Hambleden to Marsh, Hambleden to Hurley, Environment Agency 'Out and About' Guides
Maps
Right Bank, tel: 01491 571269, length: 135'2", width: 17'9"
Hambleden Weir for canoists.
See also.
Map: HAMBLEDEN LOCK
Hambleden Mill (and therefore weir) is in the Domesday Book
1376: Hamelden Weir held by
Richard le Scrope mentioned in a petition against the heightening and enlarging
of weirs.
1380s?: Inquest into the deaths
of John Wyllus and Robert Asshele. With
many others they were hauling a vessel up the weir with two cables, and were
killed through the lines parting and striking them so violently that their
heads were broken. A “landwynch” is
mentioned.
1881: George Leslie -
Locks are not very old institutions on the river, and old people by the river still speak of them as pound locks, as distinct from the old sluices up which the barges were formerly drawn by means of windlasses. At Hambleden, behind the lock-house, are the remains of the old winch formerly used here; I was told that the lord of the manor regularly applies for the “hire of the winch” from the lock-keeper, to keep alive an old claim on the Thames Conservancy, though the money is never paid.
1580: Weir held by the Scrope family
1746: Griffiths mentions Hambleden
1773: Poundlock built
1774: “A small wooden house” provided for the keeper.
1777: Caleb Gould appointed as keeper.
1814: The lock dilapidated; the upper gates had to be opened with tackle
on account of the leaky state of the lower gates.
1825: New barge channel
excavated below lock.
Fred Thacker says:
“I gather the navigation formerly led along the left bank approaching the weir,
towing from the right bank, so that the line swept the island;
a not infrequent circumstance”.
1825: The city Shallop shot the weir, the lock being under extensive repair.
1836: Caleb Gould died at the age of 92. His epitaph, in Remenham
Churchyard, is quoted by many river writers:
This world’s a jest,
And all things show it;
I thought so once,
And now I know it.
[ Every river guide quotes this, all 495 of them. Indeed it is a condition
of membership of the Union of Thames Writers that it shall always be quoted. ]
However Fred Thacker quotes his
wife’s epitaph as something more human and more pious -
Lo! Where this silent stone now weeps
A friend & Wife & Mother sleeps
A heart within whose sacred cell
The peaceful virtues loved to dwell
Affection warmth & faith sincere
And soft humanity were there.
[ I can only think which one I would
have preferred – and to be fair to Caleb – it was of course his wife’s that he
chose – his own was maybe decided by someone else. ]
1881: George Leslie -
Miss Stapleton, of Remenham Hill, to whom I am indebted for many interesting stories about this part of the river, told me of an old man who was once lock-keeper at Hambleden, named Caleb Gould. … When he came to Hambleden the barges were pulled up by the winch. Caleb, and his son Joseph who succeeded him, had a large oven at the back of the lock-house, and sold bread to the bargemen and others. When Miss Stapleton knew them, the son worked the new pound lock, while the old man used to sit and sun himself underneath a large lavendar bush, descendants of which still grow in the lock garden. Caleb wore a coat with lots of buttons, and ate for his supper every night a dish of onion porridge. He was hale and hearty to the very last, every day taking a walk up Hambleden, making a great cross in the ground to mark where he had been – which crosses were known as Caleb’s crosses. Joseph Gould in after life emigrated with his family to New Zealand, where they have thrived well. On the bricks by the side of the lock cottage door, are the initials C. G., 1777, and below, J. G., 1826. The oven at the back of the house has lately been pulled down
1860s?: Lock near Henley by William W Gosling, 1824-1883 -
Lock near Henley, William W Gosling, 1824-1883
1865: Lock in imminent danger of collapse -
Hambleden Lock was being repaired, and no boats or barges would be able to pass thro’ for a week at least; here we had in the rain to drag our boat thro’ the wet grass to the lower end of the lock, getting wet through.
1870: Lock entirely rebuilt, George Leslie –
Hambleden Lock has lately been repaired, and not before it wanted it, as the old lock leaked so much that it took a very long time to fill.
1870: Hambleden Mill, Henry Taunt -
Hambleden Mill, Henry Taunt, 1870
© Oxfordshire County Council Photographic Archive; HT01498
1875: Hambleden Lock, Henry Taunt -
Hambleden Lock, Henry Taunt, 1875
© Oxfordshire County Council Photographic Archive; HT3555
1878: Breakwater below Lock built
1884: Boatslide suggested.
