91-668: Buckingham Old Gaol, sometimes known as Lord Cobham’s Castle, is a historic building in Buckingham , the former county town of Buckinghamshire , England . The building is now a museum, shop and tourist information centre and is located on Market Hill in the town centre. It is a member of the Milton Keynes Heritage Association and the Association of Independent Museums . Following an Act of Parliament passed on 30 June 1747 (21 George 2 c.12, known as Lord Cobham's Act),
182-475: A bailiff , twelve principal burgesses and a steward . Yeomanry House , the offices and home of the commanding officer of the Buckinghamshire Yeomanry , was built in the early 19th century. The town suffered from a significant fire that raged through the town centre on 15 March 1725, with the result that many of the main streets of the town were destroyed including Castle Street, Castle Hill and
273-625: A railway station on the Banbury to Verney Junction Branch Line , which opened in 1850 and closed to passengers in 1964 and freight in 1966. Finmere railway station on the Great Central Main Line was originally called "Finmere for Buckingham" when it opened in 1899, despite being 5 miles (8.0 km) from Buckingham. Finmere station dropped the "for Buckingham" from its name in the early 1920s, and closed in 1963. The closest stations to Buckingham are now Wolverton and Milton Keynes Central to
364-493: A 'Haling Act', the Ouse Navigation Act 1790 ( 30 Geo. 3 . c. 83), was passed, which ensured that tolls were charged and landowners were repaid for damage to the banks caused by horses. These measures were a success, as there were few complaints once the new system was in place. After the river had been diverted to King's Lynn , the town developed as a port. Evidence for this can still be seen, as two warehouses built in
455-566: A better route for barge traffic. The unmodified river would have changed course regularly after floods. The name Ouse is from the Celtic or pre-Celtic * Udso-s , and probably means simply "water" or slow flowing river. Thus the name is a pleonasm . The lower reaches of the Great Ouse are also known as "Old West River" and "the Ely Ouse", but the entire length of the river is often referred to simply as
546-673: A direct link north-east towards the lower river at Denver in Norfolk. The river previously ran through Hermitage Lock into the Old West River, then joined the Cam near Little Thetford before passing Ely and Littleport to reach the Denver sluice. Below this point, the river is tidal and continues past Downham Market to enter the Wash at King's Lynn. It is navigable from the Wash to Kempston Mill near Bedford,
637-470: A distance of 72 mi (116 km) which contains 17 locks. It has a catchment area of 3,240 sq mi (8,380 km ) and a mean flow of 15.5 m /s (550 cu ft/s) as measured at Denver Sluice. Its course has been modified several times, with the first recorded modification in 1236, as a result of flooding. During the 1600s, the Old Bedford and New Bedford rivers were built to provide
728-520: A number of hotels including the Villiers Hotel and White Hart in the town centre, and Best Western Buckingham Hotel and Travelodge on the outskirts. Buckingham is served by one GP surgery (The Swan Practice) and a community hospital . A minor injuries unit at the hospital was closed in 2009 and the nearest major hospital with an accident & emergency department is in Milton Keynes . The town
819-738: A progressively eastwards fashion. In the Dark Ages, it turned to the west at Littleport, between its present junctions with the River Little Ouse and the River Lark , and made its way via Welney, Upwell and Outwell, to flow into The Wash near Wisbech . At that time it was known as the Wellstream or Old Wellenhee, and parts of that course are marked by the Old Croft River and the border between Cambridgeshire and Norfolk. After major inland flood events in
910-553: A quicker route for the water to reach the sea. In the 20th century, construction of the Cut-Off Channel and the Great Ouse Relief Channel have further altered water flows in the region, and helped to reduce flooding. Improvements to assist navigation began in 1618, with the construction of sluices and locks. Bedford could be reached by river from 1689. A major feature was the sluice at Denver, which failed in 1713, but
1001-528: A reliable outlet to the sea, and was kept navigable by diverting the River Nene east to flow into it in the 1470s. The Land Drainage Act 1601 ( 43 Eliz. 1 . c. 11) allowed 'adventurers', who paid for drainage schemes with their own money, to be repaid in land which they had drained. The act covered large tracts of England, but no improvements were made to the region through which the Great Ouse flowed until 1618, Arnold Spencer and Thomas Girton started to improve
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#17328521912931092-523: A third of the homes had been rebuilt. Due to many buildings being considered to be of historic interest, a number of them have been granted 'listed building' status. These include the Grade I listed Castle House on West Street, which dates back to the 15th century. Buckingham Town Hall , which is Grade II* listed, dates back to the late 18th century. The town was connected to the London and North Western Railway by
