The Chelmer and Blackwater Navigation
The Chelmer and Blackwater
Navigation was consrtucted on the existing rivers of Chelmer and
Blackwater running from Sprinfield Basin in Chelmsford to the sea locl at
Haybridge basin near Maldon.
It opened in 1797 and almost uniquely amongst canals,
stayed in the same ownership until 2003 , when it was taken over by Essex
Waterways, a subsidiary of the Inland Waterway Association.
The scheme took a long time to get off the ground with 120
years passing between the first proposal and final acceptance of the idea,
chiefly because the Port of Maldon feared loosing trade if boats could pass
straight to Chelmsford. Eventually the scheme was taken out of Maldon’s
hands by placing it outside Maldon and ending the navigation at Heybridge.
This was at the instigation of the people of Chelmsford, who witnessing the
benefits of canals to trade in other parts of the country did not want to
miss out.
The work was supervised by John Rennie and surveyed by
Charles Wedge in 1792 and Mathew Hall
in 1793 an Act of Parliament being passed in spite of some active opposition
from the Port of Maldon. This resulted in the formation of
The Company of the Proprietors
of the Chelmer and Blackwater Navigation
which was given the right to raise £40,000 by issuing shares with an option
of another £20,000 if needed.
John Rennie
was officially chief engineer with practical management falling to Richard
Coates
TH e Port of Maldon responded to the successful
launch of the project by producing a plan under advice from Benjamin
Latrobe to improve the Blackwater through Maldonto a junction at the Chelmer
near Beeleigh. This of course would
make the cut at Heybridge redundant
, so predictably met opposition from the former project when the bill was
presented to Parliament and the project was dropped, probably leaving the
Port odf Maldon wishing it had been a bit more cooperative in the first
place.
The completenavigation consisted of 13.8 miles of waterway
containing 12 locks with a floodgate at Beeleigh. Th e way was constructed
to a depth of 2 feet ( a legal minimum) and could carry barges up to 60ft x
16ft, which were horse drawn.
Teething problems required the recall of Rennie to
deal with shoals blocking the canal, these being created by
floodwater. With further complaints from mill owners about leakage and loss
of water through locks which resulted in demands for compensation.
Chelmsford was home to the first Gasworks in the UK ,
requiring coal , which was transported
up the canal, together with stone bricks, and timber etc required by the
growing town. Exports being mainly agricultural products such as grain and
flour.