1889: Boatslide in existence? Fred Thacker had no knowledge
of it in 1920
1906: Mortimer Menpes, Hambleden -
Mortimer Menpes, Hambleden, 1906
1886: Hambleden Lock by J. Ashby-Sterry -
A CAPITAL luncheon I’ve had at the “Lion”,
I’ve drifted down here with the light Summer breeze;
I land at the bank, where the turf’s brown and dry on,
And lazily list to the music of trees !
O, sweet is the air, with a perfume of clover,
O, sleepy the cattle in Remenham meads !
The lull of the lasher is soothing, moreover,
The wind whistles low in the stream-stricken reeds !
With sail closely furled, and a weed incandescent -
Made fast to a post is the swift Shuttlecock –
I think you will own ‘tis uncommonly pleasant
To dream and do nothing by Hambleden Lock !
See a barge blunder through, overbearing and shabby,
With its captain asleep, and his wife in command;
Then a boatful of beauties for Medmenham Abbey,
And a cargo of campers all tired and tanned.
Two duffers collide, they don’t know what they’re doing –
They’re both in the ways of the water unskilled –
But here is the Infant, so great at canoeing,
Sweet, saucy, short-skirted, and snowily frilled.
I notice the tint of a ribbon or feather,
The ripple of ruffle, the fashion of frock;
I languidly laze in the sweet Summer weather,
And muse o’er the maidens by Hambleden Lock !
What value they give to the bright panorama –
O, had I the pencil of Millais or Sandys ! –
The lasses with sunshades from far Yokohama,
The pretty girl-scullers with pretty brown hands !
Next the Syren steams in; see the kind-eyed old colley,
On the deck, in the sun, how he loves to recline !
Note the well – ordered craft and its skipper so jolly,
With friends, down to Marlow, he’s taking to dine.
In the snug-curtained cabin, I can’t help espying
A dew-clouded tankard of seltzer-and-hock,
And a plateful of peaches big babies are trying,
I note, as they glide out of Hambleden Lock !
A punt passes in, with Waltonians laden,
And boatmen rugose of mahogany hue;
And then comes a youth and a sunny-haired maiden
Who sit vis-à-vis in their bass-wood canoe.
Now look at the Admiral steering the Fairy,
O, where could he find a much better crew than
His dutiful daughters, Flo, Nina, and Mary,
Who row with such grace in his trim built randan?
I muse while the water is ebbing and flowing,
I silently smoke and serenely take stock
Of countless Thames toilers, now coming, now going,
Who take a pink ticket at Hambleden Lock !
[ It would be nice if W H Smith, First Lord of the
Admiralty, had daughters Flo, Nina and Mary – but unfortunately not, his
daughters were Mabel, Emily Anna,
Beatrice and Helen. (See Greenlands,
below) However Ashby-Sterry dedicated his book of Poems - "The Lazy Minstrel" to Mary, Nina and Florence.
The pink ticket was the lock ticket sold at each
lock – for pleasure boats it was valid for a return on the same day ] -
1891: The Stream of Pleasure, Joseph & Elizabeth Robins Pennell -
While the water ran out, the lock-keeper came and gave us that curious literary production, a Thames Lock Ticket. It admits you "through, by, or over the lock or weir" for threepence. That is, I suppose, you can go through the lock in Christian fashion, drown under the weir, push and pull over the roller if there is one, or drag your boat round by the shore; but whether you come out dead or alive, for any of these privileges the Thames Conservancy will have its threepence.
1946: Hambleden Weir by Frank Runacres -
Hambleden Weir, 1946, Frank Runacres
2000: Lock rebuilt -
The
reconstruction of Hambleden Lock was necessary to alleviate one of the river's
bottlenecks by increasing the lock's size and because the existing 120 year old
lock structure was in need of major structural repair.
In order
to construct the new lock structure a
temporary
cofferdam had to be installed around the existing lock. During the
first contract period sheet piles were driven on either side of the lock. The
cofferdam was completed a year later, during the second contract period, when
the piles were installed across the head and tail of the lock.
To
ensure that there were no props below ground level to interfere with the lock
construction works 14m long Larssen(6) piles were selected.
The piles' strength meant that they were only
required to be propped at the top. The
initial piles were installed within 4m of the existing lock walls and the
proximity of the lock house to the works necessitated use of a pile driving
method that minimised noise and vibration. To this end a hydraulic pile
pressing system was employed.
