|
The Ouse Washes Website history/management overview |
- Contents of this page
- related pages on this site
- related pages on other sites
- Home page and full site index
- Recommended OS Maps
Landranger 1¼" to 1 mile Sheet 143 covers the whole area
Explorer 2½" to 1 mile Sheet 228 Mepal to Salter's Lode
Sheet 225 Earith to Mepal
|
- page last updated:
26 Nov 2021
- Please "refresh"/"reload" page
Your computer stores images of webpages you visit in a "cache". When you re-visit, the stored page may be displayed.
To see if it has changed, click the "refresh" or "reload" icon at top of screen. Designs/colours vary, examples:
|
- Copywright, acknowledgements
Text and photos except where noted © Peter Cox 2010-2022. Please do not
use my material without permission. Data based on many sourcessee source slide show
|
- Can you correct/add anything?
Your help would be appreciated, please e-mail me (Peter)
Your response will be added unless you ask otherwise.
|
|
Ouse or Hundred Foot Washes History and Management Overview
Creation
During the 17th century extensive drainage works were undertaken throughout a vast area of the fenlands of eastern England in what became known as
"The Great Level of the Fens", of which over 300,000 acres later became known as "The Bedford Level"
One of the principal engineers was a Dutchman, Sir
Cornelius Vermuyden, and this web-site is about just one small part
of his works, the creation of a 6,000-acre floodplain or reservoir,
commonly known now as "The Ouse Washes" but originally named the
Hundred Foot Washes (and still known as that by many) formed in 1652
when Vermuyden completed the second of two major drainage schemes in
this area, the cutting of the Hundred Foot Drain, later also known
as the New Bedford River.
|
|
The attempt started 20 or so years earlier to drain the marshy lands through which the Great Ouse River flowed by cutting the Bedford River (later re-named the Old
Bedford River) completed in 1637, was not a success. That work provided a shorter
channel to the sea, but was unable to contain the upstream floodwaters nor high
tides coming in from the sea at Kings Lynn. Although Vermuyden is usually credited
with that work, Margaret Albright Knittle writing in 2007 cited evidence that he was not involved.
In fact it probably wasn't even
his
idea, the cut having been proposed by others, including Hunt
in 1604. More of
that later.
However, it was certainly
Vermuyden's idea to create a huge temporary
floodwater storage area surrounded by rivers, achieved by cutting another new channel, the
Hundred Foot/New Bedford River, as described
above, and constructing high 'barrier' banks on the outer sides
of the enclosing rivers, and lower inner banks over which water could flow
during flood conditions on to the lands between them. There the water could be
held in the wash lands or washes, until river flows and tidal conditions were
low enough to allow drainage back into the rivers.
|
|
Funding and Management History
The first works, from 1630 to 1652, were funded by Francis Russell, the 4th Earl of Bedford;
his son William, who became the 5th Earl; and 12 other wealthy men. They were
known as "adventurers" - venture capitalists in modern language - and formed the
Company of Adventuers.
Annual taxes to finance maintenance and future works were levied on the newly drained lands awarded
to the adventurers. For many adventurers their share of the expenses plus the taxes
due outweighed income from the lands, and many were bankrupted.
In 1663 control and funding was passed to the Bedford Level Corporation,
a much more formal organisation created that year
specifically for that purpose. During the next 250
or so years the BLC's responsibilities gradually diminished, and it was wound up
in 1920. The BLC had always had financial problems because its funding came from
rates on only part of the area it had to maintain. Subsequent bodies were
relieved of that problem but still had/have restrictions imposed by upland areas
and central
government funding.
The table below briefly summarises the management bodies over the years and their
responsibilities. Like the rest of this page this is a draft - much has
to be added, and corrections made!
from |
to |
name |
inits |
main responsibities |
|
1663 |
Commissioners of Sewers |
COS |
land drainage |
1630 |
1652 |
Company of Adventurers |
COA |
construction of new drainage systems |
1663 |
1920 |
Bedford Level Corporation |
BLC |
Established under the General Draining Act, 1663 to
maintain drainage & navigation on all three levels.
