TheThames Conservancy (formally theConservators of the River Thames) was a body responsible for the management ofthat river inEngland. It was founded in 1857 to replace the jurisdiction of the City of London up toStaines. Nine years later it took on the whole river fromCricklade inWiltshire to the sea atYantlet Creek on theIsle of Grain. Its territory was reduced when theTideway (upper and lower estuary) was transferred to thePort of London Authority in 1909.
In 1974 the conservancy was taken into theThames Water Authority, later to devolve to theEnvironment Agency in almost all respects.
The stretch of river between the town ofStaines, just to the west ofLondon, and Yantlet Creek had been claimed by theCity of London since 1197 under a charter ofRichard the Lionheart.[1] The jurisdiction was marked by theLondon Stones. In 1771 theThames Navigation Commission was established from a body created twenty years earlier to handle navigation on the river.[2] Although the commissioners were active in establishing locks and weirs above Staines, they did not interfere with the jurisdiction of the City of London.
TheCity of London Corporation built a series of locks fromTeddington toPenton Hook at the beginning of the nineteenth century.[3] They also used material from the demolishedOld London Bridge to support the embankments betweenSunbury andShepperton.[4]
However trouble arose around 1840 when the government proposed building theVictoria Embankment andthe Crown claimed title to the river bed. The dispute simmered on for 17 years.[4]
Meanwhile, as a result of competition from the railways, the volume of traffic on the river had been drastically reduced. Income from tolls fell from £16,000 in 1839 to less than £8,000 in 1849, while maintenance charges for 1850 were estimated at nearly £7,000.[5] The City's unwillingness to pay for necessary expenditure led to complaints. By theThames Conservancy Act 1857, the Crown reclaimed its rights and transferred them to the new body.
The City of London handed its inventory to the Thames Conservancy in October 1857. In June 1857 the first stone of a new lock at Teddington had been laid at the present position, being the central of the three locks. The conservancy opened it in 1858 together with the narrowskiff lock, (known as "the coffin").[6] and the conservancy soon imposed regulations. In 1858 a toll of 15 shillings was imposed on every steam vessel passingTeddington Lock, and a speed limit set to five miles per hour. This was amended to 5 mph with the stream and 4 mph against it. Netting from Richmond to Staines was prohibited forever. The new authority reaffirmed the rights of anglers against interference from landowners and received a notice from thewater bailiff drawing attention to the "improper practice of letting boats for hire to inexperienced persons".[7] At this time the management of the bulk of the upstream river was the responsibility of theThames Navigation Commissioners, but this changed in 1866.
In 1866 it was considered expedient to put the navigation of the whole of the river under one management It was said that the Thames Commissioners were too numerous, thelocks and weirs on the River Thames were in a bad condition and income was insufficient to pay for maintenance. It was believed that under single management with the upper river maintained properly and with lower tolls overall the traffic would increase. On 6 August 1866, theThames Navigation Act 1866 allowed the Thames Conservancy to take over management of the river from Cricklade to Yantlet Creek, a distance of 177 miles (285 km).[8]
Under the act, all locks canals and other works of the commissioners were transferred to the conservancy. In addition provision was made for all weirs to be transferred to the Conservancy from private owners. Former owners of weirs were freed from liability but two weirs at Buscot and Eaton remained to the owner ofBuscot Park. Most weirs belonged to the twenty eight water-mills still operating between Oxford and Staines and the entitlement to water of the mills, many of which dated back toDomesday Book, was recognised. No new flow of sewage into the river or its tributaries was allowed and existing sewage works were to be removed. New revenue was raised by a £1,000 per annum charge on each of thefive water companies.[9] TheSouthwark and Vauxhall,Grand Junction andWest Middlesex water companies had set up their works atHampton in the 1850s after it became illegal to take water from theTideway. TheLambeth andChelsea water companies had moved initially toSeething Wells but later relocated toEast Molesey. Whereas the City of London owned the river bed for its part of the river, the Thames Commissioners did not and hence Thames Conservancy did not acquire the ownership of the river bed for the section above Staines which remained (and remains) the property of theriparian owners.
