The Leven Canal runs for from the River Hull to the village of Leven, East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It was built for Mrs Charlotta Bethell in 1805, and remained in use until 1935. It is now a Site of Special Scientific Interest.

Location

The Leven Canal runs from the River Hull between Arram and Aike, to the south end of the village of Leven. It borders the Leven Carrs in the north, and Eske and Routh Carrs in the south. As it enters Leven it passes Little Leven. Just upstream on the River Hull is the start of the Driffield Navigation.

;Situated on the River Hull

  • Next place upstream = Aike Beck
  • Next place downstream = Arram Beck

History

The idea of a canal to Leven was first proposed in 1786. The low-lying area to the west of Leven had been drained in the 1760s by the construction of the Holderness Drain, which ran broadly parallel to the River Hull and entered the Humber Estuary at an outfall downstream of the mouth of the River Hull. The Drainage Commissioners asked the canal engineer William Jessop to look at proposals for a navigation from the outfall to Monk Bridge, a little to the south of Leven. Jessop reported that the extra cost of making the drain navigable for boats drawing , which included two locks and several passing places, would be £5,136, but no further action was taken.

A second scheme was proposed by some promoters in September 1791, which would follow a similar alignment, and they got as far as presenting a petition to parliament in March of the following year, but nothing came of it. Interest died down until 1801, when there were two rival proposals for canals to Leven. The first envisioned a canal from below Hull Bridge, running in a north-easterly direction to Skirlaugh bridge, with a branch to Monk bridge, to serve the town. The second was for a much simpler scheme, running eastwards from the River Hull near Aike Beck to Leven, to be privately funded by Mrs Bethell.

The canal was opened in 1805, but its cost had exceeded Jessop's estimate, and tolls had to be increased. This was authorised by a second act of Parliament, the (45 Geo. 3. c. xliii), obtained on 5 June 1805.

Coal, lime and building materials were imported, while local agricultural produce was sent down the river to Hull.

Personnel

Not only was the canal fairly unusual in being owned by a woman, but it also had a female lock keeper. Matilda Simpson was the daughter of Thomas Jacques and Jane Taylor born on 7 August 1814, either at Cottingham (1851 and 1881 census), or at Dunswell (1901 census), depending on which census you believe. She married David Simpson on 23 June 1834 in Leven.

On the 1851 census William Simpson is recorded as being the lock keeper of Lock House, Leven, aged 75. Also living at the lock house are his wife, Margaret age 71, son David age 41, and David's wife, the aforementioned Matilda age 35. With children, and other close family members, 12 people resided at the lock house. Eventually the lock fell into disuse, and Leven Canal became cut off from the river. Subsequently, the lock, which was a flood lock containing three sets of gates, was turned into a sluice, to allow water to pass into the River Hull.

The canal was sold by auction in 1963 and was bought by Frank Hopkinson of Conisbrough for the sum of £1,950. Mr Hopkinson was a motor dealer, who joined the Inland Waterways Association; he died in 1969. It is currently managed by Trailer & Marina (Leven) Ltd.

The waterway was cut in half when it was decided not to maintain the aqueduct over the "Old Sal" or Holderness Drain. The canal bed has been replaced by a pipe over the drain, which is part of the flood defence system of this low-lying area, and about of canal adjacent to this, under a pipe bridge, has been filled in. The rest of the canal is still in water and has been a Site of Special Scientific Interest since 1962, as it supports around 42 types of plants and animals, including yellow and white water lilies, and this number is larger than for other similar environments. It was the rich flora and fauna that resulted in the High Court upholding a ban on the canal owners from developing the canal for fishing and boating in 2004,

See also

  • Canals of Great Britain
  • History of the British canal system

Bibliography

References

  • Driffield Navigation website