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108-520: The Middle Level Commissioners are a land drainage authority in eastern England. The body was formed in 1862, undertaking the main water level management function within the Middle Level following the breakup of the former Bedford Level Corporation . The Middle Level is the central and largest section of the Great Level of The Fens , which was reclaimed by drainage during the mid-17th Century. The area

216-520: A bank was built between the Delph and the downstream portion of the Old Bedford River to maintain the integrity of the washland. Cole writing in 1784 stated that the purpose of the Delph was to make emptying of the washland easier. This has resulted in the Old Bedford River having two sections, which are not connected together. The upstream section flows down from Earith to Welches Dam, and then flows into

324-401: A child of only 3 years of age, who nevertheless served as governor for 21 years, dying in 1732. He was followed by his younger brother, John Russell, 4th Duke of Bedford and on the 4th Duke's death in 1771 by the latter's 5 year old grandson Francis Russell, 5th Duke of Bedford , who then served for 31 years. He was succeeded in 1802 by his brother John Russell, 6th Duke of Bedford . Some of

432-497: A huge number of objections, they resulted in an Act of Parliament being passed on 29 May 1649. This empowered William Russell, the fifth Earl of Bedford and some adventurers to drain the Great Level, without disrupting navigation on the rivers, and to make them into "winter ground". They had until 10 October 1656 to complete the work. "Winter ground" would be suitable for growing crops such as coleseed, rapeseed, corn, grain, hemp and flax, as well as providing pasture for cattle. Despite

540-530: A large number of Boards. The Internal drainage districts administered by the Middle Level Commissioners are: The Middle Level, apart from its flood protection role, is also the fourth largest navigation authority in the United Kingdom and is responsible for approximately 100 miles (160 kilometres) of statutory navigation and operates six navigation locks. The Nene-Ouse Navigation Link forms part of

648-490: A large part of it. It covers some 300,000 acres in the historical counties of Northamptonshire, Norfolk, Suffolk, Lincolnshire, Cambridgeshire and Huntingdonshire and much of it lies below sea level. It was divided under Vermuyden's plan into three areas, North, Middle and South Level. Following the king's initiative The Duke of Bedford was asked to undertake to free the Bedford Level from flooding as an alternative to giving

756-512: A layer of sand, and soon the rivers were higher than the surrounding land. Within 30 years flooding returned, and although the advent of wind pumps to raise water into the rivers helped the situation a little, it was not until the arrival of steam pumps in the early nineteenth century that the vision of the Adventurers was realised. Steam was replaced by diesel engines from 1913 and by automated electric pumps from 1948. The Middle Level suffered from

864-533: A living from fishing, wild-fowling, catching eels and cutting reeds. They employed the Dutch engineer Sir Cornelius Vermuyden to manage the scheme, and he was given six years to complete it. When finished, they would divide 43,000 acres (170 km) between themselves, in recompense for the money they had invested into the works. Another 12,000 acres (49 km) would be given to the king, and 40,000 acres (160 km) would be leased out with rents being used to maintain

972-556: A number of clay islands within the fens, including Ely and Ramsey . The last stand against the Norman invaders took place in the region, and ended in defeat when Hereward the Wake was betrayed by the monks of Ely in 1071. The early thirteenth century was a particularly wet period, and the Fens suffered from frequent flooding. Recognition that any solution needed organising centrally came in 1258, when

1080-463: A number of sluices (locks) to prevent flooding at high tide or to control the flow of water within the system. These required constant maintenance and repair. Other ongoing problems concerned silting and navigation issues such as towpaths and access. In 1843 the corporation's headquarters were moved to Bedford House, Ely . The three original divisions became self-governing: The corporation's powers and responsibilities gradually reduced until in 1920 it

1188-809: A pumping engine in 1842. This was a Butterley beam engine, rated at 60 hp (45 kW), which replaced several wind pumps. It drove a 32-foot (9.8 m) diameter scoop wheel, and the installation included three Lancashire boilers. This was replaced by two Vickers-Petters 2-stroke hot bulb diesel engines in 1923, each producing 180 hp (130 kW) and driving a 36-inch (91 cm) centrifugal pump manufactured by Gwynnes. These were upgraded to Ruston and Hornsby 4-stroke diesel engines in 1948, again driving Gwynnes 36-inch (91 cm) pumps, developing 295 hp (220 kW). The engines were still in situ in 2013, but since 1997 pumping has been performed by four 6-cylinder diesel engines manufactured by Perkins and driving 24-inch (600 mm) submersible pumps. This station

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1296-429: A self-governing drainage authority. The outfall sluice at St Germans lasted until 1862, when pressure of water destroyed it. The tides flowed along the outfall channel, flooding around 9 square miles (23 km) of land. The replacement dam and syphons did not work well, and were replaced by a new sluice in 1880. This in turn was replaced by a pumping station in 1934, at the time the largest flood defence pumping station in

1404-592: A statutory duty to further nature conservation in the performance of their functions and operate a specific conservation strategy, which forms a basis for all their river maintenance operations. There is also a close working relationship with Natural England , in particular through the Conservation Committee, which includes representatives of the Commissioners, the Environment Agency , Natural England and

