Old Linslade Road Bridge No 110 (Grand Union Canal) - Thursday 14th August
Tracey and Steve’s son, Richard, very kindly took Tracey and I to Tesco in Leighton Buzzard
as, at that stage, we hadn’t really decided what direction we were going to go today.
When we got back to the boats we learnt, from the lockies at Soulbury Locks, that Stoke
Bruerne, Buckby and Braunston Locks were going to be closed as from August 26th - 12 days
away. Closing the locks basically closes the canal. We now had a goal of getting back to the
bottom of the Braunston flight before then. Once down there is quite a good sized cruising
area without any locks. OtM is going to a new marina in September at Ventnor Farm. They
have to go up the 3 Calcutt locks to get to the marina but, so far, there has not even been any
time restrictions on the flight.
So, what to do. I’m going to be missing in action for three days next week as I have a funeral
to go to at home. We decided to play it by ear and just keep moving on and see how it goes.
We are not going to cruise for 10 hours a day to get there!
I had to put this photo in. One of Rio's favourite positions is with his bottom on your chest, a
woman is best, and with his legs on your legs. This is the same position but on the steps.
We said goodbye to Richard and set off for Leighton Buzzard to use the facilities and turn
around. When we got to the services the elsan point was closed due to an “unsafe structure” -
it's been unsafe for years but now CR&T have decided that they had better shut it.
It was getting hot so we found a nice shady spot and moored up for the night.
Having done the Tesco shopping in the morning we didn’t need to stop at Tesco again, but I
found out an interesting fact about the Tesco site. In 1917/18 the site was used by Morgan &
Company and the premises were used to assemble Vickers Vimy two-engined bombers. The
first three prototypes were ordered in August 1917, rapidly assembled and the first flown in
November of that year. Only three aircraft were delivered to the Royal Air Force before the
end of the war and one of these saw combat. The works also produced Sopwith 1½ Strutters
and Airco D.H.6s, both light bombers and Avro 504Ks, training aircraft. Morgan and Company
were coach builders!! This windvane sits on the Tesco building today.
4½ miles
2 locks
Woughton on the Green Bridge No 87 (Grand Union Canal) - Friday 15th August
Rumour had it that it was going to be another hot day, so we left at 9am.
Soulbury Three Locks were our first locks. There had been 6 lockies on duty when we went
down but there wasn’t one in sight today! Still it didn’t affect the dream team 😀
Stoke Hammond lock caught Tracey and I out as we both thought there was a boat coming
up, only to find an empty lock!
At Fenny Stratford we made good use of the facilities. Tracey and I were chatting to a local
resident who told us that someone had rammed one of the gates and the lock was closed last
week for repairs. On doing my research I read that back in the day southbound working boats
in a hurry would burst their way through whichever gates happened to be shut at the time - so
nothing changes! Fenny wharf was a busy place, coal was brought to the gas works and flour
and sugar carried from London Docks to Valentin’s Mill, which was owned by Valentin, Ord
and Nagle, and manufactured sugars for the brewing industry until the 1990s. The gas works
closed in 1956 and on the site in November, 1963, work began for Pergamon Press on a new
printing and bookbinding complex which was owned by one Robert Maxwell.
It was really hot so we looked for somewhere shady to stop. Mooring places were either in
shade with a narrow tow path or in the sun with a good sized towpath. Eventually we moored
alongside, what I think, is Ouzel Valley Park. The Park is dotted with the remains of medieval
villages and their associated fish ponds. Some of these villages may have been wiped out by
the great plague in 1686 but most were simply abandoned as people moved further from the
river to avoid flooding and as increased trade reduced their reliance on fish for food.
I sat in the park for quite some time until Richard put up a sun umbrella. S & T came up and
joined us.
8 miles
5 locks
Milepost - Braunston 23 Miles (between Bridges 57 & 58) (Grand Union Canal) - Saturday 16th August
We set off and almost immediately a boat pulled out in front of us and continued for an hour to go so slowly that Richard couldn’t even go on tick over. It was crazy and so frustrating. He finally pulled over at the services.
I use Waterway Routes maps when we are cruising and was fascinated to see that the canal once had a different route. Initially, in 1800, the canal used flights of locks to descend to the level of the River Great Ouse to cross it, and then ascend again. However, to avoid the delay and water loss associated with this lock system, William Jessop, the canal company's engineer, designed a three-arch brick aqueduct to carry the canal across the river at a higher level. This structure opened in 1805 but unfortunately failed in 1808. Following this collapse, a temporary lock system was reinstated. Eventually, Benjamin Bevan designed and constructed a new, successful aqueduct using cast-iron trough technology, completed in 1811. This structure, now known as the Iron Trunk Aqueduct or Cosgrove Aqueduct, continues to carry the Grand Union Canal over the River Great Ouse today.
Map courtesy of Waterway Routes
Photo courtesy of Grey Arrows Drone Club
Cosgrove Lock lies at the junction with the former Stony Stratford and Buckingham Arm. Authorised in the Grand Junction Canal Act of 1793 and originally planned as a short branch to Old Stratford and the busy highway of Watling Street (the A5), the Arm was soon extended a further 9¼-miles to Buckingham, principally at the instigation of the Marquis of Buckingham who loaned the Company the construction cost. It was opened on May 1st 1801. Within a few years, trade on the branch had reached 20,000 tons per annum and was to remain at this level for almost fifty years. The first section of the Arm to Stratford was built as a wide canal, but the extension to Buckingham was built narrow. In its early days the Arm was successful, but from the 1850s railway competition led to its decline, which was further aggravated by leakage and by Buckingham Corporation using it as a dump for the town’s sewage, which caused silting. By 1904, Bradshaw’s Guide was describing its upper section as being “barely navigable” and by the 1930s the Arm was derelict. All that now remains is a section of about 100 yards, which extends westwards above Cosgrove lock and is used for moorings.
We went up Cosgrove Lock and under the Ornamental Bridge, number 65, which was built around 1790. There are various local theories about why Cosgrove has one of the only two stone ornamental bridges on the Grand Union Canal. None of these is supported by documentary evidence. However, the Bridge is now a Grade II Listed Monument.
We pulled over in a nice spot with a good view. We had to breast up as OtM couldn’t get into the side. There was a nasty chilly wind and it was decidedly cold after yesterday.
12½ miles
1 lock
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