Leven Canal

The Leven Canal canal runs for 3.25 miles (5.1 km) from the River Hull to the village of Leven, East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It was built for Mrs Charlotta Bethell in 1805, and remained in use until 1935. It is now a Site of Special Scientific Interest.

Location

The Leven Canal runs from the River Hull between Arram and Aike, to the south end of the village of Leven. It borders the Leven Carrs in the north, and Eske and Routh Carrs in the south. As it enters Leven it passes Little Leven. Just upstream on the River Hull is the start of the Driffield Navigation.

History

Mrs Charlotta Bethell, a widow who owned large amounts of land in the East Riding of Yorkshire, commissioned William Jessop to make a survey to create a canal to Leven. Jessop came back with an estimate of £4,041 to make a canal from the River Hull to the village. [http://www.jim-shead.com/waterways/sdoc.php?wpage=PNRC0421#PNRC412 Joseph Priestley (1831), "Priestley's Navigable Rivers and Canals"] ]

The canal was opened in 1805, but its cost had exceeded Jessop's estimate, and tolls had to be increased. Mr Richard Bethell paid half the cost to improvements to Hull Bridge, which vessels from Kingston upon Hull had to pass through.

The 3.25 mile (5.2km) long canal was constructed to allow Humber Keels 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. [ [http://leven-village.co.uk/pages/canal.htm Leven Village website: Canal] ]

Coal, lime and building materials were imported, while local agricultural produce was sent down the river to Hull.

Personnel

Not only was the canal fairly unique in being owned by a woman, but it also had a female lock keeper. Matilda Simpson was the daughter of Thomas Jacques and Jane Taylor born on the 7 August 1814, either at Cottingham (1851 and 1881 census), or at Dunswell (1901 census), [http://leven-village.co.uk/pages/matilda.htm Leven Village website: Matilda] ] depending on which census you believe. She married David Simpson on 23 June 1834 in Leven.

On the 1851 census William Simpson is recorded as being the lock keeper of Lock house, Leven, aged 75. Also living at the lock house are his wife, Margaret age 71, son David age 41, and David's wife, the aforementioned Matilda age 35. With children, and other close family members, 12 people resided at the lock house!

It is assumed that David took over as lock-keeper when his father William died on 20 March 1853. However, David and his son, John were drowned in a tragic accident. This was reported in a Beverley Guardian report of 9 November 1872. After David, his son, and his son's wife visited Beverley, David walked back, but the other two caught a train later that day. The night was very stormy and dark, and a small boat used by them as a ferry was moored on the Arram bank. The son's wife did not want to cross in the small boat, but David's son crossed to pick up a large boat. On his attempted return to the other bank with his father they both fell in the rough waters, and died.

Decline

The canal was very busy during its life, but traffic started to fall off in the 1930s, and it was officially closed in 1935. [http://www.english-nature.org.uk/News/story.asp?ID=671 English Nature: Court of Appeal ruling] ] Eventually the lock fell into disuse, and Leven Canal became cut off from the river. Subsequently, the lock which was a flood lock containing three sets of gates, was turned into a sluice, to allow water to pass into the River Hull. [ [http://www.drifnav.co.uk/vc-hullb-bbbc/leven-lock-end.htm Driffield Navigation: Leven Lock] ]

The canal was sold by auction in 1963, and was bought by Frank Hopkinson of Conisborough, for the sum of £1,950. Mr Hopkinson was a motor dealer, and has since joined the Inland Waterways Association. [ [http://www.waterways.org.uk/Ourwork/AHistoryofIWA/HistoricCampaigns/LevenCanal IWA: Historic Campaigns] ] It is currently managed by Trailer & Marina (Leven) Ltd.

The waterway was cut in half when it was decided not to maintain the aqueduct over the "Old Sal" or Holderness Drain. The canal bed has been replaced by a pipe over the drain, which is part of the flood defence system of this low-lying area, and about 50m of canal adjacent to this, under a pipe bridge, has been filled in. [ [http://leven-village.co.uk/album/canal1.htm Leven Village website: Album 1] ] [ [http://leven-village.co.uk/album/canal2.htm Leven Village website: Album 2] ] The rest of the canal is still in water and has been a Site of Special Scientific Interest since 1962, as it supports around 42 types of plants and animals, including yellow and white water lilies, and this number is larger than for other similar environments. It was the rich flora and fauna that resulted in the High Court upholding a ban on the canal owners from developing the canal for fishing and boating in 2004., although limited improvements have taken place subsequently, as reeds were choking the waterway.

Route

Acknowledgments

*Mick from the Leven Village website for allowing me to use some of his text
*Mrs Ramsden for her research into Matilda Simpson's family

References

ee also

*Canals of Great Britain
*History of the British canal system

External links

* [http://www.leven-village.co.uk/pages/canal.htm Leven Village website] - which includes the full text from the Beverley Guardian
* [http://www.driffieldnavigation.co.uk Driffield Navigation Website]