Stroudwater and Thames & Severn Canals - Update 12
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 7 ก.พ. 2023
- I revisit the Cotswold Canals in Gloucestershire to check on the latest on the restoration to link Saul Junction to the Cotswold town of Stroud. I also have a look at the history of The King's Reach section on the Thames & Severn Canal.
#Canals #Restoration #CotswoldCanals
Another superb and informative video, Paul, Thankyou
Thank you Michael! Glad you enjoyed it! Cheers, Paul.
Well Done! Thanks again for all the time and hard work!
Thank you so much! Glad you enjoyed it! Cheers, Paul.
Thank you Paul for another excellent video. I love watching your canal updates and this one has surpassed them all. You’ve clearly put a lot of effort into it and it’s great to sit at home imagining that one day soon I’ll be able to cruise this restored canal. Keep up the good work, it’s very much appreciated.
Thank you so much Claire. Glad you enjoyed the canal update video. I will try and cover as much as I can as restoration works continue to join the Stroudwater up to the network. Such an exciting time. Cheers, Paul.
Nice to see the round house again, many years since we walked that path.
It is lovely, isn't it, just a shame it is in such poor condition now. Hopefully it will be restored again at some future point. Thanks again, Paul.
Very informative video of an exciting project. As a member of Cotswold Canals Trust, living in Kent, I rely on You Tube updates, as well as the Trust's website and magazine, to keep me abreast of developments. I have walked the towpath from Stonehouse to Siddington (where permissable), and am hoping to explore some of the section to Saul Junction in the future - hopefully when it is fully navigable. Through navigation from the Sharpness Canal to Brimscombe will be a magnificent achievement. To reach the Thames, may take a little longer, but its worth hanging around for...
Thank you Malcolm! That's good to know that my little CCT unofficial video updates help! I am not a volunteer, just a member, and I just glean the info from the website, and what I see on the ground. Yes, an exciting couple of years ahead. I will try and bring as much as I can of it to you in Kent from here in Gloucestershire. Take care, Paul.
Thanks Paul another great video, can't wait for the next one
Thank you Geoff! There should be another Stroudwater and T&S Canal update in about three months time, and other canal series videos in between. Cheers, Paul.
Brilliant video, I am always amazed at the great work going on on the canals, loved the many bridges & the roundhouse. I appreciate the work you do in finding & including old photos, maps & plans. Thank you.
Thank you so much Faith! That's very kind of you. I really enjoyed the process of putting this one together. Take care, Paul.
I really enjoyed this update. It's full of nostalgia (I used to walk under and over Scew Bridge regularly as a kid in the 1960's) It's great to see the current restoration as it progresses ☺
Thank you! Glad to hear that you enjoyed the latest update - I think as the next few months go on, there will be a lot more updates on my channel, showing all of the restoration plans that are going ahead in the Whitminster area of Gloucestershire on the Stroudwater Canal. Cheers, Paul.
Thank you Paul 😊 another wonderful, beautiful put together video.
Thank you so much Troy! Cheers, Paul.
Great video as always Paul. The Tunnel Inn at Coates was a good start to the walk to the Coates roundhouse. Such a shame the pub is closed. There used to be a lovely patch of snowdrops beside the roundhouse. The path beyond the railway bridge was neglected and overgrown last time I walked it. Great to hear the news about the missing mile. What a brilliant canal restoration project this is.
Thanks Grant! Yes, it is sad that The Tunnel Inn remains closed - such a terrific setting!
I didn't notice the snowdrops there on my visit, but it may have been a little too early. The towpath, thankfully, is now clear all the way to Trewsbury Bridge. Yes an exciting couple of years ahead! Cheers, Paul.
Thank you Paul for being my legs, which I would personally like to use but my activities like the lady on the bridge take up so much time. I see the paid and volunteer work as a real optimistic thing, because once they have finished a huge project they will look for a new project. Further once Stoud is open to the general canal network the demand to overcome the canal problems at Sappertonwill be huge. Likewise the profitiability of the Blackstone ability to make money from housing will be an additional impetus to canal restoration. Your connections in Dartmouth will give you an insight into the water pumping machinery used at Coates. So valuable. Thank you.
Thank you John,
Yes, the Newcomen engine! Sadly, while I was living in Dartmouth during the pandemic lockdowns, the museum that houses Thomas's engine was closed throughout, so I was not able to film/photograph it when I was living there. I hope to return to put that right at some future point.
