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1
ANGLIANANGLIAN
CUTTINGSCUTTINGS
Ipswich Branch Newsletter
Winter 2014 No. 127
The IWA may not agree with the opinions expressed in this publication. They are, however, published as
a matter of interest to our members and readers. Nothing printed can be construed as policy or an official announcement unless stated.
The IWA accepts no liability for any matter in this publication.
2
YOUR COMMITTEE
Chairman -
Chard Wadley
Secretary & Anglia Cuttings Editor -
Charles Stride
Treasurer
Spencer Greystrong
Membership
Clive Saville
Publicity
Brian Holt
Social Secretary
Diana Holt
River Gipping Trust
Lewis Tyler
Pickerel Project/River Stour Trust Brian Cornell
Officer
Gerry Crease
***************************
IWA Ipswich - http://www.waterways.org.uk/ipswich
IWA IPSWICH BRANCH
3
C H STRIDE
Once again thank you to all the
contributors to this edition of Anglian
Cuttings, in particular to Brian Holt who
has been very prolific with three items.
This year is a fairly momentous one for
the Branch as we celebrate
our 40th Anniversary, and we
are marking the occasion with
two events. The first is the
three day weekend outing
taking place in September, and
at the time of writing there are
only four places left, so if you want join
us please contact Spencer quickly.
The second event is our Anniversary
Luncheon, so no March event this year,
as this will take place in October. We are
pleased to advise that our IWA National
Chairman, Les Etheridge will be in
attendance, and we understand that his
boating activities started in Norfolk, and
we hope to have representatives from
other local Waterway Associations. As
our Chairman advises Steve Hayward
has agreed to return and I am sure will
keep us entertained with some lively and,
no doubt, some controversial viewpoints.
EDITOR’S
PONDERINGS
So please note the date, Saturday 4th
October, in your diary and contact Chard
for a booking.
Well Folks now we must consider the
next 40 years, or at least some of them.
The present Committee Members have
been advising over the last year
that many of them, having put
in many years on the
Committee, probably totalling
all together well in excess of a
hundred years, wish to hand
over the reigns to new blood. We have
been looking for new volunteers for quite
a while and in particular over the last
year, but regretfully no one has come
forward at all.
The AGM is coming up in February.
PLEASE NOTE THE DATE IS FRIDAY
14TH, not the 7th as advertised in the last
edition. Please consider coming forward
so that the Branch does have a future in
supporting all the various Waterways in
our region and to continue providing
benefits for our local members. We look
forward to seeing you.
Charles Stride
A Very Happy and Healthy New Year to you All
40
On
the
Stour
4
CHAIRMAN’S JOTTINGS
Our branch meetings in October,
November and December where very
successful and everyone seemed to enjoy
the talks. In October, Peter Minter from
Bulmer Brick and Tile Company, gave a
very informative talk about his brick
company explaining not just how to
make them but the history of the
company and the buildings they had
renovated, which all who attended found
very interesting.
Through the summer work has continued
on the River Gipping at Pipps Ford
where we have now two groups working,
one group working on building the new
foot bridge and the rest of us working at
the lock itself. (See further reports
within the magazine).
In the last magazine I reported on the
Branch’s 40th anniversary lunch which is
being held at the Cedars Hotel,
Stowmarket on Saturday, 4th October
2014. We plan to invite various
representatives from the IWA and other
waterways within the region. We also
have a guest speaker, Steve Hayward,
who you may remember from previous
branch meetings, who gave us talks on
his various books, such as ‘Fruit Flies
like a Banana’.
Just to remind you all that the AGM will
be taking place in February and it is not
too late to put your name forward to join
the committee. You may remember that
I and other committee members will be
retiring in February 2015, so if you feel
able to take on any of the positions
which will becoming vacant please do
not hesitate to contact us.
In November, sadly, we said goodbye
to Don Brazinski as he has returned to
his roots in the USA to be nearer his
Son. We had a farewell work party
lunch in Woodbridge where everyone
wished him well for the future; this was
a surprise for Don as he did not know
this was being arranged for him.
