| Summary: | The canal from Bude into the hinterland of North Devon and Cornwall was the longest tub boat canal in the country and used the most inclined planes. It was first proposed in an act of 1774, (14 Geo III C. Bude canal act), when a 91-mile route was proposed. The reason for building the canal was to supply shelly sand from many North Devon and Cornish beaches to inland farmers. The sand, rich in calcium carbonate, was used as a soil conditioner and made a good alternative to the use of lime. It was not until 1817 that a survey was made, by Thomas Shearm and James Green (fig.4), the results of which were presented on the '5th day of April, 1818'. The 'report of the committee appointed to conduct a survey of the proposed lines of canal from Bude. ' estimated that the total cost of building all the branches of the canal and the reservoir would be e128,341. In 1819, an Act, (59 Geo III C.55 Bude Harbour and Canal Act) was passed and work commenced. The final length of the canal was 35.5 miles. A wide barge canal was built from Bude to Helebridge. This could take boats fifty feet long, thirteen feet wide and with a capacity of twenty tons. The rest of the canal, from Helebridge to Blagdonmoor Wharf, near Holsworthy, with a feeder from the Tamar Lake and a branch to Druxton, near Launceston, was intended for narrow tub boats. These were twenty feet long, five feet six inches wide and had a draught of one foot six. They could carry a load of four tons. Due to the hilly terrain encountered on the inland route from Bude Haven (a rise of over 330 feet from Bude to Red Post) six inclined planes were built to raise and lower the boats, as well as three locks. In order to negotiate the inclined planes, the tub boats were fitted with wheels. These were manoeuvred directly onto rails rather than using cradles to winch the boats up. The Holsworthy line, the feeder from the reservoir and the Launceston line to Tamerton Bridge were finished in 1823 and opened on the 8th of July of that year. The Launceston line to Druxton was completed by 1824, but the canal was never as successful as originally planned. The Bude Harbour and Canal company did not post their first profit until 1876. However, in 1864 the Launceston and South Devon railway was opened, extending the rail link from Plymouth to Launceston and the canal's days were numbered. This was due not just competition with the railways, which increased with the opening of the Holsworthy branch of the London and South Western railway in 1879, but also to an increased use of artificial fertilisers and lime by farmers in the 1880's. The Bude Harbour and Canal (further powers) Act (54 and 55 Vict C.75) was passed in July 1891, authorising the abandonment of the branches from Red Post to Drafton and Brendon Moor Junction to Blagdonmoor. In 1901, the Bude Harbour and Canal Abandonment Act (I Ed VII C.28) was passed and in 1902 what remained of the canal company's assets were sold to Stratton Rural District Council in 1902. Much of the canal's length was sold to landlords whose lands bordered the canal, and the canal was backfilled in many places. |
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