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Chairman's message 2008.
By Keith Ayling
Standing on the shoulders of giants
1769. A group of men with theodolite and staffs explore the countryside
around the Derbyshire - Yorkshire border in the Rother valley. Brindley’s
second in command, Mr Varley and his team ‘taking the levells’.
Come to make a line for the new Chesterfield Canal. Killamarsh in
Derbyshire and Wales in Yorkshire in 1769 are mere hamlets huddled
around their churches, separated by the great forested lump of Norwood.
But the canal must go this way.
2007. Engineers, using methods inconceivable to the eighteenth
century pioneers, are once again covering the ground between Wales
and Killamarsh. This time it’s Arup engineering consultants, but
they’re asking the same question - how to join the Chesterfield
Canal navigation between Yorkshire and Derbyshire. In the intervening
years this part of the canal has come and gone. A new settlement,
Kiveton Park, has grown to dwarf Wales. Killamarsh has grown into
a sizeable community. Kiveton Park Colliery and its rail link to
Killamarsh arose and declined. The M1 motorway dominates the landscape
on top of Varley’s collapsed canal tunnel.
The 21st century engineers have come up with a surprisingly similar
conclusion to the original 18th century plan. Although the final
18th century solution was the legendary 2880yd Norwood Tunnel, the
first plan was for a much shorter tunnel 630yds long, with a flight
of locks continuing to within 28ft of the summit above Nor Wood.
Quite what was the cause of the massive lengthening of the tunnel
is not clear, but in September 1771 James Brindley, the canal’s
principal engineer, announced the change of plan to a meeting of
shareholders. Water supply may have been his prime concern. Lengthening
the top level of the canal from the new and lower western portal
of the tunnel to Thorpe Locks effectively gave a massive additional
reservoir of water at the summit, a valuable resource in times of
water shortage. Personally I prefer the story that the tunnel was
lengthened to counter the Duke of Leeds’ objections that an open
navigation would interfere with his hunting!
But the penalty the canal company paid for this massive tunnel
was huge. Enormous construction costs were compounded with unending
maintenance and repair costs as the tunnel continually sagged and
collapsed. Finally it lay down on October 18th 1907 and its dark
interior remains undisturbed to this day.
So it was historically appropriate, if coincidental, that Yorkshire
Forward (the local Regional Development Agency) should mark this
centenary with a grant of £85k for an engineering study between
Kiveton Park and Killamarsh. (Bear in mind the original estimate
of the construction cost of the whole canal in 1771 was £97k!) And
on October 13th 2007 members of the Chesterfield Canal Partnership
were invited to the eastern portal of Norwood Tunnel to hear a summary
of the study’s progress so far from Michael Nichols, Senior Engineer
from Arup’s.
Sent off in fine style by the Maltby Miners Welfare Band, the
partners, accompanied by local community representatives and MPs
Kevin Barron and Natascha Engel, moved on to the eastern portal
of Norwood tunnel. Here they listened to our 21st century engineer
Michael Nichols from Arup outline a design that drew back the curtain
of years to the original plan - then surpassed it. Although at present
only a draft, and subject to ongoing comment and modification, the
thinking is to avoid a tunnel altogether by striding up the hill
through a flight of locks to the cattle pass under the M1 motorway
- climbing the extra 28ft to the summit above the originally proposed
tunnel.
Detail at this early stage is necessarily scarce, and will be
provided when the draft is published for comment in November. Until
then we can only imagine the scenario. From the eastern portal a
tunnel journey for about 500yds, bridging under Hard Lane, two locks
to bring the canal up to ground level, then a surface canal all
the way to Killamarsh! Wow! That would seriously annoy the Duke
of Leeds! Clearly, more detail will unravel in time for the next
Cuckoo, when we shall know more about, for instance, water supply
solutions. But we all anticipate with considerable excitement, the
emergence of an agreed route which sets out the link to Killamarsh
to rejoin the original route to Chesterfield.
The Norwood Tunnel was always the bete noir of the Chesterfield
Canal restoration, too formidable for our original members even
to contemplate. In the early days of the 1970s the Canal Society
refused to put its name to the idea that the tunnel could or would
ever be restored. It was considered that restoration was so unlikely
that to hold it as an aim would undermine the credibility of the
group. It was quietly forgotten. Now the first step has been taken.
Clearly this study will not in itself achieve the link, but it is
the first step. (Or rather the second, as the surface route of the
canal though the former colliery site was laid down in the site
reclamation, and services moved to achieve that).
The brief ceremony at the tunnel portal on 13th October was heartening
for the level of support the scheme commands, as expressed by the
level of attendance at the event, not only across the partnership
but throughout the local communities - Harthill, Wales, Anston and
Killamarsh were all represented through their parish council chairs,
as well as the Community Development Trust. The Inland Waterways
Association were represented, and those unable to attend, including
the chair of the Association of Inland Navigation Authorities, sent
letters of support. Geraint Coles, the Partnership Development Manager,
emphasised the need for this spirit of cooperation to continue.
It will. There is a growing buoyancy and confidence in the partnership
that this event underlined. If the tunnel don’t scare us nothing
will!
Thanks to all who helped make this event such a success, including
our boat crews, who provided a cruise along the delightful summit
pound for our guests. (See Steve Thompson’s full writeup elsewhere
in this issue). We hope to do something more publicly and on a larger
scale in Rotherham if we are awarded the Inland Waterways Association
National Campaign Rally for 2009, which we would like to hold at
Kiveton Park.
Another date for 2009. It marks the bicentenary of John Varley’s
death and burial in Harthill churchyard. A memorial would be appropriate.
These giants of canal engineering should be remembered.
We’re working on it.
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