River Waveney
Encyclopedia
The Waveney is a river
which forms the border between Suffolk
and Norfolk, England, for much of its length within The Broads
.
, Norfolk. The ditch on the other side of the road is the source of the River Little Ouse
which continues the county boundary and, via the Great Ouse, reaches the sea at King's Lynn
. . It is thus claimed that during periods of heavy rainfall Norfolk can be considered to be an island. The explanation of this oddity is that the valley in which the rivers rise was formed, not by these rivers but by water spilling from Lake Fenland. This was a periglacial
lake of the Devensian glacial, fifteen or twenty thousand years ago. The ice sheet
closed the natural drainage from the Vale of Pickering
, the Humber
and The Wash
so that a lake of a complex shape formed in the Vale of Pickering, the Yorkshire Ouse
valley, the lower Trent
valley and the Fenland basin. This valley was its spillway
into the southern North Sea
basin, thence to the English Channel
basin.
The river flows in an easterly direction though the towns of Diss
, Bungay
and Beccles
. From its source it forms the southern boundary of Bressingham
and Roydon
before reaching Diss
. Next come Scole
--site of its crossing by the Roman Road
--Billingford with its windmill
, Brockdish
and Needham
before passing south of Harleston. Then come Mendham
with its links to the artist Alfred Munnings
, Wortwell
, Homersfield
with its famous bridge, now the oldest bridge in England constructed from concrete, which is a Grade II listed structure and was restored in 1995, followed by Denton
and Earsham
.
At Bungay
, the historic head of its navigation, the Waveney forms a wide oxbow
meander
, carrying with it the Norfolk/Suffolk border. Next come Ditchingham
, Broome
and Ellingham
before Geldeston
, where an isolated pub stands next to the remains of a derelict lock and a dyke that leads to the village. This is the current limit of navigation. Gillingham
comes next before the river gathers waters at Beccles
, as it enters the Broads. Although the old town bridge there restricts navigation to craft with an airdraft of less than 6.5 feet (2 m), its quay beyond that abruptly changes the nature of the river from a gentle rural feature to a gateway to the North Sea. Beccles was a fishing port for many years, and the parents of Lord Nelson
were married in the church of St Michael. The river then meanders past Burgh St Peter to Somerleyton
. Here Oulton Dyke
branches off the Waveney and through Oulton Broad
towards Lowestoft
. A lock, dividing fresh from seawater, links Oulton Broad
with Lake Lothing
and the North Sea.
At Somerleyton
the Lowestoft to Norwich railway line crosses the Waveney on a swing bridge, while at St. Olaves
, the Haddiscoe Cut
branches off left to connect the Rivers Yare
and Waveney. The Cut was excavated in the 19th century to provide a direct route between Lowestoft Docks and Norwich
. Finally the Waveney flows past Burgh Castle
into Breydon Water
at the confluence of the two rivers. It now forms part of the river Yare and reaches the sea at Great Yarmouth
.
There was a special version of the Norfolk wherry
in use on the Waveney, with boats measuring no more than 70 by. There were also steam wherries.
Daniel Defoe
enlivens this account of the Waveney's Broads course:
obtained in 1670, which empowered five traders from Bungay and one from Downham Market to carry out the work. This included the construction of three locks, at Geldeston, Ellingham and Wainford, to extend navigation as far as Bungay Staithe. The navigation remained in private hands, and was not under the control of the Yarmouth Commissioners, who were responsible for the lower river. A second Act obtained in 1772 ensured that Suffolk magistrates received a 5 per cent share of all tolls obtained from the carriage of coal, with which to maintain the Waveney.
The short section of the river from Haddiscoe to Burgh Ferry was part of a grand scheme to link Norwich
to the sea at Lowestoft. The scheme originated in 1818, but was opposed by the merchants of Yarmouth, and it was not until 28 May 1827 that an Act of Parliament authorised the Norwich and Lowestoft Navigation Company, giving then powers to raise £100,000, with an additional £50,000 if required. From Burgh Ferry, boats would use a widened Oulton Dyke to reach Oulton Broad, and a new sea lock would be constructed to link the broad to Lake Lothing. This had four sets of gates, so that it could be used at all states of the tide, was capable of holding vessels which were 150 by, and used a system of sluices to enable the channel through Lake Lothing to be flushed with water from Oulton Broad. Completed in 1829, it was demonstrated in 1831, and although four operations of the sluices were estimated to have removed 10,000 tons of gravel and shingle out to sea, its subsequent operation was not as effective.