Lost resp for most of NL 1753 and all by 1857
Lost resp for most of
Middle Level (ML) in 1810,
more 1844 and all by 1864
Lost resp for much of South Level (SL) in 1830 and all by 1920
According to Summers, by 1850 resp was confined to major channels & sluices |
1920 |
1930 |
Ouse Drainage Board |
ODB |
Est under the Land Drainage (Ouse) Provisional Order,
1920 |
1930 |
1952 |
River Great Ouse Catchment Board |
RGOCB |
estab under the Land Drainage Act 1930. Drainage, navigation, irrigation, water supply |
1952 |
1965 |
Great Ouse River Board |
GORB |
Established by the 1948 River Boards Act added fisheries and pollution prevention |
1965 |
1973 |
Great Ouse River Authority |
GORA |
Estab by Water Resources Act 1963 |
1974 |
|
Anglian Water Authority |
AWA |
Estb by Water Act 1973. Privatised 1989 |
1989 |
1996 |
National Rivers Authority |
NRA |
|
1996 |
|
Enrivonment Agency |
EA |
|
Sources: various
The founding and workings of both the Company and the Corporation are
explained in detail on the
Adventurers & BLC management page.
|
|
Current management of the Washes
This is split between the organisation responsible for the main rivers and major water controlling structures around the
Washes; and those which look after the dykes and controls within the Washes.
The main rivers and controlling structures
These are controlled by the Central Area of the Anglian Region of the Environment Agency (EA) from the following locations:
office |
address |
tel no. |
contact |
position |
Anglian Regional HQ |
Kingfisher House
Goldhay Way,
Orton Goldhay,
Peterborough
PE2 5ZR |
01733 371811
0870 8506506
01733 464389
01733 ?? |
Amy Squires
Keith Stafford |
External Relations Ofr
Telemetry Team |
Central Area Office |
Bromholme Lane, Brampton,
Huntingdon
PE28 4NE |
|
Geoff Brighty
Peta Denham |
Area Manager
Area Fld Risk Mgr |
Sub area office |
Heron House
Prickwillow Road,
Ely
Cambs CB7 4TX |
01480
483685
01480
483727 |
Adrian Gosling
Rupert Wilson
Darren Trumper
Alan Daniels |
Operations Manager (Huntingdon?)
Leader, Ouse Washes Field Team
Leader, Ely Field Team
Leader, Kings Lynn Field team |
Sub area office |
Howard House,
40-64 St John’s St
Bedford
MK42 0DJ |
|
|
|
Denver Complex |
|
|
Daniel Pollard |
Superintendent |
Note: Names mentioned are just a very few of the huge
numbers of staff in the region e-mail addresses are generally firstname.surname@environment-agency.gov.uk
Operation procedures and targets are defined in the EA's Ouse Washes Water Level
Management Plan (OW WLMP) as revised from time to time.
Lack of WLMP data on-line makes it difficult for those who wish to study, understand,
comment on or judge the
EA's actions to do so, as I outlined on my home page (see the
system). That is why a website such as this is necessary.
The following is a brief summary of the establishment of OW WLMPs 1
Date |
Item |
Produced by |
for |
|
1970s |
Management Strategy (MS) report |
Nature Conservancy |
|
scheme not pursued |
|
1991 - Aug
1992 - ??? |
OW Flood Control Rpts |
Mott Macdonald |
NRA |
reduction of summer flooding |
|
1992 - Jan |
OW MS Group (MSG) 2 |
established by English Nature (EN) & NRA |
|
with input from HFW IDB, conservation groups, wildfowlers
and farmers |
|
1993 - May |
OW MSG Intro Paper |
EN & NRA |
|
aims & objectives of partners |
|
1995 - Oct |
consultation |
|
|
|
|
1996 - Jan/Feb |
consultation |
|
|
|
|
1996 - Mar |
OW WLMP 1996 |
Binnie, Black & Veatch |
NRA |
Not endorsed by all |
|
1997 - Dec |
OW WLMP |
|
EA |
|
|
1998 - July |
OW WLMP 1998 |
|
EA |
Adopted |
|
2002 - Aug |
OW WLMP 20023 |
Halcrow Group Ltd |
EA |
Review & update 98 plan. Adopted |
|
Notes:
1
|
WLMPs were/are prepared in accordance with MAFF/DEFRA procedural guides.
|
2
|
The OW MSG is the forum for reviewing & updating plans. (Source: OW WLMP 2002, para2.4.3)
|
3
|
The EA plans to revise the OW WLMP starting in 2009.