1183-429: A three-month period soon afterwards. Despite pressure from local authorities and navigation companies, the upper river was closed for trade, and a royal commission reported in 1909 on the poor state of the lower river, the lack of any consistent authority to manage it, and the unusual practice of towing horses having to jump over fences because there were no gates where they crossed the towing path. The Ouse Drainage Board
1274-526: A village on the north eastern borders of the town has become contiguous with the Buckingham urban area. Nearby (10 miles radius) settlements include Winslow , Bicester , Brackley , Milton Keynes and Silverstone . Local villages in the immediate vicinity include Padbury and Gawcott to the south, Chackmore to the north and Shalstone to the north west. It is also very near Stowe , the location of Stowe House , Stowe Gardens and Stowe School . There
1365-440: Is a degree confluence point on the edge of the town, at exactly 52°00′00″N 01°00′00″W / 52.00000°N 1.00000°W / 52.00000; -1.00000 . Bourton was a hamlet in the parish of Buckingham. The hamlet name is Old English in origin, and means 'fortified enclosure'. It is now an integral part of the town of Buckingham, with a road and old mill named Bourton still visible to visitors. Bourton
1456-477: Is a flea market held every Saturday on the site of the town's former cattle pens, offering a wide selection of antiques, collectables and jewellery. There are two tiers of local government in Buckingham, at parish (town) and unitary authority level: Buckingham Town Council and Buckinghamshire Council . The town council is based at the Buckingham Centre on Verney Close in the town. Historically, Buckingham
1547-555: Is a regional centre for the sport. Viking Kayak Club organise the Bedford Kayak Marathon with canoe racing held along the Embankment on Bedford's riverside and dates back to the original Bedford to St Neots race in 1952, believed to be the first of its kind in the country. Bedford also benefits from the presence of weirs and sluices, creating white water opportunities. Viking organise national ranking Canoe Slalom events at
1638-523: Is based at the museum, and houses its collections there. In addition to arms, regalia, and other military memorabilia, the Buckinghamshire Military Museum Trust also holds a small collection of military musical instruments, including early examples of rope-tensioned side drums. Buckingham Buckingham ( / ˈ b ʌ k ɪ ŋ ( h ) ə m / BUK -ing-(h)əm ) is a market town in north Buckinghamshire , England, close to
1729-580: Is no loger available for navigation. The proposed Fens Waterways Link , which aims to improve navigation from Lincoln to Cambridge may result in this section being upgraded, or a non-tidal link being created at Denver. There are two more proposed schemes to improve connections from the river to the Midlands waterway network (in addition to the Gt Ouse ;– Nene link via the Middle Level). As
1820-584: Is now most often referred to as St Rumbold, the latter being the most common, as it can be found being used on a local road name and recent booklets about the subject. The town is centred on the historic market place and contains many 18th century buildings. There are three main roads crossing Buckingham, namely the A413 , the A421 (the southern bypass) and the A422 . Capability Brown 's historic formal garden design at Stowe (on
1911-505: Is said to be the final resting place of St Rumbold (also known as Saint Rumwold), a little-known Saxon saint and the grandson of Penda King of Mercia ; the parish church at Strixton ( Northamptonshire ) is dedicated to him and the small northern town of Romaldkirk is also thought to be named after him. He was apparently born at King's Sutton , Northants , where he died just three days later. During his short life, he repeatedly professed his Christian faith and asked for baptism . He
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#17328521912932002-671: Is said to have been founded by Bucca , the leader of the first Anglo Saxon settlers. The first settlement was located around the top of a loop in the River Great Ouse , presently the Hunter Street campus of the University of Buckingham . Between the 7th century and the 11th century, the town of Buckingham regularly changed hands between the Saxons and the Danes , in particular, in 914 King Edward
2093-646: Is served by the Buckingham & Winslow Advertiser weekly newspaper. Local radio stations are BBC Three Counties Radio , Heart Four Counties (now Heart East ), independent radio Mix 96 and 3Bs Radio, a community based station that broadcast to the town as well as to Bicester and Brackley . The town sits between two television transmitters, with residents able to choose between Oxford ( ITV Meridian / BBC South ) and Sandy Heath ( ITV Anglia / BBC East ). Buckingham has been twinned with Joinville , in France , since 1963. In 2002, Buckingham became twinned with
