Wed 21 May 1794
Report of Mr Clowes on state of canal.
Upper and lower gates of first lock leek and some pointing needed. Cost £3.
Recommends adding stop gate above entrance lock to prevent spring tides entering canal. Cost £90.
Recommends basin above entrance lock to allow larger Severn trows to unload and turn. A warehouse could be built there. Costs: winding hole £35, basin £200, warehouse £250.
Crown of Moor Street Bridge to be repaired.
Lower gates of Whitminster Lock in bad repair. Lockful of water lost in 1 hour.
Upper and lower gates of Bristol Road Lock leek, as does brickwork. Some bricks in adjacent bridge need replacing.
Brickwork and lower gate of Westfield Lock need repair. Side walls coming in.
Towing path side of Court Orchard Lock is coming in.
Chippenham Platt Lock needs coping stone taking up and resetting.
Blunder Lock no danger at present.
Nastfield Lock needs some bricks replacing and tail wall repaired.
Lower lock in Double Lock to be taken down to near water line and rebuilt. The lock gates of the lower lock should be repaired.
Gates of stone lock at Dudbridge need repairs. Stone much decayed but no danger.
Brick lock at Dudbridge needs its hollow quoins reset and the lock gates repaired.
Weirs at tops of locks should be replaced with ones similar to those used on the Thames & Severn Canal. Cost will be £10-£12 each.
1ft of mud should be removed from Framilode level. Cost £12.
Mud and gravel to be removed from other sites. Cost £38 6s.
The Report of M^r Clews of the State of the Canal …..
To the Gentlemen of the Committee of the Stroudwater Canal. Having rec^d from M^r Hains our Clerk, Copy of an Order made at a General Meeting of the 8^th of last Month, to take a Survey of the present State of the Canal as well as to point out any Improvements that may be found necessary, in Conformity thereto I cam up the canal in a Boat assisted by your Carpenter W^m Beard and have examined each Lock, as well as the different Ponds and found them as follows.
The 1^st Lock near Severn Stone which is in good repair except the upper and lower Gates lose Water and some pointing at the Lock is necessary, the Expence would not exceed three pounds.
At the Head of this Lock I should advise a pair of Stop Gates of the same form as upper Lock Gates to prevent the Tide flowing up the Canal at high Spring Tides which will cost about £90. ~~ Also at the head of this Lock it would be an Accomodation to widen the Canal sufficient for a Vessell to turn to admit one Vesel to discharge & another at the same time to pass along the Canal. A Sufficient place of safety might be made in the Strod River mouth nearly opposite the head of the Lock for larger Severn Vessells that the Lock will admit of to come in and lie at all times, by cleansing out and lowering the Bed of the River about one foot. In case this was done, which I should advise, a Warehouse might be built between the turning place at the Head of the Lock & the River; from both places Vessels might take in, or discharge into the Warehouse. If done the Expence will be nearly as follows.
Widening the Canal to admit Vesels to turn with a Wharf wall will cost ab^t £35.
Cleansing, deepening & widening the River with Sufficient Wall ab^t £200.
Warehosue 5^Feet long 16^Feet wide with a Crane at each end ab^T £250.
If he River improvement is mad I am of Opinion a new Locks at this place may be dispenced with. A Capstone would be found usefull put down between the Lock and the Stroud River to bring Vessells into either place. The Expence would be trifling.
Moor Street Bridge the Crown of he Arch damaged by the masts of Vessels, should be repair'd.
2^nd or Whitminster Lock. Brick, the Lock walls midling good, the Lower Gates in bad repair and will loose the Lock full of Water in one hour. I should advise these Gates be put in proper repair immediatly.
3^rd Lock at the Bristol Road. Brick, where the Lock is full some water runs thro' the Walls below the lower Gates, the upper and lower Gates loose water and should be repair'd soon.
Bridge next above the Bristol Road in the Towing path side wants a little underbuilding and the decayed Bricks taken out of the Wings, and good ones put in their Room, will cost but little, say £2..2^s.
4^th Lock, called Westfield lock. Brick, the side walls are come in but no danger at present, the Bricks are decayed under the Coaping which should be taken out and repaired, and the Coaping Stone fresh sett; one of the lower Gates loose water and should be repair'd.
5^th or Court Orchard Lock. Brick, the Towing path side is come in very considerable, and will be obliged to be taken down in a few years, I therefore should advise materials, such as Stone, Brick and Timber be got ready and laid down near the Lock, to be ready when thought necessary.
6^th Lock at Chippenhams Platt. Brick, the Lock wall on the Towing path side a little come in, but no danger at present, the Coaping Stone taken up, and 2 Course of Bricks for a Brick length into the Wall taken up & fresh sett and the Coaping put on again.
7^th or Blunder Lock. Brick, the lock wall a little come in but no danger at present.
8^th Nastfield Lock. Brick in good repair, only a few decayed Bricks should be taken out, and good put in their place under the Coaping some pointing is wanting and the tail of the Lock wall wants to be repair'd. Swivell Bridge at Stonehouse Church wants all the top to be new Timber and planks say £30.
9^th & 10^th Double Locks lower of 9^th Lock, the Square Quoins at the Tale of the Lock, on the Towing path side, overhang one Inch & half in every 5^feet high the Hollow Quoins are also come in the same side half an Inch in 5 feet high ~~ the upper or 10^th Lock the Quoins stand fair, but the water runs thro' the Wall in the lower Lock on the off side. I advise the Towing path side of the Tale of the lower double or 9^th Lock be taken down to near the Hollow Quoins and nearly to the top water Levell, not to stop the Boats passing, and to be rebuilt with half Inch Batter, for at this time the said tailing of the Lock over hangs the Lock one Inch and half at 5 feet high.
The Lock Gates at the lower Lock loose water and should be repair'd.
11^th Lock at Dudbrige. Stone, the stone much decayed, but no danger one of the lower Gates loose water very much, and must be repair'd one of the upper Gates wants at the head of the Gate a Weight put on and for want of this the Gate losse water.
12^th of Upper Dudbridge Lock. Brick very good except the upper Hollow Quoins should be taken up and reset the Coapng wants pointing the Lock Gates loose water, and should be repaired.
All the Deal planking of the Lock gates should be generally repair'd.
I advise all the decoy weirs at the Lock heads be stopped and regular feeding Wears put down at the Lock head, in much the same manner as those upon the Thames & Severn Canal will cost from 10^£ to 12^£ each. N.B. there are about 9 or 10 of these.
A bed of sand lies below the Severn Lock in a low water time in Summer. I advise should be removed.
Mud about one foot thick 264^Yds forward lies in the Pond above Framiload Lock will cost about £12.
Mud or Earth 100^Yds forward lies below the Walbrige will cost about £4..10.
A Bar of Gravell lies at the Tale of B Road Lock 4^yds long 6^s
Mud or Earth lies below the Westfield Lock 17^Yds 6 (?) £8
Mud or Earh 200^Yds (?) lies between C Platt & Blunder Lack 1^Foot deep say £9
D^o 88^Yds forward of D^o at the Tale of the Double Lock £5..10
132^Yds forward of D^o in the Ebley pond near M^r Hogg £6
110^Yds forw^d of D^o in the Lodgemore pond near the Bridge £5
I think it advisable to get the above ponds cleansed of the Mud as soon as possible as Vessells heavy Laden in a short water time cannot get along but with great difficulty.
I am Gent^m
Your Hble Ser^t
Josiah Clowes
Stroud 21^st May 1794
