Foxton Inclined Plane

2024-12-10T11:23:09Z

80.40.238.40:

{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Use British English|date=February 2023}}
{{Infobox historic site
| name = Foxton Inclined Plane
| image = Foxton Inclined Plane from viewing area.JPG
| image_size = 250px
| alt =
| caption = Inclined Plane from the top
| locmapin = United Kingdom Leicestershire
| coordinates = {{coord|52.5001|-0.9817|scale:4000|display=inline,title}}
| location = Leicestershire, England
| type = [[canal inclined plane]]
| etymology =
| nearest_city =
| area =
| elevation = {{convert|75|ft|m|abbr=on}}
| height =
| beginning_label = Construction
| beginning_date = 1898-1900
| formed =
| founded =
| founder =
| built =
| built_for = [[Grand Union Canal]]
| original_use =
| demolished = 1926
| rebuilt =
| restored = 2008
| restored_by =
| current_use =
| architect = Gordon Cale Thomas
| sculptor =
| architecture =
| visitors_num =
| visitors_year =
| visitors_ref =
| governing_body =
| owner = [[Canal & River Trust]]
| website =
| designation3_free3value =
| designation4 = Scheduled monument
| designation4_offname = Inclined Plane immediately east of Foxton Locks
| designation4_date = 24 January 1973<ref name= scheduled>{{National Heritage List for England|num=1018832|desc=Inclined Plane|accessdate=19 April 2012}}</ref>
| designation4_number = 1018832
}}

The '''Foxton Inclined Plane''' is a [[canal inclined plane]] on the Leicester line of the [[Grand Union Canal]] about {{convert|5|km|abbr=on}} west of the [[Leicestershire]] town of [[Market Harborough]], named after the nearby village of [[Foxton, Leicestershire|Foxton]].

The plane was built in 1900 as a solution to various operational restrictions imposed by the [[Foxton Locks|Foxton Lock flight]]. However, it was not a commercial success and only remained in full-time operation for ten years. The plane was dismantled in 1926. A project to re-create the plane commenced in the 2000s because the [[Narrowboat#Size|narrowbeam]] locks remain a bottleneck for leisure boat traffic.

==History==
[[File:Foxton inclined plane construction.PNG|thumb|left|The inclined plane under construction in 1900.]]
[[File:Foxton Inclined Plane.jpg|thumb|left|The inclined plane from the [[Illustrated London News]] of 19 December 1903]]
By 1897, the [[Grand Junction Canal]] Company had acquired several of the canals comprising the Leicester line, and was keen to meet demand from carriers seeking to use wider beam (14 ft) craft, rather than the traditional narrow beam boats, which were the only type the locks could accommodate.

Their solution was to build an [[Canal inclined plane|inclined plane]] to the side of the locks. Initially, the company had planned for the plane to replace the locks, rather than having it act as a second, faster option. Construction began in 1898 and was finished by 10 July 1900.<ref name=McKnight>{{Cite book|title=The Shell Book of Inland Waterways|author=Hugh McKnight|publisher=[[David & Charles]]|year=1987|isbn=0-7153-8239-X|pages=46–49}}</ref>

The plane was designed by Gordon Cale Thomas, after a large-scale prototype was built at the company's [[Bulbourne, Hertfordshire|Bulbourne]] yard and he had assessed the {{convert|75|ft|abbr=on}} climb.<ref name=McKnight/> It had two tanks, or [[Caisson (engineering)#Boat lift caissons|caisson]]s, each capable of holding two [[narrowboat]]s or a [[barge]]. The water-holding caissons balanced each other. The caissons' vertical guillotine gates created a watertight seal.<ref name=McKnight/> The lift was powered by a 25-horsepower (19 kW) [[stationary steam engine]]. The land for the plane was purchased for £1,595 and total expenses for the project came to £39,244 by 24 June 1900.<ref name=flic9>{{cite book |title=Foxton Locks and Inclined Plane A Detailed History|year=1988 |publisher=Department of Planning and Transportation, Leicestershire County Council | isbn=0-85022-191-9|page=9}}</ref>

The inclined plane had a journey time of 12 minutes for two boats up and two down, compared with 1¼ hours through the lock system,<ref name=McKnight/> thereby improving the speed of passage up the hill tremendously. During a 12-hour day, 6,000 [[long ton|tons]] (6,100 tonnes) of cargo could pass between the upper and lower level.<ref name=McKnight/> Unlike the locks, where water flowed downhill every time a boat passed through, on the inclined plane almost the same amount of water goes up and down the hill. Only the [[Buoyancy#Archimedes' principle|displaced water]] is moved, thus saving a great deal of water and giving better control of this vital resource.