2184-408: Is the community primary, and the three academies (Bourton Meadow Academy, George Grenville Academy and Lace Hill Academy) are all operated by Campfire Education Trust. The town is home to a number of industrial estates and technology parks housing high tech companies in the pharmaceutical, electronic, foods and composite materials fields, including Racelogic and Wipac . Buckingham was home to
2275-554: The Buckinghamshire Railway in 1850. The municipal borough had a population of 1,816 in 1841. In 1971, Buckinghamshire County Council set up the Buckingham Development Company with other local councils, and undertook a significant project to grow the town and provide a bypass, mainly to the south and east of the historic town centre. The population rose from just over 5,000 to 9,309 in 1991. The town
2366-714: The Cardington Artificial Slalom Course (CASC), which was the first artificial whitewater course in the UK, opened in 1982 adjacent to Cardington Lock, in a partnership with the Environment Agency who use it as a flood relief channel. CASC is also the venue each year for the UK's National Inter Clubs Slalom Finals, the largest canoe slalom event by participation in the UK. Since 1978, the Bedford River Festival has been held every two years, to celebrate
2457-572: The Earl of Bedford formed a corporation to drain the Bedford Levels. Cornelius Vermuyden was the engineer, and a major part of the scheme was the Old Bedford River, a straight cut to carry water from Earith to a new sluice near Salters Lode, which was completed in 1637. The sluice was not popular with those who used the river for navigation, and there were some attempts to destroy the new works during
2548-550: The Heritage Lottery Fund to add a glass roof over the original prisoners' exercise yard in 2000. The museum is open to the public and tells the story of Buckingham and rural life, including the Flora Thompson Collection (author of Lark Rise to Candleford ) and Buckinghamshire Military Trust exhibits. A number of the original cells form part of the museum exhibits. The Buckinghamshire Military Museum Trust
2639-536: The House of Lords in 1904, who allowed Simpson to close the locks. Simpson's victory in 1904 coincided with an increased use of the river for leisure. As he could not charge these boats for use of the locks, the situation was resolved for a time in 1906 by the formation of the River Ouse Locks Committee, who rented the locks between Great Barford and Bedford. Over 2,000 boats were recorded using Bedford Lock in
2730-554: The Milton Keynes urban area (at Stony Stratford and Newport Pagnell ) and Olney , then Kempston in Bedfordshire, which is the current head of navigation. Passing through Bedford , it flows on into Cambridgeshire through St Neots , Godmanchester , Huntingdon , Hemingford Grey and St Ives , reaching Earith . Here, the river enters a short tidal section before branching in two. The artificial, very straight Old Bedford River and New Bedford River , which remain tidal, provide
2821-770: The River Cam , the River Lark, the River Little Ouse and the River Wissey. Close to Denver sluice, Salters Lode lock gives access to the Middle Level Navigations , but the intervening section is tidal, and deters many boaters. Access to the Middle Level Navigations used to be possible via the Old Bedford River and Welches Dam lock, but the Environment Agency piled the entrance to the lock in 2006 and this route
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2912-495: The River Great Ouse , including a temple south of the A421 at Bourton Grounds which was excavated in the 1960s and dated to the 3rd century AD. A possible Roman building was identified at Castle Fields in the 19th century. Pottery, kiln furniture and areas of burning found at Buckingham industrial estate suggest the site of some early Roman pottery kilns here. In the 7th century, Buckingham (literally "hemmed in land of Bucca's people" )
3003-597: The Thomas Rickett steam car , an innovative vehicle from 1860, though considered ahead of its time and only two are thought to have been made. Most retail is located in the town centre with a variety of independent stores, cafes and restaurants as well as national chains. The Hidden Quarter, located mainly in Well Street and Bridge Street, hosts a number of independent retailers selling everything from handmade home wares to retro wooden toys. Currently, there are two banks in
3094-611: The Tripartite System of state secondary education. The local state secondary schools are the Royal Latin School (a Grammar School ) and the Buckingham School (a secondary modern ). Stowe School and Akeley Wood School , just outside the town, are private schools . There are four primary schools, one a community school and the other three academies , serving different areas of the town: Buckingham Primary School
