Cambridgeshire Lodes
Cambridgeshire Lodes , including South Level Lodes called, the name under which a series of partially interconnected, partly man-made channels in the English East Cambridgeshire are called. Most of the Lodes' history can be traced back to Roman times . With the exception of the Cottenham Lodes and Soham Lodes , which flow into the Great Ouse , the Cambridgeshire Lodes flow into the River Cam . In addition to the Cambridgeshire Lodes, there are other canals in Cambridgeshire which are referred to as Lodes, but are not counted among the Cambridgeshire Lodes in the narrower sense. Occasionally only the six Lodes that flow into the River Cam are counted as Cambridgeshire Lodes.
history
Most of the Cambridgeshire Lodes can be traced back to Roman times . They were originally created for transport, but were also used to drain the fens . From the 17th to the early 20th century in particular, they were of great importance as trade routes. However, they lost this importance to a large extent with the connection of the Cambridgeshire to the railway network.
description
Bottisham Lode
The approximately 4 kilometers long Bottisham Lode connects, contrary to the name suggests not Bottisham , but the village of Lode with the River Cam . It probably originated from an already existing, natural watercourse. It served as a transport route for agricultural products from the 18th to the early 20th century. It is questionable whether it is still navigable by boat today.
Burwell Lode
The approximately 5.2 kilometers long Burwell Lode connects the town of Burwell with the New River and via the Reach Lode with the River Cam. It was first mentioned in documents in 1604, but probably dates from Roman times. The current course of the Lodes dates back to 1650. Until the second half of the 20th century, mainly coal, stone, beet sugar and fertilizers were transported via in . Remnants of docking sites can still be found on its banks. It is still passable today.
Cottenham Lode
The Cottenham Lode connects the towns of Histon , Rampton and Cottenham with the Great Ouse . When it was created in Roman times, it was part of the Car Dykes that connected Cambridge with Lincoln . It is still passable today.
Monk's Lode
The Monk's Lode connects the village of Wicken with the New River and via the Wicken Lode and the Reach Lode with the River Cam. It only played a very subordinate role as a transport route and is now considered to be no longer passable.
Reach Lode
The approximately 4.5 kilometer long Reach Lode connects the village of Reach with the River Cam. In addition to serving as a transport route, it also served as an extension of the Devil's Dyke . During Roman times, limestone, the so-called clunch , was mainly transported over the Reach Lode. From the Middle Ages to the 18th century, numerous goods were brought from the coast to Reach on it. In the early 20th century it was only used as a feeder to Burwell Lode . It is still passable today.
Soham Lode
The Soham Lode connects the village Soham with the Great Ouse. It is likely to be the only canal of the Cambridgeshire Lodes which does not go back to Roman times, but was probably built as a drainage canal in the 1790s. It was mainly used to transport grain in the early 19th century and is still navigable today.
Swaffham Bulbeck Lode
The approximately 6 km long Swaffham Bulbeck Lode connects the town of Swaffham Bulbeck via the hamlet of Commercial End with the River Cam. In the Middle Ages the Roman lode only played a subordinate role. It was not until the 18th century that the lode regained importance as a trade route for the delivery of wine and salt and the removal of grain. Even after Swaffham Bulbeck was connected to the railway network, the Lode was able to assert itself as a transport route for several years. Today it is no longer passable.
Sweet peas lode
The approximately 2.4 km long Wicken Lode connects the village of Wicken via the Reach Lode with the River Cam and via the Monk's Lode with the New River. Although it is relatively narrow and shallow, it was used in the 19th and early 20th centuries to bring in peat and remove sedge . With the legal restrictions on peat extraction from the 1940s, the importance of the lode as a trade route waned. It is still passable today and is maintained by the National Trust .
swell
- Cambridgeshire Lodes. www.canalroutes.net, accessed December 10, 2016 (English).
- Cambridgeshire Lodes. www.waterways.org.uk, accessed December 10, 2016 .
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d e f g h i j Cambridgeshire Lodes. www.canalroutes.net, accessed December 10, 2016 (English).
- ^ The Lodes Way. National Trust , accessed December 10, 2016 .