In the other direction, construction of Haddiscoe Cut
began, to link the river at Haddiscoe to the River Yare
at Reedham, enabling vessels from Norwich to bypass Yarmouth. With funds running low, a decision was taken to borrow the additional £50,000 which the enabling Act allowed, and so a request was made to the Exchequer Bill Loan Commissioners for this amount. Work was completed on the cut and the upgrading of the river to Norwich, and the formal opening took place on 30 September 1833. The venture was a commercial failure, as development of Norwich as a port did not occur, and Lowestoft harbour was subject to silting. With income failing to match expenditure, the Exchequer Bill Loan Commissioners could not be repaid, so they took over the navigation in 1842, and sold it to the railway contractor Sir Samuel Morton Peto
.
With the decline in the use of wherries for commercial trade on the rivers prior to the Second World War, navigation ceased on several stretches of the Broads, including the 4.2 miles (6.8 km) section of the river from Geldeston Lock to Bungay, where navigation rights were removed in 1934. Wainford and Ellingham locks have since been converted into sluices, but the Environment Agency
has negotiated with local landowners to allow the use of this section by canoes and unpowered craft. To aid this, it has improved the facilities for portaging boats at the locks.
Mutford lock links Oulton Broad to Lake Lothing, and is the only working lock on the whole of the Broads. Two swing bridges carry the Lowestoft to Ipswich railway
line and the A12 road over the cut to the east of the lock. The lock was refurbished in 1992, and is managed by Waveney
District Council, but there were discussions taking place in 2009 to transfer it to the Broads Authority
, who manage the rest of the Broads.
River
A river is a natural watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, a lake, a sea, or another river. In a few cases, a river simply flows into the ground or dries up completely before reaching another body of water. Small rivers may also be called by several other names, including...
which forms the border between Suffolk
Suffolk
Suffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...
and Norfolk, England, for much of its length within The Broads
The Broads
The Broads are a network of mostly navigable rivers and lakes in the English counties of Norfolk and Suffolk. The Broads, and some surrounding land were constituted as a special area with a level of protection similar to a UK National Park by The Norfolk and Suffolk Broads Act of 1988...
.
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 LophamSouth Lopham
South Lopham is a civil parish in the English county of Norfolk.It covers an area of and had a population of 371 in 157 households as of the 2001 census...
, Norfolk. The ditch on the other side of the road is the source of the River Little Ouse
River Little Ouse
The Little Ouse is a river in the east of England, a tributary of the River Great Ouse. For much of its length it defines the boundary between Norfolk and Suffolk....
which continues the county boundary and, via the Great Ouse, reaches the sea at King's Lynn
King's Lynn
King's Lynn is a sea port and market town in the ceremonial county of Norfolk in the East of England. It is situated north of London and west of Norwich. The population of the town is 42,800....
. . It is thus claimed that during periods of heavy rainfall Norfolk can be considered to be an island. The explanation of this oddity is that the valley in which the rivers rise was formed, not by these rivers but by water spilling from Lake Fenland. This was a periglacial
Periglacial
Periglacial is an adjective originally referring to places in the edges of glacial areas, but it has later been widely used in geomorphology to describe any place where geomorphic processes related to freezing of water occur...
lake of the Devensian glacial, fifteen or twenty thousand years ago. The ice sheet
Ice sheet
An ice sheet is a mass of glacier ice that covers surrounding terrain and is greater than 50,000 km² , thus also known as continental glacier...
closed the natural drainage from the Vale of Pickering
Pickering, North Yorkshire
Pickering is an ancient market town and civil parish in the Ryedale district of the county of North Yorkshire, England, on the border of the North York Moors National Park. It sits at the foot of the Moors, overlooking the Vale of Pickering to the south...