3185-476: The 15th century for trade with the Hanseatic League have survived. However, the harbour and the river below Denver sluice were affected by silting, and the problem was perceived to be the effects of the sluice. Sand from The Wash was deposited by the incoming tide, and the outgoing tide did not carry it away again. Colonel John Armstrong was asked to survey the river in 1724, and suggested returning it to how it
3276-415: The 1830s and 1840s. The Bedford Level Act 1827 ( 53 Geo. 3 . c. ccxiv) created commissioners who dredged the river from Hermitage Lock to Littleport bridge, and also dredged several of its tributaries. They constructed a new cut near Ely to bypass a long meander near Padnall Fen and Burnt Fen , but although the works cost £70,000, they were too late to return the navigation to prosperity. Railways arrived in
3367-523: The 18th century. Buckingham has a variety of restaurants and pubs, typical of a market town. It has a number of local shops, both national and independent. Market days are Tuesday and Saturday which take over Market Hill and the High Street cattle pens. Buckingham is twinned with Neukirchen-Vluyn , Germany and Mouvaux , France. Buckingham and the surrounding area has been settled for some time with evidence of Roman settlement found in several sites close
3458-631: The A422 westbound) is an important attraction in the care of the National Trust . There is a medieval well known as St Rumbold's Well on the south side of the dismantled railway which borders the town. The well, which is now dry for much of the year, was positioned to exploit the spring line below the crest of a north facing slope overlooking the town. Suburbs of Buckingham include Mount Pleasant, Page Hill, Bourton, Badgers, Linden Village, Castle Fields, Tingewick Road Estate and Lace Hill. Maids Moreton ,
3549-665: The Buckingham Town Cricket Club, based at Bourton Road and the Buckingham Hockey Club which plays at Stowe School . Since 2014, Buckingham has been host to a weekly 5 km (3 mi) Parkrun . The town has several public sports facilities including the Swan Leisure Centre with an indoor swimming pool, climbing wall, an all weather sports pitch, squash courts. There are two bowls pitch and tennis courts managed by clubs and several private golf clubs in
3640-533: The Elder and a Saxon army encamped in Buckingham for four weeks forcing local Danish Viking leaders to surrender. Subsequently, a fort was constructed at the location of the present Buckingham parish church . Buckingham is mentioned in the Burghal Hidage , a document commonly ascribed to the early tenth century, but more probably of the period 878–9, which describes a system of forts set up by King Alfred (d.899) over
3731-623: The French town of Mouvaux . River Great Ouse The River Great Ouse ( / uː z / ooz ) is a river in England , the longest of several British rivers called "Ouse" . From Syresham in Northamptonshire , the Great Ouse flows through Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire and Norfolk to drain into the Wash and the North Sea near Kings Lynn . Authorities disagree both on
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3822-488: The Grand Junction Canal Company offered to re-open the canal if a minimum income of tolls could be guaranteed, but this was not forthcoming, with only occasional use reported up to 1932, and the canal was finally abandoned in 1964. The canal ran from Cosgrove, Northamptonshire to the centre of Buckingham to a wharf . A short section of the canal to the east of the town has now been restored. Buckingham had
3913-624: The King's Lynn Conservancy Board, and the Great Ouse Catchment Board reconstructed and extended them in 1937. After major flooding in 1937 and 1947, and the North Sea flood of 1953 , flood control issues became more important, and the Cut-Off Channel was completed in 1964, to carry the headwaters of the River Wissey, River Lark and River Little Ouse to join the river near Denver sluice. The Great Ouse Relief Channel, which runs parallel to
4004-482: The King's Lynn harbour. Denver sluice was reconstructed in 1834, after the Eau Brink Cut had been completed. Sir John Rennie designed the new structure, which incorporated a tidal lock with four sets of gates, enabling it to be used at most states of the tide. Sir Thomas Cullam, who had inherited a part share of the upper river, invested large amounts of his own money in rebuilding the locks, sluices and staunches in
4095-685: The Ouse in informal usage (the word "Great" – which originally meant simply big or, in the case of a river, long – is used to distinguish this river from several others called the Ouse). The river has several sources close to the villages of Syresham and Wappenham in South Northamptonshire . It flows through Brackley , provides the Oxfordshire /Northamptonshire border, then into Buckinghamshire where it flows through Buckingham ,
4186-607: The Radcliffe Centre. A library is located in the town centre, operated by Buckinghamshire County Council. The town is home to numerous clubs and associations including the Buckingham Society, a civic amenity society linked with Civic Voice , a large U3A with over 900 members, and many music, photography and arts clubs. The town holds an annual Charter Fair . It is held in October over two successive Saturdays starting on
