WEDNESDAY
15th February
10 o'clock |
We will wait and see
what the weather does. If we can't work on the Leat aqueduct
we can return to the Basin wall, and we may be able to start
installing some shelving in the cabin. |
WEDNESDAY
18th January
10 o'clock |
A huge Russian Vine was
removed from the Basin wall; we will now be able to assess this
section more easily. The Leat was also cleared of the
remaining debris; it now looks very good when viewed fro T&S
towpath. |
THURSDAY
15th December
10 o'clock |
December
workparty CANCELLED due to unpredictable weather conditions. |
WEDNESDAY
16th November
10 o'clock |
An exceptionally good day thanks to a large
visiting team from Nationwide. The bed of the Mill Leat still
remains dry, so we were able to remove much more of the weed
clogging the channel and also tidy up around the junction bridge. |
WEDNESDAY
2nd November
10 o'clock |
A very successful day with the energetic
assistance from a very enthusiastic Nationwide team. They continued
to clear the mass of reeds that were blocking the Mill Leat and
which would seriously impede the water flow when the rains
(eventually) return. It also adds considerably to the appearance of
the area.
The Mill Leat and Thames & Severn canal have been dry now for
several months. The water level in the adjacent gravel pits also
well below its outlet pipe. |
Thursday
20th October
10 o'clock |
The area around the basin is so dry that
not only has the Mill Leat been totally devoid of water for over two
months, the bed of the Thames & Severn Canal is also bone dry and
the level of the adjacent gravel pit is 18 inches below the overflow
pipe. Taking advantage of the situation we cleared all the
silt off of the remains of the Leat aqueduct and also exposed the
edges to reveal that the tunnel under it is apparently still in very
good condition. |
WEDNESDAY
12th October
10 o'clock |
The continuing good weather meant that,
with the assistance of an enthusiastic group from BT, we were able
to make very good progress on the east wall and on the leat
aqueduct. We also cleared some more of the area by the parking place
and salvaged some large stones from the mud by the flood relief
aqueduct. |
Thursday
22nd September
10 o'clock |
Another really good effort with a visiting
Group from Thames Water. As the Mill Leat was so dry we
cleared across the aqueduct towards the bridge opening up the view
and allowing us to get a better idea of its construction. |
WEDNESDAY
14th September
10 o'clock |
A very large group of volunteers from
Nationwide meant that we were able to complete a section of the west
wall, erect our new fence with a 16' gate, clear a huge amount of
debris from the top of the aqueduct and clean over half of the west
wall top surface. A really good day. |
WEDNESDAY
17th August
10 o'clock |
Another good day. Further work on the wall,
strimming and mowing and even a short run with the Allen Scythe!!!
We had another delivery of sand & cement that should keep us going
for a few months, and also some 12 foot rails ready for putting up
the new fence. |
WEDNESDAY
13th July
10 o'clock |
We have decided to
change our scheduled
workparty day to mid-week, as we are mainly all retired, and then
can have
the occasional Saturday as an "extra" |
Saturday
18th June
10 o'clock |
Typical summer day "Sunshine & Showers",
but we had a good day. completed the front edge of West wall of
Basin as far as this years target was planned. Prepared
shuttering for rear ready for next WP. |
Saturday
21st May
10 o'clock |
Further progress on the west wall. We
are well on target for this year. And we have been lent the
East Vale Allen Scythe, a venerable old lady who trundles along in
clouds of blue smoke. We hope to use it to control the weeds
in the canal bed. |
Wednesday
4th May
10 o'clock |
A great days work by our visiting team from
BT. The cement mixer worked well and they cast a long length of the
west wall, plus a lot of clearance and earth moving from the
aqueduct. And thanks to Jon, John and Phil the basin and
surrounding area was mown and strimmed. |
Saturday
16th April
10 o'clock |
Thanks to Mike's engine rebuild the old
cement mixer is now back in working order. Shuttering is in place
ready for BTs team building team to get stuck into on the 4th of
May. A bench was installed by the aqueduct for the benefit of
walkers and the weeds were given a dose of "Roundup". |
Saturday
19th March
10 o'clock |
Repairs to cement mixer worked fine, but
fuel stop cock snapped off; this will be replaced at an extra work
party on the 22nd. We did some clearing on the west parapet of
the aqueduct which has improved it's appearance. |
Saturday
19th February
10 o'clock |
In spite of the very muddy conditions we
were able to prepare the west wall for the next stage. The cement
mixer is out of action at present, but repairs look hopeful. A