In August 1866 the conservancy inspected works between Oxford and Windsor and in October settled a table of tolls.[10]Bell Weir Lock had collapsed in June and was rebuilt the following year.[11] In 1868 tolls were placed on three of the four locks then above Oxford –St John's,Buscot andPinkhill Locks.Rushey Lock was omitted and there were no tolls on the weirs. This reflects the poor state of navigation above Oxford.[12] Some of the old locks on the rest of the river were still wooden pens and these were gradually renewed or replaced. Works completed in 1869 included the rebuilding ofRomney Lock and the addition of a boat slide at Teddington. In 1870Hambleden Lock andBenson Lock were rebuilt, followed byDay's Lock in 1871 andGodstow Lock in 1872.[13] In the 1870s it is recorded that Teddington weir collapsed twice causing enormous damage.[14]
In 1872 the conservancy promised to reopen navigation betweenRadcot andNewbridge by repairing Rushey Lock but in 1874 recognised that they lacked the funds to meet the promise. There were regular complaints at this time about the poor state of river particularly in upper reaches and the persistence of sewage.[15]
Lock replacements continued withShiplake andCleeve in 1874,Caversham in 1875,Whitchurch in 1876 andBell Weir in 1877. In 1883 the conservancy removed the lock atChalmore Hole atWallingford, after many years petitioning by residents of Wallingford for its retention. The weirs at Hambleden were built in 1884 and the public right of way across the river sustained by building the walkway.Bray Lock was rebuilt in 1885.[16]
TheThames Preservation Act 1885 was passed to enshrine the preservation of river for public recreation. It prohibited shooting on the river which had become a cause of concern. The act noted "It is lawful for all persons for pleasure or profit to travel or to loiter upon any and every part or the river" (apart from private cuts).[17] The river had become exceedingly popular for sport and leisure. Many regattas or "aquatic fetes" had been instigated and Jerome K. Jerome'sThree Men in a Boat published in 1889 described a typical boating journey.
Lock replacements continued withMarsh in 1888,Temple in 1890 andCookham in 1892 The first new lock was built atRadcot Lock in 1892, andChertsey Lock was lengthened in 1893.[18] A major work in 1894 was theRichmond Lock and weir complex built to ensure that there is always at least a 5 feet 8 inches (1.73 m) depth of water in the river between Richmond and Teddington.[19][20][21][22]
| Thames Conservancy Act 1894 | |
|---|---|
| Act of Parliament | |
 | |
| Citation | 57 & 58 Vict. c. clxxxvii |
| Dates | |
| Royal assent | 17 August 1894 |
| Other legislation | |
| Repeals/revokes | Thames Navigation Act 1623 |
| Repealed by | Thames Conservancy Act 1932 |
Status: Repealed | |
| Text of statute as originally enacted | |
TheThames Conservancy Act 1894 (57 & 58 Vict. c. clxxxvii) consisted mainly of tidying up legislation.[23] The conservancy finally addressed navigation above Oxford, replacing the existing weirs with locks and footbridges where there was a right of way. New locks wereGrafton Lock andNorthmoor Lock in 1896 andShifford Lock in 1898. Also in 1898 the conservancy rebuilt Pinkhill and Rushey.[24] Downstream, Boveney was rebuilt in 1898, with the old lock replaced by a boat slide and Shepperton was also rebuilt on a different alignment in 1899.[25]
By the end of the 19th century the advance in the size of ships and the growth of the Port of London raised questions of management and aroyal commission reported in 1900 recommending that a single body take responsibility for the port.
Meanwhile at Teddington, the barge lock, the largest lock on the river at 650 feet (200 m), was built in 1904–1905.[14] Locks rebuilt in 1905 includedAbingdon, St Johns,Sonning andOsney.Molesey Lock was replaced in 1906 andMapledurham Lock in 1908.[26]
ThePort of London Act 1908 (8 Edw. 7. c. 68) transferred responsibility for theTideway including Richmond Lock to thePort of London Authority, which began its duties on 31 March 1909.[27] A demarcation point set the authorities' shared boundary as that of the parishes ofTeddington andTwickenham, with anobelisk 350 yards (320 m) below Teddington Lock:[28] the Thames Conservancy remained responsible for the non-tidal river between Cricklade and Teddington.
Lock rebuilds took place atPenton Hook in 1909 andHurley in 1910. In 1912 the conservancy undertook major works atBoulter's Lock, which involved the purchase ofRay Mill Island.Chertsey Lock was lengthened in 1913 andMarsh Lock rebuilt in 1914. Goring Lock was rebuilt in 1921 with a third central set of gates and Godstow Lock rebuilt in 1924. In 1927 a new lock was built at Sunbury, the old one being retained. Marlow Lock and Iffley Lock were redeveloped in the same years. In 1928 the improvement to navigation above Oxford was finally completed with the building ofEynsham Lock andKing's Lock.