4277-621: The area rapidly after 1845, reaching Cambridge, Ely, Huntingdon, King's Lynn, St Ives, St Neots and Tempsford by 1850. The river below King's Lynn was improved by the construction of the 2 mi (3.2 km) Marsh Cut and the building of training walls beyond that to constrain the channel, but the railways were welcomed by the Bedford Levels Corporation, for whom navigation interfered with drainage, and by King's Lynn Corporation, who did not want to be superseded by other towns with railway interchange facilities. A large interchange dock
4368-467: The boats over such obstructions. On the lower river, a combination of high spring tides and large volumes of floodwater resulted in the complete failure of Denver sluice in 1713. While there were celebrations among the navigators, the problem of flooding returned, and the channel below Denver deteriorated. Charles Labelye therefore designed a new sluice for the Bedford Level Corporation, which
4459-476: The borders of Northamptonshire and Oxfordshire , which had a population of 12,890 at the 2011 Census . The town lies approximately 12 miles (19 km) west of Central Milton Keynes , 19 miles (31 km) south-east of Banbury , and 24 miles (39 km) north-east of Oxford . Buckingham was the county town of Buckinghamshire from the 10th century, when it was made the capital of the newly formed shire of Buckingham, until Aylesbury took over this role in
4550-505: The building for their armoury from 1892 until 1926. In 1907, public toilets were installed. In the 1950s, it became an antiques shop and café . In 1974, the Aylesbury Vale District Council took over responsibility for the building. Buckingham Heritage Trust was formed in 1985 to save the building and it opened as a museum in 1993, together with a tourist information centre . The Old Gaol Museum obtained finance from
4641-518: The building was added in 1839, designed by George Gilbert Scott , a local architect. This provided accommodation for the gaoler and became known as the Keeper's Lodge. For around 60 years, the Old Gaol acted as the police station for Buckingham, until a new police station was built a short distance away on Moreton Road. In 1891 it became a fire station , and the C Company of the 1st Bucks Rifles rented part of
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#17328521912934732-497: The drainage and ecology authority as well as being the navigation authority . The Ouse Washes are an internationally important area for wildlife. Sandwiched between the Old Bedford and New Bedford rivers, they consist of washland which is used as pasture during the summer but which floods in the winter, and are the largest area of such land in the United Kingdom. They act as breeding grounds for lapwings, redshanks and snipe in spring, and are home to varieties of ducks and swans during
4823-438: The early 13th century it breached another watershed near Denver and took over the channel of the old Wiggenhall Eau, and so achieved a new exit and so joined the Wash at Kings Lynn. Parts of the old course were later used for the River Lark, which flows in the reverse direction along the section below Prickwillow, after the main river was moved further to the west. The original northern course began to silt up, depriving Wisbech of
4914-746: The east and Bicester North and Bicester Village to the south west. The new East West rail link will have a stop at nearby Winslow , scheduled to start running by the end of 2025. There are two local football teams, and a rugby union club including teams for women and young women. These are Buckingham Athletic F.C. based at Stratford Fields, Buckingham United F.C based at Lace Hill and Buckingham RUFC based at Floyd Field, Maids Moreton . Moretonville Junior Football Club also has boys and girls teams from u7s – u16s. The town used to be home to Buckingham Town F.C. founded in 1883 until their relocation to Fenny Stratford in 2019; they played at Ford Meadow from 1883 until being evicted in 2011. The town also has
5005-517: The first Saturday after the 11th of the month. During the 19th century it was called the Statute Fair. The public roasting of an ox, sheep and pig often took place at the same time. The town's tourist attractions include the Chantry Chapel , the Buckingham Old Gaol museum, the Sir George Gilbert Scott designed St.Peter & St Paul Church and a number of picturesque Georgian streetscapes. Nearby to Buckingham include Stowe School , Stowe Landscape Gardens and Silverstone Circuit . Buckingham has
5096-468: The harbour, and was widened at an additional cost of £33,000 on Telford's advice. The total cost for the 2 + 1 ⁄ 2 mi (4.0 km) cut was nearly £500,000, and although the navigators, who had opposed the scheme, benefitted most from it, there were new problems for drainage, with the surrounding land levels dropping as the peaty soil dried out. The Eau Brink Act 1795 created Drainage Commissioners and Navigation Commissioners, who had powers over
