Moorings in the Castle Mill Stream?

Thursday, 24 November 2011 16:13

A couple of days ago I blogged about the boom and the pontoon on Castle Mill Stream below Isis Lock on the Oxford Canal. I referred to the BW consultation (see link below) about the efficacy, or not, of this for narrowboats needing to turn at the end of the Oxford Canal. Today I took a short walk up the Hythe Bridge Arm to have another look. 

Is this a good idea?

This cruiser was in this lovely location the other day, but things have changed at the boom further up .....

The DANGER sign upstream of the cruiser means that there is "danger" downstream of the sign! It is all fine at the moment as the conditions are benign because of lack of rain.

In a fast stream the cruiser could be swept onto the bridge downstream if it was not securely moored.

Castle Mill Stream above Isis Lock

The Castle Mill Stream is a canalisation of an earlier stream which led to the Castle Mill. Boats would transfer between the Oxford Canal and the stream via the flash lock just before the present Hythe Bridge. This was eventually replaced by the weir at the end of the arm, that is here today. 

Hythe Bridge Street crossing the Canal and Castle Mill Stream (1822 drawing by William Westell, Oxford Preservation Trust)

Boats then went under the Hythe Bridge into a turning basin and goods wharf. A coal wharf was reached under Worcester Road Bridge. The coal was not allowed on the River Thames for some reason, but other goods travelled between Oxford and London via this link to the River Thames. The name "hythe" means a landing place and goods like Cotswold stone were brought down the river from above Oxford.

The stream now runs from the south end of Port Meadow, above Medley footbridge. It rejoins the Thames downstream of Osney Railway Bridge. You can follow its course courtesy of "Where Thames Smooth Waters Glide" and the author's punt.

I spotted a poster on the sani-station here on the Arm - someone objects strongly to the BW "improvement" to supposedly make it safer for boaters and boats turning.

Protest poster

There is now a large cruiser moored across the boom. Maybe he is staging a protest too; he is certainly advertising a protest website: http://pooloferrors.wordpress.com/. However, we would not like to try and turn with the cruiser there and it is definitely not a recognised mooring - more an anchorage. I suspect that longer narrowboats than us will hit him as they turn - this could be an accident waiting to happen.

Cruiser moored against the boom from downstream

I wonder if he will be staying long? Before the boom was in place, we saw him anchored downstream of where it is now. 

Castle Mill Stream meets the Sheepwash Channel

This is taken from the lock - you can make up your own mind as to whether he has chosen a good spot!

From Isis Lock, lock landing pontoon and moored cruiser

BW Castle Mill Stream Consultation about the boom can be found here