The Westport Canal was built in the late 1830s to link
Westport and
Langport
Langport is a small town and civil parish in Somerset, England, west of Somerton in the South Somerset district. The parish, which covers only part of the town, has a population of 1,081. Langport is contiguous with Huish Episcopi, a separate ...
in
Somerset
( en, All The People of Somerset)
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, established_date = Ancient
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, lord_lieutenant_office =Lord Lieutenant of Somerset
, lord_ ...
, England. It was part of a larger scheme involving improvements to the
River Parrett
The River Parrett flows through the counties of Dorset and Somerset in South West England, from its source in the Thorney Mills springs in the hills around Chedington in Dorset. Flowing northwest through Somerset and the Somerset Levels to it ...
above
Burrow Bridge. Langport is the point at which the
River Yeo joins the River Parrett and the intention was to enable trade via the port at
Bridgwater
Bridgwater is a large historic market town and civil parish in Somerset, England. Its population currently stands at around 41,276 as of 2022. Bridgwater is at the edge of the Somerset Levels, in level and well-wooded country. The town lies alon ...
. It remained in use until the 1870s, but closed when the Somerset Drainage Commissioners took over control of the River Parrett. Despite a petition against closure by local people, the Commissioners ruled that navigation of the canal must cease due to their interpretation of the Act which gave them control of it, leaving the canal to serve as a drainage channel since 1878.
The channel has survived to the modern day due to its drainage function, and many of the structures associated with the canal can still be seen. A number of them are on the
listed building
In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...
register because of their historic importance. There is some interest in improving the canal for its amenity value.
History
By the 1830s, the village of Westport was well-connected to the surrounding area, as a result of turnpike road construction in 1753, 1759 and 1823. The roads linked Westport to Ilminster and Chard, which were also on the planned route of the
Chard Canal
The Chard Canal was a tub boat canal in Somerset, England, that ran from the Bridgwater and Taunton Canal at Creech St. Michael, over four aqueducts, through three tunnels and four inclined planes to Chard. It was completed in 1842, was never ...
. Although that canal would link the towns to Taunton, those planning the Westport Canal made approaches to the Chard Canal proprietors about the possibility of a link from Westport to the new canal, but this was rejected.
Against this background, and having engaged
Isambard Kingdom Brunel
Isambard Kingdom Brunel (; 9 April 1806 – 15 September 1859) was a British civil engineer who is considered "one of the most ingenious and prolific figures in engineering history," "one of the 19th-century engineering giants," and "one ...
as engineering consultant, the construction of the Westport Canal was authorised by an
Act of Parliament
Acts of Parliament, sometimes referred to as primary legislation, are texts of law passed by the Legislature, legislative body of a jurisdiction (often a parliament or council). In most countries with a parliamentary system of government, acts of ...
obtained in 1836. The Act gave the newly formed
Parrett Navigation Company powers to raise £10,500 by the issuing of shares, and an additional £3,300 from a mortgage if required.
The canal was part of a bigger scheme; the act authorised improvements to the River Parrett between
Burrow Bridge and Langport, rebuilding of the river bridge at Langport, which had obstructed navigation up-river from there for many years, and construction of the canal to Westport.
The scheme was supported by two local landowners, the Trevillian family and the Combe family, and so obtaining land for the route was not difficult.
On Brunel's recommendation, the engineer for the whole scheme was
William Gravatt
William Gravatt FRS (14 July 1806 – 30 May 1866), was a noted English civil engineer and scientific instrument maker.
Apprenticed as a mechanical engineer in London from aged 15, after interview he worked with Sir Marc Isambard Brunel on t ...
, who had previously worked with Brunel on the
Bristol and Exeter Railway
The Bristol & Exeter Railway (B&ER) was an English railway company formed to connect Bristol and Exeter. It was built on the broad gauge and its engineer was Isambard Kingdom Brunel. It opened in stages between 1841 and 1844. It was allied with ...
, and he was assisted locally by Charles Hodgkinson. The cost of the initial work on the River Parrett exceeded the budget, and a second Act of Parliament was obtained in 1839, to allow the Company to raise another £20,000 and to increase the tolls. Local merchants sought to oppose the increase by opposing the bill, but Benjamin Lovibond, who was acting for them at the House of Commons, produced a petition, which was investigated by a Select Committee and found to be forged.
The route from Langport followed the River Parrett to its junction with the River Isle. Here a lock was built, to maintain the water levels on the
River Isle
The River Isle (also known as the River Ile) flows from its source near Combe St Nicholas, through Somerset, England and discharges into the River Parrett south of Langport near Midelney.
Several small springs merge into the river near Wadef ...
, and about one mile (1.6 km) further upstream, the canal turned off towards Westport, where five wharfs and a basin were built. A half lock at the junction protected the canal from high river levels.