, the Humber
Humber
The Humber is a large tidal estuary on the east coast of Northern England. It is formed at Trent Falls, Faxfleet, by the confluence of the tidal River Ouse and the tidal River Trent. From here to the North Sea, it forms part of the boundary between the East Riding of Yorkshire on the north bank...
and The Wash
The Wash
The Wash is the square-mouthed bay and estuary on the northwest margin of East Anglia on the east coast of England, where Norfolk meets Lincolnshire. It is among the largest estuaries in the United Kingdom...
so that a lake of a complex shape formed in the Vale of Pickering, the Yorkshire Ouse
River Ouse, Yorkshire
The River Ouse is a river in North Yorkshire, England. The river is formed from the River Ure at Cuddy Shaw Reach near Linton-on-Ouse, about 6 miles downstream of the confluence of the River Swale with the River Ure...
valley, the lower Trent
Trento
Trento is an Italian city located in the Adige River valley in Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol. It is the capital of Trentino...
valley and the Fenland basin. This valley was its spillway
Spillway
A spillway is a structure used to provide the controlled release of flows from a dam or levee into a downstream area, typically being the river that was dammed. In the UK they may be known as overflow channels. Spillways release floods so that the water does not overtop and damage or even destroy...
into the southern 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...
basin, thence to the English Channel
English Channel
The English Channel , often referred to simply as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates southern England from northern France, and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic. It is about long and varies in width from at its widest to in the Strait of Dover...
basin.
The river flows in an easterly direction though the towns of Diss
Diss
Diss is a town in Norfolk, England close to the border with the neighbouring East Anglian county of Suffolk.The town lies in the valley of the River Waveney, around a mere that covers . The mere is up to deep, although there is another of mud, making it one of the deepest natural inland lakes...
, Bungay
Bungay, Suffolk
Bungay is a market town in the English county of Suffolk. It lies in the Waveney valley, west of Beccles on the edge of The Broads, and at the neck of a meander of the River Waveney.-Early history:...
and Beccles
Beccles
Beccles is a market town and civil parish in the Waveney District of the English county of Suffolk. The town is shown on the milestone as from London via the A145 Blythburgh and A12 road, northeast of London as the crow flies, southeast of Norwich, and north northeast of the county town of...
. From its source it forms the southern boundary of Bressingham
Bressingham
Bressingham is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk.It covers an area of and had a population of 751 in 305 households as of the 2001 census. For the purposes of local government, it falls within the district of South Norfolk....
and Roydon
Roydon, South Norfolk
Roydon is a small village and parish in the county of Norfolk, England, about a mile west of Diss. It covers an area of and had a population of 2,358 in 981 households as of the 2001 census....
before reaching Diss
Diss
Diss is a town in Norfolk, England close to the border with the neighbouring East Anglian county of Suffolk.The town lies in the valley of the River Waveney, around a mere that covers . The mere is up to deep, although there is another of mud, making it one of the deepest natural inland lakes...
. Next come Scole
Scole
Scole is a village on the Norfolk/Suffolk border in England. It is 19 miles south of Norwich and lay on the old Roman road to Venta Icenorum, which was the main road until it was bypassed with a dual carriageway...
--site of its crossing by the Roman Road
A140 road
The A140 is an 'A-class' road in Norfolk and Suffolk, East Anglia, England partly following the route of the Roman Pye Road. It runs from the A14 near Needham Market to the A149 south of Cromer. It is of primary status for the entirety of its route. It is approximately 56 miles in length...
--Billingford with its windmill
Billingford Windmill
Billingford Windmill is a grade II* listed tower mill at Billingford near Diss, Norfolk, England which has been preserved and restored to working order. As of June 2009, the mill is under repair, with new sails being made.-History:...
