Restoration Work on the Wendover Arm of the Grand Union CanalRelining the

Relining the disused canal near Tring

Laying the concrete blocks

The process involves the following stages
(1) The side is excavated smoothly down, using the JCB
(2) Large sheets of a waterproofing fabric containing a bentonite filling are added.
(3) A wall of concrete blocks is laid against the sheeting to protect it from damage from the barges once the canal is in use.
(4) The top of the wall is covered with a roll of coconut matting 
(5) The upper part of the sheeting will later be covered with soil.
(6) When the sides have been completed along a reasonable length the bottom will be covered with a large sheet of matting.
(7) The matting on the floor will then be covered with a thick layer of soil.
(8) When a suitable length has been prepared a temporary earth dam will be added and the area flooded.
(9) When eventually the restoration work connects with the canal at Tringford the earth dams will be removed and canal badges will again be able to go along the canal.
At the present rate this is unlikely to be before about 2025.

Stalls at Drayton Beauchamp Church

The photos were taken on the recent open day, held by the Wendover Arm Trust.

There was car parking, refreshments and an information stall at Drayton Beauchamp church, with escorted trips along the canal to the working site.

[As part of my archiving activities  I plan to update the pages on the Grand Union Canal and its branches - with many pictures of the canal and its buildings as they are now.]