1512-454: A straight line from a sluice near Earith to another near Salters Lode. The Bedford River was around 70 feet (21 m) wide, and was the main channel constructed. It provided a route for the waters of the Great Ouse which was considerably shorter and steeper than the existing route via Stretham and Ely . The project, which also included cutting or improving eight other drains, was financed by

1620-481: Is bounded on the northwest and east by the River Nene and Ouse washes , on the north by previously drained Marshland silts and to the south and west by low clay hills. The Middle Level river system consists of over 120 miles (190 km) of watercourses most of which are statutory navigations and has a catchment of over 170,000 acres (690 km). In the distant past Great Britain was part of continental Europe with

1728-561: Is located downstream of Purls Bridge farm, and consists of an Allen-Gwynnes electric pump in a small brick building, installed some time after 1975. Details of the Welches Dam pumping station are less clear, as there was a diesel engine and pump in a wooden building at Old Mill Drove from the 1920s, but this became disused around 1975. The pumping station is shown at Old Mill Drove. Two further pumping stations at Cock Fen and Upwell Fen are operated by Upwell Internal Drainage Board. This district

1836-523: Is no lock. Welches Dam Lock used to provide a link from the Middle Level Navigations to the Great Ouse, which was the only link between the two river systems when Well Creek became unnavigable. However, a campaign to save Well Creek from being filled in was successful, and the recommended transfer route follows the old course of the River Nene and Well Creek to Salters Lode Lock at Denver. In 2006,

1944-427: Is now known as Glenhouse pumping station, after the house built for the engine driver in 1907. The Manea and Welney District Drainage Commissioners are now responsible for an area of 7,665 acres (3,102 ha), in which they maintain 25.5 miles (41 km) of waterways and operate three pumpings stations. These are shown as Purls Bridge, Welches Dam and Glenhouse on their district plan. Purls Bridge pumping station

2052-492: Is rated good or fail. The water quality of the Old Bedford River and River Delph, which includes the Ouse Washes, was as follows in 2019. The water quality in the river has deteriorated since 2014, when it was rated good for ecological status. This is partly due to the fact that dissolved oxygen levels are now included in the assessment. Other reasons for the quality being less than good are low flow and physical modification of

2160-693: The Battle of Dunbar some of the workers were Scottish prisoners, and their numbers were swelled by Dutch prisoners after the Battle of Dover . The works in the North and Middle Levels, to the north-west of the Old Bedford River, were judged to be completed on 26 March 1651, and a second judgement took place at Ely in March 1652, when the South Level was signed off. A service of thanksgiving took place in Ely Cathedral, to celebrate

2268-571: The Inland Waterways Association have campaigned for it to be reopened, but with no success. In 2018, they organised a campaign cruise along the Old Bedford River, to highlight the issue. Access through the Old Bedford Sluice is only possible near low water during neap tides, and is further hampered by silting of the short channel below the sluice. Four narrow boats attempted to pass through the sluice, but only one succeeded. Once on

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2376-530: The Middle Level Navigations . The Link is at present is the only connection between the Great Ouse and the Main Canal Network. During a normal summer, over 1,000 passages of the Link-Route are made by pleasure craft. The Commissioners issue Navigation Notes , which provide navigation details for boat owners, who wish to use the system. The Middle Level Waterways Users Committee consists of representatives of

2484-521: The Act, the undertakers did not have a clear plan of what they would do to achieve the drainage, but were hoping that they could include the works of the Fourth Earl of Bedford. Several engineers made suggestions, but only Vermuyden had a clear plan and workmen to complete the work. As a result, he became the project director on 25 January 1650, despite not being popular particularly with his colleagues. He split

2592-678: The Bedford River was 10 miles (16 km) shorter than the old course of the Great Ouse, which meandered through Ely. The scheme was declared complete by a Session of Sewers, which met on 12 October 1637 at St Ives , but the following wet winter showed that there were serious flaws in its execution. The Royal Commission of Sewers reversed the decision when it met at Huntingdon in 1639, and an Act of Parliament passed in 1649 (the "Pretended Act") authorised William Russell, 5th Earl of Bedford and his associates (the Company of Adventurers) to further drain

2700-568: The Commission of Sewers met at St Ives, and stated that the work outlined in the original agreement had been largely finished. Part of the reasoning may have been that several of the adventurers were almost bankrupt, and the decision gave them the land that had been agreed. Numerous complaints were then received by the Privy Council , which turned the king against the Earl of Bedford and his Corporation. It

2808-527: The Commissioners and Users of the Middle Level system. It advises the Commissioners of the different requirements for water use in the Middle Level area and assists them in meeting such requirements so far as the Commissioners are able to do. Within the Middle Level Catchment there are three major national nature reserves at Woodwalton Fen , Monks Wood and Holme Fen as well as a number of smaller sites of more local interest. The Commissioners have

