THE GRAND JUNCTION CANAL
A HIGHWAY
LAID WITH WATER.
THE IDEA TAKES HOLD
THE COMPANY OF PROPRIETORS OF THE GRAND JUNCTION
CANAL
“This chosen infant though in the cradle yet now promises
upon this land a thousand thousand blessings which in time shall
bring ripeness.”
These words (arranged from Shakespeare) engraved on the corporate seal, summed
up the hopes and aspirations of the Company of Proprietors of the
Grand Junction Canal when their great civil engineering project
commenced in 1793.
The opening of the Oxford Canal in 1790 provided the first major
link for the conveyance of heavy goods between London and the Midlands. Although that canal
prospered, the link that it provided with the Metropolis was, at 154
miles, over long and at times unreliable due to the vagaries of the rivers Cherwell and Thames,
both of which it shares
for part of its length. In addition to its long
and sinuous course, in its upper
reaches the Thames suffered from shallows (shoals) in dry weather and
flooding in times of heavy rainfall. Thus, to satisfy the needs of
commerce, a shorter and more reliable waterway was necessary.
Around 1790, a proposal was made for a more direct route running from Braunston on the Oxford Canal in Northamptonshire to
Brentford on the Thames. This scheme promised to reduce the
journey by 64 miles, while the elimination of the difficult
navigational conditions posed by the Cherwell and the upper Thames added
considerably to its benefits.
In the spring of 1792, the Marquis of Buckingham commissioned James
Barnes of Banbury to undertake a survey. Considering what had to
be done and the state of transport at that time, Barnes performed
the work quickly, for on July 1st, 1792, the Marquis of Buckingham
was able to convene and chair a public meeting at Stony Stratford
Parish Church:
“Yesterday [July 1st, 1792] a meeting was held at
Stony-Stratford, pursuant to public advertisement, to take into
consideration the expediency of forming a Canal from Braunston to
London, & the measures proper to be adopted preparatory to an
application to parliament for that purpose. ― The Meeting, which
was the most numerous ever known upon a like occasion, was held in
the parish-church, as the only place sufficient to accommodate so
large a company. ― The business was opened by the Marquis of
Buckingham (at whose sole expense the survey had been made) and his
Lordship declared, that the active part he had taken in the business
arose from the most disinterested motives, and solely for the
benefit of the tract of country through and near which the proposed
Navigation was intended to pass. ― The question for an application
to Parliament was carried with very little opposition: and the
eagerness with which the subscription was filled, sufficiently
showed the favourable opinion which the country entertained of the
success of the scheme.”
Northampton Mercury,
21st July 1792
Although the Mercury informs us that the Marquis’s motive for floating the scheme
was not solely that of financial gain, in this era of canal mania, with
investors flocking to subscribe to almost every canal scheme then
being put forward, his Lordship probably entertained an expectation
of a handsome return on his investment.
A further meeting was held on 20th July, 1792. According to
the Northampton Mercury it was a “very numerous,
respectable Meeting of Noblemen, Gentleman, Clergy, Tradesmen,
Manufacturers, and Others, holden at the Bull Inn, Stoney Stratford”
under the chairmanship of the astute London banker and Member of
Parliament, William Praed. Among the decisions taken were to apply for an Act of Parliament; to appoint
Messrs Gray (Buckingham) and Acton Chaplin (Aylesbury) as solicitors
and clerks (their names appear on many Company notices in the
following years); appoint Philip Box Treasurer; appoint a Committee;
raise capital of £350,000 in £100 shares, with an immediate call of
£1 per share (to help pay the expense of further surveying and to
apply for an Act of Parliament); and to agree that the Company be incorporated as “The Company of Proprietors of the Grand
Junction Canal”.
Despite Barnes’s successful completion of the Oxford Canal and of his
preliminary survey for the Grand Junction Canal, the scheme’s
investors appears
to have had little confidence in his ability as a canal engineer.
It was decided that he should proceed to the detailed
survey, but the Committee were instructed to obtain the services of an “able
engineer”:
“That Mr. Barnes do immediately prepare a Plan and Section of the
proposed Canal, to be laid before the Committee hereinafter
appointed; and that the said Committee do forthwith engage Mr.