5187-432: The main river for 10 + 1 ⁄ 2 mi (16.9 km) from here to Wiggenhall bridge, was constructed at the same time. It joins the river at a sluice above King's Lynn, and was made navigable in 2001, when the Environment Agency constructed a lock at Denver to provide access. By 1939, the Catchment Board had reopened the locks to Godmanchester and then to Eaton Socon ; in 1951 the Great Ouse Restoration Society
5278-401: The most popular area for breeding animals in recent years. Tributaries of the River Great Ouse: (upstream [source] to downstream by confluence) In 1944 the annual Boat Race between the Oxford and Cambridge universities took place on this river, between Littleport and Queen Adelaide, the first time that it had not been held on the Thames ; it was won by Oxford. The 2021 Boat Race
5369-502: The navigation, and it was recommended that it should be abandoned, but there was no funds to obtain an act of Parliament to create a drainage authority. The navigation was declared to be derelict by three county councils soon afterwards. It was then bought by the Ouse River Canal and Steam Navigation Ltd , who wanted to link Bedford to the Grand Junction Canal , but they failed to obtain their act of Parliament. A stockbroker called L. T. Simpson bought it in 1893, and spent some £21,000 over
5460-452: The next four years in restoring it. He created the Ouse Transport Company, running a fleet of tugs and lighters, and then attempted to get approval for new tolls, but was opposed by Bedfordshire and Huntingdonshire county councils. Protracted legal battles followed, with Simpson nailing the lock gates together, and the county councils declaring that the river was a public highway. The case, Simpson v Godmanchester Corporation , eventually reached
5551-421: The north side of Market Hill. The result was 138 dwellings (out of a total of 387 in the town at that time) being consumed in the fire. The current fine range of Georgian architecture in these streets today is as a direct result of that fire, but the immediate aftermath was difficult for the town. Collections were made in surrounding towns such as Aylesbury and Wendover to help those made homeless and by 1730, only
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#17328521912935642-420: The original prison building was erected in 1748. The bulk of funding was from Richard Temple , fourth baronet of Stowe (1675–1749), who had been previously MP for Buckingham. It was built in the Gothic style . One of the prisoners jailed here was the prize fighter Simon Byrne. He was tried at the Buckingham Assizes in 1830 for the manslaughter of another prize fighter, Alexander M'Kay. The rounded front of
5733-403: The regular X60 bus. An inter-city coach service, the X5 , links the town to both Bedford (via Milton Keynes ) and Oxford (via Bicester ). Some surrounding villages are connected to Buckingham by a market day bus and there is a community bus scheme called Bart. Buckingham was served by the Buckingham Arm of the Grand Junction Canal from 1801 until the end of the 19th century. In 1928,
5824-422: The river between 1925 and 1959, with the last known commercial traffic sailing in 1974. Leisure boating had been popular since 1904, and the post-war period saw the creation of the Great Ouse Restoration Society in 1951, who campaigned for complete renovation of the river navigation. Until 1989, the river was in the care of the Anglian Water Authority until water privatisation , when the Environment Agency became
5915-453: The river between St Ives and St Neots . Six sluices were constructed, and Spencer attempted to obtain permission to improve the river to Bedford, but the bill for the related act of Parliament was defeated, despite support from Bedford Corporation. Some dredging was done, and Great Barford became an inland port, but he lost a lot of money on the scheme, and the condition of the river worsened. Below Earith, thirteen Adventurers working with
6006-457: The river by forming the Viking Kayak Club . Since 1996, the river has been the responsibility of the Environment Agency , who issue navigation licences. The upper river was fully reopened to Bedford with the rebuilding of Castle Mills lock in 1978. The non-tidal reaches of the river are used for leisure boating, but remain largely separated from the rest of the British inland waterway system. Several of its tributaries are navigable, including
6097-428: The river to St Ives, but both bodies were subject to the Bedford Levels Corporation. Although often in opposition, the two parties worked together on the construction of a new lock and staunch at Brownshill, to improve navigation above Earith. In 1835, King William IV brought a case against the Ouse Bank Commissioners regarding a mandamus writ issued in 1834 about the Eau Brink Cut and possible damages it caused to
6188-561: The river's source and its length, with one quoting 160 mi (260 km) and another 143 mi (230 km). Mostly flowing north and east, it is the fifth longest river in the United Kingdom . The Great Ouse has been historically important for commercial navigation, and for draining the low-lying region through which it flows; its best-known tributary is the Cam , which runs through Cambridge . Its lower course passes through drained wetlands and fens and has been extensively modified, or channelised , to relieve flooding and provide
