Haddiscoe Cut
Encyclopedia
The Haddiscoe Cut or New Cut is a canal
in the English
county of Norfolk
and in The Broads National Park. The cut was conceived as a way to provide a more direct route from Lowestoft to Norwich, and was built as part of a larger scheme which included the linking of the River Waveney
to Oulton Broad
and Lake Lothing
. It was opened in 1833, but the new route was not a financial success, and it was sold to a railway developer in 1842. It remained in railway ownership until Nationalisation in 1948, and was damaged by floods in 1953. An attempt to close it in 1954 was resisted by local interests, resulting in it being repaired. It is now managed by the Environment Agency
.
, which flows through Breydon Water before joining the River Bure
and then the North Sea
near Great Yarmouth
. Breydon Water is a wide expanse of shallow water, and therefore required cargo arriving at Yarmouth to be trans-shipped into smaller vessels which could then reach Norwich. There was discontent among the merchants of Norwich at the cost of trans-shipment, and allegations of systematic theft of cargo, which resulted in a court case in 1820, when 18 men were convicted of taking the goods and another of receiving it. Against this background, William Cubitt was asked to investigate possible solutions in 1814.
Cubitt's first plan involved general improvements to the River Yare, and the dredging of a deeper channel along the southern edge of Breydon Water. He estimated that this would cost £35,000, and his plan was published in 1818, but there were immediate objections from the Corporation of Yarmouth, who called on the engineer John Rennie for advice. Rennie concluded that the plan would lead to the silting of Yarmouth harbour. Cubitt therefore looked at alternatives, and produced a plan to link the Yare to Lowestoft
, which would cost over £70,000. Yarmouth again objected, but a bill based on the new plan was put before Parliament in 1826. It was defeated, but a second bill was presented, which was passed on 28 May 1827, despite vigorous campaigning against it by Yarmouth.
created the Norwich and Lowestoft Navigation Company, and authorised them to raise £100,000, with an additional £50,000 if required. The scheme involved dredging of the River Yare from Norwich to Reedham
, to make it deeper, construction of the 2.5 miles (4 km) Haddiscoe cut between Reedham and Haddiscoe
on the River Waveney
, enlarging of Oulton Dyke, between the Waveney and Oulton Broad
, and linking of Oulton Broad to Lake Lothing
by a channel which was 0.25 mile (0.402335 km) long, and included a sea lock, so that it could be used at all states of the tide. Work began on the Lake Lothing link, with most of it completed during 1829. The lock was 150 by, and included a system of sluices, which used water from Oulton Broad to clear a channel to the sea through Lake Lothing. A demonstration of this was given on 3 June 1831, when it was estimated that 3,000 tons of stones and shingle were carried out to sea.
The contract for the Haddiscoe Cut was signed with Thomas Townsend
of Birmingham
on 3 July 1832, and work began at once. Thomas Townsend worked as contractor
on the canal throughout its construction. The original capital was insufficient to finance the construction, and so the extra £50,000 authorised by the Act was borrowed from the Exchequer Bill Loan Commissioners. The cut was finished in 1832, and the dredging of the River Yare completed in 1833. The whole route, which is 32 miles (51.5 km) long, was formally opened on 30 September 1833.
, a developer who wanted to build railways along its banks. The line from Reedham to Lowestoft runs parallel to the cut and effectively forms the south western bank. Although maintained for navigation, the cut was owned by a series of railway companies for the next hundred years.
Control of the Cut passed to the British Transport Commission
with the nationalisation of the railways. The cut was damaged by the floods of 1953
, which affected much of the East Coast, and the Transport Commission attempted to close it in 1954. Local opposition was strong, particularly from the yachting community, and control of it passed to the East Suffolk and Norfolk River Board in 1957. Subsequently, the Anglian Water Authority, and in 1995 the Environment Agency
, took over this role.
Canal
Canals are man-made channels for water. There are two types of canal:#Waterways: navigable transportation canals used for carrying ships and boats shipping goods and conveying people, further subdivided into two kinds:...
in the English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
county of Norfolk
Norfolk
Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
and in The Broads National Park. The cut was conceived as a way to provide a more direct route from Lowestoft to Norwich, and was built as part of a larger scheme which included the linking of the River Waveney
River Waveney
The Waveney is a river which forms the border between Suffolk and Norfolk, England, for much of its length within The Broads.-Course:The source of the River Waveney is a ditch on the east side of the B1113 road between the villages of Redgrave, Suffolk and South Lopham, Norfolk...
to Oulton Broad
Oulton Broad
Oulton Broad refers to both the lake and the suburb of Lowestoft in Suffolk, England located 2 miles west of the centre of the town.-Oulton Broad:...
and Lake Lothing
Lake Lothing
Lake Lothing is a saltwater lake located in Lowestoft in the English county of Suffolk. The lake, which is believed to be the remnant of medieval peat cutting, flows into the North Sea and forms part of the Port of Lowestoft...