2916-795: The Counter Drain and lower Old Bedford River through the Middle Level Barrier Bank and into the River Delph. This was constructed in the 1940s and commissioned in December 1948. It was designed by W F Pattison, the Mechanical Engineer of the Great Ouse Catchment Board, who died prior to the completion of the project. The catchment board wanted to prevent water in the lower Old Bedford River overflowing its banks, particularly when

3024-547: The Earl of Bedford and several other investors. It was undertaken between 1630 and 1636, but although the work carried out may have been based on Vermuyden's plans, there is no firm evidence that he was involved as the supervising engineer. Prior to work starting, those who objected to the scheme had, among other things, composed "libellous songs to disparage the work", but once construction began, things got much worse. The objectors destroyed dykes as they were erected, filled in channels that had been dug, and opened sluices to flood

3132-597: The Environment Agency closed Welches Dam Lock, and despite campaigns for it to be reinstated, it has remained closed. There are proposals as part of the Fens Waterways Link which could result in more of the Old Bedford River becoming navigable, in order to provide a circular cruising route including parts of the Great Ouse and the Middle Level Navigations. The idea of an artificial river running, as

3240-546: The Fen Office in the Inner Temple, London on 1 August 1663, where the various official were elected. The first governor was William Russell, 1st Duke of Bedford , son of the original Undertaker, who held the position until his death in 1700, when he was replaced by his grandson Wriothesley Russell, 2nd Duke of Bedford . On the 2nd Duke's death in 1711 the post devolved to his young son Wriothesley Russell, 3rd Duke of Bedford ,

3348-455: The Fens, and felt that they no longer had access to what has previously been common land, did not abate. There were disturbances in Whelpmore Fen, near Littleport, and in 1638, threats to break down Ely prison to free those who had been arrested were taken seriously enough that it was guarded during the night. Oliver Cromwell became an advocate for those who had been dispossessed, although he

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3456-412: The Fens, and several commissions were held in the early seventeenth century to investigate what could be done. Finally, in 1630, Francis Russell, 4th Earl of Bedford assembled a group of 13 other Adventurers , and with the approval of King Charles I , embarked on a grand project to turn all of the Great Level of the Fens into agricultural land. They were opposed by the local population, many of whom made

3564-522: The Great Level into three, which were later known as the North Level, the Middle Level and the South Level, with the Bedford River forming the divide between the Middle Level and the South Level. Work began of the North and Middle Levels first, with the existing drainage works being restored, and new embanking and sluices constructed. In the South Level, the New Bedford River was cut, running parallel to

3672-453: The Great Ouse from Denver to Earith. The missing link is the section from Earith back to the Middle Level Navigations, for which three options have been proposed. One was to build an aqueduct to carry boats from Welches Dam over the Old Bedford River and into the tidal New Bedford River, which joins the Great Ouse above Hermitage Lock. The second was to build a new lock between Welches Dam and the Old Bedford River. The section above Welches Dam to

3780-633: The Great Ouse via the Middle Levels. Well Creek became impassable after commercial carrying ended on the Middle Levels in the 1940s, and Norfolk County Council wanted to fill it in to use part of the course for a road diversion in 1959. This was the start of campaigning to reopen it, resulting in the Well Creek Trust being formed in 1970, and Well Creek was reopened in 1975. The route along the Old River Nene and Well Creek to Salters Lode Lock then became

3888-517: The Middle Level Commissioners. The Manea and Welney District Drainage Commissioners are the successors to another drainage district, created by Acts of Parliament in 1758 and 1799. It originally contained 8,685 acres (3,515 ha) of fenland, and like the Sutton and Mepal District, the Commissioners declined to become part of the district created by the Middle Level Act of 1844, as they had installed

3996-462: The Middle Level system. Cock Fen pumping station was built in 1975, after it became impossible to drain the area by gravity to the north or west. The rectangular brick building houses diesel pumps. The final pumping station is on the right bank of the Old Bedford River. Lake Farm pumping station is a small, privately-owned installation, which drains a small part of the Ouse Washes. There is another pumping station at Welches Dam, which pumps water from

4104-572: The Middle Level there are 34 independent internal drainage boards initially set up in the 18th century and each responsible for the local drainage of their area. Most have pumping stations and discharge their run-off into the main Middle Level watercourses. Many of these IDBs are administered from the Middle Level Offices and their administrative and financial work is carried out by Middle Level staff. In addition, Middle Level staff also undertake engineering and planning liaison consultancy work for

4212-587: The Middle Level, and in 1753, the Nene Act was obtained. This allowed the commissioners to collect tolls from all traffic using the Nene, which would be used to fund the scouring and deepening of the channel. However, it also prohibited use of the Tongs Drain, an emergency flood relief channel, until flooding had already occurred, which was clearly unsatisfactory. After protracted debate, the Middle Level Act (50 Geo. 3. c. 125)

4320-487: The Middle Levels remained difficult, and rival schemes to divert the water through Wisbech and King's Lynn were proposed from 1836 onwards. All met with opposition but in 1843 a bill was prepared for a new channel (Middle Level Main Drain) to an outfall at Wiggenhall St Germans , some 9 miles further down the Great Ouse, where low tide levels were 7 feet (2.1 m) lower than at Salters Lode. The Bedford Level Corporation opposed