6279-432: The river, and navigation was extended to Bedford in 1689 by the construction of new staunches and sluices. Between St Ives and Bedford, there were ten sluices, which were pound locks constructed at locations where mill weirs would have prevented navigation. There were also five staunches, which were flash locks constructed near to fords and shallows. Operation of the beam and paddle provided an extra volume of water to carry
6370-400: The sugar beet factory at Queen Adelaide near Ely was opened. They operated six or seven tugs and a fleet of over 100 barges, and three tugs and 24 barges from the Wissington sugar beet factory on the River Wissey also operated on the river. Local commercial traffic continued around Ely until after the Second World War . The sugar beet traffic ceased in 1959, and the last commercial boat on
6461-463: The town centre - Barclays and Lloyds. Buckingham's historic street market has been in the town for over 600 years and dates from the Charters granted by Queen Mary in 1554 and Charles II in 1664, giving the markets a unique heritage. Street markets are held every Tuesday and Saturday. Regular and casual market traders offer a wide variety of products, including fish, fruit and veg, award-winning bread, household goods, tools, flowers and clothes. There
6552-513: The turmoil of the English civil wars . A second drainage act of Parliament was obtained in 1649, and Vermuyden oversaw the construction of the New Bedford River, parallel to the Old Bedford River, which was completed in 1652. There was strong opposition from the ports and towns on the river, which increased as the old channel via Ely gradually silted up. Above Earith, Samuel Jemmatt took control of
6643-459: The upper river was "Shellfen" , a Dutch barge converted to carry 4,000 imp gal (18,000 L) of diesel fuel, which supplied the remote pumping stations until 1974, when the last ones were converted to electricity. Below Denver, the situation was complicated by the fact that there were six bodies with responsibility for the river in 1913. No dredging took place, as there was no overall authority. The training walls were repaired in 1930 by
6734-545: The vicinity of the town. Buckingham Old Gaol is the town's museum which was established in 1993 in the historic town centre Old Gaol building. It also houses temporary exhibitions and the Tourist Information Centre . The Chandos Cinema was in operation from 1934 and closed in 1987, but in 2005 an independent community cinema opened in the university called the Film Place. Live music events are regularly held in
6825-440: The water quality has improved, otters have returned to the river in numbers such that fishing lakes now require fencing to protect stocks. Paxton Pits nature reserve near St Neots has hides from which otters are regularly seen. Coarse fishing is still popular, with a wide range of fish in the river, but it is many years since large sturgeon were caught. Seals have been recorded as far upstream as Bedford. Huntingdonshire seems to be
6916-683: The whole of East Anglia by the end of 917. Buckingham is the first settlement referred to in the Buckinghamshire section of the Domesday Book of 1086. Buckingham was referred to as Buckingham with Bourton , and the survey makes reference to 26 burgesses , 11 smallholders and 1 mill . The town received its charter in 1554 when Queen Mary created the free Borough of Buckingham with boundaries extending from Thornborowe Bridge (now Thornborough ) to Dudley Bridge and from Chackmore Bridge to Padbury Mill Bridge. The designated borough included
7007-522: The whole of the West Saxon kingdom. When King Edward encamped at Buckingham with his army in 914, he was therefore restoring a fort which had already existed for more than a generation. This tactical move was part of a putsch against the Danish Vikings who controlled what had been southern Mercia, and which involved the taking of control of Viking centres at Bedford, Northampton, Cambridge and eventually
7098-479: The winter months. The river has been important both for drainage and for navigation for centuries, and these dual roles have not always been complementary. The course of the river has changed significantly. In prehistory, it flowed from Huntingdon straight to Wisbech and then into the sea. In several sequences, the lower reaches of the river silted, and in times of inland flood, the waters would breach neighbouring watersheds and new courses would develop – generally in
7189-524: Was 12,043. The town has continued to grow since 2011 and thus the figures at the prospective 2021 Census are expected to be significantly greater. As of October 2019 , the Town Council estimates the population of its civil parish at 15,700. The town is home to the University of Buckingham , the oldest of the UK's six private universities . Like other UK universities, a large proportion of its students are from overseas. The Buckinghamshire Council operates