I personally wish him well and I will
miss him very much as he was a good
friend and colleague. Chard Wadley
When you read this we will be into a new year so I hope you all had a very good
Christmas and you are now ready for 2014.
5
MEMBERSHIP UPDATE
SEASONS GREETINGS
TO ALL
We gladly welcome all our new members
From Norfolk: Mr. F Muir, Mr. R Bywater & Mr. N Ballard, Mr. A Barber, Mr. &
Mrs. B & A Hawes, Ms. B Schubert, Mr. S O’Brien, Mr. D Hall, Dr. G Maka, Mr. &
Mrs. J & E Wainright.
From Suffolk: Mr. J Read & Familty Mr. H C Nutt, Mr. T M Smith, Mr. M G
Phipps.
From Essex: Mr. D M Kury & Family, Miss A Kitchener, Miss K Stevens, Mrs. S
Winter & Family
um Society. Spencer has added an addi-
tional presentation – Rebuilding Histo-
ry, approximately 20 minitues, dealing
mainly with the building and replacing
of the sluice gates at Baylham – this has
yet to receive its first airing.
So we now have 3 @ 20 minutes, 1 @
45 minutes and 1 @ 70 minutes. As
usual, we would welcome any invita-
tions to further promote the aims and
aspirations of the Trust Lewis Tyler
Uneventful progress since the report of
the Autumn Edition of Anglian Cut-
tings. We have been noted that River-
side Farm with Creeting Lock is on the
market, and our dialogue with Suffolk
County Council on the condition and up
-keep of the towpath is continuing. An
item in the Ipswich Society Newsletter
concerning the future of the River Ac-
tion Group was received with interest
and we have been in touch with them.
The Presentation Talks are continuing
with already some ten bookings for the
year ahead – to a variety of local organ-
isations, including the Ipswich Gerani-
RESTORATION
UPDATE
PAGE 8
6
IPSWICH BRANCH
It is forty years since Ipswich Branch was founded and this next year we will be
celebrating our 40th Anniversary with two events to mark the occasion, details
elsewhere in this edition of Anglian Cuttings.
During this time the Branch has been very successful in looking after and
representing the IWA’s interests in the area. In particular it has, through its
many volunteer members past and present, done much practical work in the
maintenance and restoration of the River Gipping, Stowmarket Navigation, as
well as supporting other waterways in North Essex, Suffolk and more recently
Norfolk. In order for the Gipping restoration work to continue and, in
particular to allow a wider access to funds and donations, it was necessary to
set up a separate Trust to further this work, The River Gipping Trust is now
well established and is actively taking the restoration work forward.
There is still a major role for the Branch in supporting the River Gipping
Trust, and other River Trusts in the area, many of which are regularly
reported on in Anglian Cuttings, representing the IWA, protecting Waterway
interests, and providing contact and social events with our large and
widespread membership. To this end our winter social meetings continue to
have a good turnout with a range of interesting speakers, and our almost annual
outings are nearly always fully subscribed.
To run the Branch and these activities it does need input from a number of
willing Committee Members. Most of your present Committee have been in
place for an extended number of years, our Chairman is one of the longest
serving in the IWA with over 20 years in that position. Recent appeals at our
AGM’s for new members have not brought forward any volunteers, and the
recent letter sent out to all Branch Members did not bring any positive
response.
The present Committee meets about 6 times a year, usually over lunch, and
there is of course some background work and arrangements to make for any
events.
The present Committee is dedicated to marking the 40th Anniversary , but after
that many of them wish to pass on the baton to fresh minds and input.
It is essential therefore that new volunteer Committee Members come forward
over the next 12 months, or else it is probable that the Branch will have to close
and all the local activities will have to cease.
PLEASE CONSIDER SUPPORTING THE CONTINUATION OF YOUR
BRANCH
7
THE CHESAPEAKE & OHIO CANAL USA
Locks 2, 3 &4 in Washington, visited by your Chairman
& Editor during our recent trip.
