Searching For An Abandoned Canal. Chard, Somerset.
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- Опубліковано 30 лип 2024
- We decided to have our first explore of an Abandoned Canal. We don't know a huge amount about them, so consider this more of a search rather than an informative video!
Massive thanks to the following people for their contribution.
Kevin Roach - All the Lillesdon Tunnel Pictures.
Dr Mark Hows - Ilminster Incline Pictures.
Derek Harper - Chard Aqueduct Farm Picture.
Railmaponline - As ever, amazing maps!
NLS - Old maps from the National Library of Scotland. - Розваги
Thanks for watching all. Did you like the Abandoned Canal?? Want more like this??
Absolutely! Canals, tunnels, aqueducts, bring them on! The engineering is one thing but your research together with discovery antics, make compelling viewing!
Of course we do...
I loved this. Surprising!
Definitely!
So many of them have been restored over the last 40 years; and that's great. Even hopeless cases like the Wey and Arun and the Wilts and Berks canals are being restored.
One of the most interesting ones in the whole of the UK, packed with abandoned and never-completed engineering works -- some of them pretty heavy -- is the Leominster Canal. Most of it has been abandoned for over 150 years; and it will be impossible to reopen, for all kinds of reasons. But it seems to have an active friends group. www.theleominstercanal.co.uk/
Yes, please!!!
Living in Somerset and seeing various bits of canals to nowhere, you are answering so many of my questions. Thank you both for your excellent content.
Whitewicks Abandoned Canals, bring it on, although railways are my first love (after me). Rebecca should be doing safety drill on aircraft, she's got all the moves for demonstrating emergency exits.
Every disused Canal. Great to see you doing your stuff, has really cheered me up in these grim times we are living through.
That was fun. Canal videos would be a nice addition.
Yes please to more canals - I think we were the ‘other way round’ to you guys, our love of railways followed on from a love of canals. The two forms of transportation are remarkably similar in infrastructure 😊
I found this video really absorbing. The Somerset Coal canal is another interesting canal. The railway line used to film The Titfield Thunderbolt was subsequently built on parts of it. However, there are plans to try and restore some aspects. I believe that it had an incline initially, but it was later superseded by locks.
Very interesting. Again I explored the Chard Canal in the 1970's/1980's.
It was the last major canal built in western England. The only reason it was built as a canal and not as a railway was because the promoters were linked to the Bridgewater & Taunton Canal.
Originally the engineer was James Green but he was sacked being replaced by Sir William Cubitt.
There were four inclines.
Thornfalcon and Wrantage (Crimson Hill) These two inclines were worked by water balance cassions
Illminster was of a completely different design being worked by a waterwheel at the base of incline which drove a continuous haulage system to which the boat carrying cradles were attached (Unlike the Tub boats used on the Bude and Torrington Canals. Those used on the Chard and Grand Western did not have wheels. As a result they had to be carried on cradles or in cassions)
Chard Common Incline was unique in England as it was single track and it was worked by a water turbine.
For their money the proprietors of the Chard Canal Company got a very nice aqueduct over the Tone. Four inclined planes. Three tunnels. One lock and numerous other features.
One thing that they didn't get was any Dividends!
James Green seemed to have had an almost pathological dislike of locks! An very talented almost visionary engineer. He simply took on far too much work. His last canal was the Kidwelly & Llanelly in Carmarthenshire. I would urge you to read the Oakwood Press books on the Kidwelly & Llanelly and it's associated canals (Kymer's and the Earl of Ashburnham's etc etc), Tramroads and Railways.
Then go and have a good look around the Gwendraeth Valley area.
Whatever you are exploring I always enjoy it. Top stuff, thanks.
Thanks Michaela
Wonderful! - more please. Great film. Medals all round for taking on the weather.
Fascinating as ever and happy if you do more canals..
Very interesting and enjoyable video Guys thank you for sharing.
Thanks John. Glad you enjoyed ot
Nice one again thank you for sharing this with us - and yes please to more lost canals 👏❤️😁xxx
OMG! You’re going of the rails? Lol.
Very enjoyable and yes more canals if you come across them.👍🏻
Thanks Lynton. We have a few planned.
I used to pass through Wrantage on my way to visit family in Somerset, i'd guessed that there used to be an old canal there not least because the pub is called "The Canal Inn" but only just realized there was an Aqueduct acros the road which can be clearly seen with the help of Street view. Thanks for another enjoyable and informative video.
As much as I like the Railways I'm also interested in the abandoned canals and Tramways that served them. MORE PLEASE, this was fantastic.
Thanks Douglas, us too!
