Driffield Navigation
The Driffield Navigation is an 18 km (11 mile) waterway, through the heart of the Holderness Plain to the market town of Driffield, East Riding of Yorkshire, England.
The Driffield Navigation is an extension to the River Hull, in the East Riding of Yorkshire. It runs from the end of Aike Beck, near Beverley and continues through the Holderness Plain up to the small market town of Driffield. There are branches off to Corps Landing, and North Frodingham. The Leven Canal leaves the navigation, in the tidal river section 2 miles north of Hull Bridge.
With less traffic, lower profits, and little prospect of a growth in trade, maintenance standards fell. By 1937 the Locks and Bridges were in a poor state of repair. A report in 1939 records that the canal was weedy throughout its entire length. Water began to leak through the Banks between Whinhill and Snakeholme Lock and a real danger to the surrounding land drainage was evident. Some dredging was carried out during the early 1940s but this did little to improve the condition of the Canal. The last commercial craft to reach Driffield was the Keel CAROLINE loaded with 50 tons of wheat on 16th March 1945. The last commercial craft on the Navigation was the vessel OUSEFLEET, delivering coal to Frodingham Wharf during the period to December 1951.
With the demise of commercial navigation, the interest of the Commissioners waned. In 1955 an unauthorised fixed bridge was built across the navigation at Whinhill but the IWA received the assurance that, if at any future date the navigation was reopened to Driffield, the bridge would be removed. The major obstruction to the renewal of the navigation to Driffield was incurred in 1967, when the County Council replaced the bridge which carries the public right of way over the Navigation at Wansford with a fixed bridge. As this action was taken without the agreement of a quorum of Commissioners the legality of the step must be questioned. Only a Court could adjudicate on this action.
In 1968 the Driffield Navigation Amenities Association was formed to help restore the canal back to navigation. Volunteers kept the remaining navigation structures working to allow navigation to Brigham, and North Frodingham, but only in the last few years grants have been available to restore new sections.
In 1996 Town Lock was restored completely by volunteers and fund raising. This effort helped to obtain further grants, and in 2003 two major obstacles were officially opened. Brigham swing bridge, last opened in the 1960s and then replaced by a fixed structure in the 1970s was restored to full operation. This allows navigation to Snakeholme Lock, 1.2 miles (1.9km) away. Snakeholme lock was official opened later the same year, though a fixed bridge over the tail of the lock limits headroom to 6 feet (1.8m). There are plans to replace it with a swing bridge.
In 2005, Whinhill Lock was restored, and opened to navigation. Unfortunately another fixed farm access bridge has been placed over the lock chamber, and limits use to boats of 4.6 m (15 feet) in length or less.
Work is now well in hand to obtain funding to replace the final obstructions to Navigation at Wansford, Snakeholme and Whin Hill.
