TEMPLARS FIRS/CHADDINGTON

Features:

• Houses/gardens on Canal line.
• Templars Firs slipway 072815
• Drainage pipe through towpath, converted into spillway/run-off point
• Arch Bridge (Noremarsh Bridge) 075816
• Templars Firs Wharf
• Sewer pipe above bed level (94.004m AOD) - removed 1998
• Hancocks Water enters
• Buxton Bridge 077817
• Spillwier 079817
• Stream enters 085818
• Arch Bridge abutments (Woodshaw Bridge) 085818
• Woodshaw Lock 086818
• Harris Croft Bridge 088817
• Water jump
• Chaddington Lock 092816
• Track crosses head of lock 092816
• Chaddington Spillweir 095815
• Chaddington Lane Bridge 095815

DESCRIPTION

When we started work on this section, it was completely overgrown; the towpath, although a public footpath, was virtually impenetrable. A slight depression in the ground showed where the canal had once been.
Restoration started in about 1989, with scrub bashing. This was a huge task, and we had many visiting work parties; eventually rebuilding of the many structures and progressive dredging of the channel started, and is still continuing.

Templars Firs Section

From Marlborough Road. the first 200 metres is infilled and incorporated into the back gardens on the south side of Templars Firs.

The next 100 metres or so is infilled and garages have been built on the line of the canal, with a tarmaced forecourt.

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Plans are being discusses to re-route this length south of the gardens, through the edge of the Wiltshire County Highways Depot, currently itself being decommissioned.   Picture taken 17 April 2005

There is then a small car parking/manoeuvring area, beside > Templars Firs Slipway > Built 1995, and used mainly for launching the Branch trip boat, "Pioneer". Much used at the Pioneer rally in 1996. The trip boat, with its anti-vandal panels, is shown being launched. The advertisements contributed to the costs. The boat was withdrawn from service in 1998 due to the large amount of effort required to run and maintain it, and the negligible financial returns.

The next 1250 yards of canal is fully restored and watered, passing the following features:

A runoff point, to allow emptying of the section, combined with a small spillweir to give a slight flow in the Canal, to keep the water fresh.
	Noremarsh Bridge.   At present the partly-rebuilt bridge has a temporary footbridge installed.
The Sewer Crossing. The line of the Canal here was crossed by a major sewer, about 1 foot below water level. After much negotiation, Wessex Water were prevailed upon to lower it, just in time for the National Trailboat Festival in 1999; they used a high-tech design, with two pipes, one large and one small. The normal flow runs through the smaller pipe, at a high enough velocity to keep it flushed clear, and in times of storm, an overflow arrangement brings the larger pipe into play. For some reason, the system tended to overflow and pollute the Canal. Wessex Water have therefore installed, first, a temporary pumping station and then a permanent, underground pumping station.   Picture taken 17 April 2005
	Buxton Bridge Buxton Bridge was built as a wooden footbridge with brick abutments in 1996. Much of the preparatory work was done by a Community Action team. The bridge was finally completed (copings) in April 1997.
Templars Firs Spillweir Seen here in full and glorious flow.

The present head of navigation is a few yards west of Woodshaw Bridge. A small stream enters here, providing a useful contribution to the water supply.
A small turning circle was constructed here in 1998 when the sewer was removed, to allow boats to turn at the end of the navigable length.

Harris Croft Farm Length

Woodshaw Bridge. Currently not available for restoration. The lower parts of the arch are still there, in a pretty ruinous condition.   Pictures taken 17 April 2005
A few yards further on is a lock, which does not appear to have had a name originally; we have named it Woodshaw Lock. This is the view from Woodshaw Bridge. The lock is completely infilled and presumably largely destroyed. The length of Canal leading up to it is not infilled but full of reeds, and fills with water in the winter.   Picture taken 2.4.2005
	Woodshaw Lock View from tail. The big willow appears to ne growing on top of the lower wing wall. The only way to identify the lock site is by the rise in the towpath, at the tail end.   Picture taken 2.4.2005
	The Canal is infilled and cultivated for 100 yds or so, and then reappears. A short distance further on is Harris Croft Bridge. The bridgehole has been infilled and carries a farm track. This is the view from the west.
This length is unavailable for restoration at present. Here is a view of the towpath (kept clear - by us - because it is a public footpath) to show the contrast with the restored sections.