The Chesapeake and Ohio Canal, abbreviated as the
C&O Canal, and occasionally referred to as the "Grand
Old Ditch," operated from 1831 until 1924 parallel to the
Potomac River in Maryland from Cumberland, Maryland,
to Washington, D.C. The total length of the canal is about
184.5 miles (296.9 km). The elevation change of 605 ft
(184 m) was accommodated with 74 canal locks. To enable
the canal to cross relatively small streams, over 150 culverts
were built. The crossing of major streams required the con-
struction of 11 aqueducts. The canal also extends through
the 3,118 ft (950 m) Paw Paw Tunnel. The principal cargo
in the latter years was coal from the Allegheny Mountains.
The canal way is now maintained as a park, with a linear
trail following the old towpath, the Chesapeake and Ohio
Canal National Historical Park.
Did You Know where these were?
8
Pipps Ford Bridge Underway!
We are now well under way with the
construction of the new bridge for the
bywash at Pipps Ford. The Spring and
Summer weather this year was kind to
us, with relatively low groundwater
levels , which meant that we were able to
make great progress in excavating the
old decayed abutments and re-building
the new abutment walls in the old river
channel.
The walls themselves were substantially
complete by October, and the Autumn
has been spent backfilling with earth
and rubble. This should now provide a
good length of time to allow the backfill
to settle before we install the bridge in
the spring next year.
The timber for the bridge was supplied
by the same farm as we used for the
Baylham Sluice gates, and they have
again provided us with workspace,
storage and use of power.
The timber was milled at the end of
October at White House Farm and the
RESTORATION
REPORT
members of the work party meeting at
their have been able to make
significant progress undercover, while
the Pipps Ford bunch have had to deal
with the weather and the after–effects of
the St Jude’s storm.
Luckily, the St Jude’s day storm came
and went without causing any structural
damage to any of our active sites,
though we had to clear fallen trees from
the lock site at Baylham, and we are
aware of a number of other sites where
trees have been weakened and are
leaning over the river.
A number of trees came down around
the Pipps Ford site and a significant
amount of clearing up is going on at the
moment.
Sadly for us one of our regular
members, Don Brazinsky attended his
last work party in November, and has
now returned to his native America,
where we hear he is settling back into
life in the USA after 41 years in the
UK. I would like to thank Don for all of
his support over the years, and wish
him all the best for his new life across
the pond.
The work parties will continue through
the winter, with the Wednesday work
parties split between the farm and Pipps
Ford. For the time being, our first
Saturday of the month work parties will
take place at White House Farm.
Martin Bird
9
Don Brazinski - Flying below the Radar!
In November 2013 Don Brazinski, one of our most valuable and long serving
members of the Ipswich IWA, said his sad goodbyes and, after 41 years in England,
returned to America. He had started his career with the US Navy - until 1955 and then,
after a short period in civvy street, joined the US Air Force, from where he retired with
the rank of Master Sergeant, and finally settled down in England in 1971.
Don was a larger than life member of our work party. He
was in at the birth of our resto- ration work on the Ipswich &
Stowmarket Navigation, a time when we had very little worth
speaking of in the way of plant, equipment or money. But Don
had a way of making things happen.
Does anyone remember the American TV programme, several years ago, called
“M.A.S.H” about a field hospital in Vietnam? They had a character, known as
"RADAR", who had an uncanny ability of acquiring desperately needed items as if
from nowhere – Don was our very own “RADAR”.
When we started work on Bosmere lock we needed sandbags. The next thing we
knew 40 pallets of sandbags turned up on an articulated lorry. These were very quickly
followed by such items as Stop Planks and a whole range of tools – the list was end-
less. We only had to mention we needed something and it appeared as if by magic.
