THE STOVER CANAL by Richard Harris |
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Jettymarsh - the first lock From the postcard collection of Richard Harris |
THE CONSTRUCTION When James Templer II inherited the Stover Estate in 1782 he was determined to carry on his father’s work of developing the family estate lands. The timing of his inheritance coincided with the increase in demand for the ball clay of the Bovey Basin deposits. However, the exploitation of these deposits was hindered the inefficient method of transporting clay from the pits around Preston and Bellamarsh, to the port of Teignmouth. The journey necessitated the clay being taken some three or four miles by cart or pack horse to Hackney on the tidal Teign estuary and then transferred into lighters to be taken down the estuary before being transferred to waiting ships. An astute businessman like his father, James Templer realised how the transport of the clay to Teignmouth could be improved by the construction of a canal from the clay bearing lands of the Bovey Basin to the Teign Estuary and that such a canal, located on his estate, could bring him considerable profit.
In January 1790 work began on constructing the new canal. The place chosen for its commencement was a point where his lands bordered the neighbouring parish of Highweek along the White Lake Channel that drained Jettymarsh. |
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Jettymarsh - the second lock From the postcard collection of Richard Harris |
The course of the canal was taken northwards, to avoid the marshy ground, from the point where it joined the Whitelake, by means of two stair case locks, with a rise of 6ft 6ins From the firmer ground at the end of these locks it then took a direct line in a north westerly direction towards Teignbridge where a bridge was constructed to take it under the Exeter to Newton Bushell road. Beyond the road a further lock was constructed and its course aligned towards Teigngrace. A fourth lock, with granite walls, was built just above a feeder stream that was cut across the meadows from the river Teign at Fishwick. This lock saw the highest rise along the canal, some 6ft 9ins, and was built to hold only one barge at a time. A fifth lock was built in Teigngrace with a rise of 5ft 6ins and gave access to a small wharf. The course then turned in the direction of Chudleigh Knighton to stop at the Ventiford Brook, which also served as a feeder, and here clay cellars were built. Another feeder was cut to Jews Bridge. The reason that cellars were ever built at Ventiford has never been fully explained as they were as far away from the clay pits as the Hackney Clay cellars. Templer may well have envisaged that one day might be mined from that area. |
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Looking towards Newton Abbot from Teignbridge - 1934 From the postcard collection of Richard Harris |
By the time the canal had reached Ventiford Templer had spent over £1,000 to bring it thus far. According to Lysons it was originally intended to extend the canal as far as Jews Bridge and thence on to Bovey Tracey with a further branch being cut towards Chudleigh. To enable him to raise enough money to finance the aforementioned scheme he commissioned a private bill which was passed as an Act of Parliament on 11th June 1792. The terms of the Act entailed the mortgaging of the whole of his Stover Estate. Perhaps the prospect of having his whole fortune dependent on the success of the scheme raised some doubts within Templer as he never invoked its powers and decided against extending his canal any further than Ventiford. Thus, the canal came to be situated entirely on Templer’s own land in the parish of Teigngrace. |
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© M.E. Brine. This page last updated
31 July, 2009
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