Blyth Navigation facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Blyth Navigation
The modern sluice and gauging station on the River Blyth at Mells, below Mells bridge
Specifications
Length	7 miles (11 km)
Maximum boat length	50 ft 0 in (15.24 m)
Maximum boat beam	14 ft 0 in (4.27 m)
Locks	6 (originally 5)
Original number of locks	5
Status	Abandoned
History
Original owner	Southwold Harbour Trustees
Principal engineer	Langley Edwards
Date of act	1757
Date of first use	1761
Date closed	1911
Geography
Start point	Halesworth
End point	Southwold Harbour

The Blyth Navigation was a special waterway, like a canal, in Suffolk, England. It stretched about 7 miles (11 km) from Halesworth to the North Sea at Southwold. This navigation opened in 1761. It helped boats carry goods between Halesworth and the sea. However, by 1884, it was no longer making money. The waterway became difficult to use because the river got filled with mud and sand. It was used sometimes until 1911, but officially closed in 1934.

History of the Blyth Navigation

The River Blyth flows into the sea between Southwold and Walberswick. This area used to have many "saltings," which are marshy lands flooded by tides. The river was once deep enough for boats to reach Blythburgh. But over time, the river channel started to fill with silt (mud and sand). This made it harder for boats to travel.

Early Ideas for the Canal

In the 1740s, a brewer from Halesworth named Thomas Knights had an idea. He wanted to make the river easier to navigate beyond Blythburgh. First, he suggested improving Southwold harbour. An Act of Parliament (a special law passed by the government) was approved in 1746. This law allowed for harbour improvements. These changes worked well, and the money collected from harbour fees more than doubled.

Knights then pushed for a canal to Halesworth. In 1753, Benjamin Reeve drew up a plan for the navigation. It included three locks (water elevators for boats). John Reynolds estimated the cost to be about £4,614.

Building the Navigation

Another Act of Parliament was passed on April 1, 1757. This law gave more power to the Southwold Harbour trustees. Langley Edwards then surveyed the area again. He estimated the cost at £3,000, which included buying a watermill at Wenhaston.

By 1759, 38 people, mostly from nearby towns, had promised £3,600 to help build the canal. Langley Edwards was in charge of the construction. He was supposed to complete the work within his estimated cost. Even though he often missed meetings, the work was finished. The total cost was £3,822. The Blyth Navigation officially opened on July 23, 1761.

How the Canal Worked

The navigation had four locks and a special tidal gate near Blythburgh bridge. From the sea, boats followed the River Blyth. Then they turned onto the Town River to reach Halesworth Lock. From there, a new channel called the "New Cut" led to a wharf (a loading area) in Halesworth. This wharf was the end of the canal. The New Cut also connected back to the Town River to supply water for the locks.

The locks were built for boats called "wherries." These boats were about 50 feet (15.2 m) long and 14 feet (4.3 m) wide. The locks were unusual because their side walls curved outwards in the middle. This made them 1.5 feet (0.5 m) wider in the middle. A local maltster (someone who makes malt) named Patrick Stead built an extra lock. This helped wherries reach his maltings by raising the water levels.

Samuel Jones was in charge of the canal for the first four years. He oversaw the building work and became the lock-keeper and toll-collector. He also managed the warehouse and surveyed the works. Later, William Bickers took over. For about 30 years, the canal collected an average of £134 in tolls each year.

Why the Canal Closed

In the early 1800s, people built walls (embankments) to reclaim the marshy saltings near Blythburgh. This was done to stop them from flooding. However, this plan caused problems. The Southwold harbour started to get filled with silt. This made it very hard for boats to get in and out.

John Rennie, a canal engineer, looked into the problem in 1820. He said the embankments were causing the silting. But he couldn't find a good solution. By 1839, the harbour entrance was blocked. In 1840, John Wright and James Walker studied the issue. They found that the embankments stopped 5.5 million cubic yards (4.2 million m³) of tidal water from flowing in and out. This greatly reduced the river's natural cleaning effect.

Competition from the Railway

In 1879, the Southwold Railway opened. This was a narrow-gauge train line between Southwold and Halesworth. It crossed the navigation near Southwold using a swing bridge. The railway made it easier and faster to transport goods. This meant fewer boats used the canal.

By 1884, the canal was no longer making money. The people in charge announced they would stop maintaining it. In 1894, they even voted to officially abandon the navigation. However, a trader from Halesworth named Fred Lambert still used a wherry called Star. He carried coal from Southwold harbour to Halesworth until 1911. He thought it would cost £1,000 to fix the canal, but he couldn't raise the money.

The Southwold Railway finally built a branch line to the harbour in 1914. This was meant to help with fishing traffic. But World War I started, so it wasn't used for that. It was useful for building coastal defenses. Southwold harbour was sold back to the Southwold Corporation in 1932. The Blyth Navigation officially closed on February 19, 1934.

What's Left Today

The swing bridge that carried the railway over the river was removed at the start of World War II. Now, a fixed Bailey Bridge is there for people to walk to Walberswick. Since the locks are gone, the river levels have dropped. It's hard to imagine that large wherries once reached Halesworth.

The walls around the saltings below Blythburgh have been broken. Now, a large inland lake forms when the tide is high. Southwold harbour is still used for mooring boats. It can hold about 110 boats. You can still navigate (travel by boat) to Blythburgh, but the Bailey bridge means only smaller boats can pass.

Efforts to Restore

Sometimes, people have tried to restore the canal for boats. But this often causes nearby land to flood, so it's not very popular. On May 27, 2016, Gerald Burns canoed from Halesworth to Southwold. He carried a sack of malt (a grain used for brewing) in his boat. He delivered it to Adnams Brewery in Southwold. His trip helped raise money to restore the "New Reach" area in Halesworth. This area was important for the town's history.

A group called the New Reach Working Group was formed. In 2017, they launched a working boat (a punt) named after Patrick Stead, the maltster. In 2018, the Ipswich Branch of the Inland Waterways Association gave them a powered brush cutter. This tool helps them keep the waterway clear.

Points of interest