[ Gravatt is known to have designed an innovative set of flood gates as part of the project, which were described as "self-acting". The canal was officially opened on 20 May 1839, but there were complains about water levels from some of the merchants, and further work was required to remove shoals in the river section.][ The project was completed in 1840, and was initially profitable.][ The Westport terminus gained two warehouses, a coal yard owned by Stukey and Bagehot, and a manager's office. Despite the opening of the Chard canal in 1842, Stukey and Bagehot's boats alone paid tolls on 10,402 tons of goods in 1843.][ The main cargoes were coal, which was brought to the villages served by the canal, and grain, which was exported via the canal.][South Somerset Villages Plan]
/ref> Other cargoes included incoming timber, which was stored in one of the warehouses for seasoning, together with outgoing stone and reeds.
However, competition arrived in the form of the Durston to Yeovil Railway, started in 1847 and completed in 1853.[ The six years prior to 1853 had all shown receipts in excess of £1,400, but these had dropped to £673 by 1857 and £347 by 1871. Major clearance work to remove reeds and mud was required in 1858, which caused the canal to trade at a loss. A railway through Ilminster and Chard opened in 1866, and trade continue to move from the canal to the railway. In 1875 there was flooding in Westmoor, and local landowners opened Langport Lock on the River Parrett, as the Company could not afford to repair a broken culvert which carried drainage water under the river. With the lock open, no tolls could be charged, and the Somersetshire Drainage Bill was amended to allow the Somerset Drainage Commissioners to take over the whole of the River Parrett Navigation at no cost. The Bill became an Act of Parliament on 1 July 1878. Although the Act made provision for closing any of the navigations which came under their control, they took it to mean that all navigations must be closed. Users of the Westport Canal presented a petition requesting that the canal be retained in 1880, but were instructed that the Drainage Commissioners had no powers to allow this to happen. The canal was effectively abandoned as a navigation from 1875,][ and used as a drain for the ]Somerset levels
The Somerset Levels are a coastal plain and wetland area of Somerset, England, running south from the Mendip Hills, Mendips to the Blackdown Hills.
The Somerset Levels have an area of about and are bisected by the Polden Hills; the areas to ...
from 1878.[
]
Today
The canal still contains water, and can be navigated by light craft such as canoes, which can be portaged at Midelney lock. Some refurbishment of the canal was carried out by Wessex Water Authority in the 1970s. Midelney lock is derelict, and the Westmoor Lane bridge at Hambridge has been lowered.[ The bridge at the entrance to Westport wharfs has been refurbished, as have the terminal warehouse buildings.][ There is local interest in improving the canal as an amenity, and possibly the restoration of navigation for small boats.][
]
Route
The canal terminated at Westport, and there are a number of structures which have survived. The square, 3-storey warehouse which was built in 1836 and fronted onto the basin is grade II listed
In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...
, although part of it is now used as a house. The timber store, which was also built in 1836, has found new use as an industrial workshop, while two semi-detached cottages, used by canal workers, still occupy a site near the canal basin entrance. The bridge at the basin entrance, which carries a track called Barrington Broadway over the canal, was built of lias and ham stone with a single segmental arch. A little further downstream, an almost identical bridge carries Knighton Drove over the canal. The B3168 Westport to Curry Rivel
Curry Rivel is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England, situated west of Somerton and east of Taunton in the South Somerset district. The parish has a population of 2,148. The parish includes the hamlet of Burton Pynsent.
History
The ...
road has run along the west bank since Westport, but soon the road and canal part. A footbridge carries the towpath over to the east bank, and the canal passes to the east of Hambridge.[Ordnance Survey, 1:25,000 map]
Near Hambridge, the towpath crosses back to the west bank, after which Westmoor bridge crosses. This has been lowered, and would prevent navigation. A little before the River Isle joins from the west, Middlemoor bridge carries the towpath back onto the east bank, where it remains until Midelney Bridge, another grade II listed structure, which carries a minor road to Midelney Manor, a grade I listed house built on what was once an island owned by Muchelney Abbey
Muchelney Abbey is an English Heritage property in the village of Muchelney in the Somerset Levels, England. The site consists of ruined walls showing the layout of the abbey buildings constructed from the 7th to 16th centuries, and the remaini ...
. Much of it is sixteenth century, with some nineteenth century additions. Below the bridge, the Southmoor main drain runs parallel to the channel, with the towpath sandwiched between the two on the western bank. Finally it reaches the derelict Midelney lock. Close by is Midelney pumping station, which was built in the 1960s[Interpretation sign at the pumping station] at the head of Westmoor main drain.
Bibliography
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References
{{Brunel
Canals in Somerset
History of Somerset
Works of Isambard Kingdom Brunel
Canals opened in 1840