Tue 16 Jul 1901
Act of Parliament confirming provisional order of Board of Trade for transfer of Thames & Severn Canal to Gloucestershire County Council received Royal Assent 2 July. County Council had paid £3600 borrowed by Thames & Severn Canal Trust. Company gave guarantee for one third. Now free of liability.
Swimming Club charged 10s 6d for use at basin at Wallbridge for Club Sports on 17 August.
Report on annual inspection of canal on 25/26 June.
Attention needed at Lodgemore Mills wharf, wall on each side of gate badly finished. Gatepost stones out of place.
Towing path opposite Gas House entrance: coping to be 6 inches higher to bar flood water leak from entering Gas Company’s premises.
Dudbridge top lock paddle posts rather rotted away.
At Dudbridge Wharf towing path gates out of order.
Bridge at Ebley: Building within line drawn from outside of one wing to outside of other wing a trespass. Nailsworth Brewery Company to recognise it.
Ryeford: On footbridge to cottages iron band has disappeared from end of cross or stay bar. Towing path under road bridge under water.
Bond’s Mill: Iron stile on fence by towing path below mill is unacknowledged.
‘New town’, Eastington: Corner piece occupied by Mr Davis for petroleum storage to remain property of Navigation.
Blunder Lock, Eastington: Balance pole end badly perished.
Leakage in dry dock at Eastington Wharf. Hole by cottage garden. Extra rail to make it secure for present. Want of method in keeping stores. Thames & Severn Trust occasionally borrow men and stores.
Eastington Dock Lock overflow finds way down towpath.
Westfield Lock: Balance poles very badly perished. Gates to be reinspected in a few month’s time.
Westfield Bridge: Gap in south west brick buttress.
Bristol Road Wharf: Complaint of tenant, Tudor. Cottage pump not attended to. Canal bank above Bristol Road requires attention. Store cattle in field the cause.
Shallow Lock: Gates old and in bad order. Gloucester & Berkeley Canal Co have put in powerful centrifugal pump at Gloucester. May keep up level of water. Arbitration suggested to settle questions outstanding between two companies as to working of Shallow Lock.
In future list of stores in stock at end of each half year to be prepared by Clerk and laid on table at each half yearly meeting.
£1 towards rent of telephone at Company’s offices if County Council paid £2.
Notice prohibiting bicycles from being ridden on wharves and towing path.
Edward Hill’s action against Messrs Sibly and Muller compromised by Mr Sibly paying £60 in settlement of damages. £5 made to him by Company for period when he was unable to work.
Committee Meeting held at Wallbridge on Tuesday the 16^th day of July 1901 @ 3 o'clock pm
Present: Mr H Hamilton Mills Chairman, Mr S S Marling, Mr E P Little, Mr A B Hooper, Sir W H Marling Bart, Mr F A Little, Mr W J Stanton, Mr W Davies.
It was reported that the Act of Parliament confirming the Provisional Order of the Board of Trade for the Transfer of the Thames and Severn Canal to the Gloucestershire County Council had received the Royal Assent on the 2^nd inst on which date the undertaking passed to the Council.
Mr Mills reported that he had had an interview with Mr Gardom respecting the charge of £10 per annum proposed to be made to the County Council for the use of the Company's Offices for the purpose of the Thames and Severn Canal and that Mr Gardom stated that the matter would come before the Committee of the Council at their Meeting on the 20^th inst.
It was also reported that the County Council had paid the sum of £3600 borrowed by the Thames and Severn Canal Trust from Lloyds Bank for one third of which amount this Company had given its guarantee,, so that the Company was now freed from this liability.
The Clerk reported that since the last Meeting of the Committee he found the Swimming Club (Stroud) would only require the use of the Basin at Wallbridge on one afternoon viz: for the Club Sports on the 17^th August next and that he had arranged to make a charge of 10^s/6^d. This was approved.
The Reports of the Inspection Committee were read and ordered to be entered in the Minutes.
Annual Inspection, Stroudwater Canal
June 1901.
June 25 Wallbridge to Eastington:-
New Stable by entrance: In good order.
Warehouse occupied by Lambourn, weather tight and tenantable, floors getting bad but much as before.
New Lattice Iron Bridge over brook to Wharfingers house - very well turned out and neat in appearance.
Lodgemore Mills, End of Wharf, Wall on each side of gate badly perished and gatepost stones out of place at top, needs some attention.
Swing Bridge by Gas House - planking worn out, this was about to be repaired.
Towing Path opposite Gas House Entrance not yet raised and repaired by the Gas Company. It need coping to six inches higher than at present to effectually bar flood water from entering the Gas Company's premises.