, Brockdish
Brockdish
Brockdish is a village and civil parish in the South Norfolk district of Norfolk, England. It is in size. According to the 2001 census the parish had a population of 605 in 265 households. The village is situated on the River Waveney , and is about three miles south-west of Harleston...
and Needham
Needham, Norfolk
Needham is a small village in Norfolk, England. It covers an area of and had a population of 310 in 129 households as of the 2001 census.Its church, St Peter, is one of 124 existing round-tower churches in Norfolk.-Reference in popular culture:...
before passing south of Harleston. Then come Mendham
Mendham, Suffolk
Mendham is a village and civil parish in the Mid Suffolk district of Suffolk in eastern England. Located on the east bank of the River Waveney around a mile east of Harleston, in 2005 its population was 440. The parish includes the hamlets of Withersdale Street...
with its links to the artist Alfred Munnings
Alfred Munnings
Sir Alfred James Munnings KCVO, PRA was known as one of England's finest painters of horses, and as an outspoken enemy of Modernism...
, Wortwell
Wortwell
Wortwell is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk and adjoining the county of Suffolk. It is located on both the River Waveney and the A143 road, some 20 km east of Diss and 30 km west of Lowestoft...
, Homersfield
Homersfield
South Elmham St Mary, known as Homersfield, is a small village and civil parish located on the banks of the River Waveney in Suffolk, UK, on the border with Norfolk. It is one of The Saints. It is the home of the oldest surviving concrete bridge in Britain, a 50-foot span built in 1870 by the...
with its famous bridge, now the oldest bridge in England constructed from concrete, which is a Grade II listed structure and was restored in 1995, followed by Denton
Denton, Norfolk
Denton is a village in the county of Norfolk, England. As of 2001, it had a population of 352 inhabitants in 148 households.Located on the southern edge of the county, Denton has an area of . The nearest towns are Harleston and Bungay...
and Earsham
Earsham
Earsham is a small village in Norfolk, England. Its postal town is the nearby Bungay, Suffolk. It covers an area of and had a population of 907 in 357 households as of the 2001 census.Earsham has a number of local attractions, including:...
.
At Bungay
Bungay, Suffolk
Bungay is a market town in the English county of Suffolk. It lies in the Waveney valley, west of Beccles on the edge of The Broads, and at the neck of a meander of the River Waveney.-Early history:...
, the historic head of its navigation, the Waveney forms a wide oxbow
Oxbow
An oxbow is a U-shaped wooden or metal frame that fits under and around the neck of an ox or bullock, with its upper ends passing through the bar of the yoke and held in place with a metal key, called a bow pin. The wood most often used is hardwood steamed into shape, like elm or hickory and...
meander
Meander
A meander in general is a bend in a sinuous watercourse. A meander is formed when the moving water in a stream erodes the outer banks and widens its valley. A stream of any volume may assume a meandering course, alternately eroding sediments from the outside of a bend and depositing them on the...
, carrying with it the Norfolk/Suffolk border. Next come Ditchingham
Ditchingham
Ditchingham is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. It is located across the River Waveney from Bungay, Suffolk near to The Broads National Park.- Overview :...
, Broome
Broome
-Places:Australia*Broome, Western Australia**Attack on Broome **Broome Bird Observatory**Broome Bulls, Australian Rules football team**Broome International Airport**Broome Pearling Lugger Pidgin**Broome race riots of 1920**Broome Regional Prison...
and Ellingham
Ellingham, Norfolk
Ellingham is a civil parish in Norfolk, England. It covers an area of and had a population of 532 in 238 households as of the 2001 census. It lies approximately from Bungay and from Beccles....
before Geldeston
Geldeston
Geldeston is a parish in Norfolk. It is about 1 mile west of Gillingham and 2 miles north west of Beccles. Other nearby villages include Ellingham and Broome to the west. It covers an area of and had a population of 398 in 161 households as of the 2001 census....
, where an isolated pub stands next to the remains of a derelict lock and a dyke that leads to the village. This is the current limit of navigation. Gillingham
Gillingham, Norfolk
Gillingham is a small village located just off the A146 in South Norfolk, about 1 mile north of the market town of Beccles. The full name of the parish is Gillingham All Saints and St Mary...
comes next before the river gathers waters at Beccles
Beccles
Beccles is a market town and civil parish in the Waveney District of the English county of Suffolk. The town is shown on the milestone as from London via the A145 Blythburgh and A12 road, northeast of London as the crow flies, southeast of Norwich, and north northeast of the county town of...
