 Text and photographs copyright of Jim Shead. |
|
Text and photographs copyright of Jim Shead.
Description:
The navigation runs 74 miles from Bedford to the Wash.History:
Promoted under Acts of 1670, 1751, 1795, 1796, 1805, 1810, 1816, 1818, 1819, 1827 and 1830. The locks from Brownshill to Eaton Scocon were rebuilt in the 1930s when this part of the river was restored by the newly formed Great Ouse Catchment Board. Prior to the 1950s the river below Denver was kept clear by the flow from the Great Ouse but since then the relief channel has been built to divert these waters and the bed of the river has risen by about a metre. In 1951 The Great Ouse Restoration Society formed and in 1963 legislation enabled the River Authority to licence boats and charge fees, at last providing money for navigation to a body mainly concerned with drainage. n 1978 The final lock at Castle Mills was completed and navigation to Bedford was restored.Subordinate Waterways:
Navigation Authority:
: Environment Agency Recreation and Navigation, Region: Anglia Region, Kingfisher House, Goldhay Way, Orton Goldhay, Peterborough PE2 5ZR: Telephone 01733 371811 : Fax 01733 231840 :
Godmanchester Lock
Related Articles
Related Books
The Great Ouse by Wilson Stephenson , 48 pages, Published by Frederick Muller 1985 Part of the Rivers of Britain series with illustrations by Gabriel White.
The Great Ouse:The History of a River Navigation by Dorothy Summers , ISBN 0 7153 5971 1 :247 pages, Published by David & Charles 1973 Inland Waterways History series. 16 pages of plates and 10 figures or maps. Order now from Fenland River by Rodney Tibbs , 128 pages, Published by Terrence Dalton Ltd 1969 The Story of the Great Ouse and its Tributaries. Maps and 75 plates
Holiday Cruising on the Broads & Fens by Lewis A Edwards , ISBN 0 7153 5511 2 :Published by David & Charles 1972 Order now from The Black Fens by A K Astbury , Published by Golden Head Press 1958
The Fens by Alan Bloom , Published by Trent 1953
The Draining of the Fens by H C Darby , Published by Cambridge University Press 1968
Fenland by Sir H Goodwin , Published by Cambridge University Press 1978
Vermuyden and the Fens by L E Harris , Published by Cleaver Hume Press 1953
The Fenland by A K Parker & D Pye , Published by David & Charles 1976
The Great Level by Dorothy Summers , ISBN 0 7153 7041 3 :Published by David & Charles 1976 History of the fens. Order now from Portrait of the Fen Country by E Storey , Published by Trent 1971
A History of the Fens by J Wentworth-Day , Published by George G Harrap & Co. 1954
The Rivers Cam & Lower Great Ouse by Not known , Edition: Revised edition. ISBN 0 85288 222 X :31 pages, Published by Imray Laurie Norie & Wilson 1993 Large scale chart of the rivers in an A5 ring binder. Compiled together with the Great Ouse Boating Association. Order now from Along the Cam and the Great Ouse with Briscoe Snelson by Peter Snelson , 112 pages, Published by Cambridgeshire Libraries Publications 1996 Photographs taken between the 1930s and 50s. Softback.
Rivers to the Fens by Robert Simper , ISBN 0 9538506 0 9 :82 pages, Published by Creekside Publishing 2000 Inclides photographs and maps. Order now from River Cam & Lower Great Ouse by Not known , ISBN 0 8528 8374 9 :Published by Imray Laurie Norie & Wilson 1996 Covers from Cambridge to Dever Sluice. Order now from River Upper Great Ouse by Not known , ISBN 0 8528 8364 1 :Published by Imray Laurie Norie & Wilson 1996 Covers from Berdford to Popes corner. Order now from The Canals of Eastern England by John Boyes & Ronald Russell , ISBN 0 7153 7415 X :368 pages, Published by David & Charles 1 1977 Order now from The Restoration and Development of the Bedford Ouse by W B Carter , ISBN 1 904136 25 7 :85 pages, Published by John Nickalls 2005 An illustrated history of the restoration of the river. Order now from The River Great Ouse and the River Cam from Brackley to King's Lynn by Josephine Jeremiah , ISBN 1-86077-417-2 :Published by Phillimore & Co. 2006 The Great Ouse from source to sea with additional material covering some of the tributaries, including the cam and Little Ouse to Thetford. 178 illustrations. Order now from 
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Related Videos
The Great Ouse & River Cam Released in : 2005 1 hour 10 minutes approx., Produced by VideoActive A voyage from Denver to Bedford and up the Cam to Cambridge. Available DVD.