Perhaps I should mention that during this time Don worked for the US Air Force
at RAF Bentwaters as Warehouse Supervisor, Store Manager and Commissary Officer
and was obviously in a very advantageous position to assist the US Air Force in dis-
posing of unwanted items when RAF Bentwaters was deactivated in 1993, at which
point Don finally retired.
I know that none of us are indispensable but Don comes close to that. He will be
greatly missed by all his IWA friends and his going will leave a big – big hole in our
Working Party. We wish him well and hope that, with the aid of modern technology,
we have not heard the last of Don. John Finch
10
River Stour Trust Restoring and conserving the River Stour Navigation
Would you like to skipper an electric launch on
Constable’s beautiful River Stour?
The River Stour Trust is looking for volunteers to join its team of skippers and crew
operating its fleet of electric launches on the River Stour in Suffolk, made famous in
John Constable’s paintings.
The launches carry visitors to the river on trips from Flatford and Sudbury on week-
ends from April to October.
The 21ft launches are simplicity itself to drive, with smooth, quiet electric motors, and
maximum speeds of 4mph. Anyone who can handle a narrowboat or motorboat will
be able to drive one, but full training and familiarisation with the river will be
provided.
The river is peaceful, with just swans and occasional rowing boats to negotiate, and
you will find yourself drifting back 200 years to the days when it was a busy
commercial waterway, with 50ft lighters towed in pairs by horses through 13 locks
from the sea to Sudbury.
Or you can join the elite team operating our restored River Stour Lighter. 50ft long,
with two powerful electric drives, it is a test of skill to manoeuvre this 160-year-old
craft through locks, with only inches to spare.
The boats operate every weekend, and occasional
weekdays, but you can volunteer for as many or
few days as you wish.
For more information contact:
11
Last year they employed a person full
time to work on the IAS
specifically to produce Canoe Trails.
These trails were developed
following discussion with the Canoe
Hire Companies, other Canoe centres
in the UK and Canoe England. So far
there have been four trails
published but there are no plans to
produce any trails for below Acle,
so as to avoid areas of high tidal
fluctuation. Thus ensuring that the
trails are safe for families and people of
all levels of expertise
providing they take suitable safety
precautions.
The present trails cover Bungay,
Geldeston on the southern rivers and
Salhouse, Sutton Staithe/Wayford
Bridge on the northern rivers. Each
trail has its own map and user
information.
They can all be downloaded for printing
or used on a mobile device from
the Broads Authority web site at.
http://www.enjoythebroads.com/
boating/canoeing
It is hoped that other trails will be ready
for next years outdoor festival,
one of which will be the Upper Thurne
In addition to the above, permission has
also been obtained from land
owners and the Environment Agency to
build a Canoe Launching platform on
the River Waveney downstream of
Ellingham Mill. This will be built and
paid for by The Broads Authority but
will then be maintained by The
River Waveney Trust:
http://groupspaces.com/
riverwaveneytrust
Brian Holt
CANOE
TRAILS
For some time now the Broads Authority
have been working hard to improve access
to the Broads via the Integrated Access
Strategy (IAS) which links people with the
land and waterways.
12
In the 1960s the Government
was concerned about drinking water
shortages in Essex and a plan was
conceived to transfer fresh water that
would have just flowed out to sea at
Kings Lynn down to Essex.
To achieve this they built a
tunnel from the Cut off channel at
Blackdyke to a pumping station at
Kennet and then a pipeline to Kirtling
Green with an outflow into the River
Stour.
As the Cut Off channel that runs
from Denver to Barton Mills was dug
virtually level, by constructing the
Impoundment Sluice at the Denver end
of the channel the water level could be
raised and so flow south.
Closing the impounding Sluice
at Denver and feeding waters into the
Cut Off Channel, via the diversion sluice,
from the Ely Ouse, achieved this. The
water would then flow south for 25 Km
along the Cut Off Channel to Blackdyke,
where it enters a 20Km long 2,540mm,
diameter tunnel to Kennet Pump station
all by gravity.