4428-517: The Old Bedford River at Welches Dam. There is a third channel between the Bedford Rivers, which is now known as the River Delph. It begins near where Vermuyden's Drain ends, and runs parallel to the Old Bedford River for most of its length, before crossing the washland to join the New Bedford River at Welmore Lake Sluice, 1.75 miles (2.8 km) above Denver Sluice. Its history is obscure, as its construction does not appear to have been documented. It

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4536-415: The Old Bedford River below Earith Sluice. Upgrading of the final section of the Old Bedford River would be required, and again, a lock structure to bypass Earith Sluice would be needed. The second route was the preferred option in 2003, although Lincolnshire County Council still showed all three routes on their 2018 Waterways Development Strategy document. The Environment Agency measure the water quality of

4644-451: The Old Bedford River does, from Earith to Denver was not a new idea; it had been proposed as early as 1604 by the engineer John Hunt . At a meeting of the Commissioners of Sewers held at King's Lynn on 1 September 1630, they asked the Dutch drainage engineer Cornelius Vermuyden to implement a drainage scheme for the southern fens, known as the Great Level. He would fund the work himself, but would receive 90,000 acres (36,000 ha) of

4752-450: The Old Bedford River was also rebuilt prior to 1828. The operation of the sluice at the downstream end was problematic for many years. Together with the sluice at Denver on the old course of the Great Ouse and that at Salters Lode on the outfall from the Middle Level, it prevented tides moving further upstream. The sluice gates were opened when the water level on the downstream side dropped below an agreed level, but in times of heavy rainfall,

4860-477: The Old Bedford River with a flood plain (the Ouse Washes ) between the two. By this time Parliament had taken over much of the king's former authority and was deemed necessary and desirable to reincorporate the company via an Act of Parliament in order to satisfactorily manage the completion and maintenance of the scheme. Following the restoration of Charles II in 1660, a series of local acts were passed to enable

4968-408: The Old Bedford River, it was joined by a canoe, a kayak and a dinghy. After an overnight stop at Welney, the flotilla continued through Welney Sluice, and despite some problems with weed growth, reached Welches Dam by around midday, where they were greeted by a television news cameraman and crews from the other boats which had not successfully negotiated the Old Bedford Sluice. The return passage through

5076-453: The Old Bedford Sluice was blocked by higher water levels in the tidal Great Ouse. A pumping station was seen as a cheaper option than raising the banks of the river for its entire length, and siting it at Welches Dam, between the outflow of the Manea and Welney District Drainage Commissioners and the Sutton and Mepal Internal Drainage Board, meant that the head against which the water had to be pumped

5184-494: The River Delph. The Counter drain which runs to the west of the upstream section has a similar kink in it where it joins Vermuyden's Drain, and they then flow into the downstream section of the Old Bedford River, which joins the tidal Great Ouse at Old Bedford Sluice near Denver. Welmore Lake Sluice was originally built as a dam by the proprietors of the Washlands, with the aim of preventing spring tides and small floods from entering

5292-636: The Roman sea defences, and vast areas were flooded, as far inland as Bedfordshire . The next major advance was the construction of Popham's Eau, a channel connecting the River Nene to the River Great Ouse , which was completed in 1605. The project was the inspiration of Sir John Popham , the Lord Chief Justice, who assembled a team of associates to complete the work, all of whom would benefit from it. There were, however, still major problems with flooding in

5400-596: The Roses interrupted his plans for further land drainage projects, and the Dissolution of the Monasteries between 1536 and 1539 had a catastrophic effect on the region. Monasteries had supervised many land drainage initiatives, but once they were replaced by hundreds of small landowners, there was neither the resources nor the organisation to maintain the works, which rapidly fell into disrepair. High sea levels in 1570 broke through

5508-416: The United Kingdom. It was replaced by a new pumping station in 2010, which retains that title. The Middle Level Commissioners consist of representatives from both the agricultural and non-agricultural sectors. Occupiers of agricultural property receive a rate demand direct from the Commissioners. The "rates" on non-agricultural properties, such as houses and factories, are paid through a special levy issued to

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5616-530: The additional volumes of water. The sluice consists of a single vertical sluice gate located just downstream of Welney Bridge. It was built by the Great Ouse River Authority and commissioned in 1973, prior to the Upwell pumping stations being built. The Old Bedford River is navigable between Welches Dam Lock and the Old Bedford Sluice. For a time it was part of the only route between the River Nene and

5724-409: The adventurers company organisation was unsuitable for such a longterm project, beset as it was with issues of collecting charges and navigation interests. The fact that its legality only stemmed from a royal charter was another major problem. In 1638 the king revoked the contract, allocating 40,000 acres to the Company of Adventurers and taking over as undertaker of the project himself. In 1640 Vermuyden