Related Photographs
Related External Web Sites
Related Cruising Logs
Other Related Pages
Lock Sizes and maximum craft dimensions:
Individual lock sizes vary but the maximum size for navigationfrom Bedford to the Wash is Length 85 foot 4 inches, beam 10 foot 4 inches. NOTE: For more details of maximum lock and craft sizes and the basis of these figures see Craft and Lock Sizes Page
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River Great Ouse: Table of distances |
Miles |
Locks |
Navigable (N) |
||||
|
Bedford Bridge |
A6 Road Bridge |
0.0 |
0 |
N |
TL050495 |
153 |
|
|
Duck Mill (or Town) Lock |
.3 |
1 |
N |
TL055495 |
153 |
||
|
Cardington Lock |
2.0 |
2 |
N |
TL078489 |
153 |
||
|
Castle Mills Lock No 3 |
3.6 |
3 |
N |
TL092509 |
153 |
||
|
Willington Lock No 4 |
5.8 |
4 |
N |
TL119504 |
153 |
||
|
Old Mills Lock Site |
Lock abolished |
6.5 |
4 |
N |
TL129510 |
153 |
|
|
Great Barford Lock |
Archer Inn |
7.3 |
5 |
N |
TL135517 |
153 |
|
|
Roxton Lock No 7 |
9.6 |
6 |
N |
TL159535 |
153 |
||
|
Tempsford Bridge |
Anchor Inn |
10.3 |
6 |
N |
TL162545 |
153 |
|
|
Little Barford |
12.6 |
6 |
N |
TL177571 |
153 |
||
|
Eaton Socon Lock No 8 |
Eaton Socon |
13.9 |
7 |
N |
TL174586 |
153 |
|
|
St Neots |
15.0 |
7 |
N |
TL181602 |
153 |
||
|
St Neots Lock No 9 |
16.3 |
8 |
N |
TL185618 |
153 |
||
|
Great Paxton |
18.0 |
8 |
N |
TL204634 |
153 |
||
|
Offord Lock No 10 |
20.1 |
9 |
N |
TL214671 |
153 |
||
|
Brampton Lock No 11 |
Brampton and the Pepys House half a mile. |
23.1 |
10 |
N |
TL223705 |
153 |
|
|
Godmanchester Lock No 12 |
24.4 |
11 |
N |
TL241704 |
153 |
||
|
Huntingdon |
25.1 |
11 |
N |
TL243714 |
153 |
||
|
Hartford |
26.3 |
11 |
N |
TL256725 |
153 |
||
|
Houghton Lock No 13 |
27.9 |
12 |
N |
TL281719 |
153 |
||
|
Hemingford Lock No 14 |
29.4 |
13 |
N |
TL295711 |
153 |
||
|
St Ives Bridge |
Of historic and asthetic interest |
30.8 |
13 |
N |
TL312711 |
153 |
|
|
St Ives Staunch |
31.1 |
14 |
N |
TL314705 |
153 |
||
|
Holywell |
33.5 |
14 |
N |
TL342705 |
154 |
||
|
Brownshill Staunch |
Over Staunch |
36.3 |
15 |
N |
TL369727 |
154 |
|
|
Earith Village |
The Crown Inn |
38.0 |
15 |
N |
TL386747 |
142 |
|
|
Junction with Old West River (Great Ouse) |
38.5 |
15 |
N |
TL392746 |
143 |
||
|
Sutton Bridge |
42.1 |
15 |
N |
TL428796 |
143 |
||
|
Mepal Bridge |
43.4 |
15 |
N |
TL439812 |
143 |
||
|
Oxlode |
47.5 |
15 |
N |
TL485862 |
143 |
||
|
Welney Suspension Bridge |
52.8 |
15 |
N |
TL534928 |
143 |
||
|
Junction with Old West River (Great Ouse) |
58.8 |
15 |
N |
TF587010 |
143 |
||
|
Junctions with Middle Level - Well Creek and Old Bedford River |
59.1 |
15 |
N |
TF586016 |
143 |
||
|
Downham Bridge |
Downham Market 1 mile east (A1122 road bridge) |
60.1 |
15 |
N |
TF597029 |
143 |
|
|
Stowe Bridge |
62.9 |
15 |
N |
TF602070 |
143 |
||
|
Magdalen Bridge |
66.0 |
15 |
N |
TF600113 |
143 |
||
|
Wiggenhall Bridge |
68.0 |
15 |
N |
TF601113 |
143 |
||
|
Eau Brink Cut (Southern end) |
68.4 |
15 |
N |
||||
|
Free Bridge |
Eau Brink Cut (Northern end) |
71.4 |
15 |
N |
|||
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Kings Lynn |
Docks entrance |
72.8 |
15 |
N |
|||
|
The Wash |
Mouth of the river |
74.8 |
15 |
N |
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NOTE: N and U in the Navigable column above indicates that the node is navigable or unnavigable. If a D appears here it means that navigation is difficult or restricted to smaller craft.
Description:
A 3 mile navigation from the junction with the Old Bedford River and the Forty Foot River, at Welches Dam, to Mepal Pumping Station.Waterway Group:
This waterway is part of the River Great OuseNavigation Authority:
: Environment Agency Recreation and Navigation, Region: Anglia Region, Kingfisher House, Goldhay Way, Orton Goldhay, Peterborough PE2 5ZR: Telephone 01733 371811 : Fax 01733 231840 :Related Books
The Canals of Eastern England by John Boyes & Ronald Russell , ISBN 0 7153 7415 X :368 pages, Published by David & Charles 1 1977 Order now from .