improved route from the cabin to the canal bed was made made so that
we don't have to negotiate the little wooden bridge with the
wheelbarrows. And the cabin was tidied up. |
Saturday
15th January
10 o'clock |
A really good day. In spite of the rain the
site was not too muddy and the recently cleared ditches seem to be
keeping the water levels in the adjacent fields lower than previous
years. We completed six more large stone replacements on the
east wall. Very satisfactory! |
Thursday
25th November
9.30 |
Visiting teams from Intel helped us clear
back a lot of the west wall, reposition stones on the east wall as
well as some general tiding up. Their help is always much
appreciated. |
Saturday
20th November
10 o'clock |
A great day. Work on the walls progressed
well. |
Saturday
30th October
10 o'clock |
A good day. The tree root on the
south-west wall was removed and the stones re-seated. |
Extra work party
Thursday
7th October |
Progressed continued apace. Repairs
to the wall continued, final section of garden debris removed from
basin and a new section of wall cleared to expose another "small"
root. |
Extra work party
Tuesday
26th September |
An excellent day with over twenty
volunteers from Nationwide Building Society. Footpath and
ditches were cleared. Work started on rebuilding another section of
Basin wall. A large pile of logs was relocated to a less
inconvenient spot. |
Saturday
18th September 2010
10 o'clock |
More of the usual. Work on that root
and continuing renovating the west wall. |
Saturday
21st August 2010
10 o'clock |
We made more progress on exposing the big
tree root. Although it hasn't seriously damaged the wall the
sheer size of it means it is a slow job. We were also very
pleased to meet Mike from New Zealand who has been following our
work via the internet. |
EXTRA Intel work party
Thursday 5th August
10 o'clock |
A really good day. Side of the
aqueduct cleared, basin mowed and work on the tree stump progressed
well, plus a bit of strimming. |
Saturday
31st July 2010
10 o'clock |
Another great day. The next big tree
stump has been attacked and the adjacent stones moved out of the
way. It is now ready for us to carry on with on Thursday. |
Saturday
3rd July 2010
10 o'clock |
Another brilliant Day. the section of wall
only now needs the heavy top stones replaced. We also attacked the
weeds in and around the Basin as well as pulling up the Ragwort.

|
Saturday
15th May 2010
10 o'clock |
A beautiful sunny day and
an excellent job done.
The "Stump" is out.

|
Saturday
17th April 2010
10 o'clock |
Basin cleared, grass mown, Mill Leat
surveyed for leaks and the fence repaired. A nice day in the
sunshine. |
Saturday
20th March 2010
10 o'clock |
We used two brush-cutters to clear the
canal bed from the lock down to the first bend. It is now
looking Good. |
Saturday
20th February 2010
10 o'clock |
A nice Sunny, but cold, day and we are back
again. A bonfire to remove some of the rubbish, a dozen trees
planted amongst our new Hawthorne hedge and a general clear up. |
November 21st
Saturday 2009 |
In spite of the weather, we are close to
reaching this years goal; one more day should do it. |
October 31st
Saturday 2009 |
We are nearly halfway down the wall and
have started filling in behind.
The next two work parties should see it nearly finished. |
|
August 15th Saturday 2009 |
The work on the wall is progressing well.
PICTURES |
August 1st Saturday 2009
(July WP
clashed with Fairford Air show!) |
We are making very good progress replacing
some of the missing large stones along the basin wall.

Also spent
a couple of hours pulling up Ragwort
around the Basin.
Common Ragwort (Senecio
jacobaea, contains pyrrolizidine alkaloids which are
poisonous to horses and other farm animals such as
sheep and cattle and also to wild animals such as
hare and deer. It is for pasture owners to recognise
and control this potentially fatal plant.
|
| June 6th Saturday 2009 |
Lots of strimming, more work on the
aqueduct following up from an excellent work party by Npower.
PICTURES |
May 16th Saturday
2009 |
The big tree root is now out of the lock
wing wall and the wall has been temporally rebuilt. We now
have the sand and cement on site and we have started to sort through
our collection of stone so that we can incorporate as many of the
originals back in the basin wall, Visits from Intel and Npower
continue. |
April 18th Saturday
2009 |
With a little bit of a nudge the tree root
on the entrance to the lock finally came out, and our marine
division sailed its boat on the Leat. |
March 21st Saturday
2009 |
A good day. Cement mixer started OK, new
generator works well, and new tyres and tubes fitted to launch
trailer. The entrance area was tidied up and is looking very
attractive for walkers. The replacement stone cast last month looks
good and should soon weather in. |
February 21st Saturday
2009 |
Really nice early Spring day.
