Thames Conservancy

A boundary marker for the Thames Conservancy about 100 meters upstream from the bridge in Walton-on-Thames .

The Thames Conservancy was an authority that was responsible for the administration of the Thames in England . It was founded in 1857. Originally it was only responsible for the section from the City of London to Staines , later it took over the entire river from Cricklade in Wiltshire to Yantlet Creek on the Isle of Grain . Responsibility was restricted when the tidal section of the river was transferred to the Port of London Authority in 1909 . In 1974 the Conservancy was transferred to the Thames Water Authority .

history

prehistory

The Victoria Embankment under construction in 1865

The stretch of river between Staines and Yantlet Creek has been claimed by the City of London since 1197 under an order from Richard the Lionheart . In 1771, the Thames Navigation Commission was established to regulate navigation on the river. The Commission was responsible for building locks and weirs upstream from Staines, but it did not interfere with the rights of the City of London.

The City of London built a series of locks between Teddington Lock and Penton Hook Lock at the beginning of the 19th century . Construction materials from the old London Bridge were also used to improve the bank reinforcement between Sunbury Lock and Shepperton Lock .

Problems arose when the government proposed building the Victoria Embankment in 1840 , as the king now claimed the riverbed. The dispute dragged on for 17 years.

In the meantime, competition with the railroad had significantly reduced traffic on the river. Fee income fell from £ 16,000 in 1839 to less than £ 8,000 in 1849. The cost of maintaining the stretch of river in 1850 was estimated at nearly £ 7,000. The City of London's refusal to pay for necessary work led to complaints. By a parliamentary resolution, the rights to the river were returned to the king, who then transferred them to the newly founded Thames Conservancy.

First establishment of the Thames Conservancy (1857)

The City of London handed the business over to the Thames Conservancy in October 1857. In June 1857 the first stone was laid for a new lock at Teddington. It is the middle of today's three locks. The lock was opened in 1858 together with the narrow Thames Skiff lock. The conservancy made rules. In 1858 a levy of 15 shillings was introduced for every steamship that passed the lock at Teddington. The river speed was limited to 5 miles per hour downstream and 4 miles upstream. Fishing with nets was permanently banned from Richmond to Staines. The agency strengthened the rights of anglers against landowners and was warned by the water authority that it was forbidden to rent boats to inexperienced people. At the time, the river upstream was still under the control of the Thames Navigation Commissioners, but this was changed in 1866.

Extension of the Thames Conservancy (1866)

In 1866 it was judged that it would make sense to place the entire river under one administration. It was said that the Thames Navigation Commission had too many members and that the locks and weirs were in poor condition. The income there was too little to ensure maintenance. It was believed that unified management of the river would lead to better maintenance of structures and lower fees for their use as a whole, which would lead to an increase in shipping traffic. By law of August 6, 1866, the Thames Conservancy took over the administration of the river from Cricklade to Yantlet Creek.

The Mapledurham Watermill was one of 28 mills that operated on the river in 1866.

The waterworks building at Hampton

With the act, all locks, canals and other facilities were transferred to the Thames Conservancy. It was also ordered that all privately owned weirs would be transferred to the Conservancy. The previous owners were released from all obligations. Only two weirs at Buscot and Eaton remained with the owner of Buscot Park . Most of the weirs belonged to the 28 watermills that operated between Oxford and Staines. The rights to the water for the mills dating back to the time of the Domesday Book have been confirmed. The further discharge of sewage into the river and its tributaries was prohibited. New discharges were prohibited and the existing ones should be eliminated. A new income came from a £ 1000 fee paid by each of the five waterworks on the river. The Southwark and Vauxhall Waterworks Company , Grand Junction Waterworks Company, and West Middlesex Waterworks Company waterworks were relocated to Hampton in the 1850s when it was prohibited to take water from the tidal section of the river. The Lambeth Waterworks Company and Chelsea Waterworks Company waterworks originally moved to Seething Wells , but later moved to East Molesey . While the City of London owns the riverbed in its area, the Thames Navigation Commissioners did not own the riverbed above Staines and consequently it did not become the property of the Thames Conservancy, but remained in the property of the local residents.