5832-558: The area but fell into disrepair after the dissolution of the monasteries . By the 1600s the general drainage situation was so bad that King James I invited Cornelius Vermuyden , the Dutch engineer, to devise a scheme to drain the Great Fen . The Great Fen , lying between the Wash and Cambridge, is more popularly known as the Bedford Level after Francis Russell, 4th Earl of Bedford , who owned

5940-503: The bill, as they felt that reducing the volume of water between Salters Lode and St Germans would lead to further deterioration of the river channel, but despite fierce opposition, the Act of Parliament (7 & 8 Vict. c. 106) was passed in 1844. As well as powers to raise more rates, the commissioners also received an annual payment from the Bedford Level Corporation, who no longer had to maintain Tongs Drain. The new main drain

6048-409: The change in level. Project Hereward estimated the cost of this work to be £3 million in 2018, but the Environment Agency costed it at £9 million. Modification to the Old Bedford River has been proposed as part of the Fens Waterways Link . In addition to an inland waterway from Boston to Peterborough , the project includes a circular route which includes sections of the Middle Level Navigations and

6156-655: The completion of the work. Attempts were made to create a formal organisation to ensure the works were maintained, and this resulted in the creation of the Bedford Level Corporation under the terms of the General Drainage Act 1663 . Vermuyden's Drain or the Forty Foot Drain was constructed in 1651 to drain fenland to the north of Chatteris. It was joined by the Cranbrook Drain just before it joined

6264-686: The district councils within the Commissioners' area. These councils, Fenland District Council , Huntingdonshire District Council and the Borough Council of King's Lynn & West Norfolk are therefore, able to appoint representatives as Commissioners in respect of the payment made in relation to these properties. The Middle Level Offices are now at 85 Whittlesey Road in March . The former offices in Dartford Road, dating to 1904, were bought by Wetherspoons and opened as The Hippodrome Hotel in 2014. Within

6372-485: The drained land in recognition of his investment. Vermuyden produced plans for the work, but wanted 95,000 acres (38,000 ha) of land. However, the Commissioners were not willing to increase the area of land, and so asked the Earl of Bedford if he would undertake the work, to which he agreed. He would be given six years to complete the work. Despite their earlier reluctance to increase the area of land awarded for carrying out

6480-471: The fact that the Nene flowed through it, and its outfall at Salters Lode was restricted by a sluice. Its channel was in a poor state, and some 250 mills had been erected to pump water into the drainage channels. Another issue was that the drains were used both for navigation, which required high water levels) and for drainage of the Fens, which required low water levels. Both groups petitioned the Bedford Level Corporation , who still had overall responsibility for

6588-475: The fens in 1637, but that decision was reversed in 1638. After a lull during the English Civil War, when much of the work was damaged, the Dutch engineer Cornelius Vermuyden worked with William Russell, the fifth Earl of Bedford to complete the drainage. Disruption and unrest continued while the work was carried out, resulting in the Adventurers employing armed guards. A second river, the New Bedford River,

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6696-433: The first Commissioners of Sewers were appointed. They found it difficult to fund any kind of drainage works, as the population were unwilling to pay for them, but around 1400, the commissioners were given powers to raise taxes and punish those who refused to contribute. John Morton , the bishop of Ely, set about straightening parts of the River Nene between 1478 and 1490, and Morton's Leam still bears his name. The Wars of

6804-461: The fringes of the Wash . Within the fens, dense vegetation grew in the fresh water forming peat deposits, which built up over some 6,000 years. During the Roman occupation , some embankments were erected to protect agricultural land from inundation by rivers and sea water, but when they left in 406, the Fens became a wilderness of marshes and flooding again. However, some settlement occurred, particularly on

6912-421: The king and 80,000 would be allocated amongst the adventurers in proportion to their financial investment. The latter would be in terms of £500 shares, 20 in all. The shares were wholly and partly transferable and thus the list of shareholders changed and grew. Charges on the land reclaimed would fund maintenance and future development. The constitution and the rights to levy charges was confirmed by royal charter in

7020-553: The land. The Act divided the Bedford Level into three parts, each with its own Board of Commissioners, and so the North Level, the Middle Level and the South Level were formed. Vermuyden again managed the works, which included the cutting of the New Bedford River , running parallel to the Old Bedford Level, which created a huge washland covering 4,700 acres (19 km) from Earith to Salters Lode to store flood water. Most of

7128-412: The land. There were frequent riots, with those carrying out the work attempting to drive cattle from the fens, and crowds armed with scythes and pitchforks attempting to stop them. Tracts and pamphlets were produced by both parties in the confrontation. William Hayward made a detailed survey of the Great Level in 1636, from which it could be seen that the works were only partly completed. However, in 1637,

7236-464: The local Commission of Sewers to drain the Great Level of the Fens beginning in 1630. It provided a steeper and shorter path for the waters of the Great Ouse, and was embanked to prevent them flooding the low ground of the South Fens. Throughout the project, the Earl and his Adventurers faced disruption from those who were opposed to drainage schemes. The project was deemed to have succeeded in draining