. It was opened in 1833, but the new route was not a financial success, and it was sold to a railway developer in 1842. It remained in railway ownership until Nationalisation in 1948, and was damaged by floods in 1953. An attempt to close it in 1954 was resisted by local interests, resulting in it being repaired. It is now managed by the Environment Agency
Environment Agency
The Environment Agency is a British non-departmental public body of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and an Assembly Government Sponsored Body of the Welsh Assembly Government that serves England and Wales.-Purpose:...
.
History
Prior to the 1820s, Norwich was served by vessels using the River YareRiver Yare
The River Yare is a river in the English county of Norfolk. In its lower reaches the river connects with the navigable waterways of The Broads....
, which flows through Breydon Water before joining the River Bure
River Bure
The River Bure is a river in the county of Norfolk, England, most of it in The Broads. The Bure rises near Melton Constable, upstream of Aylsham, which was the original head of navigation. Nowadays, the head of navigation is downstream at Coltishall Bridge...
and then the North Sea
North Sea
In the southwest, beyond the Straits of Dover, the North Sea becomes the English Channel connecting to the Atlantic Ocean. In the east, it connects to the Baltic Sea via the Skagerrak and Kattegat, narrow straits that separate Denmark from Norway and Sweden respectively...
near Great Yarmouth
Great Yarmouth
Great Yarmouth, often known to locals as Yarmouth, is a coastal town in Norfolk, England. It is at the mouth of the River Yare, east of Norwich.It has been a seaside resort since 1760, and is the gateway from the Norfolk Broads to the sea...
. Breydon Water is a wide expanse of shallow water, and therefore required cargo arriving at Yarmouth to be trans-shipped into smaller vessels which could then reach Norwich. There was discontent among the merchants of Norwich at the cost of trans-shipment, and allegations of systematic theft of cargo, which resulted in a court case in 1820, when 18 men were convicted of taking the goods and another of receiving it. Against this background, William Cubitt was asked to investigate possible solutions in 1814.
Cubitt's first plan involved general improvements to the River Yare, and the dredging of a deeper channel along the southern edge of Breydon Water. He estimated that this would cost £35,000, and his plan was published in 1818, but there were immediate objections from the Corporation of Yarmouth, who called on the engineer John Rennie for advice. Rennie concluded that the plan would lead to the silting of Yarmouth harbour. Cubitt therefore looked at alternatives, and produced a plan to link the Yare to Lowestoft
Lowestoft
Lowestoft is a town in the English county of Suffolk. The town is on the North Sea coast and is the most easterly point of the United Kingdom. It is north-east of London, north-east of Ipswich and south-east of Norwich...
, which would cost over £70,000. Yarmouth again objected, but a bill based on the new plan was put before Parliament in 1826. It was defeated, but a second bill was presented, which was passed on 28 May 1827, despite vigorous campaigning against it by Yarmouth.
Construction
The new Act of ParliamentAct of Parliament
An Act of Parliament is a statute enacted as primary legislation by a national or sub-national parliament. In the Republic of Ireland the term Act of the Oireachtas is used, and in the United States the term Act of Congress is used.In Commonwealth countries, the term is used both in a narrow...
created the Norwich and Lowestoft Navigation Company, and authorised them to raise £100,000, with an additional £50,000 if required. The scheme involved dredging of the River Yare from Norwich to Reedham
Reedham, Norfolk
Reedham is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk and within The Broads. It is situated on the north bank of the River Yare, some east of the city of Norwich, south-west of the town of Great Yarmouth and the same distance north-west of the Suffolk town of Lowestoft.The Romans...
, to make it deeper, construction of the 2.5 miles (4 km) Haddiscoe cut between Reedham and Haddiscoe
Haddiscoe
Haddiscoe is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. It is situated some 30 km south-east of the city of Norwich, but only 10 km west of the Suffolk town of Lowestoft.The civil parish has an area of...
on the River Waveney
River Waveney
The Waveney is a river which forms the border between Suffolk and Norfolk, England, for much of its length within The Broads.-Course:The source of the River Waveney is a ditch on the east side of the B1113 road between the villages of Redgrave, Suffolk and South Lopham, Norfolk...