Dudbridge top lock: The paddle posts rather rotted away by surface of the ground, will soon need repairing.
Dudbridge Wharf: The towing path Gates at upper end very much out of order. It is recommended that this be replaced by an improved arrangement suggested by Mr Snape as soon as possible.
The Weighbridge here was tested by Mr Little weighing himself and found correct.
Bridge at Ebley: The building now standing within a line drawn from outside of one wing to the outside of the other wing being a trespass should be recognised and admitted as such by Messrs the Nailsworth Brewery C^o and the Agreement (which has been drawn up) signed and completed.
Ryeford Footbridge to Cottages, in fair condition and safe but iron band has disappeared from end of cross or stay bar and should be replaced.
New wall at Ryeford by Roadbridge has been completed and appears to be well done, strong and tidy in appearance. Towing Path under Roadbridge was mostly under water at time of inspection and might with advantage be made up a little.
Bonds Mill: The swingbridge here had just been repaired and was in fair order generally.
Just below this Mill an Iron Stile had been placed on the fence by the towing path and it appears no acknowledgement or quit rent is made or paid but there appears to be no distinct rule followed as to doors and gates opening on to the Towing Path.
'New Town', Eastington - The corner pieces occupied by Mr Davis for petroleum storage, etc, had better remain the property of the Navigation as it may be useful for a wharf in the future. (It was understood that a suggestion has been made hat it might be sold.)
'Blunder Lock', Eastington - balance pole end badly perished. Mr Snape will have this repaired at once.
Eastington Wharf, a leakage exists by the dry dock shed which needs attention.
The hole by Cottage Garden is in about the same condition as at the last inspection. It is recommended that an extra rail be placed to make it secure for the present until funds allow of its being properly covered in and filled up.
There appears to be rather a want of method in the keeping of stores here and as the Thames and Severn Trust occasionally borrows our men and stored confusions might be likely to arise unless some account van be kept of all coming in and going out at this point.
Philip Jas Evans
F A Little
June 26 1901 Eastington to Framilode.
Eastington Dock Lock: The overflow at present finds its way down the towpath, instead of into the brick paved catchment provided for it. Mr Snape is to take measures to remedy this.
Westfield Lock: The balance poles of the upper Gates are both very badly perished and look most disreputable. The Gates will probably require renewal or substantial repairs before long. I suggest that they be reinspected in a few months time.
Westfield Bridge: A gap in the SW brick buttress requires to be filled up with masonry an iron band (as Mr Snape suggests) might with advantage be fixed to the corner to save the brick work from the friction of tow ropes.
Bristol Road Wharf: The tenant Tudor complained that his cottage pump had not been attended to.
The Canal Bank above the Bristol Road between the next two bridges requires attention in several places. The store cattle in the fields appear to be the cause of most of the damage.
Shallow Lock: The gates look old and in bad order apparently they are not used., the notice board notwithstanding. So long as the Gloucester & Berkeley Canal water is at its normal height the lock would seem to be unnecessary. I am told that the G&B Canal C^o have recently put up a powerful centrifuge pump at Gloucester and it remains to be seen whether it will materially assist them in keeping up the level of the water. Unless there be some good reason for further postponing the matter, surely steps should be taken to push to a settlement as to the working of Shallow Lock. I suggest arbitration.
Framilode: The repairs to the River bank wall appear to have been well and substantially done, the large timber fender at the river entrance to the Canal requires some repair. It has the appearance of having sustained damage by craft bumping against it.
F A Little
Member of Committee of Stroudwater Navigation.
It was resolved that in future a list of the stores in stock at the end of each half-year be prepared by the Clerk and laid on the table at each half-yearly Meeting.
It was resolved to agree to pay £1 towards the rent of a telephone at the Company's Office provided the County Council would agree to pay the remaining £2..0..0.
The Clerk reported that he proposed that the Canal should be stopped from the 17^th to the 26 August for the purpose of putting in the new gates at Dudbridge Bottom Lock. This was approved.
The proposed notice prohibiting Bicycles from being ridden on the Wharves and Towing path was read and ordered to be printed and posted.
It was reported that Edward Hill's action against Messrs Sibly and Muller had been compromised by Mr Sibly paying £60 in settlement of damages and costs.
It was resolved that in addition to the sum received from Mr Sibly, an allowance of £5 be made to him by the Company for the period during which he was unable to work.
It was resolved that the next Committee Meeting be held in September.
Cheques drawn:
T Boulton: 6..4..0
Webb & Spring: 6..11..10
E Hill: 5..0..0
[Total] £17..15..10
