidal river between Cricklade and Teddington.On
1 April 1974 , the Thames Conservancy was subsumed into the new Thames Water Authority, although much of the organisation remained intact as the authority's Thames Conservancy Division. However when Thames Water was privatised in 1990 the river management functions passed to the newNational Rivers Authority and in 1996 to theEnvironment Agency .Locks built by the Thames Conservancy
*
Radcot Lock (1892)
*Grafton Lock (1896)
*Northmoor Lock (1896)
*Shifford Lock (1898)
*Eynsham Lock (1928)
*King's Lock (1928)References
* (2000–2005). " [http://www.the-river-thames.co.uk/manage.htm The River Thames — Its Management Past & Present] ". Retrieved
January 31 2006 .
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