The
system was so successful at driving the 14m long piles through 13m of clay and
chalk that the lock was reopened 3 weeks ahead of schedule. In difficult ground
a water jetting lance was fitted to the piles to assist penetration. The noise
levels generated by this pile driving system were less than the background
noise of the weir. The system was also employed to extract the piles with up to
44 being extracted in one day.
2004:-
Hambleden Lock, 2004
1829: Just above Hambleden Lock was the start of the first Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race
1881: George Leslie -
Behind
Hambleden Lock, in the waters leading to the mill, Mr Schwabe’s boat-house, and
little fleet of sailing-cutters may be seen;
the boatman’s cottage adjoining was formerly a small inn, and many a
draught of shandy-gaff I have had beneath the little arbour; when this place was shut up some years ago
there was great indignation amongst the local population, and the poisoning of
a vast quantity of pheasants in the preserves belonging to Greenlands, was
supposed by many to have been an act of revenge by some aggrieved parties.
The
punting is not good about here until Temple Island is reached; the tow-path side, of course, is the shortest
course to take, but the ground is much better on the other side up as far as
Greenlands.
From here on watch out (behind you!) for racing rowing craft. Keep well clear and be careful not to obstruct them.
Map: Greenlands
left bank
Greenlands was W.H.Smith’s house. It became the Imperial Staff College and is now
Henley Management College.
1810: Greenlands built for Thomas Darby-Coventry.
1826: Greenlands in the Henley Guide. Full text and prints -
The farm and manor house of Greenland are the property
of Thomas Darby Coventry, Esq.
In May, 1644, Sir John Doyley garrisoned and fortified it for the King,
with a view of commanding the passage of the Thames
from Henley and Reading to the Metropolis. After sustaining
a long and severe siege from the parliamentary
forces, under Major General Brown, the house being
nearly reduced to ruins by the batteries on the opposite
side of the river, it was surrendered on honourable
terms in July, by its governor, Colonel Hawkins. The
farm exhibits very considerable traces of the buildings
and fortifications.
1853: Greenlands extended for Edward Marjoribanks
1871: Greenlands extended for W. H. Smith.
1881: George Leslie:
[Greenlands] is the well-known residence of the Rt. Hon. W. H. Smith, and has been by him considerably enlarged; it is I believe, a comfortable house, but the contrast of the dark cedar trees around gives it rather a sombre effect. There are some fine inland ponds near, where skating in the winter is very good; these ponds and the ditches and flat meadows about are favourite haunts of heron and lapwing.
1881: The Census records show W H Smith at home with his wife, 3 daughters, and 16 servants.
1882: Greenlands, Henry Taunt -
Greenlands, Henry Taunt, 1882
© Oxfordshire County Council Photographic Archive; HT3553
1889: Jerome K Jerome -
... Greenlands, the rather uninteresting looking river residence of my newsagent - a quiet unassuming old gentleman, who may often be met with about these regions, during the summer months, sculling himself along in easy vigorous style, or chatting genially to some old lock-keeper, as he passes through
Neither George Leslie nor Jerome K Jerome quite does justice to
William Henry Smith, founder of Smith's book and stationery chain.
In 1846 his father W H Smith Senior had made him a partner in the family news agency
in London's Strand.
By then the railways were beginning to change
the face of Britain and the younger Smith had negotiated with the major rail companies
for permission to erect bookstalls at stations. He got rid of the cheap, salacious
material for which railways had become infamous, causing Punch to give him the
nickname 'Old Morality.' This enhanced his reputation and very soon he had
exclusive rights on all major stations to sell the magazines and journals that
now proliferated with the repeal of Stamp Duty.
In 1868 he was
eventually elected to Parliament as Member for Westminster and became a loyal Tory
backbencher and minister. In 1877 he joined the Cabinet as First Lord of the
Admiralty.
He was immortalised by Gilbert and Sullivan in HMS Pinafore as Sir Joseph Porter, the
admiral who had never been to sea -
'A junior partnership was the only ship I had ever seen'.
I always voted at my party's call
And never thought of myself at all
Thought so little, they rewarded me
So now I am the ruler of the Queen's navy.
W H Smith became known as 'Pinafore Smith'.
He died in 1891 at Walmer castle, his official residence as warden of the Cinque
Ports.
1936-8: Further alterations were made to the west front by P. Geddes Hyslop.