Yes, I am concerned about this US Blackstone malarky - they are known asset strippers - the only thing profitable about St. Modwen (yes, I know I kept pronouncing their name incorrectly - I think it is Welsh) is the warehouse sheds that they own (online shopping) - like the huge ones outside of Evesham by the A46 and Jcts 9 & 12 of the M5. They may ditched the housing sector, which is crashing in the UK right now.
Thanks for a great comment!
Take care,
Paul.
Hello 0paul - greetings from Poland
What a fantastic video. I really enjoyed the update news. I think this video is your best canal video so far. It's got everything - superb documentary, brilliant commentary, the most wonderful still photographs, restoration updates and very interesting historical information.
Congratulations old friend - you've got a winner here. See you again very soon. Stay safe please
Thank you Michael! Glad you enjoyed it. That's very kind of you. It was probably the most work that I have done on one single video - it was a weeks work (two days prep/research, two days editing, and three days filming/photography). I can't do that for every video though, but I thoroughly enjoy it! Thanks again for your kind words and support, take care, Paul
@03:37. Looking at bricks laid before the American Declaration of Independence, amazing!😊
Hi Paul nice video looks great canal nice history 👌👌
Thank you Roy! Yes, lots of things happening on it at the moment to restore and reconnect it to the canal network. Take care, Paul.
Paul, what an utterly professional presentation, the visuals and photos were wonderful, you broke up the pieces to camera into bit sized chunks with relevant visuals to maintain the interest. The transitions to shots were right on the money. Of course there was your usual well researched commentary, this could easily be broadcast over the TV network as is. Well done you.
The only thing is the spookiness continues, I was filming in Ryeford last week. Mainly concentrating on the railway but included the canal as far as the Skew Railway bridge. Unbelievable. Ron
Thank you so much for your kind words Ron! It was a fair bit of work, as you can imagine. It was three seperate days filming, a couple of days research, and another couple of days editing. But, I really enjoy it - I think I have said before that it is the only thing that I have ever really enjoyed doing before. I haven't done a video on the railway line from Stonehouse to Nailsworth - although a couple of my subscribers have. I pointed them in the direction of the excellent videos that you have made about it previously. I think the unrelenting noise of the traffic on the A419 and A46 puts me off a bit! Going to be an exciting couple of years of canal restoration ahead on the Stroudwater. Thanks so much, take care, and maybe we'll bump into each other soon! Paul
@@westcountrywanderings Hi Paul, I wonder if like me you smile when the credits roll at the end of a film and they list all the technicians, camera men, focus pullers, grips, sound recordist, various editors, producers, and seemingly the list goes on forever, the only one missing so far is the studio cat! When it comes to you and me, that's it, just us two. And when you produce broadcast quality like this, you have to ask what the hell do they need all those people for. (Rant over). Ron
@@ParkinsonsWalks Oh, yes, I know exactly what you mean! We don't even get a catering truck!! I am lucky if I have remembered my thermos flask! Those credit roll lists do seem to go on forever! Cheers, Paul.
very interesting video, the area looks lovely as well
Thank you Cara! Glad you enjoyed it. Take care, Paul.
Excellent update Paul, much appreciated.
Thank you Bernard! Glad you found it interesting. It is going to be a very exciting couple of years of canal restoration on the Stroudwater Canal. Cheers, Paul.
Fantastic video Paul! Really well researched and professionally and interestingly presented. I was fascinated to hear about the canal running under the M5. Brilliant photography and videography too!
Thank you Louise! That's a lovely comment! Yes, I think I will be making a fair few videos from that area showing the new section of the canal and how it will be going under the M5. I'll probably need to tent out in the field so I don't miss anything! Thanks for your kind words and support, take care, Paul.
Nice video Paul, very informative. Reminds me of the time I volunteered to help relay some of the Stroud water towpath a few years ago. M&T
Thank you Mike & Theresa! Glad you enjoyed it. Take care, Paul.
Super videos. Thanks.
Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it and thanks for stopping by and commenting. Cheers, Paul 👍
Fished many times as a young lad under Westfield Bridge, caught my biggest ever Roach there .
Oh, wow! That's a great memory to keep. It is good seeing Westfield Lock restored beneath the bridge.