, as it enters the Broads. Although the old town bridge there restricts navigation to craft with an airdraft of less than 6.5 feet (2 m), its quay beyond that abruptly changes the nature of the river from a gentle rural feature to a gateway to the North Sea. Beccles was a fishing port for many years, and the parents of Lord Nelson
Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson
Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson, 1st Duke of Bronté, KB was a flag officer famous for his service in the Royal Navy, particularly during the Napoleonic Wars. He was noted for his inspirational leadership and superb grasp of strategy and unconventional tactics, which resulted in a number of...
were married in the church of St Michael. The river then meanders past Burgh St Peter to Somerleyton
Somerleyton
Somerleyton is a village close to the River Waveney in the Waveney District of the English county of Suffolk. Somerleyton is located around north-west of Lowestoft and south-west of Great Yarmouth...
. Here Oulton Dyke
Oulton Dyke
Oulton Dyke is a freshwater stretch of water in The Broads National Park, located in Suffolk within the United Kingdom. The dyke connects Oulton Broad near Lowestoft to the River Waveney by means of a confluence near the village of Burgh St Peter....
branches off the Waveney and through 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:...
towards 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...
. A lock, dividing fresh from seawater, links 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:...
with 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...
and the North Sea.
At Somerleyton
Somerleyton
Somerleyton is a village close to the River Waveney in the Waveney District of the English county of Suffolk. Somerleyton is located around north-west of Lowestoft and south-west of Great Yarmouth...
the Lowestoft to Norwich railway line crosses the Waveney on a swing bridge, while at St. Olaves
St. Olaves
St Olaves is a village in the English county of Norfolk. The village is situated on the River Waveney in England, some south-west of the town of Great Yarmouth and the same distance north-west of the Suffolk town of Lowestoft...
, the Haddiscoe Cut
Haddiscoe Cut
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...
branches off left to connect the Rivers Yare
River 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....
and Waveney. The Cut was excavated in the 19th century to provide a direct route between Lowestoft Docks and Norwich
Norwich
Norwich is a city in England. It is the regional administrative centre and county town of Norfolk. During the 11th century, Norwich was the largest city in England after London, and one of the most important places in the kingdom...
. Finally the Waveney flows past Burgh Castle
Burgh Castle
Burgh Castle is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. It is situated on the east bank of the River Waveney, near Great Yarmouth, some 6 km west of Great Yarmouth and within the Broads National Park.-Roman Fort:...
into Breydon Water
Breydon Water
Breydon Water is a massive stretch of sheltered estuary at Great Yarmouth in Norfolk, England. It is at gateway to the Norfolk Broads. It is the UK's largest protected wetland. It is 5 km long and more than 1.5 km wide in places...
at the confluence of the two rivers. It now forms part of the river Yare and reaches the sea at 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...
.
There was a special version of the Norfolk wherry
Norfolk wherry
The Norfolk wherry is a type of boat on The Broads in Norfolk, England. Three main types were developed over its life, all featuring the distinctive gaff rig with a single, high-peaked sail and the mast stepped well forward.-Development of the wherry:...
in use on the Waveney, with boats measuring no more than 70 by. There were also steam wherries.
Daniel Defoe
Daniel Defoe
Daniel Defoe , born Daniel Foe, was an English trader, writer, journalist, and pamphleteer, who gained fame for his novel Robinson Crusoe. Defoe is notable for being one of the earliest proponents of the novel, as he helped to popularise the form in Britain and along with others such as Richardson,...
enlivens this account of the Waveney's Broads course:
The River Waveney is a considerable river, and of a deep and full channel, navigable for large barges as high as Beccles; it runs for a course of about fifty miles, between the two counties of Suffolk and Norfolk, as a boundary to both; and pushing on, tho' with a gentle stream, towards the sea, no one would doubt, but, that when they see the river growing broader and deeper, and going directly towards the sea, even to the edge of the beach; that is to say, within a mile of the main ocean; no stranger, I say, but would expect to see its entrance into the sea at that place, and a noble harbour for ships at the mouth of it; when on a sudden, the land rising high by the sea-side, crosses the head of the river, like a dam, checks the whole course of it, and it returns, bending its course west, for two miles, or thereabouts; and then turning north, thro' another long course of meadows (joining to those just now mention'd) seeks out the River Yare, that it may join its water with hers, and find their way to the sea together.