Jessop, or (if he should decline it) some other able Engineer, to
examine and verify the said Plan and Section.”
Northampton Mercury,
28th July, 1792
. . . . and Company papers later reflect the view that:
“. . . the opinion of Mr Barnes was not deemed of sufficient
weight for the company to proceed upon, it was unanimously agreed to
call in Mr. Jessop, who from his experience and abilities was looked
upon as the first Engineer in the kingdom . . .”
Report to the General Assembly, 7th November,
1797
Shares in the fledgling company were soon trading at a considerable
premium . . . .
“At a sale of canal shares in October, 1792, ten shares in the
Grand Junction Canal, of which not a sod was dug, sold for 355
guineas premium; a single share in the same canal for 29 guineas
premium.”
History of the Commerce and Town of Liverpool,
Baines (1852)
――――♦――――
WILLIAM JESSOP’S INITIAL REPORT
Although weighed down with other work, Jessop accepted the
appointment of Chief Engineer. His first task was to re-survey the route
proposed by Barnes, from which he concluded that:
“I have reason for thinking that MR. BARNES
has explored the Country with much assiduity, and has chosen the
ground with much judgement; in the whole line there are only two
places where I would recommend a deviation, and those are but of
little importance . . . .”
To the Committee of the Subscribers of the Grand
Junction Canal: William Jessop, 14th January 1792
In his report, Jessop addressed three main
questions:
-
the general practicability of the canal;
-
whether the line chosen was the most eligible;
-
whether parts requiring expensive engineering could be avoided.
Overall, he felt that the scheme was practicable, that both the
terminus with the Oxford Canal at Braunston and with the Thames at
Brentford had been judiciously fixed, while the line between these
points was favourable and as free from obstacles as the difficult
nature of the country would permit. The unavoidable
difficulties that did exist and that would require the
construction of either tunnels or deep cuttings lay at Braunston,
Blisworth, Langleybury and Tring.
On the supply of water to the Canal’s two summits at Braunston and
at Tring, Jessop doubted that the natural streams in these
localities would provide sufficient water for any more than “thirty
locks full per day”, sufficient for nothing more than a “moderate
trade”, and if more was required, reservoirs and steam pumping
engines would be needed.
Jessop estimated that the cost of the Canal, together with branches
to Northampton and Daventry, would total some
£400,000. However, he also warned of the risk of wage inflation, for in
that age of ‘canal mania‘, labour was in heavy demand and wage rates
were likely to rise. If they did, even to the extent of
doubling his estimate, Jessop considered that the Canal would
continue to be an “eligible project”.
At the time of Jessop’s report (Appendix) it appears to have been decided
that, unlike ‘narrow’ canals designed to accept
72ft by 7ft narrow boats of 30 tons capacity, the Grand Junction
would be built as a ‘broad canal’ capable of accepting barges with a
14½ft beam and a capacity of 50-70 tons, able to “navigate with
safety on the Thames”. Although the plan to use barges extensively came to nothing, [1] the wide
locks that had been built to accommodate them did ease congestion in
the Canal’s commercial heyday, for they could accommodate a pair of
narrow boats abreast, as would its two tunnels. This advantage
continues to the present day in handling the Canal’s increasing
weight of leisure traffic.
――――♦――――
COMPETING SCHEMES
The prospective Grand Junction Canal stood to make a serious inroad
into the Oxford Canal Company’s revenue. In recognising that
their route from the Midlands to London via the Thames was likely to
be bypassed, the Oxford Canal Company put forward a competing
scheme.
In 1792, Samuel Simcock and Samuel Weston surveyed a route from
Hampton Gay on the Oxford Canal (six miles north of Oxford) to Long Crendon and Aylesbury, then crossing the Chilterns through the
Wendover Gap to reach Amersham, Uxbridge and a terminus at
Marylebone. Also included was a branch from Uxbridge to the
Thames at Isleworth. The proposed scheme, for what was to be
called the ‘London and Western Canal’ ― usually referred to as the
‘Hampton Gay Canal’ ― was announced in the official newspaper [2]
together with a second proposal, which appears to have been designed
as a compromise. This scheme was for a canal starting in the
parish of St. Giles in Oxford, then following a line via Long
Crendon, Aylesbury and Aston Clinton to Marsworth . . . .