The drainage recommendations of the Flood Risk Management (FRM) Strategy will be incorporated to ensure that there are no
conflicting objectives that may exacerbate the deterioration of the Ouse Washes.
(Source: Great Ouse Tidal River Strategy (GOTRS) Review SEA Environmental Report, Sep 2009,
Appendix A: Internal and External Plans Table 1 Relevant EA Plans to the GOTRS)
|
The dykes, drains and controls within the Washes
The Hundred Foot Washes IDB owns and is responsible for the 17 slackers (small sluices) along the west (inner) bank of the New Bedford/Hundred
Foot River
which allow water for irrigation to be taken from the river into the IDB's 10-mile long "header" dyke.
The field dykes fed from the header dyke and the controls on the field dykes, are
the responsibility of the land owners or users, principally the RSPB and WWT.
The operational functions of these three organisations (IDB, RSPB, WWT) is somewhat blurred because the
RSPB and WWT reserve/site managers are also Superintendents of the IDB.
A few of the wash fields are owned by wildfowling clubs and individuals who are
responsible for the field ditches and controls.
organisation |
address |
tel no. |
contact |
position |
Hundred Foot Washes IDB |
|
|
|
|
RSPB |
The Three Fishers Welches Dam, Manea
March PE15 0NF
|
01354 680212 |
Jon Reeves |
Site Manager |
WWT |
Hundred Foot Bank Welney
Wisbech PE14 9TN |
01353 860711 |
Leigh Marshall |
Reserve Manager |
|
|
A complex and confusing situation
To describe reasonably briefly the complex system of managing the system to balance the
sometimes conflicting needs of drainage, flood protection, irrigation, summer grazing, navigation
and the effects of changes in sea and
land levels is difficult enough.
Add to that the multiplicity of names used for the
watercourses, engineering features and surrounding lands, it is not surprising that
confusion has arisen, not just to the general public, but to historians
and writers, and even some EA staff whose official
reports often contain mistakes, all of which makes research and explanation a tad
difficult.
Perhaps the most confusing of all is that the Old Bedford River (OBR) that
arrives at Salter's Lode is not the OBR that starts at Earith. The original
Bedford River, renamed OBR, was cut in two by a dam at a place that became known
as Welches Dam. The northern section was connected via a lock to the Forty Foot,
or Vermuyden's Drain draining from Ramsey. The southern section remained a
dead-end and the means of allowing flood waters coming through Earith
Sluice to flow into the Washes.
Later, the southern half of the OBR was joined to new drain named the Delph
River which was cut from Welches Dam running northwards alongside the eastern
bank of the northern section of the original OBR. This combined river, known as
the Old Bedford/Delph River, eventually crosses the washes and joins the New
Bedford at Welmore Lake sluice.
At some other time a
drainage system known as the Cranbrook Drain/Counter Drain starting near
Colne was joined onto the northern section of the OBR near the Forty Foot lock.
From Colne, the Cranbrook Drain runs south-east to
Black Sluice just north of Earith.
Here, Cranbrook Drain can flow straight on through Black
Sluice into the OBR, but under normal circumstances the
water turns north-east at more than a right angle into the
start of the Counter Drain (CD). The CD runs northeast from
there alongside the western bank of the southern section of OBR, taking in water from the
Middle Level fens to the west of the Ouse Washes. This combined waterway, known as the CD/OBR,
is the one that arives at Salter's Lode.
The SW/NE orientation of the Washes also causes confusion as mentioned earlier, in that some people refer to
the side nearest Ely as the south, others (including me) the east. Likewise the other
side is called either west or north. Hence at Welney, the outer bank of the Old Bedford south
of Welney Bridge is known as Bedford Bank West, and north of the bridge it is Bedford
Bank East. Even though it is, to me, on the western bank of the river.
Even the current name Ouse Washes is not universally used, many referring to it by an
older name, the Hundred Foot Washes, and some individual fields, or sections of
The Washes also have
their own local names.
You can find more about Rivers on my 'Features'
page
|
|
Operation
|
|
The movement of water in the rivers and along the Washes is governed by several main control structures
operated by the Environment Agency (EA):
- Hermitage Lock at Earith,
which effectively diverts the normal flow of the Bedford Ouse into the
Hundred Foot River, allowing a small flow to continue along what is
now called the Old West River. The lock also allows navigation between
the three rivers.
