This section in The Stripling Thames by Fred Thacker
Maps
Ark's Weir or Ark or Hart's or Ark Island Weir.
1920: Fred Thacker's Map shows the site quite clearly -
The site of Ark's Weir above Bablock Hythe.
1794: Boydell – almost certainly talking of Ark’s weir -
On approaching Hart’s Weir the banks are so
thickly planted that the river appears to be passing through a wood whose trees
overarch the water. Here the Thames divides itself into one large and two lesser
streams, forming as many islands; one of which is inhabited.
The weir stretches across from the meadow
bank to these islands, and is a principal feature of one of those home scenes,
which frequently afford a more complacent delight to the mind than the wide
expansive variety of distant prospect.
A range of flood-gates crosses the larger current;
while the diminutive streams that
divide the islands, tumble over their sluices in unbroken waterfalls.
1832: Fearnside -
Here the banks become more wooded, and the river is divided into three separate streams; between the two broadest is an ait, with a pretty rustic cottage. On one side is the sluice, through which the water, having attained more body, rushes with considerable noise; another branch flows through the open weir, and a third forms a backwater.
1851 & 1853: “not used: gone to decay”.
1885: The Royal River -
... Ark, or Noah's Ark Weir ... of the very simplest kind ... performs its service
independently of a lock.
The object of this simple form of weir is to dam the river to the required height
for such purposes as mill heads or navigation.
The business is accomplished by the working of flood gates or paddles in grooves,
and between rymers, to the sill at the bottom.
In winter there may be a swift stream through the weirs, but, the weir paddles being
withdrawn, there is very little fall.
Shooting the weir stream - one of the adventurous feats of the upper navigation -
is an amusement unknown below Oxford, and at times it is not without its risks.
[See also Langley Weir (Farmoor), to which this passage also refers.]
1866: “remains of an old weir”.
1909: The Stripling Thames, Fred Thacker -
Ark weir (Noah's Ark), known aforetime also as Hart's, once stood about half a mile above Bablock Hithe.
...
The River is now very beautiful for a mile before you reach Northmoor lock, particularly one little straight
reach bordered with high, overarching trees, illustrated in Boydell.
Along here if you have good fortune you may hear in the evening the bells of Appleton,
and may recall de Quincey: "The music from a finely toned set of bells, when heard upon a winding river,
in summer, is the most pathetic in the world".
1920: Fred Thacker –
The timbers [of Ark's Weir] probably lapsed peacefully away,
with occasional assistance from the authorities.
Exactly what constitutes the charm of this
place is a little difficult to define, but it is assuredly full of a strong
allurement that lingers in the memory.
The lace-like fall of foaming water has disappeared which so charmed
these elder men; but even so, perhaps because you remember it was once there
and entailed so much
ancient busyness, the attraction still remains.
The pool is large, but not so large as at
Skinner’s. The chief island is at first
scarcely distinguishable from the main land;
as the little eastern channel which nominally insulates it, quitting and
rejoining the mainstream beneath white towpath bridges, is now in dry seasons
almost empty. There it still is,
however, on the left bank;
and the third, almost grown up, is still discernable on the
right; while broad and living Thames still runs between.
The island is large and oval shaped. Four elms tower towards heaven at its lower
end; and close
by a large thorn leans over the stunted brick wall of the old weir keeper’s
cottage. “Leans”, I say; and indeed so it
did when I first landed to view it in August 1910.
But as I returned a week later a cart was
busy removing the brickwork;
and only the shallow hollow remained beneath the bush.
Immediately adjacent the ancient stone
foundation of the weir beam is still plain to see in the turf of the bank.
Robert Bridges –
There is a hill beside the silver Thames,
Shady with birch and beech and odorous pine,
And brilliant under foot with thousand gems
Steeply the thickets to his floods decline.
Straight trees in every place
Their thick tops interlace,
And pendent branches trail their foliage fine
Upon his watery face.
Swift from the sweltering pasturage he flows:
His stream, alert to seek the pleasant shade,
Pictures his gentle purpose as he goes
Straight to the caverned pool his toil has made.
His winter floods lay bare
The stout roots in the air:
His summer streams are cool, when they have played
Among his fibrous hair.
A rushy island guards the sacred bower
And hides it from the meadow, where in peace
The lazy cows wrench many a scented flower,
Robbing the golden market of the bees.
And laden branches float
By banks of myosote;
And scented flag and golden fleur-de-lys
Delay the loitering boat.
And on this side the island, where the pool
Eddies away, are tangled mass on mass
The water-weeds, that net the fishes cool,
And scarce allow a narrow stream to pass:
Where spreading crowfoot mars
The drowning nenuphars,
Waving the tassels of her silken grass
Below her silver stars.
But in the purple pool there nothing grows,
Not the white water-lily spoked with gold:
Though best she loves the hollows, and well knows
On quiet streams her broad shields to unfold:
Yet should her roots but try
Within these deeps to lie,
Not her long reaching stalk could ever hold
Her waxen head so high.
Sometimes an angler comes and drops his hook
Within its hidden depths, and ‘gainst a tree
Leaning his rod, reads in some pleasant book,
Forgetting soon his pride of fishery:
And dreams, or falls asleep,
While curious fishes peep
About his nibbled bait, or scornfully
Dart of and rise and leap.
And sometimes a slow figure ‘neath the trees,
In ancient fashioned smock, with tottering care,
Upon a staff propping his weary knees,
May by the pathway of the forest fare:
As from a buried day
Across the mind will stray
Some perishing mute shadow, - and unaware
He passeth on his way.
Else, he that wishes solitude is safe
Whether he bathe at morning in the stream:
Or lead his love there when the hot hours chafe
The meadows, busy with the bluring stream;
Or watch, as fades the light,
The gibbous moon grow bright,
Until her magic rays dance in a dream,
And glorify the night.
Where is this bower beside the silver Thames?
O pool and flowery thickets, hear my vow!
O trees of freshest foliage and straight stems,
No sharer of my secret I allow:
Lest ere I come the while
Strange feet your shades defile;
Or lest the burly oarsman turns his prow
Within your guardian isle.
1951: Edward Ardizzone -
Warm and sunny.
We idle most of the day in a pleasant backwater.
Our meals made interesting if somewhat hazardous by a party of voracious swans.
Shop in Northmoor in the afternoon then drop down for a short way to find
a good camping ground among some willows.
We pitch the tent and light a wood fire on which we cook our supper
and sit round it in the dark.
(Upstream to NORTHMOOR LOCK)
Introduction
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