“. . . . in order to meet and form a junction there with a canal
now in Contemplation and intended to be made from and out of the
Oxford Canal within the Parish or Township of Braunston . . . . unto
or near the Town of Brentford . . . .”
The London Gazette, 15th
September, 1792
The intention was that each company would build its own connection
to Marsworth, from where the remainder of the route to Brantford
would be over a jointly-owned canal. But the Grand Junction
promoters had powerful allies among the nobility and saw no reason
to accept a compromise. The St. Giles scheme then disappears
but the Hampton Gay project did go before Parliament in 1793, its
engineer, Samuel Simcock, giving evidence on its behalf. But
the scheme failed leaving the field clear for the promoters of the
Grand Junction Canal. In passing, it is worth mentioning that
Aylesbury was to be bypassed by several canal schemes during the
next thirty-five years, the Aylesbury Arm being all that was
achieved of a grander scheme to build a 36½ mile canal linking the
Grand Junction Canal at Marsworth, via Thame, to the Wilts & Berks
Canal at Abingdon, the River Thames being crossed on an aqueduct.
Title on the deposited plan of the route.
――――♦――――
THE 1793 ACT OF PARLIAMENT
At the meeting held at Stony Stratford on 20th July 1792, a
decision was taken to apply for a canal Act as soon as possible. The
principal sponsors of the Bill that was laid before Parliament
included a number of eminent aristocrats. . . .
Francis Egerton, Duke of Bridgewater
George Grenville Nugent, Marquis of Buckingham
Rt. Hon, Philip Stanhope, Earl of Chesterfield
Rt. Hon.William Ann Holles Capel, Earl of Essex
Rt. Hon. George Fermor, Earl of Pomfret
Rt. Hon. Thomas Villiers, Earl of Clarendon |
This weight of blue-blooded support eased the Bill’s passage through
Parliament, and the first Grand Junction Canal Act received the
Royal Assent on 30th April 1793:
Title page of the Grand Junction Canal Act, 1793.
The Act authorised the “Company of Proprietors of the Grand
Junction Canal” to raise capital of up to £600,000 to fund construction of
the main line of the Canal from a point where the eastern branch of the River
Brent enters the Thames at Syon House near Brentford, to the Oxford
Canal at Braunston. It also authorised branches to Daventry,
the River Nene at Northampton, to the turnpike road (now the A5) at
Old Stratford, and to Watford: the branches to Daventry and Watford
were not built, although at the time of writing (2012) that to Daventry might.
Some of the caveats in the Act are interesting in that they
illustrate objections on which the Proprietors were
obliged to concede during the committee
stage of their Bill:
-
the tow path was to be on the far bank of certain estates
including Osterley Park by which the canal passed (presumably to
prevent boatmen entering the pleasure grounds of their owners)
and it was not to take water from those domains;
-
to ensure supplies to the owners of watermills, reservoirs were
to be built to maintain the levels of the Rivers Bulbourne, Gade,
Colne and Brent (the first two were never built, which later led
to expensive litigation with the paper manufacturer, John
Dickinson);
-
that certain wharf and warehouse owners from the Thames to Bax’s
Mill were to be given toll-free use of the canal;
-
and that a stated minimum level of revenue was to be guaranteed
by the Grand Junction Canal Company to the Oxford Canal Company
as compensation for their loss of trade to the new canal. [3]
The
Government also received toll-free use of the canal for certain
purposes including the movement of troops and military equipment;
indeed, in the era preceding the railways, the newspapers of the
time frequently report on bodies of troops being moved in this way.
Thus the Act stated that:
“Officers and Soldiers on march, their Horses, Arms and Baggage,
Timber for his Majesty’s Service, and the Persons having Care
thereof; Stores for ditto, on Production of Certificate for the Navy
Board or Ordnance. Also Gravel, Sand, and other Materials for
making or repairing any Public Roads, and Manure for Land, if the
same do not pass any Lock.”
