EXETER Ship Canal was the subject of a talk by Captain Jack Nott, given to members of Thorverton and District History Society at their March meeting.

Jack was the Exeter harbour master and river and canal manager for many years and has a long connection with the canal.

Exeter was a commercial centre for exports and imports since medieval times. The Romans could navigate all the way up the river to Exeter but over the years things changed.

This was to be the first canal to be built in Britain and there were three phases of building. At the time both Topsham and Exeter benefitted from the trade.

The Courtney estates were on the west bank of the river and they wished to have some control over the shipping.

Isabella de Fortibus, Countess of Devon, owned land on the east bank along with Topsham quay. In 1284 she built Countess Weir which had a 30 foot gap to allow fish to go up river and would also allow small ships to pass up the river.

The gentry of Exeter objected to her building the weir and the Crown found in their favour but nothing was done to remove the weir. The reason for building the weir is unknown.

When she died the Courtney’s inherited a lot of her lands and they constructed Lampreyford weir and Salmonpool weir so now there were three weirs on the river.

By the 1400’s the Courtney’s had lost control and Exeter was given the power to remove the weirs. However, sedimentation had built up to a level that would prevent shipping so they decided to build a canal along the west bank as the geology was better suited for the task.

The first phase went from Exeter to Countess Weir and 10-ton barges could be towed up the three foot deep canal.

In 1671 it was decided to extend it to Trenchards sluice (by the motorway bridge). Trade had increased and wool was being exported with wine being imported.

In 1701 it was decided to increase the size of the canal substantially and it was closed for 30 years while the work was carried out.

It was deepened and now vessels of 150 tons could use it. Exeter at the time was a major port and a lot of money was being made from the canal.

In the 1750’s some 500 craft used the canal annually and by the 1800’s there was a need to dredge and straighten the canal to improve navigation.

By the late 1700’s canal mania began and plans were made to build a canal from Exeter to Crediton and then on up to Barnstaple.

Evidence of the start of the Exeter to Crediton canal was found when work was being done on the flood relief scheme. As this route would have needed to pass through Exeter another company came up with the idea of avoiding Exeter and building a route from Topsham to Broadclyst, then Poltimore to Stoke Canon, Brampford Speke and Newton St Cyres.

The cost of the Napoleonic wars and the railways put an end to canal mania but by 1829 plans were made to extend the canal to Turf lock and make it wider, deeper and straighter.

This was a major engineering project and the canal basin at Exeter was built to allow for the increase in shipping. This included a turning bay for the large boats.

The basin at that time was a very industrial area. Trade at Topsham suffered so the Topsham lock was built which included a derrick for elver fishing.

Exeter had tow paths on both sides of the canal, needed due to the size of boats now being used on the 5.5 mile journey from Turf to Exeter.

The railways seriously affected canal trade but in more recent years coasters used the canal until the late 1960’s.

The Water Authority’s sludge vessel took its cargo out to the English Channel daily until 1998.

Now the canal is mostly used for sport or recreation and is a place where people and wildlife enjoy a unique environment.

New lock gates have recently been installed at Turf, Kings Arms and Double Locks which has given the canal a new lease of life into the 21st century.

Robert Turner