Really wonderful series of videos on this inspiring canal restoration. Please can you consider an update on the section from Coates Roundhouse through to and beyond Ewen. This seems a particularly challenging section of the restoration that has issues with rights of way and navigating under the Fosse Way. Thank you so much
Thank you David - yes, I'll be heading East to Trewsbury next time, but, unfortunately there are hardly any rights of way after that point, and I don't have any special kind of pass to allow me access. You are right, restoring this section will be especially tricky. I have covered the 'new' Latton bridge on a previous update. Thanks for watching, take care, Paul 🙂 👍
Another fascinating watch, thanks for your time and effort into researching and filming this, thankfully the daughter managed to save that bridge single handed too back in the day.. there’s so many beautiful places to walk along these canals and I am so excited to get out and look for myself now… I’ve just joined your Facebook page and have just found part 1 of your video series 👍🏻
Yes, it is good that Westfield Bridge was saved, and the accompanying lock is now being excavated. So much canal work is about to start in that area. Thanks again, Paul 👍
Hi Paul! This was a very thorough update! I hope the American construction company consults with some local resources so they can get the work done properly. Lovely seeing the area especially those old buildings and bridges. 😊
Thank you Donna! Glad you enjoyed the latest update - much will be happening over the coming months and years. Yes, I do hope that an arrangement can happen soon, so work can start at Brimscombe Port. Thanks again, take care, Paul.
Interesting stuff, as usual. Shame that roundhouse is in such a bad state. Now, if i were to win the lottery, that roundhouse could have a new lease of life. Great location...
Thank you Martyn! Yes, it is a bit sad to see Coates Roundhouse in such poor condition. Lets hope it does get restored at some future point. Such an important symbol of the T&S story. Thanks for watching and commenting, cheers, Paul.
Mr. Westcountry. Very informative documentary film. Your selection of music is thoughtful to the film. Love canal, especial being in. Gorgeous surroundings along the trail.14:50 Is the water dry out under the beautiful arched bridge?19:30 Sending my gratitudes to the engineers and YOU.
Thank you so much! That is very kind of you. Glad you enjoyed it. Yes, I do take care to check each piece of music matches the atmosphere and pace of each scene. I think that the soundtrack, be it speech, ambient sounds, or music, is more than 50% of the video's content. Cheers, Paul.
My goodness, I knew Blackstone have been buying up vast amounts of US property, but I didn’t realise they were buying it up in the UK too!..
Yes, Blackstone Property Inc snaffled up Welsh builder St. Modwen a little while ago.
Sadly, since making this video there has been no progress at all on the Brimscombe Port site.
It may be delayed, as the entire site is contaminated with asbestos waste from the nearby former Fibrecrete factory.
As soon as I hear more, I will do it in another canal update video.
Cheers,
Paul
Hi Paul, Very interesting video.
I really hope the Coates watchtower gets restored, the others seem to have made into private residences, Im still not sure quite why they were built though, were they quite literally to provide a commanding view over the canal?
That skew bridge was quite something, they certainly knew how to lay bricks back then.
At 13:50 I thought you might sink through the leaves into the canal, but of course you knew it was concrete lined ...... I hope!
I had to laugh at the name of the German dredging boat. Augustus Gloop, it dispels any doubts that I had that the Germans dont have a sense of humour. The black and white photos certainly add atmosphere to those photos.
Will the canal join the river at the M5 bridge or run alongside.
Great video, very enjoyable to watch
Good luck from Spain!!
Thank you David! Another lovely comment from you. Yes, I have learnt that it is the Bathurst Estate that own the Coates Roundhouse. The design is based on a couple of others in the Cirencester & Stroud areas - there is one in Cirencester Park and another in Woodchester - they both predate the canal ones. It was just a whim of the architect as far as I can gather ,and nothing to do as a 'lookout'.
After the canal goes under the M5, it will then swing right, diagonally away from the River Frome and head over to the new roundabout over the A38, where a new section of the canal was built under the A38 a couple of years ago.
I will try and keep all of my subscribers up to date with all the developments as best as I can do.
Thanks again for your support -- it is very much appreciated.
Take care,
Paul
Great video.
Thank you!
Yes, I have now done 15 video updates on the progress of the restoration of the Cotswold Canals - the last one was last October.
I will do another one as soon as more is known about the planning decision over the Missing Mile in Whitminster/Eastington area.
Cheers,
Paul
@@westcountrywanderings Thanks Paul, so much help to me trying to find out more about the local canals to us.
@@ashjenkins7591 You're most welcome! I really enjoy putting them together.