Other Acts were obtained in the following years for various purposes
including, in 1794, authorisation to construct the branches from
Marsworth to Aylesbury, from Old Stratford to Buckingham, and from
Bulbourne to Wendover (the latter replacing the planned water supply
channel with a navigable canal); in 1795, to improve
the Canal’s route in the vicinity of Abbot’s Langley; also in 1795,
to construct a branch from Norwood to Paddington; and in 1801 and
1804 to raise further capital.
On 3rd June 1793, William Jessop was appointed Chief Engineer, at a
fee of 7 guineas a day, to take overall charge of construction,
while James Barnes was appointed Resident Engineer at a rate of two
guineas per day plus half a guinea expenses.
The private Act having been obtained, work was begun almost
immediately from both ends and on the problem areas, these being the
tunnels at Braunston and Blisworth and the long cutting at Tring ―
the long embankment and aqueduct across the Valley of the Great Ouse
(between Wolverton and Cosgrove) was a later addition to the
original plan.
――――♦――――
APPENDIX
To the Committee of the Subscribers to the
Grand Junction Canal
GENTLEMEN,
I HAVE apprehended that the intention of the
Survey which I have lately made, in consequence of your doing me the
honour of asking my opinion, comprehends the following heads of
enquiry.
FIRST, The general Practicability?
SECONDLY, Whether the Line that
has been chosen is in general the most eligible?
THIRDLY, Whether such parts as
will be particularly expensive could be avoided? |
On the first head, I have no hesitation in saying that I can have no
doubt of the practicability.
On the second head, two leading objects are kept in view. FIRST,
that the points of commencement and termination should be such as
best suit the intention of good communication, between extensive
Inland Navigation in the North and the Port of London.
AND SECONDLY,
that the line of communication should be as direct as it might
conveniently be made.
If the Country were favourable to a junction with the Oxford Canal
at any more southerly point than Braunston, it would be
objectionable on account of the circuity of that Canal, and the
consequent increase in distance; and I believe that it would not be
practicable to have a more northerly junction.
For the same reason it would be unadvisable to join the Thames at
any higher point of that River than New Brentford; and to fall lower
into the Thames, would, if practicable, be at least very difficult
and expensive.
The terminating points being this fixed, I had little expectation of
discovering a shorter line between these points than the line
pointed out by MR. BARNES;
indeed I was rather astonished at finding in passing through so
great an extent of country, intersected in various directions by
Hills and Valleys, and where there was every appearance (if a line
could be found) that at least it would be unusually circuitous) that
is not more than 15 Miles longer than the distance by road.
The only obstacles which materially enhance the expense are the high
grounds at Braunston, Blisworth, Langley Bury, and Tring; and I
believe those are unavoidable from the enquiries which I have made,
where other passes seemed to invite attention: I have reason for
thinking that Mr. BARNES has explored the Country with much
assiduity, and has chosen his ground with much judgement; in the
whole line there are only two places where I could recommend a
deviation, and those are but of little importance; one is, the
cutting off a bend near Leighton Buzzard, if entering the County of
Bedford is not an objection, and the notices have comprehended it;
the other is, that the Entrance into the Thames should be at a point
where the River Brent now discharges itself, instead of the point
where the Plan now describes the junction higher up the River.
I have estimated the expense on the supposition that the width of
the Canal should be 28 feet at the bottom, 42 feet at the water’s
surface, and the depth of water 4 f. 6 in.
The Locks I have supposed to be 14 f. 6 in. in width, and 80 feet in
length in the Chambers;—those will admit Boats that will carry from
50 to 70 Tons, and such as will navigate with safety on the Thames,
on the Trent if the communication should take place with the
navigation at Leicester, and on the Mersey if the present Canals
should hereafter be widened, which is not improbable.
The Tunnels I should propose to be 16 feet in width, 18 feet in
height, and to have at least 6 feet depth of water.
Locks of the above width will contain two of the boats which now use
the narrow Canals, and those boats may now pass each other in the
Tunnels.
Respecting the supplies of water, it is to be observed that, as
there must be two summits, the quantity consumed will be more than
one would require, but not so much more as some might suppose: the
loss by exhalation and absorption cannot be at all increased by this
circumstance, they are only such Vessels as pass both Summits that
will require a double quantity of water; the lower levels may be
amply supplied, it is the supply for the Summit only that is
questionable.
