Swaffham Bulbeck Lode
Swaffham Bulbeck Lode is one of the Cambridgeshire lodes, a man-made channel which joins the River Cam about a mile and a half below Bottisham Lode.[1]
The lode runs for 3.4 miles to the hamlet of Commercial End, just west of Swaffham Bulbeck.
Commercial End (which was called Newnham until the early 19th century) formed Swaffham Bulbeck's port. It consists of a row of fine buildings, mainly dating from the late 17th and 18th century.[2] The Commissioners of the Bedford Level were responsible for the drain during this period, and they cleared the channel and straightened the banks on several occasions in response to complaints.
Use of the lode declined rapidly once the railways arrived in the area,[1] and only the first 2 miles between the Cam and Slade Farm are currently navigable, as shallow water and low bridges prevent access beyond this point.
There is a lock at the junction with the River Cam which can accommodate boats up to 96 feet by 15 feet, with a maximum draught of 2 feet.[3] However, the Environment Agency have modified the upstream lock gate, in order to improve flood control, with the result that the headroom below the guillotine gate is too low for boats to enter the lode.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Boyes & Russell 1977, pp. 173–174
- ↑ Blair 2006, pp. 99–100
- ↑ Cumberlidge 1998
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