the
Stover
Canal
Trust,
was
formed,
incorporating
representatives
of
the
society,
Teignbridge
District
Council,
the
relevant
County,
Town
and
Parish
Councils
plus
other
interested
parties,
to
manage
the
canal
and
carry
out
restoration
work.
In
February
2010
the
Trust
signed
a
lease
on
the
canal,
clearing
the
way
for
restoration
to
begin
in
earnest.
In
January
2014
members voted to disband the Society and merge its activities with the Trust.
In
the
intervening
years
good
progress
has
been
made
on
the
physical
restoration
of
the
canal,
holding
monthly
Working
Parties
which
have
cleared
scrub
and
trees
from
a
considerable
proportion
of
the
canal,
allowing
the
extent
of
the
remaining
work to be assessed.
On
the
18th
May
2012
Teignbridge
District
Council
granted
Conditional
Planning
Permission
for
phase
1
of
the
restoration
work.
The
Planning
decision
was
closely
followed
by
the
announcement
of
£44,000
of
funding
for
the
work
from
the
Landfill
Communities Fund, distributed by Ugbrooke Environmental Limited through the Viridor Credits.
Phase
1
has
created
a
new
pedestrian
access
to
the
existing
Stover
Canal
towpath
at
Jetty
Marsh
by
means
of
an
elevated
walkway
through
the
bywash
arch,
the
re-surfacing
of
the
existing
towpath,
the
building
of
a
further
elevated
walkway
over
the
bywash
to
connect
with
the
path
around
the
Clay
Cellars
leading
to
Exeter
Road.
On
the
north
side
of
the
Old
Exeter
Road,
in
the meadow, a connecting path has been created.
On
the
17th
August,
2013
,
completion
of
Phase
1
of
the
restoration
was
marked
by
a
ribbon
cutting
ceremony.
The
towpath
along
the
canal
from
Jetty
Marsh
to
the
Teigngrace
Lock
was
opened
by
Mr
Justin
Templer,
a
direct
descendent
of
James
Templer
who
ordered
the
building
of
the
canal
over
200
years
ago.
The
public
are
now
able
to
enjoy
a
walk
along
the
canal
which had been inaccessible for some 60 years.
Excavation
at
Ventiford
Basin
took
place
in
May
2014
and
the
remains
of
a
barge
were
uncovered
in
the
winding
hole,
where
vessels were turned through 180 degrees to make the return journey to Jetty Marsh. The quay walls were also revealed.
In
late
2014,
while
contractors
for
Devon
County
Council
were
involved
in
the
construction
of
the
cycle
and
walkway,
the
Stover
Way,
evidence
of
rails
from
George
Templers
Granite
Railway
was
discovered.
These
were
further
investigated,
along
with the remains of the barge, at a further archaeological dig in
May 2015
.
At
the
end
of
August
2015
for
a
period
of
two
weeks,
members
of
the
Waterway
Recovery
Group
were
on-site
clearing
the
Graving
Dock
Lock
of
decades
of
undergrowth,
repointing
much
of
the
granite
blockwork,
rebuilding
the
boiler
structure
and
improving the footpath alongside the canal. Work continued throughout 2016.
During
2016
efforts
were
concentrated
at
Ventiford
Basin
where
we
received
generous
help
from
the
local
clay
company,
Sibelco,
and
some
of
their
staff.
Hundreds
of
tons
of
silt
were
removed
to
expose
the
original
channel.
The
remains
of
three
more barges were discovered and recorded. Further lengths of George Templer’s Granite Tramway were also uncovered.
Unless stated, all material © Stover Canal Trust 2023
Charity Number, 1138316 Company Number: 5835573
Progress
The
Stover
Canal
Society
was
formed
following
a
public
meeting
held
in
February
1999
which
expressed
overwhelming
enthusiasm
for
the
canal
to
be
restored.
Teignbridge
District
Council
had
incorporated
part
of
the
canal
towpath
into
the
Templer
Way
historical
trail
in
the
late
1980s
and
were
considering
what
future
steps
to
take;
the
Inland
Waterways
Association
had
been
calling
for
action
over
the
state
of
the
canal
and
a
number
of
individuals,
notably
the
society’s
founding
chairman,
Roger
Harding,
had
been
enquiring
about
and
investigating
the
status
and
condition
of
the
canal.
He
was
featured
in
a
BBC
Spotlight
item
in
March
2010.
At
that
time
the
majority
of
the
canal
was
owned
by
Railtrack
(now
Network
Rail),
who
agreed
to
hand
over
the
canal
free
of
charge
to
Teignbridge
District
Council
for
leisure
use
by
the
community.
A
Charitable
Trust,
You can keep up to date with our activities by following our Social Media pages. Just click on the logos below.
Restoration
of
Graving
Dock
Lock
took
place
over
2015/16
with
help
from
the
Waterways
Recovery
Group
and
local
contractors and craftsmen. Reconstruction of the steam boiler was undertaken by our own volunteers.
Built by our forefathers, preserved for our grandchildren
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Click here for more information
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