Restoration Update

At the Paulton and Timsbury end of the canal, we are making good progress on the restoration of the abutment walls at Terminus Bridge. We currently have two retired stonemasons helping to rebuild the walls and the nearby sluice gate.  The upper sections of the abutment walls have suffered significantly from frost damage.  The damaged stonework is being removed and rebuilt.  The coping stones weigh somewhere between 300 – 400 kg! The sluice gate seals a stone-built culvert that leads from the canal to the Cam Brook.  Its purpose is to drain the canal for maintenance and so replacing it is an essential step before the canal can be returned to water.  The sluice gate had completely eroded over the years and will be replaced by a new frame and sluice gate very soon. We are making good progress on the repairs to the bridge abutments and sluice gate and hope to have this work completed by the end of the calendar year. Once completed the Society intends to restore water to this length of canal and move onto the next section heading closer to Radford.