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Counter Wash Drain (Great Ouse): Table of distances |
Miles |
Locks |
Navigable (N) |
||||
|
Junction with Old Bedford River |
0.0 |
0 |
N |
TL470858 |
143 |
||
|
Mepal Pumping Station |
End of navigation |
3.0 |
0 |
N |
TL441821 |
143 |
|
NOTE: N and U in the Navigable column above indicates that the node is navigable or unnavigable. If a D appears here it means that navigation is difficult or restricted to smaller craft.
Description:
A 3 mile tributary of the Little Ouse.Waterway Group:
This waterway is part of the River Great OuseNavigation Authority:
: Environment Agency Recreation and Navigation, Region: Anglia Region, Kingfisher House, Goldhay Way, Orton Goldhay, Peterborough PE2 5ZR: Telephone 01733 371811 : Fax 01733 231840 :Related Books
The Canals of Eastern England by John Boyes & Ronald Russell , ISBN 0 7153 7415 X :368 pages, Published by David & Charles 1 1977 Order now from .
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Lakenheath Lode (Great Ouse): Table of distances |
Miles |
Locks |
Navigable (N) |
||||
|
Dumpling Bridge |
Lakenheath Quayside |
0.0 |
0 |
U |
TL710829 |
143 |
|
|
High Bridge Staunch |
High Bridge, Shippea Hill Road |
.8 |
0 |
U |
TL702833 |
143 |
|
|
Railway Bridge |
Norwich to Ely Line |
2.9 |
0 |
N |
TL676850 |
143 |
|
|
Accommodation Bridge |
3.1 |
0 |
N |
TL672853 |
143 |
||
|
Junction with Little Ouse or Brandon River |
3.3 |
0 |
N |
TL670856 |
143 |
||
NOTE: N and U in the Navigable column above indicates that the node is navigable or unnavigable. If a D appears here it means that navigation is difficult or restricted to smaller craft.
Description:
A 22½ mile tributary of the Great Ouse. Currently only navigable for 13 miles.History:
Acts relating to navigation were passed in 1670, 1751 and 1810.Waterway Group:
This waterway is part of the River Great OuseNavigation Authority:
: Environment Agency Recreation and Navigation, Region: Anglia Region, Kingfisher House, Goldhay Way, Orton Goldhay, Peterborough PE2 5ZR: Telephone 01733 371811 : Fax 01733 231840 :Related Articles
Related Books
The Canals of Eastern England by John Boyes & Ronald Russell , ISBN 0 7153 7415 X :368 pages, Published by David & Charles 1 1977 Order now from The River Great Ouse and the River Cam from Brackley to King's Lynn by Josephine Jeremiah , ISBN 1-86077-417-2 :Published by Phillimore & Co. 2006 The Great Ouse from source to sea with additional material covering some of the tributaries, including the cam and Little Ouse to Thetford. 178 illustrations. Order now from .
.
Related Photographs
Related Cruising Logs
Other Related Pages
Lock Sizes and maximum craft dimensions:
Brandon Lock (opened 1995): Length 40 foot 4 inches, beam 12 foot. NOTE: For more details of maximum lock and craft sizes and the basis of these figures see Craft and Lock Sizes Page
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Little Ouse or Brandon River: Table of distances |
Miles |
Locks |
Navigable (N) |
||||
|
Thetford Town Bridge |
0.0 |
0 |
U |
||||
|
Thetford Staunch No 1 |
.5 |
0 |
U |
||||
|
Thetford Middle Staunch No 2 |
1.9 |
0 |
U |
||||
|
Turfpool Staunch No 3 |
2.8 |
0 |
U |
||||
|
Two Mile Bottom |
Fison's fertiliser factory |
3.4 |
0 |
U |
|||
|
Croxton Staunch No 4 |
3.8 |
0 |
U |
||||
|
Santon Staunch No 5 |
5.3 |
0 |
U |
||||
|
Santon Downham Bridge |
5.9 |
0 |
U |
||||
|
Brandon Bridge |
Swaffham Road |
8.8 |
0 |
U |
|||
|
Brandon Staunch No 6 |
Head of navigation |
9.1 |
0 |
U |
|||
|
Railway Bridge |
Ely to Norwich Line |
10.0 |
0 |
N |
TL767871 |
143 |
|
|
Sheepwash Staunch (Site of) |
10.6 |
0 |
N |
TL758869 |
143 |
||
|
Cutt-Off channel |
12.5 |
0 |
N |
TL732871 |
143 |
||
|
Wilton Bridge |
Lakenheath to Feltwell Road |
13.0 |
0 |
N |
TL724867 |
143 |
|
|
Crosswater Staunch (site of) |
16.5 |
0 |
N |
||||
|
Junction with Lakenheath Lode (Great Ouse) |
17.0 |
0 |
N |
TL670856 |
143 |
||
|
Little Ouse Bridge |
20.5 |
0 |
N |
TL621892 |
143 |
||
|
Junction with Old West River (Great Ouse) |
22.5 |
0 |
N |
TL608918 |
143 |
||
NOTE: N and U in the Navigable column above indicates that the node is navigable or unnavigable. If a D appears here it means that navigation is difficult or restricted to smaller craft.
Text and photographs copyright of Jim Shead. |
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