| Topic: | Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re::The Brentford "islands" | |
| Posted by: | Nigel Moore | |
| Date/Time: | 16/10/14 14:26:00 |
| Yes indeed Guy – and far more than is evident from that conveyance. In the last years of the 18thC the two major southern branches of the Brent weaved their way almost due south to the Thames. I have other maps showing this, but can’t take time just now to post them. Will do so when present duties permit! The river branches were filled in prior to and during the making of Brunel’s rail/barge depot in the mid-19thC, with court cases fighting the issue [the railway company took its time, owing to the cost of transporting infill material from as far away as Paddington]. I had always wondered how they got away with the criminal action of blocking up public rights of navigation, and only recently unearthed the story from Kew Archives. As per usual, no-one in a position to do so cared, and the Duke was prime instigator in obtaining relevant court Orders to force the infill. Things had obviously changed since James Clitheroe’s time, who held an inquiry into an indictment of Dr Johnson for doing the same thing, well before the Grand Junction Canal Company Act was passed. The original line of canal was going to use both southern branches instead of what we ended up with, and Clitheroe made a marginal comment in his case note that “the new canal will remedy this.” Of course, as we know, it didn’t, because the canal company re-routed the line instead, and Johnson got away with it, more of the main southern branch being filled in after the Town Meadow was sold to Montgomery and the sold on in turn to the Great Western & Brentford Railway. The canal company, of course, were all in favour of limiting access, so raised no objections [as they could have done having taken over the Mill lease, the water rights of which were protected by the GJCC Act of 1793. And yes, the 'Swan's neck' island had also been formed by an artificial cut in the century prior to the Canal Act. The western part of the loop was gradually taken over by reed beds and the 'island' was no more by the time of that Cardigan conveyance [despite the depiction]. The 'up and across' section remains today as Soaphouse Creek. |