Report by Allan Scott
Photos by Tim Lewis

It started out, in the planning stages, as a trip to the Ipswich and Stowmarket Canal as a joint dig with Essex, but finished up at the Wilts & Berks.  Planning, and I use the word loosely, fell apart when I had to go away for work purposes at a crucial time.  Thanks, Matt, for stepping in.  So, different location, Essex dropping out like the proverbial, and, to cap it all, no transport – the van was off on its summer jaunt around the Canal Camps.  At the end of the day, we had a goodly turnout, despite my best efforts to sabotage the event.  I must say a special thanks to Kay for all the meals.

We were working at Pewsham on the three locks and dry dock.  The work was ‘back to basics’.  Chamber clearance with picks, mattocks, shovels and wheelbarrows as we extended the access to the nearside lock wall that, rumour had it, had been used for demolition practice during the war.  Either they used very neat charges or someone had done some extensive tidying up as the remains of the wall were very neat, once we had established the line and dug through the mounds on earth and clay that had settled on it.  Various holes were dug to ascertain the depth of the lock chamber and attempts to find the cill.   All very ‘Time Team’, without the eccentrics – on second thoughts we can produce enough of our own!   The long term aim is to restore the lock chamber so that it can act as a dam for the next stretch towards Foxham which the Society had just purchased and wish to restore to a navigable state. 

The remainder of the group spent the weekend uncovering the dry dock alongside the third and lowest lock of the flight.  Several theories were developed about the construction and use of the dock, which, considering the close proximity of a very large oak tree, was in remarkably good condition.  The tree has grown between the remaining lock wall and the dry dock without having much of an adverse effect on either.

Sunday saw some of us doing some tidying up at what is euphemistically called ‘Double bridge’, not because it has two arches, etc, but because it appears to be double the width of usual accommodation bridges.  No-one seems to know why.   There are pictures on the Wilts & Berks websites.  It is in a parlous state and looks like an unfortunate sneeze would bring the whole lot down.  We removed some vegetation, rescued bricks from the parapet that were in the canal bed and generally cleared the area around one bridge hole so that scaffolding could be erected.  This is a Dig-Deep project, so the brick-layers could be busy for some time.

Thanks to all for making the effort to turn up, especially following my shambolic organisation.  I wonder if the local neighbour ever did find out who was ‘murdered’ on Saturday night!

Allan Scott