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Leven Canal |
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1804 |
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Leven Canal was opened
in 1804
having been cut by the order of Mrs Charlotte
Bethel, Lady of the Manor. The 3 1/4 mile long canal
started at the River Hull and was constructed to
allow barges to reach the granaries and warehouses
at Canal Head in the village.
One of the original two warehouses built at the
canal basin in 1825 still remains, though it has
been converted into a private residence. |
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Canal Head House, built in 1801 at the
head of the canal, also remains as a private residence, and
one third of a mile west of Canal House is the Sandholme
Aqueduct, built in 1801 to carry the canal over a drain.
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The original lock gates between the canal
and the River Hull have now been replaced by a sluice, cutting
the canal off from the river's tidal effects, and the canal
itself has been split into two sections about half way along
its length, and water is now fed from one section to the other
by means of a 'pipe'. |
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Up until recently, the Environment Agency
had not allowed regular dredging/maintenance of the canal on
the grounds that it wanted the wildlife to naturalise in the
area, having designated the canal as an SSSI (Site of Special
Scientific Interest), and the fear that the dredger may pierce
the clay creating a leak.
Unfortunately their decision had the opposite effect on the
canal in that it became badly overgrown with reeds and weeds
in one section, and the volume and range of wildlife
inhabiting its banks appeared to have decreased rather than
increased.
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Recently the Environment Agency has
allowed the owners to take limited but positive steps to
'clean up' the canal, and dredging of certain areas has been
undertaken. - These areas are already looking healthier.
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It is a well known fact that reduced water flow causes
settlement of fine sediments. This can clog up spawning
grounds, making them unsuitable for breeding, or can cover
eggs already laid, starving the developing embryo's of
oxygen.
In either case, fish stocks in the canal are bound to be
reduced. Also, low water flow during the summer leads to
higher water temperatures and this reduces oxygen levels in
the water |
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 A little useless but interesting
information ....
Between 1951 and
1970 the canal was known to host a rare species of slim-stem
reed-grass known as 'Calamagrostis stricta', but there have
been no reports of its existence since then, though the banks
have been searched several times in recent years. (There are
only 29 known sites in the UK where this reed has been
positively identified)
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Read about
Matilda Simpson - Leven
Lock-keeper |
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Related Books:
The Canals of Yorkshire and North East
England - Charles Hadfield (Volumes 1 & 2)
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