Explored the hole on the aqueduct and the signs are good that the
arch is intact. Also cast a stone as a replacement along the
Basin Wall. |
January 18th Saturday
2009 |
It all depends on the weather, but there is
maintenance needed on the cement mixer and two wheelbarrows. Plus we
need to plan how we will rebuild the basin walls and sort out how
much of the original stone is still usable. |
| December 20th Saturday |
A good days work tidying up around the
Basin. Fence re-instated across the top of the lock. All ready
for next year. BLUE
is off to Foxham, but was well worth having. |
| November 15th Saturday |
It was a bit muddy around the Basin, but
that didn't stop us putting in a good days work. |
| November 1st Saturday |
A good days work with
BLUE immediately
proving its worth. |
October 4th Saturday
|
The promised rain held off long enough for
us to finish clearing the canal bed in the areas attacked by INTEL
earlier this month. |
| September 20th Saturday |
We completed some more clearing in
preparation for a visit from an INTEL workparty. We also had
some visitors from CCT looking around the Junction after their AGM
at Lechlade. |
August 30th
Saturday
|
Interesting day. While we worked on
the Basin wall, CCT were part way through a week long work party at
the junction.
PICTURES |
July 19th 2008
Saturday |
Lots of Strimming done, plus lawn mowing
which included some of the area reclaimed from the Stinging nettles.
We have also started to rebuild part of the Basin wall which is
looking good. |
June 21st
2008 Saturday |
We extricated the digger from the canal bed
and it will shortly be on its way back to Wantage. Further
clearance of the basin walls was also carried out following on from
our two good days earlier in the month.
PICTURES |
June 1st 2008
Sunday |
Open Day at the Basin. In spite of the rain
of the previous days which made our planned car park un-usable the
day was considered a success. We had a steady flow of visitors ,
including family members and everyone seemed pleased to see our
progress. There is no doubt better weather would have brought
out more people, but nevertheless its was well worth the effort.
PICTURES |
May 24th
2008 Saturday |
Fencing finished, lots of strimming done and
more infill taken out of the lock.
Looking good for June 1st. |
May 17th
2008 Saturday |
Another great day. The lock clearance has really gone
well and should impress visitors on the Open Day. |
April 19th
2008 Saturday |
Another great day, even the rain held
off (for most of the time). Marvellous turnout and a visit from the
Maidenhead Sea Scouts. We finished the fencing around the Basin.
Sowed grass seed on the newly levelled area, and cleared a lot more
debris from the lock area. |
March 15th
2008 Saturday |
We have nearly cleared the infill from
the Basin, but the rain was causing too many problems.
PICTURES
Half of the safety post and rail fence around the Basin has
been erected. |
February 16th
2008 Saturday |
A successful day. The flooding has
gone down although the adjacent fields are still waterlogged. We
carried on clearing along the canal bed, and also attacked the
stinging nettles with animal friendly weed-killer. |
January 19th
2008 Saturday |
Postponed...............for the usual
reason........Flooding.
|
December 15th
2007 Saturday |
Good days work in spite of the cold.
The lock has started to produce a lot of stones from the chamber. |
November 2007
3rd & 4th
Saturday & Sunday |
WRG are
held their "Bonfire Bash" on the North Wilts this weekend.
Thanks to their efforts and the continuing work of our own team we
have made some great progress.
PICTURES |
| October 21st 2007 SUNDAY |
A very pleasant day allowed us to knock
back a lot of the recent growth of stinging nettles etc.. |
August 4th 2007
Saturday |
Open Day at the Basin.
CANCELLED
due to flooding.
A few of us were on site all day
to explain the situation to anyone turning up. There were a few and
I hope we spoke to everyone. I would like to thank these visitors
for their understanding, interest and donations.
We also found time to remove the old barbed wire fence across the
lock entrance and replace it with a "post and rail" fence. Much
safer and tidier. PICTURES |
July 21st 2007
Saturday |
The weather defeated us for
this one. It proved impossible to reach
the Basin.
We will endeavour to make up the lost time before the Open Day. |
June 16th 2007
Saturday |
We continued clearing the
aqueduct and lock and then our intrepid explorers followed the
drainage ditch looking for the reason for the slow run off of the
water. Most of this was done before the rains came. |
|
May 25th 2007
Friday |
A quiet day as expected,
but we continued clearing the site and exposing some more of the
aqueduct. |
April 21st 2007
Saturday |
A very successful day.
The aqueduct wall is looking good.
A constant flow of walkers were most
appreciative.
PICTURES |
March 17th 2007
Saturday |
We spent our time tidying
up the area on the top of the Aqueduct and Lock, as well as
continuing with our archaeological survey.
PICTURES |
Feb 17th/18th 2007
Saturday/Sunday |
The two day work party with
WRG
was very successful.
The site is now very clear and work has begun on the aqueduct wall.
PICTURES |
January 21st 2007
Sunday |
Flooded fields, overflowing
river and canal and one very large tree blown over.
It all went to make an interesting day.
PICTURES |
Dec. 27th 2006
Wednesday |
Another very successful
day. A very good turnout and a great deal achieved.
Several walkers commented favourably and appreciated our efforts.
PICTURES |