Upstream to Temple Island
Estuary
PLA
QEII Br
Barrier
Tower Br
Custom Ho
London Br
; Frost Fairs
Cannon St Rb
The Great Stink
Southwark Br
Millenium Br
Blackfriars Rb
Blackfriars Br
Waterloo Br
Charing Cross Rb
Westminster Br
Lambeth Br
Vauxhall Br
Victoria Rb
Chelsea Br
Albert Br
Battersea Br
Battersea Rb
Wandsworth Br
Fulham Rb
Putney Br
Hammersmith Br
Barnes Rb
Chiswick Br
Kew Rb
Kew Br
RICHMOND
Twickenham Br
Richmond Rb
Richmond Br
TEDDINGTON
Kingston Rb
Kingston Br
Ditton Slip
Hampton Br
MOLESEY
SUNBURY
Walton Br
Desborough Cut
SHEPPERTON
Chertsey Br
CHERTSEY
M3 Br
Laleham Slip
PENTON HOOK
Staines Rb
Staines Br
Runnymede Br
BELL WEIR
Magna Carta Is
OLD WINDSOR
Albert Br
Datchet
Victoria Br
Black Potts Rb
ROMNEY
Eton
Windsor Br
Windsor Rb
Windsor Slip
Elizabeth Br
BOVENEY
Dorney Lake
York Cut
Summerleaze Fb
MonkeyIsland
New Thames Br
BRAY
Bray Slip
Maidenhead Rb
Maidenhead Br
Below Boulters
BOULTERS
Cliveden
Hedsor
COOKHAM
Cookham Slip
Cookham Br
BourneEnd RFb
Quarry Woods
A404 Br
MARLOW
Marlow Br
Bisham
TEMPLE
HURLEY
Medmenham
Culham Ct
Aston Slip
HAMBLEDEN
Temple Is
Fawley Ct
Remenham
Regatta
Phyllis Ct
Henley Slip
Leander
Red Lion
Henley Br
Angel on Br
Landing
Hobbs Boatyard
Hobbs Slipway
MARSH
Hennerton
Bolney
Wargrave
Shiplake Rb
R.Loddon
SHIPLAKE
Sonning Br
SONNING
Dreadnought
K&A Canal
CAVERSHAM
Reading Br
Caversham Br
Reading Slip
Purley
MAPLEDURHAM
Hardwick Ho
Whitchurch Br
WHITCHURCH
Hartswood Reach
Gatehampton Rb
Goring Gap
Goring Br
GORING
Swan
CLEEVE
Moulsford
Moulsford Rb
Papist Way Slip
Winterbrook Br
Wallingford Br
BENSON
Shillingford Br
R.Thame
DAYS
Burcot
Clifton Hampden
Clifton Church
Clifton H Br
Barley Mow
Long Wittenham
CLIFTON
Appleford Rb
Sutton Courtenay
Sutton Br
CULHAM
Culham Cut Fb
Abingdon Slip
Abingdon
Abingdon Br
ABINGDON
Nuneham Rb
Nuneham
Nuneham Park
Radley Boats
SANDFORD
Rose Island
Kennington Rb
Isis Br
Iffley Mill
IFFLEY
Oxford Rowing
Isis
Donnington Br
Riverside Slip
Boathouses
Punting
Lower Cherwell
Upper Cherwell
Islip
Head of River
Salters Steamers
Folly Br
Bacons Folly
Oxford Fb
Osney Fb
Weir stream
Osney Rb
Bullstake Stream
Osney Marina
OSNEY
Osney Br
Four Rivers
OLD RIVER
CANAL
Medley Weir Site
Medley Fb
Bossoms
Perch
Trout
GODSTOW
Godstow Nunnery
Godstow Br
Thames Br
KINGS
River Evenlode
EYNSHAM
Swinford Br
Oxford Cruisers
PINKHILL
Farmoor
Stanton Harcourt
Bablock Slip
Arks Weir Site
NORTHMOOR
Harts Fb
//Rose Revived
Newbridge
//Maybush
River Windrush
below Shifford
SHIFFORD
Shifford Fb
Tenfoot Fb
Trout Inn
Tadpole Br
RUSHEY
Old Mans Fb
RADCOT
Radcot Cradle Fb
Swan Inn
Radcot New Br
Radcot Old Br
GRAFTON
Eaton Hastings
Kelmscott
Eaton Fb
BUSCOT
Bloomers Hole Fb
Trout Inn
St Johns Br
ST JOHNS
Halfpenny Br
Marina Slip
LIMIT
Inglesham
Hannington Br
Kempsford
Castle Eaton Br
Marston Meysey
A419 Br
Cricklade
SOURCE?
THAMES HEAD
SEVEN SPRINGS