Herefordshire and
Gloucestershire
The Hereford and
Gloucestershire canal was a 34 mile stretch of waterway running from
Hereford to Gloucester and one of the last major Narrow Canals constructed
in the UK.
It ran from the
Severn at Over through 10- locks, then reaching the 2192 yard Oxenhall
tunnel after which another 7 locks brought it to Ledbury, after that another
tunnel at Ashperton (400yrds) and another 3 locks before the aquaduct
over the river lug and the Aylestone Tunnel(440yrds) bought it into
Hereford.
The first proposal
for a canal along the route was made by Richard Whitworth in 1777, who
proposed a canal from Stourport-onSevern to Hererford, via Leominster
…about 70 miles.
This was followed
in 1789 by a suggestion by Richard Hall for a canal from Herefored via
Ledbury to the Severn near Gloucester. These plans were taken up with some
enthusiasm and a share subscription was raised to fund the project. The
engineer appointed to overee the work was Josiah Clowes and he drew plans
for a canal capable of carrying 70 ft x 8ft
boats, with a draft of up to 3ft 6inches.
An Act of
Parliament authorising the project was passed in 1791 and by the end of 1792
the money had been raised by subscription with Hugh Henshall asked to
re-survey with the result that the course was changed to include Newent and
a necessary third tunnel at Oxenhall, for which changes an Act of Parliament
was duly passed in 1793, with the first 3 miles of canal completed the same
year.
Progress was slow,
with the project vastly overspending the initial estimates and with
considerable difficulty encountered with Oxenhall tunnel , but the money was
found to continue and Ledbury reached by1832, which represented the half way
stage where it could serve by providing coal to a local gasworks, the first
barge of coal arriving in 1841.
The canal was
completed in 1845 with the construction of Hereford Basin, the whole project
exceeding the original estimates threefold.
By March 1849
trade had increased to the point where boats were having to be timetabled
for a passage through Oxenhall tunnel, which was proving to be a bottle
neck, but trade was good until the impending construction of the railways,
which as ever foreshadowed a decline.
1860 was the most
profitable year, ironically because of the transport of materials for the
new railway line, which was to see the canals demise, with two years on the
Great Western and West Midland railway agreeing to pay the canal company
£5000 per annum rent in perpetuity to convert the canal to business to the
Railway, resulting in the end of commercial traffic on the canal by the end
of 1880, with closure the following year.
1948 saw the
nationalisation of railways and canals bringing them both under the British
Transport Commission and then passed to Brtish waterways in 1968.
Restoration
started with the creation of the Hereford and Gloucester Canal Trust, a
registered charity with the stated aim of the full restoration of the canal,
progress continues , but there is
a fair way to go!