Fascinating to see the landscape features and surviving stonework/architecture! I'd love to see more like this, please!
G'day, as an overseas viewer I am constantly amazed at canals and the many different types built in Britain. Please, please, please research and broadcast more about lost and overgrown canals. So many youtube channels on forgotten British Railways but so few who research canals. I truly hope you two will add your walks and dymatic commentary and humour to more forgotten canals. Cheers Lou
Thank you Gunzel, we will indeed start to do a few more of these especially in the current climate, as we have a few local ones to get us started.
I like the abandoned canal. I'd watch more. Thanks for sharing your adventures.
Good video guy's, very interesting, more abandoned canal's please. I've always liked the way you respect private land & where you can & can't go, nice one.
Thanks Robert, a few lined up!
Really enjoyed your canal video and once again hats off to the guys who built it. Always been interested in old canals and where they went. My local one is the Somersetshire coal canal so hope you'll be covering that. Hope you'll be able to keep cheering us up with your videos despite this Coronavirus pandemic!!
I do love canals, I subscribe to trekking and towpaths for canals. Having said that you can’t get too much of them. I really enjoyed that so much, thanks for taking me along
Brilliant, more abandoned canals please
Another great video loving these abandoned tunnels. Canals are quite interesting places especially the tunnels thanks for sharing.
Thanks David, couldn't agree more!
Your videos are fascinating. Not only for the content, but because you seem to be such very likeable people.
hey paul and rebecca , great video , well this was different but just as interesting , love that kissing gate is still there , thank you for braving the great british weather for us , :)
That was a treat wasnt it.
Really enjoyed this- just as much as your old railway and road explores! Would love to see more please!
I’m really interested in how we’ve adapted the landscape to suit our needs- your films are superb in showing much of this detail- many thanks!
Thank you. That's exactly what we love about making these films.
Thanks for this one...you do come up with some fascinating stuff - And yeah I'd go for the odd canal here and there too...the history is often intertwined with that of nearby railways anyway and it's all pretty interesting...
Cheers
Dave
I enjoyed it as much as the railway videos. In many ways the railways are just a small part of our industrial past, and canals are just another facet of the gem we have in Britain. Always like your commentary...….and the bits where Rebecca corrects you :). You two must be the fittest people going, you must have walked 1000s of miles for us armchair viewers. Many Thanks.
Love you guys slogging through the muck. You are such troopers!
This was a slog and a half.
Isn't it amazing what you drive by in this country without knowing what's over the hedge, been passing by that area for too many years that I care to remember, knew there was a canal around from the pub sign but not given it much thought. Now its had the Whitewick touch - bobble hat, boots and enthusiasm, and wow, history comes alive before you, excellent!! It's a YES from me, you guys go wherever you think there is lost/disused/abandoned history, we'll all be here waiting for the notification bell to ring 👍❤
Great stuff guys. 👍 still enjoying your adventures. 🚂🚤
Thanks Mike, keep watching!
Fascinating video, Paul and Rebecca. That tunnel is an incredible feat of engineering. Please do some more canal vids; I'm sure your audience will appreciate and love them. Thanks again!! Take care. Pete A
Thanks Pete. Thoroughly intend to. We have the canal bug
@@pwhitewick Fantastic! Thank you so much; that really is something to relish. Looking forward to tagging along with you via UA-cam. Take care, both - and don't forget your 'water wings'... Pete
Yes please keep on with the adventures whatever they are on. Your usp is exploring history as far as I'm concerned great stuff for people to see when self isolating
Very interesting and a different viewpoint looking at canal history which was a lifeline to many industries which weren't served by the railways for moving goods around the UK. More please!
That was fun! We don't have abandoned canals here in my part of America, and I had no idea about the inclined planes.
loved your realisation at 08:54 - makes it so much more fun to watch!
Well done you two. Really enjoyed the explore. I would love to see more on abandoned canals myself. Keep up the good work.
Thanks David. We have a few planned now
Do I want more...I can't resist anything that you two produce. This was amazingly muddy but you still got on with it and Rebecca,,,, you make me laugh.. love you both. thanks for this one.. Whatever next I wonder...
Indeed who knows what next Keith. Thanks for the comment as always.
Love this ..great history both ! love the accompanying music !!
Cheers Mr Merv
Not sure if anyone else has commented but the way they propelled through tunnels was 2 men laying side by side on planks with their heads to the centre of the boat/barge/tub, and their feet on the wall of the tunnel.They then literally walked the barge through the tunnel while a third person walked the horse around to the other side or horses were left tied at tunnel entrances.