7344-406: The local Wildlife Trusts . Bedford Level Corporation The low-lying land of East Central England, known as the Fens , consisted traditionally of semi-continuous marshland and peat bog interspersed with isolated patches of higher ground. Agriculture has only been made possible by a co-ordinated system of drainage ditches. During medieval times this was controlled by the great monasteries in

7452-518: The low-lying area. The Old Bedford River was constructed on the first principle, as were most of the drainage works constructed in the seventeenth century in the English fens. Both the Old Bedford River and the New Bedford River were intended to reduce or eliminate flooding of the fens of the South Level by carrying the bulk of the water from the Great Ouse River from the uplands of Huntingdonshire to

7560-740: The name of Charles I. The original adventurers were: Work got underway to dig several major new ditches and install sluices at the mouths of river to hold back the high tides. In particular a straight cut (now known as the Old Bedford River ) was made in the Cambridgeshire Fens to join the River Great Ouse to the sea at King's Lynn. Many of these works had been sought by the Commissioners of Sewers for generations but lack of power and resources had prevented their implementation. As time went by and construction costs rose it became clear that

7668-436: The notable bailiffs were: As the drainage succeeded in its general purpose, albeit with many technical difficulties, the level of the land sank as it dried out, negating the achievement. It was then decided to introduce several hundred windpumps to lift the water from the fields into the drainage ditches and rivers. The windpumps were replaced with first steam-powered and later diesel-powered pumps. The system also depended on

7776-533: The original Bedford River, which was renamed the Old Bedford River. This was around 0.5 miles (0.8 km) to the east of the Old Bedford River, and was known as the Hundred Foot River. It became the main channel for the upland waters of the Great Ouse. Water was diverted into it, instead of along the Old Bedford River, by the Severn Holes Sluice, at the start of the Old Bedford River. A high barrier bank

7884-426: The project started, the Earl of Bedford engaged Vermuyden to design the works. At the time, many thought that any solution should involve making existing rivers wider and deeper, whereas Vermuyden was an advocate of new straight channels, designed to increase the gradient of a river, and it was this view that prevailed. The result was the construction of the Bedford River, around 21 miles (34 km) long, and running in

7992-443: The project to Vermuyden. In 1630 he agreed a contract with the Commissioners of Sewers (who were responsible for fenland drainage) which was known as the "Lynn Law" after the town of King's Lynn where it was drawn up. The earl and his 12 associates, known as adventurers (i.e. venture capitalists), contracted to drain the southern part of the fens within six years in return for 95,000 acres of the reclaimed land. 12,000 acres would go to

8100-433: The project to advance. The Bedford Level Corporation was created by the General Drainage Act 1663 ( 15 Cha. 2 . c. 17) which received royal assent on 27 July 1663. The corporation's general objectives remained unchanged but its powers in respect of navigation rights and taxation were much improved. The organisation was to comprise a governor, six bailiffs, 20 conservators and the commonalty. The first meeting took place at

8208-411: The recommended route to transfer between the two river systems. The use of Welches Dam Lock and the Old Bedford River was subsequently restricted to certain weekends by the Environment Agency, who now manage the waterway. In 2006, the Environment Agency closed Welches Dam Lock, drained the channel from there to the Middle Levels' Horseway Lock, and blocked off the lock entrance with piling. Since then,

8316-417: The river channels cannot cope with the volume of water in them. The river acts as the outlet for a number of land drainage projects. Three internal drainage boards are located along its banks, and there are several pumping stations which pump water from low-lying fens into the Counter Drain and the lower section of the Old Bedford River. At the junction with the Great Ouse is Old Bedford Sluice, through which

8424-476: The river systems in England. Each is given an overall ecological status, which may be one of five levels: high, good, moderate, poor and bad. There are several components that are used to determine this, including biological status, which looks at the quantity and varieties of invertebrates , angiosperms and fish. Chemical status, which compares the concentrations of various chemicals against known safe concentrations,

8532-533: The rivers of eastern England being tributaries of the River Rhine , which flowed across a flat, marshy plain, which is now the southern North Sea. Around 12,000 years ago, following the end of the last Ice Age, the sea levels rose, severing Britain from Europe and flooding the Fen Basin, a large hollow created as the ice retreated. The fen area gradually became separated from the sea by extensive sand banks, which circled

8640-418: The sea in a straight channel, rather than allowing it to meander across the fens of the South Level. Both now have pumping stations on their banks, and receive water which is pumped from lower lying land. Mepal pumping station is the outlet for the Sutton and Mepal internal drainage board . The drainage district was created by Act of Parliament in 1749, and covered an area of 10,500 acres (42 km ). Pumping

8748-518: The sluice at Earith would be enlarged so that it became navigable, and a new lock structure would be built to bypass Earith Sluice. The third option involved making the Twenty Foot River navigable towards Chatteris. This then becomes Fenton's Lode, and the new route would follow Fenton's Lode to High Fen pumping station. A new section of canal would run from the pumping station to a drainage ditch called Cranbrook Drain, which would be enlarged and join