In August 1866 the Conservancy surveyed the facilities between Oxford and Windsor and in October a schedule of fees was established. The Bell Weir Lock collapsed in June and was renewed the following year. In 1868 charges were introduced for the three of the four locks then existing above Oxford: St John's Lock , Buscot Lock and Pinkhill Lock . The Rushey Lock was excluded. There were no charges at the weirs. This illustrates the poor state of shipping above Oxford. Some of the old locks in the rest of the river were still made of wood and were gradually being rebuilt. Work carried out in 1869 included rebuilding the Romney Lock and a boat slide in Teddington. In 1870 the Hambleden Lock and the Benson Lock were renewed, followed by the Day's Lock in 1871 and the Godstow Lock in 1872. In addition, it was found that the weir at the lock in Teddington broke twice in the 1870s and caused considerable damage.

In 1872 the Conservancy promised to restore shipping between Radcot and Newbridge by repairing the Rushey Lock, but in 1874 it became clear that they lacked the financial means. During this time there were regular complaints about the poor condition of the river, especially in the upper reaches, and the ongoing discharge of sewage.

Weir, mill and crossing at Hambleden

Lock conversions continued at Shiplake Lock and Cleeve Lock in 1874, Caversham Lock in 1875 , Whitchurch Lock in 1876 and Bell Weir Lock in 1877 . In 1883 the Conservancy removed Chalmore Lock near Wallingford , after which residents had fought for its preservation for many years. The weirs at Hambleden were built in 1884 and the public right of way over the river was given by a bridge. The Bray Lock was renewed in 1885.

The Thames Preservation Act 1885 was passed to preserve the river for general recreation. The use of firearms on the river had become a major problem and was banned. The river had become very popular for general recreational activities and sports. Jerome K. Jerome describes a typical boat trip on the Thames in his Three Men in One Boat published in 1889 .

Richmond Lock and the pedestrian bridge

Lock renewals continued with the Marsh Lock in 1888, the Temple Lock in 1890 and the Cookham Lock in 1892. The first new building was the Radcot Lock in 1892 and the Chertsey Lock was extended in 1893. A major construction project was the Richmond Lock and its weir in 1894 to ensure that at least 1.73 m water depth between Richmond and Teddington was always guaranteed.

Another law from 1894 essentially cleared up ambiguities in the previous regulations. The Conservancy eventually took on the river above Oxford and replaced weirs with locks and footbridges where there were public paths. New locks were the Grafton Lock and the Northmoor Lock in 1896 and the Shifford Lock in 1898. Also in 1898 the Pinkhill Lock and the Rushey Lock were renewed. Downstream work was carried out on Boveney Lock in 1898 and the old lock was replaced by a boat slide. The Shepperton Lock was renewed in 1899.

At the end of the 19th century, the increasing size of ships and the increase in traffic in the Port of London raised the question of how best to conduct the administration. In 1900 a royal commission recommended that a single authority should take over the management of the port.

At Teddington the largest lock (200 m) was built in 1904–1905. The locks that were renewed in 1905 included the Abingdon Lock , St John's Lock , Sonning Lock and Osney Lock . The Molesey Lock was renewed in 1906 and the Mapledurham Lock in 1908.

After the separation of the Port of London Authority

Lord Desborough , took over the presidency in 1905

By law in 1908 responsibility for the tidal river and the Richmond Lock was transferred to the Port of London Authority, which took over on March 31, 1909. The boundary of both authorities between Teddington and Twickenham was marked with an obelisk 320 m below the Teddington Lock. The Conservancy remained responsible for the river between Cricklade and Teddington.

Lock modifications were carried out at the Penton Hook Lock in 1909 and at the Hurley Lock in 1910. In 1912 the Conservancy undertook major work on Boulter's Lock , which included the purchase of Ray Mill Island . The Chertsey Lock was extended in 1913 and the Marsh Lock renewed in 1914. The Goring Lock was expanded in 1921 and the Godstow Lock renewed in 1924. In 1927 a new lock was built at Sunbury and the old one next to it was preserved. The Marlow Lock and the Iffley Lock were then also rebuilt. In 1928 the improvement of shipping above Oxford was finally completed with the construction of the Eynsham Lock and the King's Lock .

The Desborough Cut

The next major construction project was the Desborough Cut between 1930 and 1935. The 1 km long canal puncture brought the river into a straight line between Weybridge and Walton on Thames, bypassing an arched section at Shepperton . The puncture reduced the risk of flooding for Shepperton and halved the travel time in this area of ​​the river.

The Thames Conservancy Act 1932 deals with the construction of boat ramps and jetties.