If your thinking of starting canals then 14 locks near Newport is well worth a visit
Thanks Nigel, we had wondered how they did this in a tub, but I guess planks would explain!
Interesting as always you chaps. I can't even begin to guess how many times I have driven the A303 past there and thought: Hmmm! one day I must explore the Chard canal...
Yes both history's are interesting, thank you.
I love canals, can't go wrong!
Wonderful.
Excellent video would like to see more!! I didn’t know the Chard Canal had tunnels and an aqueduct and I live close by so I will do some research and go to see it in better weather than you experienced. 👍😁
Let us know how you get on Tony.
This was an interesting diversion, a nice one though. Keep it up, and always keep you eyes and ears open....as you never know what sort of other interesting “abandoned” things that you may find.
Loved it ! Keep the canals coming 👍🏼🧱
most enjoyable, keep up the good work.
More abandoned canals please! Fantastic stuff :)
Great video Paul and Rebecca,looked very muddy, very interesting,got to love a canal,that was a considerable amount of money back then £140000 wow!, great to see a lot has survived 👌😀
Yup considering its short lived time in service we too were surprised at home much was left.
Brilliant video! A canal incline worth seeing is the Hay Incline near Iron Bridge!
Those canal over river aquaduct structures are very interesting. The one Martin went across a month or two ago was an eye opener for me. I never would have imagined it. So much incredible infrastructure dating back centuries. I love both of your channels.
Never mind my new profile photo. Martin needs one of these from time to time. Also my kean camo hat! I love those too. It's also a bit of performance art I call "The Distance". Thoughts and Psalm 91 to all who would accept it. Loads of care either way.
Thanks,was nice to see the area around Somerset as some of our family was from there. They operated the Bell inn in Somerset (sometime in the 17 -1800’s I believe). Some stayed in England, others went to New Zealand, others here across the pond.
Loved your first canal piece, I live very close to Pewsham Locks on the Wilts and Berks canal, which is being actively restored, maybe a canal for you to do in the future. Keep up the great work both of you.
Canals, tunnels, railways, it's all good stuff as far as I'm concerned. Thanks!
I just like whatever you do keep it up please.
Railway or not: this is still great content as always! Thank you both
Thanks Oliver
Yes, more canals! The abandoned railways and canals are both fascinating
Yes please, canals are every bit as interesting as railways.
Yes I agree! Especially abandoned ones. There's heaps of YTers vlogging on usable ones!
Had a proper look at this - I got to both tunnels back in c 1968. Memory lane!! The very first canal i explored was the Westport not too far from Montacute, where I lived. I may have said elsewhere, the Somerset rivers were navigable to an extent and remains of locks are around (as i remember)
We might well take a look at some "navigations" this summer.
Only just found this. Love the canal stuff.❤️
Go for it. The Wilts and Berks canal has loads to see. Also the Somerset Coal Canal. You could do the railway in the same weekend. :)
Absolutely Andrew.
Abandoned canals are a perfect fit.
Excellent, enjoyed the viewing kevin & rebecca.. There is a similar abandoned canal called the Somerset Coal canal which runs between Limpley Stoke near Bath to Paulton near Radstock in now called North East Somerset.If you are interested, has a lot more disused brickwork /excavations. Hopefully you will investigate.
Another excellent video. Thank you both, and well done for not going ‘A’ over ‘E’!
It was a close call at some points
Very interesting - thank you.
Another abandoned railway suggestion for you: The military railway built to serve the Palmerston Forts around Plymouth from Wacker Quay on the Tamar to Fort Tregantle taking in other forts on the way. Conventional railway, inclined plane, turntables, engine house, all sorts of interesting stuff. A pleasant walk seeing it all but you need to do a bit of google research to understand what you are seeing. I've always had an interest in it since as a boy soldier in the 1960's I was billeted in Fort Tregantle for a couple of weeks. Then the level crossing gates were still in place but long gone now I expect.
Interesting stuff, as always. I've certainly got no problem with more canals. They are, after all, intrinsically linked to the railways, often sharing a route or, in some cases, the canal's route was used for the railway which replaced it.
It's going to be a real shame if you two have to "self-isolate" for the summer and don't get out until the weather turns nasty again. You're due a couple of warm, sunny investigations.
Cheers for now,
Dougie.
Great video Paul and Rebecca I think you should do more on canals the history overlaps in many cases 👍🏻😃
Very interesting stuff thanks. I also had no idea there was such a thing as a "tub canal" and these inclines (I had to google for it) so no it wasn't just you that has never heard of such a thing! It was a surprise to see how much of it is still left.
