Catalogue description RIVER ARUN NAVIGATION

ACTS OF PARLIAMENT, 1785

[River Arun Navigation Act, 1785.] 25 George III, c. c. An Act for amending and improving the Navigation of the River Arun, from Houghton Bridge, in the Parish of Houghton, in the County of Sussex, to Pallenham Wharf, in the Parish of Wisborough Green, in the said County; and for continuing and extending the Navigation of the said River Arun, from the said Wharf called Pallenham Wharf, to a certain Bridge, called New Bridge, situate in the Parishes of Pulborough and Wisborough Green, in the said County of Sussex. 1785

ADDITIONAL MANUSCRIPTS, 1848

Add Mss 5943 Correspondence (2 letters) between James Powell (Clerk of the Navigation Co.), and Mr. Turner of Palmer's Farm, claim to a portion of the company's wharf at Newbridge. 7 June and 27 November 1848

The Company of Proprietors of the River Arun Navigation

Provenance of the Documents

The records of the Company of Proprietors of the River Arun Navigation were received at the West Sussex Record Office as follows

Add. MSS. 2037-2050 were deposited by Messrs. Arnold, Cooper and Tompkins of Chichester in July 1950

All the remaining documents were deposited by Messrs. Arnold, Cooper and Tompkins of Chichester in January 1947

The Company of Proprietors of the River Arun Navigation was incorporated by the River Arun Navigation Act, 1785 (25 George III, c. c), [An Act for amending and improving the Navigation of the River Arun, from Houghton Bridge, in the Parish of Houghton, in the County of Sussex, to Pallenham Wharf, in the Parish of Wisborough Green, in the said County; and for continuing and extending the Navigation of the said River Arun, from the said Wharf called Pallenham Wharf, to a certain Bridge, called New Bridge, situate in the Parishes of Pulborough and Wisborough Green, in the said County of Sussex. 13 May 1785] with an authorised capital of £10,000 in £100 shares, 'to amend and improve the said River Arun, and the Navigation thereof, from Houghton Bridge, in the Parish of Houghton ... through or near the several Parishes of Houghton, Amberley, Bury, Wiggenholt, Coldwaltham, Greatham, Hardham, Pulborough, and Stopham, to Pallenham Wharf, in the said Parish of Wisborough Green; and to make a new navigable Cut from One Part of the said River to the other, through Greatham Brook, between Greatham Bridge and Stopham Bridge ... and also to extend and continue the said Navigation of the said River Arun from the said Wharf called Pallenham Wharf, by making a navigable Cut through the Lands and Grounds situate in or near the several Parishes of Pulborough, Billingshurst, Wisborough Green and Hardham ... to a certain Bridge, called New Bridge, situate in Pulborough and Wisborough Green aforesaid, and to make and complete the same navigable and passable at all Times for Boats, Barges, Lighters, and other Craft'

The Upper navigation, from Pallingham to Newbridge, 4.6 miles in length with three locks - Pallingham (otherwise Pitherington or Pallenham) Lock, Middle (otherwise Leefarm) Lock and Arfold (otherwise Lordings, Harford or Orfold) Lock, giving a total rise of 23 feet - was opened on 1 August 1787. The Lower navigation, from Coldwaltham to Hardham, 1.75 miles in length with three locks and a tunnel - Waltham (otherwise Coldwaltham or Watersfield) Lock, Tunnel Lock, Hardham Lock and Hardham Tunnel, giving a total rise of 15-18 feet - was opened on 14 August 1790

In 1821, in conjunction with the Portsmouth and Arundel Navigation Company, the company sought further powers, which were granted by the River Arun Navigation and Portsmouth and Arundel Navigation Act, 1821 (1 and 2 George IV, c. 1xii), [An Act for giving further powers to the Company of Proprietors of the River Arun Navigation, and for confirming certain Agreements entered into between the said Company, and the Company of Proprietors of the Portsmouth and Arundel Navigation. 28 May 1821] 'to widen, straighten, and improve certain Parts of the Navigation of the said River Arun from the said Bridge called Houghton Bridge ... to Pallenham Wharf, and the Navigable Cut from one part of the said River to the other between Greatham Bridge and Stopham Bridge, and to make a Cut to take the Surplus Water running from the River Rother to the River Arun ... and also to widen, straighten, and improve the navigable Cut from the said Wharf, called Pallenham Wharf, to New Bridge, and to make and maintain Towing Paths in certain parts of the said River Arun Navigation, between Houghton Bridge and New Bridge; And also to widen and raise the principal Arch of the said Bridge, called Stopham Bridge ... to widen that part of the River Arun which is immediately on the South side of Houghton Bridge ... to make and maintain a sufficient Towing Path on the East side of the River Arun, through the Parishes of North Stoke and Burpham'

The navigation was officially closed from 1 January 1888, but tolls continued to be collected on the upper Navigation until 20 June 1888, and on the Lower navigation until 29 January 1889. The Warrant of Abandonment of the navigation was issued by the Board of Trade on 21 September 1896 under s. 45(1) of the Railway and Canal Traffic Act, 1888 (50 and 51 Victoria, c. 25), and the Order of release from all liability and statutory obligations to maintain the navigation was made by the Board of Trade on 22 April 1897 under the same Act. An order to wind-up the company was made on 1 May 1897 in the Chancery Division of the High Court under the provisions of the Companies Acts, 1862 and 1867 (25 and 26 Victoria, c. 89, and 30 and 31 Victoria, c. 131), and the company was finally dissolved in 1899

The initial fragmentation of the records has resulted in the inclusion of certain of the records of the River Arun Navigation in the class of Additional Manuscripts in the West Sussex Record Office; these documents have been included in the appropriate section of this catalogue but it should be noted that they retain their Add. MS catalogue number, and this number only should be quoted

Bibliography

Rev. Arthur Young, General View of the Agriculture of the County of Sussex, pp. 421-422

Joseph Priestley, Historical Account of the Navigable Rivers, Canals, and Railways, of Great Britain, pp. 25-28

F.S. Blomfield, 'A Bygone Bargeway', Sussex County Magazine, Vol. 8, 1934, pp 233-236

Roger R. Sellman, 'The Waterways of Sussex', Vol. 9, p. 21

A.G. Marshall and W. Norris, 'Canoeing under Sussex: A Forgotten Canal Explored', S.C.M, Vol. 27, 1953, pp. 128-134

J. Spencer Gilks, 'From the Wey to the Arun' S.C.M., Vol. 30, 1956, pp. 125-129 P.A.L. Vine, 'By Boat through Surrey and Sussex: An Account of an Inland Voyage from the Thames to the English Channel in 1867', S.C.M., Vol. 30, 1956, pp. 324-328

P.A.L. Vine, London's Lost Route to the Sea, passim

Charles Hadfield, The Canals of South and South East England, pp. 124-126 and 370-371

G.D. Johnston, 'The Meeting of Rother and Arun', Sussex Notes and Queries, Vol. 13, pp 272-275

G.D. Johnston, 'Towing Paths in Sussex', S.N.Q., Vol.15, pp. 8-10