Morningside Farm Length

This section, about half a mile long, was purchased in 1998 by the District Council on behalf of the Canal Trust.
Planning permission has been granted for restoration of the whole section, including Chaddington Lane Bridge. The bed is clear, partially silted up, for the whole length.
The length below the lock fills with water in the winter, frequently high enough to flood the towpath.  
The towpath hedge below the lock was laid by Essex WRG in March 2000

Chaddington Lock   Jack Dalby refers to this lock, incorrectly, as Summit Lock The lock had been comprehensively robbed down to the lower water level, including the top cill. A farm access track has been built across the head of the lock. Restoration of the lock started in 2000, and was completed in early 2005, and formally opened 13.4.2005; but a lot of time was lost during the foot and mouth epidemic, when we were unable to visit the site. The picture shows the tailbridge with water about 9" below the correct height. The bund will be finally removed when we dredge the pound below the lock.   Picture taken 11.4.2005

And a view of the completed lock from the head; there are some short stop plamks fitted to give about 12" depth of water above the top cill. The bund will be removed when the length above the lock is dredged. The lock and its pound above have beed designed for a water depth of 6' 6", the original plan when the Canal was built, to give a reservoir capacity in the summit pound.   Picture taken 11.4.2005

The hedge has been laid for nearly all the length below Chaddington Lock. The bulk of the work was done by Essex WRG in early 2000.
A little way above the lock, in the weekend 7/8 October 2000, Essex WRG coppiced 50m of hedge which had become too overgrown for easy laying, to allow it to regenerate; and cleared the last 50m of the bed up to Chaddington Bridge.
Hedgelaying was continued above the lock in early 2004.

Chaddington Spillweir. There were extant remains of what appeared to be a small runoff here, which were excavated and recorded; during excavation for the new spillweir masonry remains of a much larger structure were found but unfortunately time did not permit a full investigation. In March 2004 agreement was reached with the landowner to site a major spillweir on the site, and a design was produced. It took some time to complete negotiations, and work finally started ln October 2006. The main structure was cast in reinforced concrete; the picture shows continuing construction in brickwork backed with concrete.   Photo taken 14.11.2007   The building of Chaddington Spillweir  :
,	The Hazel Coppice   On the small piece of land bounded by the towpath, the stream, Chaddington Lane and the spillweir outflow, 50 hazel trees were planted on 23.3.1999, funded by a grant from Great Western Community Forest. These will provide us with a source of hetherings for hedge laying in the future. This picture was taken in September 2000. The trees are now 7-8 ft tall, and have completely covered the area, and have excluded the light so that weeds no longer grow around them. The first serious crop was taken from them in Winter 2006-7. Late 2007 - two crops of stakes and hetherings have been taken in the last year or so. The management system we are using is to harvest selectively, rather than to cut everything down. It is considered that this method will tend to produce longer, straighter rods.
Chaddington Lane Bridge The original stone arch bridge here was knocked down in the 1950s. The bridge hole is infilled and has two 2' pipes through it, which help to keep the section drained. We have planning permission to rebuild this bridge. Nov. 2004. A preliminary design has been prepared, and a detailed topographical survey of the site has been carried out. The proposal is to build the new bridge on the east side of the existing bridge, and then to re-align the road over it before removing the present infill. This will permit the road to be straightened out again - a kink was put into it when the original bridge was built.   Photo taken 4 January 2006

RIGHT OF WAY

The towpath is a public Right of Way over the full length of this section.

WATER SUPPLIES

The section is supplied by Hancock's Water, a small Main River with a constant flow. It was assessed as Grade 4 water, containing effluent from the St. Ivel plant up the hill; but that is now demolished, so possibly the quality is better.
A second source is the small stream which enters adjacent to Woodshaw Bridge. This is believed to carry surface drainage, and dries up in summer.

HOSTELRIES

Strictly speaking there are none on this section, unless you care to walk up the hill into Wootton Bassett. See Section 21.