Superb engineering for a comparatively small regional canal!
Fairly local to me and I had no idea it was there, fascinating thank you so much
Thanks Christine. Yup fascinating history here and probably a lot more than we uncovered.
Im a massive railway fan but also just as interested in canals so yes that would be great to see more videos
I live in chard and the walk is lovely through donyatt to Ilminster :) the factory ship in chard behind where you started the video was the old railway station
Excellent video lets get our spades out and start the restoration!
I'm game
Loved it.
Very interesting and informative as usual. Railways, Canals, Roman remains, all great stuff. Google ELBLĄG (Poland) ship transporter. That's how to move vessels up and down inclines.
When you were at the incline at Ilminster you were exactly right, growing up in the 70s we lived at what was the new housing estate at Herne Rise and that tunnel entrance was still there and open.
I was at school in Ilminster in the late 50s/early 60s long before the housing estate adjacent to inclined plane was built. The entrance to the tunnel has stnce been covered, probably for safety reasons. I believe that the tunnel was made using "cut and cover" after it was realised that by lowering the bed of the canal a lock could be eliminated. The canal passed along the end of the school playing field and that part has since been widened and turned into a water feature.
Hi guys, this was absolutely brilliant, really enjoyed it and like so many have said, I do hope that you do more videos of canals. After watching your railway video last week I went to my online maps and spent a good hour looking at the line and the canal too. In fact I spent more time on the canal than the railway as both forms interest me intensely. There is something about a derelict canal which can be more of a historical draw than a railway, well for me anyway. Again as others have said, the derelict locks of the Somerset Coal Canal at Combe Hay are stunning and well worth a visit in their own right, and a real good scrabble about the whole area of the main part of the flight will be extremely rewarding, I have been there twice. Oh and there is a disused railway nearby too ;-)
Thank you very much Paul and Rebecca.
Thanks Jules. Yup we love the history of the landscape especially the Human Geography side, so Canals definitely rock our boat. (Tub)
Go down to Cornwall and Bude you can get part of an old canal that is still somewhat in use and a few bits of the railroad. AND it's a nice place to visit. I hope to get back.
That’s the way Rebecca dress for the weather don’t wait for it to become clement, my darling wife walks miles every day and doesn’t let the weather put her off, it’s got to the point this last 6 or 7.years that our holidays are based on walking old railway beds ( now most have been transformed into greenways) thank goodness but the viaducts bridges and cuttings are still in place testament to the skills of the workforce
The place where you finished the video (Creech St Michael) is my village. If you'd walked along the towpath of the existing canal a short way, you would also see where the aqueduct joined the T&B canal.
Another point that is relevant to your channel - Creech St Michael used to have a station and behind you (when facing the aqueduct) is the old bridge and embankment which the Chard line ran along (it joined the mainline behind the Mill).
Canals are definitely interesting; I would love to see more. One that's local to me is the Thames and Medway canal, which actually has quite an interesting story.
It linked, unsurprisingly, the River Thames and River Medway, providing a shortcut between the two rivers (bypassing the Hoo Peninsula). The problem was that the differences in tides made it rather unreliable; if you missed the tide, you'd have to wait longer than the trip around the peninsula, so it didn't see much commercial success.
The really interesting part is the Higham and Strood Tunnel(s). When it opened, it was the second longest canal tunnel in the UK, coming in at 3.5 km (2.2 mi), as well as being the largest in width and full height. It later had to be split in two, with a passing place between the two sections. A railway line was opened through the tunnels in 1845, which was built half on the towpath and half on wooden supports over the water (one can imagine not the most comfortable of experiences). This arrangement was very short-lived however, as the tunnel was sold to the South Eastern Railway one year later, who filled in the canal and put in a conventional double-track line, forming part of the North Kent Line, which is still in use today. It is probably one of the only canal tunnels that you can still travel through today, albeit on a train rather than a boat.
I suppose that means it's not really abandoned and you couldn't really explore it, but it's still an interesting story. The rest of the canal is disused/abandoned though.
Yep like an abandoned canal as much as a railway! You got to do the Somerset Coal Canal loads to see in that including the cassion lock a vertical tunnel that filled with water to float the barge to the top and Combe Hay locks. Nice 1 cheers
Oh well this sounds very interesting. A vertical tunnel?
