Wendover Arm Canal

The Wendover Arm Canal is part of the Grand Union Canal in England is part of the British canal system. It originally joined the Grand Union Canal at Bulborne near Star Top End in Hertfordshire with the town of Wendover in Buckinghamshire. The canal is a total of 6¾ miles long. It is currently being reconstructed by the Wendover Arm Trust.

History

The Grand Union Canal makes use of the river valleys of the rivers Bulborne and Gade to pass through Hertfordshire so the canal could easily pass over the Chiltern Hills without the need for costly tunneling works. During its journey through the Chiliterns it reaches a summit of 390 feet (Tring summit) [Wendover Arm Trust - information board] before the canal descends onto the Vale of Aylesbury.

The need for water

Each lock uses 50,000 gallons of water each time a boat passes so the main canal needs to find an adaquate supply from the local streams. Fortunately the north-facing escarpment of the Chilitern Hills has an abundance of streams fed by the chalk aquifer.

In 1797 the construction of the Wendover Arm of the Grand Union Canal was completed. Part of its task was to carry water from springs and streams in the Wendover area to the Tringford reservoir which fed the Tring summit locks.

The Wendover Arm itself only had a working life of 100 years. Part of its downfall was that some sections leaked: on one occasion a section known as the narrows leaked so much it caused a flood in a large neighbouring property called Aston Clinton House.

This led to most of the canal being de-watered and in 1912 a pipeline was laid under the dry sections to carry water from the springs to the reservoir. The section between Wendover and Drayton Beauchamp remained in water (resembling a chalk stream). At Drayton Beauchamp this water is fed into a sump where the water is carried by pipes into the Tringford Reservoir.

Wendover Arm Trust

In 1989 the Wendover Trust was formed as a Charitable body with the aim of restoring and promoting the canal. Members and volunteers of the trust have even appeared at the Lord Mayor's Show in the City of London driving JCB tractors.

The trust is funded primarily by donations (with some funding from British Waterways), with the major fundraising activity being the annual canal festival which began in 1990. The 2007 festival took place, as usual, on the May bank holiday, (27th and 28th) and although the doors opened on the Sunday the terrible weather took its toll and over night a number of stalls were damaged by the wind and rain and due to health and safety concerns the doors remained closed on Monday.

Restoration is currently in phase 2, with plans being developed for the third and final stage.

The trust accept volunteers to work on the restoration, as well as members and donors.

Phase 1

Engineering Work: Stop Lock - Winding (Turning) Basin
* Completed November 2004
* re-watered March 2005
* opened 28 March 2005

Little Tring Bridge was completed by British Waterways in 2000/1 and cost £223 055.

* Total cost of Phase 1 = £400 340

Phase 2

* 1¾ dry section, Little Tring - Drayton Beauchamp
* Expected completion date - 2010

Phase 3

Phase 3 requires major engineering work to three road bridges. This section has never been dewatered but is environmentally sensitive [Environment Agency (2000)]

See also

* Grand Union Canal

External links

* [http://www.wendoverarmtrust.co.uk Wendover Arm Trust]
* [http://www.wendovercanal.plus.com Wendover arm Trust restoration site]

References

Please note that these pictures of the canal actually show the part in Aston Clinton