Modernization began in the 1960s with the installation of the first hydraulic system in the Shiplake Lock in 1961. The Sandford Lock was rebuilt in 1972.

resolution

On April 1, 1974, the Thames Conservancy was transferred to the new Thames Water Authority. It then continued to exist there essentially as the Thames Conservancy Division . When Thames Water was privatized in 1990, management was transferred to the new National Rivers Authority and in 1996 to the Environment Agency .

New locks of the Thames Conservancy

• Radcot Lock (1892)
• Richmond Lock (1894)
• Grafton Lock (1896)
• Northmoor Lock (1896)
• Shifford Lock (1898)
• Iffley Lock (1927)
• Eynsham Lock (1928)
• King's Lock (1928)

Chairmen of the Thames Conservancy

• Frederick Dixon-Hartland (1895-1904)
• Lord Desborough (1905-1936)
• JD Gilbert (1937-1938)
• Jocelyn Bray (1938-1960)
• Lord Nugent (1961-c.1970)

See also

• Locks and weirs of the Thames
• Oxford-Burcot Commission

literature

• Fred. S. Thacker: The Thames Highway. Volume I: General History. 1914 - Reprinted by David and Charles, 1968.
• Fred. S. Thacker: The Thames Highway. Volume II: Locks and Weirs. 1920 - Reprinted by David and Charles, 1968.
• (2000-2005). The River Thames - Its Management Past & Present. ( Memento from July 17, 2011 in the Internet Archive )

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Fred. S Thacker: The Thames Highway. Volume IS 199.
2. ↑ Fred. S Thacker: The Thames Highway. Volume IS 114.
3. ↑ Fred. S Thacker: The Thames Highway. Volume IS 205-209.
4. ↑ ^{a b} Fred. S Thacker: The Thames Highway. Volume IS 221.
5. ↑ Fred. S Thacker: The Thames Highway. Volume IS 230.
6. ↑ Fred. S Thacker: The Thames Highway. Volume II, p. 470.
7. ↑ Fred. S Thacker: The Thames Highway. Volume IS 236-238.
8. ↑ Fred. S Thacker: The Thames Highway. Volume IS 239.
9. ↑ Fred. S Thacker: The Thames Highway. Volume IS 240-242.
10. ↑ Fred. S Thacker: The Thames Highway. Volume IS 242-243.
11. ↑ Fred. S Thacker: The Thames Highway. Volume II. P. 382.
12. ↑ Fred. S Thacker: The Thames Highway. Volume IS 243-244.
13. ↑ Fred. S Thacker: The Thames Highway. Volume II. P. 366, p. 277, p. 187.
14. ↑ Fred. S Thacker: The Thames Highway. Volume II. P. 471.
15. ↑ Fred. S Thacker: The Thames Highway. Volume IS 248-251.
16. ↑ Fred. S Thacker: The Thames Highway. Volume II. Pp. 199-200, p. 207, p. 221, p. 234, p. 257, p. 277, p. 338, p. 383.
17. ↑ Fred. S Thacker: The Thames Highway. Volume IS 252.
18. ↑ Fred. S Thacker: The Thames Highway. Volume II. P. 59, p. 266, p. 289, p. 315, p. 409.
19. ^ The River Thames - Lock Details ( Memento from February 11, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) on the-river-thameS. co.uk.
20. ^ Richmond Lock and Weir Port of London Authority.
21. ^ Mechanism - Richmond Lock on The Victorian Web.
22. ^ Richmond Lock 2003 Christine Northeast.
23. ↑ Fred. S Thacker: The Thames Highway. Volume IS 253.
24. ↑ Fred. S Thacker: The Thames Highway. Volume II. Pp. 37-92.
25. ↑ Fred. S Thacker: The Thames Highway. Volume II. P. 351, p. 425.
26. ↑ Fred. S Thacker: The Thames Highway. Volume II. P. 471.
27. ↑ Fred. S Thacker: The Thames Highway. Volume II. P. 39, p. 248, p. 447, p. 225.
28. ↑ Fred. S Thacker: The Thames Highway. Volume IS 255.
29. ↑ The Hundred of Spelthorne: Shepperton. ( Memento of the original from January 4, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
30. ^ Shepperton Rotary Club. ( Memento from August 15, 2006 in the Internet Archive )
31. ^ Thames Conservancy Act 1932. on swarb.co.uk
32. ↑ Henley Royal Regatta Prizegivers ( Memento of the original from May 1, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. .