The wetness of the season would have made any actual Admeasurements
of mine useless, in ascertaining the supply for dry Seasons; but in
examining Mr. BARNES’S
admeasurements I have very little doubt of the natural Streams, that
may easily be brought to the Summits, affording a sufficient supply
for a modest trade; his admeasurements were not taken in a very dry
season, but I found he had made a considerable allowance for this
circumstance, and with this allowance he found that 30 locks full
per day would flow into the Summit at Braunston, and if this should
not hereafter be found sufficient, a considerable addition might be
made by the means of a Reservoir for collecting and preserving Flood
Waters.
|
William Jessop,
civil engineer. |
To the Summit at Tring he found that from Bulbourne Spring and the
Tail at New Mill 30 locks full per day might be obtained, ― some
might be collected by a Reservoir in this case also, but not much to
be depended on: In Clay Soil such as at Braunston, the extremes of
wet and dry Seasons differ as much as One Thousand to One: In Chalky
and Gravelly Soils the difference is seldom more than Four to One,
for in the former case heavy rains produce great floods, and little
is absorbed; — in the latter case there are seldom any floods, for
almost the whole is absorbed, and it only operates for a while to
increase the supply by the Springs, which may be considered as the
discharges of natural Reservoirs, dispensing frugally for many
Months what would be washed from the surface of Clayey Soil in a few
days.
But if the supply that may be brought into this Summit should
hereafter be found to be insufficient, and particularly if the
proposed Canal to Oxford should demand much additional supply, any
quantity may be got from Streams at a lower level by means of a
Steam Engine, so that in any case I considered that the
practicability of getting Water sufficient is beyond a doubt.
In estimating the expense in making the Canal, I have thought it
necessary to make very large allowances for the increased and
increasing price of Labour, in consequence of the numerous works of
this kind now in agitation, and I have full confidence that the
expense will not exceed the estimate. While I say so, I am of
opinion, that if the expense were to be doubled it would be an
eligible project, and productive of more public benefit than any
thing of the kind that has yet been done in this kingdom: without
enumerating particulars, it is sufficient to say, that the three
great circumstances, viz. making a direct communication with the
Great Northern Manufactories and the Port of London;—the supplying
Coal at a cheap rate to the Inland Counties where that article is
extremely expensive; and the carrying provisions of all kinds to the
Metropolis, where the consumption is almost unbounded, must banish
all doubt (if any there should be) from the minds of those who have
had an opportunity of observing the effect produced by Canals
already existing; in situations where the objects are much more
limited.
As it has been a question, whether from the point called Two Waters
the course of the Canal would be the most advisable by Watford or by
Uxbridge, I viewed both the lines, and found there were many reasons
for preferring the latter direction. As the Committee are
already in possession of circumstances sufficient to determine their
opinion, it is unnecessary for me to state them.
Four branches, if found eligible, may be adopted and made and made
part of the present Plan; One from Daventry,—One from Northampton to
join the line at Gayton,—One from Stoney Stratford, and One from
Watford; and I have little doubt but that many hereafter will
contribute to expand its benefits. As the Surveys of the two
last-mentioned Branches are not yet complete, I cannot particularly
describe them nor specify the Expense:—I can say that they are
practicable, and I think very advisable.
The Branch at Daventry will be near a Mile and an half in length,
and must have about eight Locks, as the fall is 52 feet—The Costs of
it will be at least £6,000. As Daventry is about three Miles
from Braunston, if such branch could not be made, no Coal could pass
on the main Canal to Daventry. Whether the trade of Daventry
will be such as to pay for the expense of this Branch, either its
quantity, or from its being able to bear a high Tonnage, I am unable
to judge.
The Branch from Gayton to Northampton will be 4½ Miles in length,
and the fall will be 117 feet—the expense of it will be £18,785.
It might be doubtful whether as a Branch to Northampton only, the
trade on it would answer this expense, but as the proposed
communication with Leicestershire will probably bring a very
considerable trade through it, I would submit to the Committee that
they may with propriety adopt it.
W. JESSOP
Northampton, October
24th, 1792. |