Whitewick's Abandoned Railways yup en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caisson_lock
www.coalcanal.org/features/Caisson/Caisson.php
rtjstevens.co.uk/caisloc2a.html
But the locks in a horse shoe up the field that were built following the Cassio lock unreliability are worth a look many chambers still in good order
Well done guys, been waiting for this one, yeah more disused canals would be good, one you might like to check out, the Leominster canal, also has 3 old tunnel's, Putnal field, Newnham, and Southnet, and there was planned a 4th at Pensax and some say that it was started, but I've never been able to find anything.
Putnal field, both portals are visable, Newnham, just the top of the South portal is visable and Southnet again only one portal can be seen and its in someones garden, but they did let me have a look, also the remains of the Rea Aquaduct are worth a look.
Thanks for the tips Peter, lots of exploring to be done it seems.
I come from Chard :) Ran that route yesterday to Ilminster 👍🏼
Brilliant. Lovely area for sure.
Whether or not it's railways, roman roads or canals, in my opinion it's all fantastic content that comes from you.
As far as I know (haven't researched much) there aren't any abandoned canals near me. However in West Wales, there is certainly a rumour that there might be some abandoned railways!
As for Rebecca's moves, I wonder if she used to taxi airplanes? Or simply try to confuse people asking for directions! GWR
I've enjoyed particularly your videos around Chard , & Chard Junction could easily be rebuilt and probably would help the local economy . Perhaps next time you are down this way you could do a feature on what is called |Chard Reservoir . I'm 75% sure that it was built as the main basin for the canal but now it is a nature reserve and well worth visiting . Keep up the good work .
Thanks Jim. We loved the area too
A nice change, feel free to more canals if you get the urge.
Ever since you told me about Rebbecca's amazingly long arms, I can't stop looking at her arms, I bet no man has ever said that before!
Hi fascinating video
Steve
Thanks Steve, glad you enjoyed it.
Very interesting for the area in which I live. Halfway between Baltimore and Frederick Maryland is Plane #4. As far as I know the only plane that has its name still used. There were stationary engines on all four planes to pull the trains up and over the Mount Airy Ridge. I also wonder about the set in openings all along the wall of the tunnel near the end of your presentation. Could they possibly have been to assist in pushing the tubs through?
If you are interested in "one of the earliest through arch bridges in the world and is considered to be the longest span aqueduct executed in cast iron", check out Stanley Ferry aqueduct. Although not abandoned, on Google Earth and the side by side OS Map site you can see it flanked by abandoned mineral railways that fed the "Tom Pudding tub boats" that I can still remember seeing on the canal when I was young. Lots of abandoned railways and stations around there and very close to the proposed HS2 route. BTW, now 18th March 2049, i.e. 9 months added in only 2 weeks!!!
Really interesting thanks for posting vblog have a look at the Gloucester Hereford canal. Cheers Lee
Thanks Lee, yup someone has mentioned this already, we will definitely have to have a look.
Canals are amazing thankfully there's alot of them around to enjoy
It is also possible to follow it on Google earth. You can see indentations in fields and treelines. Also Chard reservoir was build to feed water to the inclines. There is a small part of the canal, still maintained and with water in Ilminster. Thank you for this video.
This is great👍👍👍👍
Thanks Simon.
Interesting, more please
Yes, more abandoned canals please . . . you could also do mines, airfields, quarries, caves... all that kinda stuff would be great. :-)
Love it, just need a little more confidence and knowlegde on those first!
@@pwhitewick There's a KML file of all the UK abandoned airfields available for Googly Earth. PM me if you'd like a copy. :-)
Yes please! Such great content in your videos both of you and at Rebecca's channel ... anything on the Isle of Wight and Isle of Man??
We would love to do both, but lengthy travel is not an option at the moment
Very interesting video.i lived in wrantage for many years as a child,used to play near the entrance to the crimson hill tunnel many times,there was no metalwork to stop you going inside then,further down were the incline was,there used to be metalwork,wheel remains there,this would be around 1980s/90s
Cheers Scott. Did you ever go inside!?
No I didn't inside but used to stand at the entrance looking inside.we did know someone who took a canoe inside but after so far in it got hard to breath apparently
We have a situation here in the US that I believe most American are thoroughly familiar with but maybe you in the UK haven't considered. We have the continental divide where, in theory, you can dump your two cups of water and have one flow into the Pacific Ocean and one into the Atlantic Ocean. I have crossed it many times in different places and it is always marked with a big sign. It always fascinated me. Great video!
Thanks Steve, I wonder if there are any quirky fun examples on the Continental Divide?
@@pwhitewick There are places in the southwest US that are vast deserts, completely flat, no vegetation as far as the eye can see and you will run across the "Continental Divide" sign. I can't help but think, "Why here and not 10 miles over there?" It is probably more technically true than actual but still odd.