Foxton Inclined Plane facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Foxton Inclined Plane |
|
|---|---|
Inclined Plane from the top
|
|
| Type | canal inclined plane |
| Location | Leicestershire, England |
| Elevation | 75 ft (23 m) |
| Construction | 1898-1900 |
| Built for | Grand Union Canal |
| Demolished | 1926 |
| Restored | 2008 |
| Architect | Gordon Cale Thomas |
| Owner | Canal & River Trust |
| Official name: Inclined Plane immediately east of Foxton Locks | |
| Designated | 24 January 1973 |
| Reference no. | 1018832 |
| Lua error in Module:Location_map at line 420: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value). | |
The Foxton Inclined Plane was a special machine built to help boats move up and down a big hill. It was part of the Grand Union Canal in Leicestershire, England. This amazing boat lift was finished in 1900. It was named after the nearby village of Foxton.
The plane was designed to make boat journeys faster and easier than using the many locks nearby. Even though it was very clever, it only worked full-time for about ten years. It was taken apart in 1926. Today, people are working to bring parts of it back to life. This is because the old locks are still a bit slow for modern boats.
Contents
Building the Boat Lift
By 1897, a company called the Grand Junction Canal Company owned many canals. They wanted to help bigger boats use the Leicester line. The old locks could only fit narrow boats. So, they decided to build an inclined plane next to the locks.
They first thought the plane would replace the locks. But it ended up being a faster second option. Building started in 1898 and finished on July 10, 1900.
Gordon Cale Thomas designed the plane. He built a small test version first. The plane had two large tanks, called caissons. Each tank could hold two narrowboats or one larger barge. These water-filled tanks balanced each other as they moved. Strong gates kept the water inside the tanks. A powerful 25-horsepower stationary steam engine made the lift work. The whole project cost about £39,244 by 1900.
How the Plane Worked
The inclined plane was much faster than the locks. It took only 12 minutes for two boats to go up and two to go down. Using the locks took about 1 hour and 15 minutes. This made boat travel much quicker.
The plane could move about 6,100 tonnes of cargo in a 12-hour day. It also saved a lot of water. When boats go through locks, water flows downhill and is lost. But with the inclined plane, almost the same amount of water went up and down. Only the water pushed aside by the boats was moved. This helped save a lot of this important resource.
Why It Stopped Working
At first, the heavy tanks put a lot of stress on the tracks. There was a plan to build another similar plane at the Watford Locks. But this never happened. Because the Watford Locks were not made wider, the Foxton plane could not be used to its full potential.
Keeping the steam engine running all the time, just in case boats arrived, also cost a lot of money. So, even though it worked well, the Foxton Inclined Plane was stopped in 1911 to save money. After that, it was only used sometimes, like when the locks needed repairs.
In 1926, the plane's machinery began to be taken apart. It was sold for scrap in 1928 for only £250. The chimney of the engine house was pulled down that year. Its bricks were used to fix other parts of the canal. You can still find the old mooring posts from the plane near the locks today.
Preserving History
The Foxton Canal Museum is located in the building that used to be the boiler house for the plane's steam engine. This museum teaches visitors about the history of the locks and the plane. It also shares stories about the people who worked on the canal. The museum opened in 1989.
Restoration Efforts
The area where the Foxton Inclined Plane Boat Lift once stood is now a scheduled monument. This means it's a very important historical site. Because more and more people are enjoying boat trips on British canals, restoring the plane is seen as a key project. It could help improve the national waterway network. In 2006, it was estimated that a full restoration would cost about £9 million.
The first part of the restoration project finished in 2008. This involved clearing the site and fixing the canal sections above and below where the plane was. A grant of £1.7 million helped pay for this first stage. Because this part was successful, the site was removed from a list of monuments at risk.
