# Combe Hay locks June11



## oldscrote (Jun 1, 2011)

The Combe Hay flight lies on the derelict Somerset Coal Canal a bit further up the line from Midford and originally consisted of 22 locks.These replaced a caisson lock which failed to work due to the underlying geology and a gravity worked inclined plane which was just far to slow.the total rise of the locks is 135 feet.The canal was opened in 1805 but due to railway competition and the working out of some coal pits the line was moribund by the 1880s and in the hands of the official liquidator by 1894.It was sold to the GWR in 1904 who built a line called the Limpley Stoke And Camerton Light Railway on much of the canal between 1807 and 1810.In it's heyday the canal was carrying 100 000 tons of coal a year.

More history photos and a map here

http://www.coalcanal.org/


1 First glimpse




2 through the trees




3 tumbled stone work




4 starting to look up the the flight




5 It all becomes clear




6




7




8 The bulls nose.Very hard to make out but this was the site of the tightest turn on any canal system.In the undergrowth on the left is a lock and the canal turns about 310 degrees and goes away up hill on the right to the next lock from this point on the line is inaccessible as it runs through peoples private gardens.




9 detail of lock gate hinge anchor point




10




11 Bits left behind wood and tin




12 looking down the line




13 paddle gear position




14 A few years ago the flight was lost in the undergrowth but the Avon Industrial Building Trust had a major clearance campaign this shows the size of trees that had grown since abandonment and were removed




15 another gate hinge




16 another paddle gear slot




17 looking down the line




18 more rusty bits by a paddle gear slot




The Limpley Stoke Railway at this point didn't follow the line of the canal but cut across the canal on an embankment destroying one of the locks in the process the lock actually lying beneath this bridge

19 




20 the bridge is showing signs of wear




21 from the other side




23 a fine example of the brickies art and strangely ornamental for what was basically a small branch line built for hauling coal




I have included these last two photos as they are both of the canal a bit further up the line at Dunkerton both are inaccessible and have been photographed from the road.The first is road tunnel entrance the other end of which is buried under road widening debris and the second is a small aqueduct.The railway at this point used to cross the valley on a fine viaduct but this was demolished a long time ago

24




25





Link to photos of Dunkerton viaduct demolition

http://www.bathintime.co.uk/category/6602/transportation/railways/page/16/view/10


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## eggbox (Jun 1, 2011)

Amazing how much a landscape can change in a few decades, and a lot of it only due to nature. Excellent pics.


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## Foxylady (Jun 5, 2011)

That is such an impressive find, Olds. I've always wanted to find an abandoned flight...or even a canal. Interesting how the railway was built using some of the old canal for the line, and I was wondering if that was usual, and whether that might be the reason why there aren't that many canal remains to be seen.
Cheers.


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## klempner69 (Jun 5, 2011)

Good stuff Spike..those locks look damn narrow dont they!!


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## oldscrote (Jun 5, 2011)

Cheers Stu. They are standard narrow canal width of 7 feet

Yup Foxy The rail companies often bought up canal companies mainly to knock out the opposition but a lot did build on roughly the line although engineering skills had improved so the kinks and curves of a canal following a contour could be avoided.There's a bit of old canal remains in both Dorset and mainly Devon There was even plans for a Dorset and Somerset canal at one point....


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## Foxylady (Jun 5, 2011)

oldscrote said:


> There's a bit of old canal remains in both Dorset and mainly Devon There was even plans for a Dorset and Somerset canal at one point....


I was thinking about that today. Someone once told me that the Bridport canal remains are still there, not far out of the town. I've yet to get onto it though. Good reminder.


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## gs425 (Aug 16, 2011)

Foxylady said:


> I was thinking about that today. Someone once told me that the Bridport canal remains are still there, not far out of the town. I've yet to get onto it though. Good reminder.




I live there and am 99.9% sure Bridport never had a canal. Chard certainly did, and much scattered remains are still about, inc tunnels.


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## eggbox (Aug 16, 2011)

So go take some pics


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## scribble (Aug 16, 2011)

They're really interesting. Presumably it's back-filled for safety?


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## TeeJF (Aug 16, 2011)

Bit leaky that canal... did the pykeys take out all the lead? 

Good pix!!!


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## night crawler (Aug 16, 2011)

Great report which I must have missed first time. One of my favorite subjects Canals.





Just to show some more Victorian brickwork on a viaduct near me.


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## oldscrote (Aug 16, 2011)

scribble said:


> They're really interesting. Presumably it's back-filled for safety?



The canal as far as I know was simply left to decay after the railway was built.I don't think anyone was worried about safety back then let alone spending money on back filling it.

Thatys some cracking brickwork there Mr Crawler I do like these skew arch bridges.

As for the Chard canal.It's actually been done on here

[ame]http://www.derelictplaces.co.uk/main/showthread.php?t=16680[/ame]


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## crickleymal (Aug 17, 2011)

Foxylady said:


> Interesting how the railway was built using some of the old canal for the line, and I was wondering if that was usual, and whether that might be the reason why there aren't that many canal remains to be seen.


It's not very unusual, it happened on the Hereford and Gloucester Canal too. Railways need mainly level ground as do canals. As a lot of the canals were bought up by railway companies, presumably to elimnate competion......


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