Just looking at the Bourton-on-the-water circular walk. We live in Gloucestershire so seeing all these is great. Also most are fairly local walks. I have only just found your channel so watch them all. Thanks again 😊👍
@@ashjenkins7591 Yes, I have done 17 videos on (mainly circular) walks in the Cotswolds; some are in Gloucestershire, but others are in Warwickshire, Worcestershire and Wiltshire. I have also done The Cotswold Way (20 separate videos). Cheers, Paul
Hi Paul, missed update 11 about Sapperton tunnel (youtube algorithm doesn't seem to want to inform me but will look it up now) but the canal trust seems to be making great progress, one thing isn't the name of the builders pronounced saint mod when as opposed to mowed when?
ps. still don't see why the cattle underpass couldn't be used as a starting point for going under the M5 why couldn't a similar process to that used on the Werrington grade seperation (pushing a tunnel under the East coast mainline whilst it was still in use) be used or retain the cattle tunnel but deepen and dig a small adjoining tunnel for the towpath, then cut portals twixt cana and towpath.
Thanks Steve - and I whole heartedly agree with you regarding the cattle underpass! I suspect, and I stress that this is only my personal opinion, that it is to do with the development of the whole site, including the sports centres and the huge new football stadium, and associated hospitality space, rather than from a purely engineering and canal priority aspect.
Yes, my apologises about the pronounciation of St. Modwen - you are absolutely correct. I think that when I was doing that piece to camera in Brimscombe Port that I was getting myself muddled up with another property developer based in Gloucester, called Mowden Homes (not sure if they are still going). St. Modwen were a Welsh based business, and now, of course, American based. Thanks for highlighting my mistake - I will issue a correction in Update 14. Thanks for watching and commenting - sorry if you did not get a notification from TH-cam. It might be worth checking that the bell notification logo is still active, to ensure that you get the notifications of my videos. Sometimes, I have hears ancedotally, that the notification request can become 'unchecked'. Thanks again, cheers, Paul.
Out of interest what goods did the canal carry?
Hi - and thanks for the question. The Stroudwater Canal was the third canal in the area (Kemmett Canal came before it, which used cranes instead of locks). The Stroudwater came about largely for the needs of the many cloth mills in the Stroud area - raw materials in and the cloth that was produced out to market. The addition later of the Thames and Severn Canal, and therefore the important link between The River Severn and The River Thames, meant that coal out of the coalfields in the Midlands, Staffordshire and Shropshire could export their coal to London via the River Severn, the Stroudwater, theT&S, and The Thames. Hope this helps! Cheers, Paul.
Far better things to spend the money on. I cannot understand why anyone would want to restore this canal. Much better and more environmentally friendly by far to leave it as it is. What a waste
Hi Michael,
Clearly both myself and 1,000s of others do not agree.
Very many volunteers, at no cost to the public purse, have invested many hours over several decades, not only restoring the canal itself, but maintaining the towpaths and what remains of the T&S.
Although full reopening the Cotswold Canals to Lechlade-on-Thames is a very long term aspiration, opening the restored section through the Stroud Valleys and connecting to the canal network at Saul Junction is a very realistic plan.
Canals benefit people in many ways. Both physical and mental health, as well as improving quality of life in and around the waterways. There is also the benefit to nature and the wider environment.
There is a also financial benefit to the local community as when canals are reopened, it brings in tourism and money - look at Bradford-on-Avon after the Kennett & Avon was restored in the 1990s.
'Leave it as it is', as happened after the canal closed earlier on in the 20th Century, gives situations such as happened at Brimscombe Port, where in the 1950s and 1960s the canal was filled in with concrete, and asbestos warehousing was built on top, ruining the environment for locals and nature alike. Thankfully, that is now being restored too.
The canals routes are now protected, and, hopefully, horrors such as that will not happen in the future.
I do appreciate your alternative viewpoint.
Regards,
Paul
@@westcountrywanderings hi Paul I appreciate your reply and reasoned approach. But I cannot agree with you regarding the environmental argument. The canal through the Golden Valley is a wonderful nature reserve that contains all kinds of wildlife including newts, frogs, roads, ducks. Mammals and so on. It is a delightful area. The thought of bringing in the kind of heavy machinery and earth moving equipment to “restore” the canal is simply horrendous. It would be a colossal act of environmental vandalism. You will not find many people in the Stroud to Cirencester area who would want to see it developed in any way. There are quite enough restored canals in this country for people to enjoy and good luck to them. The last thing we need is anyone trying to redevelop this wonderful area of undisturbed nature. It was never a good canal in the first place which is why it kept silting up. Nature is telling you something important. Leave it as it is please.