- Earith Sluice, which allows excess floodwaters which the Hundred Foot
and Old West Rivers cannot hold to enter the Old Bedford, which then
overflows onto/ into, the Washes.
- Welmore Lake Sluice, 19 miles north-east of Earith where the retained floodwaters are eventually
released into the New Bedford River when tides and river level are low
enough.
- The Old Bedford Sluice/Lock near Salter's Lode, 21 miles from Earith,
which allows navigation and two-way water flow
- excess fluvial water can exit into the Tidal River, and in summer
water from the Tidal River can be taken into the Old Bedford for
irrigation purposes.
- Welches Dam Pumping Station and
Welney Sluice Gate which are six
miles apart but operated in conjunction with each other. At Welches
Dam, the two rivers on the west change their name and their function.
I'll leave further explanation to separate pages.
Many of the operations are automatic, based on river levels monitored and recorded by
a 'telemetry' system. Some of the parameters are set by law.
I have begun to explore this important subject on my
water levels page.
Gravity also plays its part of course, as in any river system, and when in flood
the waters in the washes flow downstream from south to north. But in The Washes there is an extra dimension - the wash lands are
higher on the east, so when not in flood, the field drains take waters
westwards across the washes towards the Old Bedford/Delph
(OB/D) river.
The gradient is natural, and gentle, a fall of 12 to 18 inches (0.3 to 0.45M).
This sideways flow has to be controlled and not allowed to simply drain into the OB/D
because the internal ditches need to be kept
filled during summer as explained below.
|
|
Shrinkage
After completion of Vermuyden's second scheme in the middle of the 17th
century the fens were adjudged to be "drained". Vermuyden's work
had created 'summer lands' within the Washes for grazing and 'winter lands'
outside the Washes for arable
farming on the fertile reclaimed land. However, conditions were far from
those we see today.
Despite
the initial success there were unforeseen (but perhaps foreseeable?) problems. As the peat lands
dried out they shrank until eventually they became lower than the
rivers. By the end of the 17th century much of the reclaimed lands were
once again under water for prolonged periods.
That led to the formation of 'Internal Drainage Districts' controlled
by 'Internal Drainage Boards' (IDBs) which undertook
on behalf of the farmers to cut ditches around fields to drain them and
lift the water up into the main rivers with wind-driven scoops or pumps, and later by massive steam engines.
The IDBs that drain into the rivers of the Ouse Washes are listed below; note
some may also discharge elsewhere, eg Haddenham, and Littleport & Downham.
|
|
Internal Drainage Boards
Internal Drainage Boards (IDBs), or (District) Drainage Commissioners (DCs or DDCs),
are responsible for "low-level drainage", i.e, field drains and dykes. The EA and MLC deal with the "high-level" drainage, i.e the main rivers.
IDBs have elected members, whilst in DCs or DDCs, all owners of more than a certain
amount of land in the area can vote.
The catchment & drain details are as stated by the IDBs in 2010-2012.
Name |
district created/modified |
management assistance |
catchment area
|
structures1 |
maintained drains
|
|
|
|
acres |
hectares |
|
miles |
kms |
Hundred Foot Washes IDB |
pre 1824 |
MLC |
5,048 |
2043 |
0 + 17 |
10 |
19 |
Sutton & Mepal |
1749 |
MLC |
11,604 |
4696 |
2 + 22 |
36 |
66 |
Manea & Welney DDC |
1758,1799 |
MLC |
7.779 |
3148 |
2 + 5 |
22 |
41 |
Upwell IDB |
1801 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Over & Willingham |
19732 |
|
1,914 |
|
|
|
|
Haddenham Level DC |
1727, 1797 |
|
7,522 |
|
2 + ? |
|
|
Littleport & Downham |
1756, 1800,1810 |
Ely Gr'p IDBs |
32,242 |
13048 |
|
|
|
Notes
1
|
Pumping stations + other water control structures, eg slackers, sluices.