8856-451: The sluice was somewhat easier. One solution proposed by Project Hereward, an umbrella organisation for a number of local waterways groups, is to raise the water level in the Welches Dam to Horseway Lock channel, so that it is level with the Old Bedford River. This would overcome the problem of Welches Dam Lock being very small, at only 46 feet (14 m) long. A small change to the upper gates at Horseway Lock would be required to accommodate

8964-505: The washland to enter the New Bedford River at Welmore Lake Sluice. When pumping occurs, flow in the lower river above Welney is reversed, and a vertical sluice gate prevents water discharged into the river by the Upwell Internal Drainage Board from reaching the pumping station. The river is navigable from Welches Dam to Old Bedford Sluice, but passage through the sluice can only be made when tidal water levels allow, as there

9072-532: The washlands. When an Act of Parliament was obtained in 1812 to authorise further embanking of the Hundred Feet Washes, the unsatisfactory nature of its operation was explained. When there were high floods, a small channel was cut through the dam, and the water scoured out a larger channel. Once the floods had subsided, the Bedford Corporation had to rebuild the dam to restore its previous function. This

9180-464: The water levels were swelled by the mass of water passing from the upland Great Ouse down the New Bedford River. This prevented the doors of the sluices being opened for days at a time, with water backing up in the respective rivers. Artificial drainage of low-lying wetlands generally involves one or both of two different practices: excluding water flowing from high areas from entering the low-lying area, and pumping out water which does manage to get into

9288-446: The water passes to reach the tidal river, but this is not always possible, particularly when high volumes of water are passing down the New Bedford River as a result of heavy rainfall further up the Great Ouse. To resolve this, a pumping station was built at Welches Dam in 1948, to pump water from the Counter Drain and lower Old Bedford River into the River Delph, which runs parallel to the lower river for most of it length, but then crosses

9396-459: The west were constructed to protect the Middle Level from the flood waters. The work was again declared to be complete in 1656. By this time Parliament had taken over much of the King's former authority and it was deemed necessary and desirable to reincorporate the company via an Act of Parliament in order to satisfactorily manage the completion and maintenance of the scheme. The Bedford Level Corporation

9504-540: The work carried out was in the Middle Levels; some took place in the North Levels, but Vermuyen's plan for the South Level of a channel to prevent water from the rivers on the eastern edge of the fens from ever entering the lowlands was shelved, and was not finally implemented until the Cut-off Channel was built in the late 1960s and early 1970s. The South Level Barrier Bank to the east and the Middle Level Barrier Bank to

9612-399: The work, the Earl would receive 95,000 acres (38,000 ha). Of this, 40,000 acres (16,000 ha) would be used to fund ongoing maintenance of the drainage works, 12,000 acres (4,900 ha) would be given to the King, and the remaining 43,000 acres (17,000 ha) would be for the Earl of Bedford. He and 13 other adventurers were granted a charter in 1634, creating a Corporation. Once

9720-444: The works. There were nine major components to the works, including the Bedford River, (later called the Old Bedford River ), which ran for 21 miles (34 km) from Earith to Salters Lode; Bevill's Leam, which ran for 2 miles (3.2 km) from Whittlesey Mere to Guyhirn ; Peakirk Drain, which ran for 10 miles (16 km) from Peterborough Great Fen to Guyhirn; and improvements and reworking of Morton's Leam. The straight course of

9828-605: Was an expensive process, and was resolved in 1825 when the Welmore Lake Sluice was constructed to replace the dam. At around the same time, the Nine Holes Sluice at the upstream end of the Old Bedford River was replaced by the present Seven Holes Sluice and bridge. This was constructed by the Hundreds Foot Wash Commissioners, and carries the inscription "H.W.C. 1824". The sluice at the downstream end of

9936-480: Was asked to take on the management of the work but by 1642 the political landscape had changed. The Civil War intervened and the project came to a halt until Vermuyden was able to resume work under parliamentary control in 1649 under the terms and conditions of what came to be called the "Pretended Act". He created the New Bedford River , also known as the Hundred Foot Drain (from its width), which ran parallel to

10044-414: Was built some time after the Bedford Rivers, and at some point, a bend was added to the Old Bedford River at Welches Dam. This probably occurred after 1789, when C N Cole's map of the Bedford Level showed the original straight course, and before 1821, when R G Baker's map of Cambridgeshire showed it with the bend. Blair offers an explanation, although he admits that it is conjectural. After Vermuyden's Drain

10152-486: Was completed in 1848. Until 1862, the Middle Level Commissioners were still nominally part of the Bedford Level Corporation, but this was resolved by a Separation Act (25 & 26 Vict. c. 104) obtained that year, which resulted in the Corporation having no jurisdiction to the west of the Old Bedford River. The commissioners took over all property, control and powers to raise taxes which they did not already have, and became

10260-461: Was connected to the original pump by a reduction gearbox. The Allen engine was sold, and both pumpsets lasted until 2011, when the second Allen engine was given to the Internal Fire Museum of Power , based at Tanygroes, Ceredigion. The diesel engines were replaced by electrical pumps, supplied by Bedford Pumps, but the maximum amount of power available meant that the total output of the station