7280-400: Was abolished in 2020, merging with Buckinghamshire County Council and the county's other districts to become Buckinghamshire Council. Buckingham stands at the crossroads of the A413 (north-south), A421 and A422 (east-west) roads. The town was by-passed in the early 1980s by creating a new section of the A421 to the south. Buckingham is linked to Milton Keynes, Winslow and Aylesbury by
7371-643: Was again held on the river because of the COVID-19 pandemic . The Great Ouse has been used by three clubs from Cambridge University for the training of rowers, with the Boat Club (CUBC) , the Women's Boat Club (CUWBC) and the Lightweight Rowing Club (CULRC) , all using facilities at Ely; the clubs merged in 2020. The Great Ouse is a very popular river for canoeing and kayaking , particularly around Bedford which
7462-414: Was an ancient borough , and it became a municipal borough in 1836. Buckingham Borough Council was based at Buckingham Town Hall until 1965, when it moved to Castle House on West Street. The borough was abolished in 1974 to become part of Aylesbury Vale district, with Buckingham Town Council being established as a successor parish covering the former borough. Aylesbury Vale District Council in turn
7553-411: Was built at Ely, to facilitate the distribution of agricultural produce from the local region to wider markets. In addition, coal for several isolated pumping stations was transferred to boats for the final part of the journey, rather than it coming all the way from King's Lynn. Decline on most of the river was rapid, with tolls halving between 1855 and 1862. Flooding in 1875 was blamed on the poor state of
7644-458: Was constructed between 1748 and 1750 and included a navigation lock. No tolls were charged on the river below St Ives or on the New Bedford, and those responsible for drainage complained about damage to the sluices and to banks by the horses used for towing boats. A bill for a new act of Parliament to regulate the situation was defeated in 1777 after fierce opposition, and it was not until 1790 that
7735-497: Was formed in 1918, but had no powers to deal with navigation issues, and it was not until the powers of the Land Drainage Act 1930 ( 20 & 21 Geo. 5 . c. 44) were used to create the Great Ouse Catchment Board that effective action could be taken. The catchment board bought the navigation rights from Simpson's estate, and began to dredge the river and rebuild the locks. There was an upturn in commercial traffic from 1925, when
7826-531: Was formed to continue the process, and successfully campaigned for and assisted with the restoration. The Restoration Society campaign included the establishment of the Bedford to St. Neots Canoe Race in 1952 to publicise the case for navigational restoration. Now known as the Bedford Kayak Marathon, it is the longest established canoe race in the UK. In 1961 its organisers formalised canoeing activities on
7917-418: Was obtained to authorise it, and another 26 years until the cut was finally opened in 1821. During this time, most of the major civil engineers of the time had contributed their opinions. The original project head and chief engineer was Sir Thomas Hyde Page . The work was overseen by John Rennie and Thomas Telford and construction took four years. It proved to be too narrow, resulting in further silting of
8008-549: Was once the location of a great house that belonged to the Minshull family. In the English Civil War the house was plundered by Parliamentarian forces. The house has long since disappeared. At the 2011 Census, the population of the Buckingham built-up area , which includes Maids Moreton but excludes Lace Hill, was 12,890. The population of the Buckingham civil parish (which excludes Maids Moreton but includes Lace Hill)
8099-462: Was prior to the construction of the drainage works. John Smeaton rejected this idea in 1766, suggesting that the banks should be moved inwards to create a narrower, faster-flowing channel. William Elstobb and others had suggested that the great bend in the river above King's Lynn should be removed by creating a cut, but it took 50 years of arguing before the Eau Brink Act 1795 ( 35 Geo. 3 . c. 77)
8190-401: Was rebuilt by 1750 after the problem of flooding returned. Kings Lynn, at the mouth of the river, developed as a port, with civil engineering input from many of the great engineers of the time. With the coming of the railways the state of the river declined so that it was unsuitable either for navigation or for drainage. The navigation was declared to be derelict in the 1870s. A repeated problem
8281-421: Was the number of authorities responsible for different aspects of the river. The drainage board created in 1918 had no powers to address navigation issues, and there were six bodies responsible for the river below Denver in 1913. When the Great Ouse Catchment Board was created under the powers of the Land Drainage Act 1930 , effective action could at last be taken. There was significant sugar beet cargo traffic on
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