Haddiscoe Cut

The Haddiscoe Cut or New Cut is a canal in the English county of Norfolk and in The Broads National Park. The cut was conceived as a way to provide a more direct route from Lowestoft to Norwich, and was opened in 1833.

History

The canal is 2½ miles long and joins the River Waveney and the River Yare between Reedham and Haddiscoe. It was established by Act of Parliament in 1827 [ [http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200607/cmprbill/005/07005--d.htm Parliament.uk: Broads Authority Bill] - Under section 37] and opened in 1833, initially as the "Norwich & Lowestoft Navigation".

The contract for the Haddiscoe Cut was signed with Thomas Townsend of Birmingham on July 3 1832, and work began at once.cite book|author=Wilfrid John Wren|title=Ports of the Eastern Counties|pages=108|year=1976|publisher=Terence Dalton Limited] Thomas Townsend worked as contractor on the canal throughout its construction. [cite book|author=A. W. Skempton|title=A Biographical Dictionary of Civil Engineers in Great Britain and Ireland|pages=714|year=2002|publisher=Thomas Telford|isbn=072772939X]

The developer of the cut was declared bankrupt within two years of the work being completed. As a result, the cut and the surrounding land were bought by a developer, so that a railway could be built. The line from Reedham to Lowestoft runs parallel to the cut and effectively forms the south western bank. Although maintained for navigation, the cut was owned by a series of railway companies for the next hundred years. [http://www.bfap.org/uploads/docs/CDCUT.pdf Broadland Flood Alleviation Project - Haddiscoe Cut Consultation Document] ]

Eventually, the British Transport Commission decided to prevent navigation on the cut, but local opposition was strong, and control of it passed to the River Board. Subsequently, the Environment Agency took over this role, and now maintains it.

Today

In 1993, failure of the piling resulted in part of the railway embankment being washed away. More recently, flood prevention measures have resulted in reconstruction of the river defences and walls, and this work was completed in 2006. [ [http://www.bfap.org/index.php?pageID=120&compartmentID=42&textOnly=0&textSize=1 Broadland Flood Alleviation Project - Haddiscoe Island Compartment] ]

References

* Ordnance Survey (2005). "OS Explorer Map OL40 - The Broads". ISBN 0-319-23769-9.
* [http://www.waterscape.com/Haddiscoe_New_Cut Waterscape: Haddiscoe New Cut]