|
2
|
Over district created 1837; amalgamated with Willingham 1973
|
|
|
Chronology, Time Line
year |
month |
|
|
refs |
1604 |
|
Hunt |
proposed a new cut from Erith (Earith) to Salters Lode. |
|
1630 |
Jan |
Lyn Law |
Francis Russell, 4th Earl of Bedford, contracted to
drain the Great Level, later known as the Bedford Level(s), within 6 yrs |
|
1631 |
Feb |
Indenture of 14 parts |
Incorporation of the Company of Adventurers to fund
the works |
|
c1632 to
c1637 |
|
Seventy Foot or (Old) Bedford River dug |
from Erith (Earith) to Salters Lode, to be the new route for
the Great Ouse |
|
c1630 |
|
(Old) Bedford Sluice built at Salters Lode |
at end of (Old) Bedford river to prevent tidal inflow
into the new cut from the Great Ouse |
|
c1630 |
|
Salters Lode Lock built |
where Well Creek joins the Great Ouse |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1637 |
Oct |
a Session of Sewers held at St Ives |
adjudged lands drained in line with the Lynn Law;
awarded 95,000 acres to the Adventurers |
|
1638 |
Apr |
a Session of Sewers
held at Huntingdon |
reversed, Oct 1637 decision; draining judged
defective |
|
1638 |
|
Vermuyden's "Discourse" |
A plan to improve drainage prepared for King Charles 1.
Vermuyden opposed embanking all rivers, instead cutting more rivers
and creating washlands as temporary storage. |
|
1642 |
|
Vermuyden's "Discourse" |
published, with map |
|
1642-1651 |
|
Civil War |
|
|
1645 |
|
Oliver Cromwell |
appointed as Governor of the Isle of Ely. Formed a
drainage committee. |
|
1649 |
|
Act of
(The "Pretended Act") |
William Russell, 5th Earl of Bedford, authorised to
drain land to make fit for permanent agricultural use. |
|
1649 |
|
Vermuyden re-engaged |
to do the "second stage" |
|
1650 |
|
Jonas Moore |
appointed surveyor to the Adventurers; compiled map
of the reclaimed land showing the "lotts", ie the land allotted to
each of the Adventurers, and how the original allottments were spilt
and sub-divided many times, accounting for many (but by no means
all) the Wash fields. |
|
c1651-c1652 |
|
Hundred Foot Drain or New Bedford River cut |
from Earith to adjacent to what became Denver Sluice |
|
1651? |
|
Nine Holes Sluice built |
at Earith to block off the (Old) Bedford River except
in times of flood. |
|
1651 |
|
Hermitage Sluice built |
at Earith to turn the Great Ouse into the New Bedford
River, allowing only a small amount into the Old West River |
|
1651 |
|
Denver Sluice built |
navigation only possible when river levels were the
same both sides of sluice. |
|
1649-1651 |
|
Forty Foot River cut |
from Ramsey to what became known as Welches Dam |
|
1651 |
|
Forty Foot Lock built |
from 40 ft to OBR |
|
1651 |
|
Welches Dam built |
across OBR sth of Forty Foot, to turn water from 40
Ft to Salters Lode |
|
c1652 |
|
|
"second phase" completed creating the Hundred Foot
Washes (later known as the Ouse Washes) |
|
1657 |
|
William Dugdale |
Commissioned by the Adventurers to write a history of
fen drainage. Didn't live in or know about the Fens. Toured the area
for 2 weeks, and consulted previous books, then wrote "History of
Imbanking and Drayning" with a version of Jonas Moore's map. |
|
1661 |
|
William Marshall |
established a charity for Welney |
|
1663 |
|
General Draining Act |
established Bedford Level Corporation |
|
1666 |
|
Great Fire of London |
destroyed the Fen Office and most records of the Adventurers
& the earliest ones of BLC |
|
1713 |
|
Denver Sluice collapsed
|
first undermined by upstream floods, then demolished
by incoming tides. |
|
1728 |
|
North Level |
became independent from BLC |
|
1750 |
|
Denver Sluice rebuilt |
by Labelye. Navigation lock added. Previously navigation only
possible when river levels were the same both sides of sluice. |
|
1756 |
|
Welmore Lake Dam built |
to prevent tidal flows into the Washes |
