A dream project to reopen a historic waterway is to become a reality.
Part of the Stover Canal has been reopened by Justin Templer at Old Exeter Road, Newton Abbot.
Mr Templer is a direct descendant of the Templer family who built the canal in 1792.
The Stover Canal Trust and Stover Canal Society have been working tirelessly to preserve and restore more than a mile-long stretch of the canal for many years.
They have now completed the first phase, thanks to a grant of £44,000 from Ugbrooke Environmental Ltd and through fundraising and donations.
For the past year they have been working to provide public access to the lower end of the canal tow path Jetty Marsh Sea Lock to Teign Bridge to facilitate and reinstate the footpath that was withdrawn 60 years ago.
The work had to go through planning at Teignbridge Council and was approved by land owners Network Rail. They also had to talk with Sibelco to secure more land along the stretch of the canal.
The works include creating elevated footbridges under the wash arch, over the spillway at the lower end of the canal and around the clay cellars near Old Exeter Road.
"Paul Tapper, chairman of Stover Canal Society, is a brilliant engineer and has been instrumental in the project and assisted by George Whitehead the society work party co-ordinator," said Roger Harding, chairman of Stover Canal Trust.
"It has been a long-term project since the society was founded in 1998 and the Trust in 2006, but I felt we had to do something now or it would be lost forever.
"For a long time the Trust was chasing a paper trail but eventually we signed a lease in 2010 and permissions for the restoration works were finally granted last summer.
"We've been lucky to have regular help from Britannia Naval College, the local scouts, Motorola and a local church group as well as our society volunteers.
"We have more than 150 people in the society but about 12 regular volunteers. We could do with some more, if people want to come forward."
Now phase one is complete, the Trust needs to find funding, complete surveys and apply for planning approval so that the bottom section can once again hold water. While this is taking place the society volunteers will be conducting an archaeological survey at Ventiford, cleaning and clearing the Fishwick Feeder, clearing from around Teign Bridge Lock and clearing vegetation at Teign Grace Lock.
"We'd like to thank the staff and management of WBB and later Sibelco for without their cooperation and help both at local and head office the restoration could never have started," said Roger.
"We'd also like to thank all the dedicated volunteers past and present who have worked so hard in some of the most atrocious weather conditions to bring this first phase of restoration of this historic waterway to its conclusion, the councillors from county, district, town and parish councils for their support and encouragement and the directors of Ugbrooke Environmental Ltd for funding the restoration.
"Lastly, we are grateful to all the friends and family who when called upon went that extra mile to make a dream come true."
Built in the 18th century, the canal was used to transport clay and other minerals from the Bovey Basin and granite from quarries on Dartmoor to the docks at Teignmouth for nearly 150 years. The canal was built by James Templer of Stover House between 1790 and 1792 to serve the ball clay industry in the area. It runs for nearly two miles from Ventiford Basin near Teigngrace to Jetty Marsh on the outskirts of Newton Abbot. From there, barges would follow the tidal Whitelake Channel, then the River Teign to Teignmouth docks, a further five miles, where the cargo was transhipped to seagoing coasters.
Around 1820 James Templer's son, George, built the unique Haytor Granite Tramway which carried granite mined on Dartmoor down to the canal basin at Ventiford, on carts running on granite rails mined from the same source. Haytor granite was most notably used in the construction of London Bridge, the British Museum and the National Gallery. The granite trade was short lived, lasting less than 40 years but the canal continued to serve the ball clay industry until 1937. With no other traffic using the canal abandonment followed and the canal became derelict. For the last 14 or so years the society and Stover Canal Trust have worked had to restore the historic site putting in thousands of hours to clear the site.
During the opening weekend there was a display of photographs showing the work carried out and historic pictures of the canal.
There were also displays by RSPB, Devon Wildlife Trust, Devon Bee Keepers, Templer Way & Teignbridge Rangers, Devon Cycle Ways, Sibelco UK, Clay Heritage Society and the South Devon Radio Club.
www.stovercanal.co.uk