At the Kennet Pumping Station
the water is pumped for 14.3 Km via a
1,830mm pipe to Kirtling Green where it
discharges directly into the River Stour
and so on to Essex and Suffolk Water’s
reservoirs.
The operator at Denver is
responsible for not only maintaining the
correct river levels on the Ely Ouse and
its tributaries but also for ensuring that
sufficient water is sent to the Kennet
pumping station. To do this he has a
large SCADA telemetry system to
inform him of water levels throughout
the system as well as Essex and Suffolk
Water’s requirements.
To control the levels of the Ely
Ouse he has the three sluice gates in the
Head Sluice each independently
controlled. These allow excess water in
the Ely Ouse to flow into the relief
Channel at a maximum rate of 1,500
million litres per second. Although the
sluice mechanisms are electrified all
adjustments have to be carried out
locally at the individual gates. In
addition to this water can be flushed out
through the Little Eyes of Denver Sluice
when tide levels permit.
For maintaining the correct
level he can raise the Impounding Sluice
THE
DENVER SLUICE
You may recall in my first article about The Denver Sluice Complex back
in spring 2013 edition of Anglian Cuttings I said that Denver effects water levels
as far away as Essex.
13
and allow the floodwater in the Cut Off
Channel to flow straight into the relief
Channel or when water is required by
Essex and Suffolk Water close the
Impounding Sluice and flow water into
the channel with the Diversion Sluice,
this is a fall back sluice and is hinged at
the bottom and raised or lowered like a
drawbridge on cables.
There is a legal requirement to
maintain a minimum flow down the
Relief Channel when the Impounding
Sluice and the Head Sluice are both
closed, the Residual Flow Sluice,
commonly know as the Hands Off Sluice
achieves this. This is a metered sluice
between the Ely Ouse and the Relief
Channel. At the top end of the sluice is a
manual gate that is used to close the
whole thing down. This is followed by
an automatic float operated sluice, which
maintains a constant level within the
sluice chamber. At the tail of the sluice
are a set of calibrated divisions, each
with its own gate that can be opened or
closed to give a measured flow rate
down the Relief Channel.
Brian Holt
**********************************************************************
October and November have been hectic to say the
least! From Griff Rhys Jones paddling along to
open the Study Centre to the buzz of chainsaws
and the quiet nurturing of a sapling in its new
home for the next 50 plus years, we've done it all
recently.
If any of you have never been along to one of our working parties, been to the River
Waveney Study Centre or are just wondering what we get up to as volunteers, the pic-
tures tell the story.
Have a browse through the galleries on our web site under the Photos tab and you'll get
the idea. www.riverwaverneytrust.org
This may inspire you to join in any of our activities that appeal to you. Watch the web-
site and your inbox for details of events as they are planned. It is always a special and
positive feeling to meet in person. So many of us have developed new friendships as
members of the Trust, it seems we are becoming the Waveney's own dating agency!
Enjoy! Geoff Doggett
14
A Cigar in Belgium Journeys of a Narrowboat Part 1
By Anne Husar Published by Troubador www.troubador.co.uk
ISBN 978-1-78306-114-3 In paperback and Kindle available from Amazon
This is the first in a series of books by Anne about their life on their Narrowboat Wan-
dering Snail, referred to in the book as “Snail” in mainland Europe. It is not a book for
the anorak, full of facts and figures, but of everyday life on the commercial waterways
of Belgium.
You may already be familiar with the tales of Wandering Snail as an abridged version
of chapter six was published in Canal Boat magazine.
Anne and her partner Oliver, affectionately known as Oli started their boating life like
many of us hiring for the odd week here and there over many years, until they made
the decision to have a boat of their own. They bought a 70-foot sail-a-way shell and
had it transported to their back garden in North Norfolk where Oli set to and fitted it
out.
Once completed they launched Snail on the Fens and cruised the UK waters for a time,
fixing any snags that popped up. In 2008 they decided to say goodbye to England and
take Wandering Snail to waters new on the other side of the North Sea. It is here, with
chapter one, that the book starts in earnest, with Snail on the back of a lorry crossing to
Terneuzen where she went back into the water.