|
1772 |
|
River Delph cut |
from Welches Dam to NBR at Welmore Lake. Presumably
with a new Middle Level Barrier bank. (date: Dr N James |
6 |
1824 |
|
Seven Holes Sluice built on OBR at Earith |
to replace Nine Holes Sluice |
|
1825 |
|
Welmore Lake Sluice built |
to replace the dam |
|
1826 |
|
Hermitage Lock on OWR at Earith re-built |
|
|
1826 |
|
High Bridge Earith built |
cast iron bridge over NBR. |
|
1827 |
|
Suspension Bridge built over NBR at Welney |
wrought iron chain suspension bridge. Area became
known as Suspension Bridge |
|
1827 |
|
Sandys or Sandalls Cut |
from Ely to Littleport |
|
1828 |
|
Old Bedford Sluice/lock re-built |
|
|
1828 |
|
Salters Lode Lock re-built |
|
|
1830 |
|
Hundred Foot PS built |
Steam driven, draining parts of Sth Level into NBR |
|
1830 |
|
Samuel Wells |
Register of the BLC published 2-vol history of the
draining, also a map in 1829 |
|
1832 |
|
Delph Bridge |
new bridge, cost £518, paid by Marshalls Charity |
15 |
1834 |
|
Denver Sluice |
Navigation lock replaced by larger one. |
|
1837 |
|
Flat Earth
experiments on OBR |
Samuel Rowbotham's first experiment |
|
1838 |
|
Manea Colony established |
|
|
1840 |
|
Fortreys Hall PS
built |
Steam driven, draining parts of Middle Level into CD |
|
1842 |
|
Glen House PS built |
Steam driven draining parts of Middle Level into OBR |
|
1844-1846 |
|
Railway line built |
with bridges, viaducts and an embankment across
Washes from Pymoor to Manea |
|
1848 |
|
Middle Level main drain |
cut from end of 16ft drain to
Wiggenhall |
|
c1923-c1928 |
|
Railway line re-built |
across Washes from Pymoor to
Manea |
|
1926 |
|
Suspension Bridge |
concrete arch bridge replaced the suspension bridge |
|
1928 |
|
Glen House PS |
Diesel replaced steam |
|
1930 |
|
Mepal bridges/ 1st viaduct built |
Old bridges replaced; viaduct replaced causeway road |
|
1932 |
|
Model of The Wash |
showing effects of tidal and fluvial flows built by
RGOCB, Cambridge |
|
1933 |
|
Welmore Lake sluice |
rebuilt |
|
1937 |
|
Sth Level Barrier Bank |
"slipped" opp Welmore Lake Sluice |
13 |
1948 |
|
Glen House PS |
rebuilt |
|
1948 |
|
Welches Dam PS built |
Diesel driven. Built into the ML Barrier Bank. Half
way |
|
1951 |
|
Hundred Foot PS |
Diesel motor replaced Steam engine |
|
1954 |
|
Earith Sluice built |
to replace Seven Holes Sluice |
|
1954-1964 |
|
Great Ouse Flood Protection Scheme |
to protect South Level from flooding from rivers
Lark, Wissey, and Little Ouse. Cut Off Channel from Barton Mills to
Denver and (Flood) Relief Channel from Denver to Kings Lynn. |
|
1960-1961 |
|
(Flood) Relief Channel |
Cut from Denver to Kings Lynn |
|
1967 |
|
Model of Wash
GORA workshop/lab |
demolished by GORA, 1967
Coldhams Rd premises closed |
|
1973 |
|
Welney Gate Sluice built |
by GORA
(at expense of Upwell IDB) |
16
18 |
1975 |
|
Cock Fen PS built |
by Upwell IDB |
16 |
1976 |
|
Drought Act |
Earith Sluice drawmarks suspended
Dam (proposed) in NBR nr Earith Br
Flow of Great Ouse reversed,
also Ely Ouse & Old West ? |
10
10
10
10 |
1982-1986 |
|
Denver Sluice re-furbished |
|
|
1985 |
|
Mepal by-pass built |
1930 viaduct across washes and bridge across Old
Bedford dismantled |
|
1985 |
|
Hundred Foot PS |
new Electric powered PS built |
|
1991 |
|
Forty Foot Lock rebuilt |
and re-named Welches Dam Lock. |
|
1994 |
|
Welney Bridge rebuilt |
|
|
1994 |
|
Delph Bridge rebuilt |
|
|
1994 |
|
Barrier Bank works |
Est costs: ML c£13m, SL c£8.5m |
18 |
1996 |
|
Suspension Bridge |
steel re-inforced br replaced bow arch |
|
1998 |
|
Glen House PS |
new diesel? powered pumps fitted |
|
1999 |
|
Welmore Lake Sluice |
rebuilt |
|
2001 |
|
Relief Channel Navigation lock |
|
|
2010 |
|
Welmore Lake PS |
new PS to drain Delph in Spring |
|
2010-2011 |
|
Welches Dam PS |
Refurbished; New electric motors & pumps replaced the
1948 sets |