, enlarging of Oulton Dyke, between the Waveney and Oulton Broad
Oulton Broad
Oulton Broad refers to both the lake and the suburb of Lowestoft in Suffolk, England located 2 miles west of the centre of the town.-Oulton Broad:...
, and linking of Oulton Broad to Lake Lothing
Lake Lothing
Lake Lothing is a saltwater lake located in Lowestoft in the English county of Suffolk. The lake, which is believed to be the remnant of medieval peat cutting, flows into the North Sea and forms part of the Port of Lowestoft...
by a channel which was 0.25 mile (0.402335 km) long, and included a sea lock, so that it could be used at all states of the tide. Work began on the Lake Lothing link, with most of it completed during 1829. The lock was 150 by, and included a system of sluices, which used water from Oulton Broad to clear a channel to the sea through Lake Lothing. A demonstration of this was given on 3 June 1831, when it was estimated that 3,000 tons of stones and shingle were carried out to sea.
The contract for the Haddiscoe Cut was signed with Thomas Townsend
Thomas Townsend
Thomas Stewart Townsend was an Irish Anglican bishop in the Church of Ireland in the 19th century. He wasHe became Bishop of Meath in 1850. and died in post in Malaga on 16 September 1852. His Times obituary noted that “by his death the system of national education has lost an earnest...
of Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
on 3 July 1832, and work began at once. Thomas Townsend worked as contractor
General contractor
A general contractor is responsible for the day-to-day oversight of a construction site, management of vendors and trades, and communication of information to involved parties throughout the course of a building project.-Description:...
on the canal throughout its construction. The original capital was insufficient to finance the construction, and so the extra £50,000 authorised by the Act was borrowed from the Exchequer Bill Loan Commissioners. The cut was finished in 1832, and the dredging of the River Yare completed in 1833. The whole route, which is 32 miles (51.5 km) long, was formally opened on 30 September 1833.
Operation
The new undertaking was not a financial success, with income failing to match expenditure. The Company was unable to repay the £50,000 loan, and so in 1842 the Exchequer Bill Loan Commissioners took control of the navigation, and sold it to Sir Samuel Morton PetoSamuel Morton Peto
Sir Samuel Morton Peto, 1st Baronet was an English entrepreneur and civil engineer in the 19th century. A partner in Grissell and Peto, he managed construction firms that built many major buildings and monuments in London...
, a developer who wanted to build railways along its banks. The line from Reedham to Lowestoft runs parallel to the cut and effectively forms the south western bank. Although maintained for navigation, the cut was owned by a series of railway companies for the next hundred years.
Control of the Cut passed to the British Transport Commission
British Transport Commission
The British Transport Commission was created by Clement Attlee's post-war Labour government as a part of its nationalisation programme, to oversee railways, canals and road freight transport in Great Britain...
with the nationalisation of the railways. The cut was damaged by the floods of 1953
North Sea flood of 1953
The 1953 North Sea flood was a major flood caused by a heavy storm, that occurred on the night of Saturday 31 January 1953 and morning of 1 February 1953. The floods struck the Netherlands, Belgium, England and Scotland.A combination of a high spring tide and a severe European windstorm caused a...
, which affected much of the East Coast, and the Transport Commission attempted to close it in 1954. Local opposition was strong, particularly from the yachting community, and control of it passed to the East Suffolk and Norfolk River Board in 1957. Subsequently, the Anglian Water Authority, and in 1995 the Environment Agency
Environment Agency
The Environment Agency is a British non-departmental public body of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and an Assembly Government Sponsored Body of the Welsh Assembly Government that serves England and Wales.-Purpose:...
, took over this role.
Today
In 1993 failure of the piling resulted in part of the railway embankment being washed away. More recently, flood prevention measures have resulted in reconstruction of the river defences and walls, and this work was completed in 2006.Route
See also
- Canals of the United KingdomCanals of the United KingdomThe canals of the United Kingdom are a major part of the network of inland waterways in the United Kingdom. They have a colourful history, from use for irrigation and transport, through becoming the focus of the Industrial Revolution, to today's role for recreational boating...
- History of the British canal systemHistory of the British canal systemThe British canal system of water transport played a vital role in the United Kingdom's Industrial Revolution at a time when roads were only just emerging from the medieval mud and long trains of pack horses were the only means of "mass" transit by road of raw materials and finished products The...