An initial problem with the plane was the stress placed on the tracks by the caissons.<ref name=McKnight/> There was a plan to build a similar [[Canal inclined plane|inclined plane]] at the [[Watford Locks]] at the southern end of the canal's summit level. However, this was never carried through (perhaps due to the low levels of traffic in the plane's first two years),<ref name=McKnight/> and as the Watford Locks were never widened, the economic benefits of the plane could not be fully realised. The need to continually maintain a supply of steam for the plane's engine – in expectation of traffic – also proved to be a drain on finances.<ref name=McKnight/> Thus, despite its obvious effectiveness, the Foxton Inclined Plane was mothballed in 1911 to save money. After that date it saw occasional use when the locks were undergoing maintenance.<ref name=flic36>{{cite book |title=Foxton Locks and Inclined Plane A Detailed History|year=1988 |publisher=Department of Planning and Transportation, Leicestershire County Council | isbn=0-85022-191-9|page=36}}</ref>

In 1926, dismantling of the incline's machinery began, and it was sold for scrap in 1928 for a mere £250.<ref name=McKnight/> That year the chimney on the engine house was demolished and its bricks used for various canal repairs.<ref name=flic37>{{cite book |title=Foxton Locks and Inclined Plane A Detailed History|year=1988 |publisher=Department of Planning and Transportation, Leicestershire County Council | isbn=0-85022-191-9|page=37}}</ref> The mooring bollards from the incline can be found alongside the locks.<ref name=flic37 />

== Preservation==
The '''Foxton Canal Museum''' is located in the former boiler house for the plane's steam engine. The [[museum]] covers the history of the locks and the plane, the lives of the canal workers, and other aspects of the local canal. There is also a collection of [[Measham]] pottery. The museum opened in 1989 and is accredited by the [[Museums, Libraries and Archives Council]].

===Restoration===
The site of the Foxton Inclined Plane Boat Lift has been recognised as a [[scheduled monument]]<ref name= scheduled/> and was on the [[Heritage at Risk Register|Monuments at Risk Register]].<ref name=Risk>{{cite web|url=http://www.fipt.org.uk/lift.html|title=Monument no longer at risk|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110927044301/http://www.fipt.org.uk/lift.html|archivedate=27 September 2011|df=dmy-all}}</ref> This recognition, together with the steady increase in leisure boating on British canals, means its restoration is now considered a key project in the development of the national waterway network. The cost of full restoration has been estimated at £9 million (in 2006).

Stage 1 of the project – the clearing of the site and restoration of the canal arms above and below the plane – was completed in 2008. A grant for £1.7 million was received from the [[Heritage Lottery Fund]] towards the £2.8 million cost of this first stage, and its successful completion resulted in the site being removed from the Monuments at Risk register.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fipt.org.uk/lift|title=foxton inclined plane trust|website=Foxton inclined plane trust|accessdate=16 November 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/upload/pdf/HAR_East_Midlands_Acc.pdf |title=Heritage At Risk (East Midlands) – Report 2008|website=English-heritage.org.uk|accessdate=16 November 2017}}</ref>

==References==
{{Commons category|Foxton Inclined Plane and Lock Staircase}}
{{Reflist}}

[[Category:Canal inclined planes]]
[[Category:Transport infrastructure completed in 1900]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures in Leicestershire]]
[[Category:Transport in Leicestershire]]
[[Category:Tourist attractions in Leicestershire]]
[[Category:Scheduled monuments in Leicestershire]]
[[Category:Lock flights of England]]
[[Category:Staircase locks of England]]
[[Category:Museums in Leicestershire]]
[[Category:Canal museums in England]]

Vero - Wikipedia - User contributions [en]

Foxton Inclined Plane