|
2011 |
|
Earith Sluice |
Refurbished. Radial gates repaired. Control building
updated (?) |
|
2012 |
|
Barrier Bank works |
MLBB, Welney-Welches Dam(?) £1.1m |
19 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Notes and sources:
1 |
Samuel Wells, History of the Drainage of ... Bedford
Level, Vol 1, 1830 |
2 |
W.Elstob, Historical Account of the Great Level called
Bedford Level, 1793 |
3 |
Prof HC Darby, The Changing Fenland 1983 |
4 |
Prof HC Darby, The Drainage of the Fens, 1956 |
5 |
Dorothy Summers, The Great Level, 1976 |
6 |
Dr. N.James, Drowned and Drained, Inst of Cont Ed, U of
Cam.,2009, p8 |
7 |
The Middle Level Acts, 1875 |
8 |
The Cambridge Region, 1938 |
9 |
Hansard |
10 |
London Gazette |
11 |
Bedford Level Corporation records |
12 |
IDB records |
13 |
John S Martin |
14 |
Eddy Edwards |
15 |
Tony Smart |
16 |
Tablet or plaque at site |
17 |
|
18 |
NRA |
19 |
Environment Agency |
|
|
Ownership
area/location |
owner |
acres |
hectares |
washes South of A1101 Welney |
Royal Society for Protection of Birds (RSPB) |
2,428 |
983 |
| Cambs Wildlife Trust |
456 |
184 |
| tenanted grazing |
148 |
60 |
total washes South of A1101 Welney |
| 3,032 | 1227 |
|
| | |
washes North of A1101 Welney |
Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust (WWT) | 910 | 368(2) |
| Fenland Wildfowlers Association | 200 | 81 |
| Spalding & District Wildfowlers | 60 | 24 |
|
other wildfowling clubs & individuals |
648 |
263 |
total
washes North of A1101 Welney | |
1818 |
736 |
| |
|
|
total all current wash lands | |
4,850 |
1963 |
add Environment Agency land | rivers and
banks | 1,087 | 440 |
Grand total | Earith to Welmore
Lake Sluice |
5,937 |
2403 |
Arable farmland (Lake Farm) |
Welmore Lake to Salters Lode3 |
? |
? |
|
|
|
|
Notes and Sources:
1
|
RSPB leaflet 2006; Wildfowling club websites 2011
|
2
|
WWT site says 420 hectares, it could be an updated figure, but their site has contained so
many factual errors over the years including a current statement that the washes
were created in the 18th century, that I'll need to check that out.
|
3
|
This area was part of the original Washes flood plain/reservoir until the River Delph was cut (c1750s-1782)
|
|
|
Irrigation
* -- section awaiting content -- *
see also:
|
|
Navigation
-- section awaiting content --
see also:
|
|
Conservation
* -- section awaiting content -- *
see also: Nature & Wildlife reserves
|
|
Recreation & Sport
Bird watching
Walking
Angling
There are many clubs and associations covering this subject, both in terms of current activities and
the longer term planning and provision of facilities.
In April 2011 the EA carried out a study of fish species at 5 points along the Old Bedford/Counterdrain:
Old Bedford: Counterdrain Fisheries Survey Report 2011 which reported a 92% loss in average fish density since 2008.
The Angling Trust Eastern Region Freshwater Forum produced a
report
detailing numerous outstanding problems. My thanks to Kelvin Allen, Chairman of the Angling Trust for
providing these documents.
Skating
Boating
Wildfowling
* -- section awaiting content -- *
see also: Nature & Wildlife reserves
|
|
Tourism
* -- section awaiting content -- *
see also: Nature & Wildlife reserves
|
|
Additional floodwater storage areas outside Washes
* -- section awaiting content -- *
see also: Nature & Wildlife reserves
and Additional floodwater stoage areas both on the Features page
|
|
Conclusion
There have been some later modifications to the system, for instance introducing a third river, The Delph;
making a new outlet for the floodwaters at Welmore Lake Dam, later Sluice,
reducing the storage area to 'only' 19 miles; and
building a
water transfer station at Welches Dam; but the Washes still work today
much as Vermuyden intended, filling up with flood water every winter so
protecting the surrounding lands.
|