The next significant undertaking was the digging ofDesborough Cut between 1930 and 1935. The3⁄4–mile (1 km) cut took the river on a straight course betweenWeybridge andWalton on Thames, and avoiding a meandering stretch pastShepperton and itsLower Halliford locale.[29] The channel cut the regularity of flooding in Chertsey and Old Shepperton[30] and halved the distance of travel on that part of the river.
| Thames Conservancy Act 1932 | |
|---|---|
| Act of Parliament | |
 | |
| Long title | An Act to consolidate and amend the enactments relating to the powers and duties of the Conservators of the River Thames with respect to the conservancy preservation and regulation of the Thames above the landward limit of the Port of London. |
| Citation | 22 & 23 Geo. 5. c. xxxvii |
| Dates | |
| Royal assent | 16 June 1932 |
| Text of statute as originally enacted | |
TheThames Conservancy Act 1932 (22 & 23 Geo. 5. c. xxxvii) dealt with construction of jetties and landing stages on the river.[31]
In the 1960s modernisation of the locks began with the first hydraulic system introduced at Shiplake Lock in 1961.Sandford Lock was rebuilt in 1972.
Significant change in the structure of the conservancy in the 20th century began with the passing of theLand Drainage Act 1930 (20 & 21 Geo. 5. c. 44). This createdcatchment boards anddrainage boards over much of England and Wales, but the Thames above Teddington was treated as a special case, as outlined in section 79 of that act. The conservators automatically became a catchment board, and were required to carry out the drainage functions described in section 34 of the act, although not until two years after the act came into force. All the existing conservators had to resign, although they could be reappointed as part of the new regime.[32] Schedule 6 contained a list of who was responsible for the appointment of the 31 new members, which consisted mostly of county councils and county borough councils, together with one appointed by theMinister of Agriculture and Fisheries, one by theBoard of Trade and one by theMinister of Transport.[33] The Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries could also appoint three additional members after consultation with internal drainage boards. The new conservators were required to keep separate accounts relating to their activities under the act, and those relating to activities bestowed on them by various Conservancy Acts dating from 1894 to 1924.[32]
| Thames Conservancy Act 1950 | |
|---|---|
| Act of Parliament | |
| |
| Long title | An Act to amend the Thames Conservancy Act 1932 to extend the powers and make further provision for the revenue of the Conservators of the river Thames and for other purposes. |
| Citation | 14 Geo. 6. c. l |
| Dates | |
| Royal assent | 28 July 1950 |
| Text of statute as originally enacted | |
| Thames Conservancy Act 1959 | |
|---|---|
| Act of Parliament | |
 | |
| Long title | An Act to amend the Thames Conservancy Acts 1932 and 1950 to extend the powers and make further provision for the revenue of the Conservators of the river Thames and for other purposes. |
| Citation | 7 & 8 Eliz. 2. c. xxvi |
| Dates | |
| Royal assent | 9 July 1959 |
| Text of statute as originally enacted | |
TheRiver Boards Act 1948 (11 & 12 Geo. 6. c. 32) replaced catchment boards withriver boards, covering the whole of England and Wales, but again the Thames Conservancy was treated as a special case. The act introduced new constitutional, financial and general administrative powers for the river boards, but the Thames Conservancy continued to operate under the 1930 legislation.[34] The next change occurred with the passing of theLand Drainage Act 1961 (9 & 10 Eliz. 2. c. 48), the provisions of which were applied to the Thames Conservancy, although the conservancy did not formally become ariver authority in the way that other river boards did. Mention was made in the act that the Thames Conservators derived some of their powers from theThames Conservancy Act 1950 (14 Geo. 6. c. l) andThames Conservancy Act 1959 (7 & 8 Eliz. 2. c. xxvi), rather than the River Boards Act 1948.[35]
TheWater Act 1973 (c. 37) abolished river authorities, replacing them with tenregional water authorities, and on 1 April 1974, the Thames Conservancy was subsumed into the newThames Water Authority, although much of the organisation remained intact as the authority's Thames Conservancy Division. However, when Thames Water was privatised in 1990 as a result of theWater Act 1989 (c. 15), the river management functions passed to the newNational Rivers Authority and in 1996 to theEnvironment Agency.[36]
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