10368-559: Was constructed to the west of the Old Bedford River, and another to the east of the New Bedford River, so that in times of flood, the intervening space between the rivers would be inundated, but the surrounding land would not. This vast washland is known as the Ouse Washes . Earlier disruption of the work was repeated, with attempts to destroy the newly-created banks, and the adventurers resorting to using armed guards to protect their work. Frequent complaints were made to Parliament, and eventually, it became difficult to obtain labourers. After

10476-466: Was created by Act of Parliament in 1801, and consisted of two parts, on either side of Popham's Eau. It covers an area of 11,978 acres (4,847 ha) and the board manage 45 miles (72 km) of watercourses and operate five pumping stations. Nordelph pumping station discharges into Popham's Eau, while Padgets Corner and Bedlam Bridge pumping stations discharge into the Sixteen Foot Drain, part of

10584-557: Was created by the General Drainage Act (15 Cha. 2.) which received royal assent on 27 July 1663. The corporation's general objectives remained unchanged but its powers in respect of navigation rights and taxation were much improved. The organisation was to comprise a governor, six bailiffs, 20 conservators and the commonalty. The improved drainage caused a rapid shrinkage of the peat fen and land levels dropped. The rivers remained at their original levels, as their beds were covered in

10692-429: Was cut parallel to the first channel, which then became the Old Bedford River. At some point, the Old Bedford River was split into two parts, when the upper section was diverted into the River Delph at Welches Dam, and the lower section was joined to the Counter Drain. Both parts retain the name, but are not connected to each other. The area between the two Bedford rivers acts as a large washland, which holds floodwater when

10800-418: Was cut, it was found that water could flow up the Old Bedford River, rather than down it towards Denver. Edmund Welche, an engineer who worked with Vermuyden, then built a dam across the Old Bedford River just upstream of the junction. This resulted in water flowing down the Old Bedford River flooding the washes, and so the River Delph was cut. The Old Bedford River was slewed sideways to join the new channel, and

10908-558: Was finally wound up when its powers and responsibilities were transferred to the Ouse Drainage Board . This in turn became part of the River Great Ouse Catchment Board in 1930. Old Bedford River The Old Bedford River is an artificial, partial diversion of the waters of the River Great Ouse in the Fens of Cambridgeshire , England. It was named after the fourth Earl of Bedford who contracted with

11016-425: Was less than it would have been if it had been situated near the Old Bedford Sluice. It was sized to pump 750 tons per minute, based on each of the drainage districts producing 300 tons per minute and a flow of 150 tons per minute from the higher areas of land into Cranbrook Drain. This was achieved by installing two Allen diesel engines and pumps. One of the diesel engines was replaced by a Perkins engine in 1998, which

11124-587: Was not against drainage in general, but only the injustices that accompanied it. Activity on the Bedford Levels ceased when the English Civil War began in 1642, and people used the confusion of that period to destroy many of the drainage works. Although activity ceased, planning did not. Proposals to drain the Great Level were submitted to Parliament in August 1645, and although progress was slow, in part due to

11232-467: Was obtained in 1810. This created commissioners who were entirely separate from the Bedford Level Corporation, with powers to raise drainage rates. All of the commissioners had to own land within the levels, and they had control of the internal waterways within the Level, although the Bedford Corporation were still responsible for the banks. The Middle Level was more or less independent from this point. Drainage of

11340-504: Was performed by six wind pumps driving scoop wheels, but these were replaced in 1840 by a beam engine manufactured by the Butterley Company and rated at 80 hp (60 kW). It drove a scoop wheel which was 34 feet (10 m) in diameter, discharging into the Counter Drain. The beam engine was replaced in 1926 by two Vickers-Petter two-stroke hot-bulb diesel engines, driving 42-inch (110 cm) Gwynnes pumps. One of these engines

11448-514: Was recognised that much of the Great Level was improved, but the drainage was patchy, and therefore the adventurers had failed to drain the Great Level. On 12 April 1638, the project was deemed to be defective. Later that year, on 18 July, the king was declared as the undertaker who would ensure that the level was drained. Vermuyden was involved in this second scheme, for which a few works were begun in 1638, but his main plans were not published until 1642. In this period, unrest among those who lived in

11556-522: Was reduced by around one fifth. When the Welches Dam pumping station is operating, flow in the Old Bedford River above Glenhouse pumping station is reversed. When the Upwell Internal Drainage Board wanted to discharge water into the lower Old Bedford River, the Great Ouse River Authority, successors to the Catchment Board, required them to pay for the installation of a sluice further upstream, so that Welches Dam pumping station would not be overwhelmed by

11664-549: Was replaced by a Brush diesel engine in 1939, after it disintegrated while being started. The other was replaced by a Ruston five-cylinder diesel engine in 1947, which was connected to the 1927 pump by V-belts. The station was upgraded in 1994, when electric pumps were fitted, but the Ruston engine was retained as a backup. The Sutton and Mepal district did not want to become part of the Middle Level in 1848, as it already head its own pumping engine, but more recently, it has been managed by

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