Navigation
The River Waverney was improved for navigation under an 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...
obtained in 1670, which empowered five traders from Bungay and one from Downham Market to carry out the work. This included the construction of three locks, at Geldeston, Ellingham and Wainford, to extend navigation as far as Bungay Staithe. The navigation remained in private hands, and was not under the control of the Yarmouth Commissioners, who were responsible for the lower river. A second Act obtained in 1772 ensured that Suffolk magistrates received a 5 per cent share of all tolls obtained from the carriage of coal, with which to maintain the Waveney.
The short section of the river from Haddiscoe to Burgh Ferry was part of a grand scheme to link Norwich
Norwich
Norwich is a city in England. It is the regional administrative centre and county town of Norfolk. During the 11th century, Norwich was the largest city in England after London, and one of the most important places in the kingdom...
to the sea at Lowestoft. The scheme originated in 1818, but was opposed by the merchants of Yarmouth, and it was not until 28 May 1827 that an Act of Parliament authorised the Norwich and Lowestoft Navigation Company, giving then powers to raise £100,000, with an additional £50,000 if required. From Burgh Ferry, boats would use a widened Oulton Dyke to reach Oulton Broad, and a new sea lock would be constructed to link the broad to Lake Lothing. This had four sets of gates, so that it could be used at all states of the tide, was capable of holding vessels which were 150 by, and used a system of sluices to enable the channel through Lake Lothing to be flushed with water from Oulton Broad. Completed in 1829, it was demonstrated in 1831, and although four operations of the sluices were estimated to have removed 10,000 tons of gravel and shingle out to sea, its subsequent operation was not as effective.
In the other direction, construction of Haddiscoe Cut
Haddiscoe Cut
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...
began, to link the river at Haddiscoe to the River Yare
River 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....
at Reedham, enabling vessels from Norwich to bypass Yarmouth. With funds running low, a decision was taken to borrow the additional £50,000 which the enabling Act allowed, and so a request was made to the Exchequer Bill Loan Commissioners for this amount. Work was completed on the cut and the upgrading of the river to Norwich, and the formal opening took place on 30 September 1833. The venture was a commercial failure, as development of Norwich as a port did not occur, and Lowestoft harbour was subject to silting. With income failing to match expenditure, the Exchequer Bill Loan Commissioners could not be repaid, so they took over the navigation in 1842, and sold it to the railway contractor Sir Samuel Morton Peto
Samuel 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...
.
With the decline in the use of wherries for commercial trade on the rivers prior to the Second World War, navigation ceased on several stretches of the Broads, including the 4.2 miles (6.8 km) section of the river from Geldeston Lock to Bungay, where navigation rights were removed in 1934. Wainford and Ellingham locks have since been converted into sluices, but 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:...
has negotiated with local landowners to allow the use of this section by canoes and unpowered craft. To aid this, it has improved the facilities for portaging boats at the locks.
Mutford lock links Oulton Broad to Lake Lothing, and is the only working lock on the whole of the Broads. Two swing bridges carry the Lowestoft to Ipswich railway
East Suffolk Line
The East Suffolk Line is an un-electrified secondary railway line running between Ipswich and Lowestoft in Suffolk, England. The traffic along the route consists of passenger services operated by National Express East Anglia, while nuclear flask trains for the Sizewell nuclear power stations are...
line and the A12 road over the cut to the east of the lock. The lock was refurbished in 1992, and is managed by Waveney
Waveney
Waveney is a local government district in Suffolk, England, named after the River Waveney that forms its north-west border. The district council is based in Lowestoft, the major settlement in Waveney, which is the only unparished area in the district...
District Council, but there were discussions taking place in 2009 to transfer it to the Broads Authority
Broads Authority
The Broads Authority is the agency which has statutory responsibility for the Broads in England. Originally, the Nature Conservancy Council , pressed for a special authority to manage the Broads which had been neglected for a long time. In 1978, the forerunner to the present-day Broads Authority...
, who manage the rest of the Broads.