July 1965
London & Home Counties branch of the Inland Waterways Association
(IWA) sends a
confidential report to the local authorities, putting the case for
restoring the 32-mile navigation at a cost of £43,000, to be run by
a non-profit making Trust.
September 1966
12 people meet at the Brookwood home of Jim Woolgar to discuss the
plight of the privately owned Basingstoke Canal: as a result the
Surrey & Hampshire Canal Society (SHCS) is formed.
July 1967
New Basingstoke Canal Co. Ltd. (NBCC) submits plans for the future
of the derelict waterway, recommending filling in urban lengths for
redevelopment; replacement of locks by weirs and that local authorities
should maintain the remaining "duck ponds".
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Deepcut flight, 1960s
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March 1968
Boats large and small gather at bottom of Lock 1 for an Easter
protest rally with the message: "Amenity or eyesore, beauty or decay,
action's needed now, please save this waterway".
September 1968
56-page book "Basingstoke Canal: the Case for Restoration"
is published jointly by the SHCS and IWA in a blaze of
publicity. Filling in is rejected as the most expensive and least useful
solution. Full restoration for amenity use is recommended, using
voluntary labour, at a cost of between £32,000 and £96,000.
June 1969
10,000 riparian ratepayers sign a petition presented to County
Councillors R.G.Reekie and D.G.Pumfrett at Ash Lock,
calling for the canal to be transferred to public ownership.
A further 8,000 signatures are added later.
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Easter 1968 protest rally, Lock 1
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June 1969
P.A.L.Vine, author of "London's Lost Route to
Basingstoke",
hammers home a gold plated nail to complete a pair of upper lock
gates, constructed by volunteers at Ash Vale barge yard in defiance
of the NBCC's ban on voluntary working parties.
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August 1969
Surrey County Council (SCC) is reported to be interested in buying
the canal subject to Hampshire County Council's (HCC) agreement
to take over the western end.
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July 1970
Joint County Council purchase negotiations opened with the
NBCC (which valued the waterway at £100,000), following satisfactory
surveys of the canal. HCC anounces its intention to buy the 15-mile
western end of the canal from Ash Embankment to Greywell
Tunnel.
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August 1970
IWA's National Rally of boats is held on the Wey Navigation at
Guildford. 380 boats attend "Guildford Water Festival"
bearing the slogan "Save the Basingstoke Canal".
SHCS Chairman David Gerry states: "After Rally '70 we can
speak from a position of strength that will lead, perhaps, to
Rally '80 - at Odiham".
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April 1972
Breakdown in purchase negotiations leads HCC and SCC to
announce their intention to apply for Compulsory Purchase Orders (CPO)
, served by HCC in December 1972.
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May 1973
Joint Working Party representing County Council officers, Canal
Society, IWA and Army, recommends full restoration of canal, at
an estimated cost of £346,000 including £98,000 voluntary
input.
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June 1973
John Humphries, IWA Chairman (left), ceremoniously completes a
pair of upper lock gates, constructed by volunteers at Ash Vale barge
yard, which are formally presented to the County Councils by
SHCS President Lord Onslow (right).
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November 1973
CPO public enquiry opens on 1st November at Farnborough Town Hall.
It is announced that the NBCC has agreed to transfer the Hampshire
half of the canal to public ownership. Voluntary working parties
start at Barley Mow Bridge, Winchfield, clearing towpath and
bridge hole.
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March 1974
Robin Higgs elected Chairman of Canal Society, taking over from
David Gerry who is to be appointed HCC's Canal Manager.
January 1975
European Architectural Heritage Year. HCC to give the eastern portal
of Greywell Tunnel a facelift. Canal Society launches appeal for
£1,000 to buy 4,000 capping bricks to aid repair of seven accomodation
bridges.
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Greywell Tunnel (east) before
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February 1975
CPO's are confirmed but NBCC is to appeal against SCC's refusal to
grant an Alternative Development Certificate.
March 1976
SCC finally completes purchase of 16-mile eastern half of the canal,
incuding all but one of the 29 locks, for £40,000.
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Greywell Tunnel (east) after
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July 1976
10,000 visitors attend second "Water Nobsurd", a day of
aquatic sports entertainment held at Colt Hill, Odiham. Graham
Palmer, founder of Waterway Recovery Group, formally renames
the "New Inn" the "Water Witch".
February 1977
Canal Society receives £35,400 grant for six-month Job Creation
Programme, managed by Frank Jones, providing 26 jobs on
restoration of Deepcut 14 flight of locks.
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'Water Nobsurd', Colt Hill 1976
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October 1977
"Deepcut Dig"; national weekend working party attracts
600 volunteers to Deepcut 14 and Brookwood 3 fights of locks.
Workers get through 400 bags of cement, 90 tons of ballast,
10 tons of sand, 3,500 bricks and 1,400 pints of beer!
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Deepcut Dig
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November 1977
Jubilee years marked by Canal Society planting 800 saplings along
the canal banks. The Society later receives £2,000 from the
Queen's Silver Jubilee Fund.
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Jubilee tree planting
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