Over the next 12 months Anne, Oli and their dog Woody travelled extensively through
Belgium meeting lots of very friendly people who really made them feel welcome.
They also met the odd character that they would be more than happy to never see
again.
People took them in to their homes and went out of their way to help them. Every-
where they went, Snail was the centre of attention. They shared locks with the large
commercial craft that still ply their trade on the wide deep waterways and when they
were stuck in mud a 1500 tonne vessel came to their rescue, by nosing forward to them
and passing a line to pull them free. They had been stuck for six hours by this time,
with the Fire Brigade and large crowd in attendance.
Overall this is a very readable book by
anyone interested in Narrowboating or the
continental inland waterways. As for the
title of the book, well you will have to
read it to find out.
Reviewed by Brian Holt
15
DATES
for your
DIARY
BRANCH MEETINGS & EVENTS 2013/2014
Branch Meetings held at the Community Centre, School St., Needham Market
At 7.30, unless otherwise stated.
FRIDAY 10TH JANUARY 2014
Members Evening—Fish & Chips
FRIDAY 14TH FEBRUARY
AGM
New Committee Members Required
FRIDAY 5TH SEPTMBER 2014—SUNDAY 7TH SEPTEMBER 2014
Branch 40th Anniversary Outing
Contact Spencer Greystrong for Bookings
SATURDAY 4TH OCTOBER 2014
Branch 40th Anniversary Luncheon—Cedars Hotel Stowmarket
Guest Speaker
STEVE HAYWARD
Contact Chard Wadley for Bookings
FRIDAY 14TH NOVEMBER 2014
Presentation by Geoff Doggett—Chairman River Waveney Trust
FRIDAY 12TH DECEMBER
Members Evening—Fish & Chips
FRIDAY 13TH FEBRUARY 2015
AGM
NEW COMMITTEE REQUIRED
1st
2nd
WORKING PARTY DATES Working Parties are held by the River Gipping Trust from 0900 to 1700
every Wednesday and on the first Saturday of each month, unless that
Saturday is a Bank Holiday in which case it will then be held on the second
Saturday of that month.
For further information and to confirm dates contact Martin Bird
Tel: 01394 380765 Email: [email protected]
16
USEFUL WEBSITES
IWA Head Office - http://www.waterways.org.uk
Waterway Recovery Group - http://www.wrg.org.uk
River Gipping Trust - http://rivergippingtrust.org.uk River Stour Trust - http://www.riverstourtrust.org
East Anglian Waterways Association –http://www.eawa.co.uk
Aylsham Navigation - http://aylsham-navigation.norfolkparishes.gov.uk River Waveney Association -http://groupspaces.com/RiverWaveneyTrust/pages/our-aims
IWA Peterborough Branch - http://www.iwapeterborough.org.uk
The Broads Society - http://www.broads-society.org.uk
The Australian Canal Society - http://www.auscanal.org.au/
The Canal & River Trust - http://canalrivertrust.org.uk/
DEFRA Dept. for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs - http://www.defra.gov.uk
The Inland Waterways Association is a non-profit distribution company limited by guarantee.
Registered Office; Island House, Moor Road, Chesham, Buckinghamshire. HP5 1WA Tel: 01494 783453 Web: www.waterways.org.uk
Registered in England No. 612245. Registered as a Charity No. 212342
40TH ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
Notice is hereby given that the
AGM of the Ipswich Branch of the Inland Waterways
Association
will be held at the Needham Market Community Centre,
School Street, Needham Market at
8pm on Friday 14th February, 2014
AGENDA
1) Apologies for absence
2) Approval of the 2013 AGM Minutes
3) Matters arising from those minutes
4) Chairman’s report
5) Treasurer’s report and presentation of accounts
6) Adoption of the accounts
7) Election of Committee members
