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maintain a supply of steam for the plane's engine – in expectation of traffic – also proved to be a drain on finances. Thus, despite its obvious effectiveness, the Foxton
Inclined Plane was mothballed in 1911 to save money. After that date it saw occasional use when the locks were undergoing maintenance.
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at the southern end of the canal's summit level. However, this was never carried through (perhaps due to the low levels of traffic in the plane's first two years), and as the
Watford Locks were never widened, the economic benefits of the plane could not be fully realised. The need to continually
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Company had acquired several of the canals comprising the
Leicester line, and was keen to meet demand from carriers seeking to use wider beam (14 ft) craft, rather than the traditional narrow beam boats, which were the only type the locks could accommodate. Their solution was to build an
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In 1926, dismantling of the incline's machinery began, and it was sold for scrap in 1928 for a mere £250. That year the chimney on the engine house was demolished and its bricks used for various canal repairs. The mooring bollards from the incline can be found alongside the locks.
392:. This recognition, together with the steady increase in leisure boating on British canals, means its restoration is now considered a key project in the development of the national waterway network. The cost of full restoration has been estimated at £9 million (in 2006).
332:(6,100 tonnes) of cargo could pass between the upper and lower level. Unlike the locks, where water flowed downhill every time a boat passed through, on the inclined plane almost the same amount of water goes up and down the hill. Only the
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The inclined plane had a journey time of 12 minutes for two boats up and two down, compared with 1¼ hours through the lock system, thereby improving the speed of passage up the hill tremendously. During a 12-hour day, 6,000
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to the side of the locks. Initially, the company had planned for the plane to replace the locks, rather than having it act as a second, faster option. Construction began in 1898 and was finished by 10 July 1900.
259:. However, it was not a commercial success and only remained in full-time operation for ten years. The plane was dismantled in 1926. A project to re-create the plane commenced in the 2000s because the
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Stage 1 of the project – the clearing of the site and restoration of the canal arms above and below the plane – was completed in 2008. A grant for £1.7 million was received from the
320:. The water-holding caissons balanced each other. The caissons' vertical guillotine gates created a watertight seal. The lift was powered by a 25-horsepower (19 kW)
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towards the £2.8 million cost of this first stage, and its successful completion resulted in the site being removed from the
Monuments at Risk register.
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covers the history of the locks and the plane, the lives of the canal workers, and other aspects of the local canal. There is also a collection of
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An initial problem with the plane was the stress placed on the tracks by the caissons. There was a plan to build a similar
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324:. The land for the plane was purchased for £1,595 and total expenses for the project came to £39,244 by 24 June 1900.
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The plane was designed by Gordon Cale Thomas, after a large-scale prototype was built at the company's
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255:. The plane was built in 1900 as a solution to various operational restrictions imposed by the
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550:. Department of Planning and Transportation, Leicestershire County Council. 1988. p. 37.
523:. Department of Planning and Transportation, Leicestershire County Council. 1988. p. 36.
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is moved, thus saving a great deal of water and giving better control of this vital resource.
499:. Department of Planning and Transportation, Leicestershire County Council. 1988. p. 9.
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yard and he had assessed the 75 ft (23 m) climb. It had two tanks, or
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The site of the Foxton
Inclined Plane Boat Lift has been recognised as a
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is located in the former boiler house for the plane's steam engine. The
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pottery. The museum opened in 1989 and is accredited by the
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locks remain a bottleneck for leisure boat traffic.
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221:
Location of Foxton
Inclined Plane in Leicestershire
548:Foxton Locks and Inclined Plane A Detailed History
521:Foxton Locks and Inclined Plane A Detailed History
497:Foxton Locks and Inclined Plane A Detailed History
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615:"Heritage At Risk (East Midlands) – Report 2008"
172:Inclined Plane immediately east of Foxton Locks
18:Canal inclined plane in Leicestershire, England
275:The inclined plane under construction in 1900.
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659:Buildings and structures in Leicestershire
654:Transport infrastructure completed in 1900
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243:about 5 km (3.1 mi) west of the
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374:Museums, Libraries and Archives Council
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674:Scheduled monuments in Leicestershire
669:Tourist attractions in Leicestershire
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251:, named after the nearby village of
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469:The Shell Book of Inland Waterways
429:National Heritage List for England
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312:, each capable of holding two
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590:"foxton inclined plane trust"
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239:on the Leicester line of the
572:"Monument no longer at risk"
283:The inclined plane from the
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664:Transport in Leicestershire
594:Foxton inclined plane trust
35:Inclined Plane from the top
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684:Staircase locks of England
424:"Inclined Plane (1018832)"
390:Monuments at Risk Register
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689:Museums in Leicestershire
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694:Canal museums in England
679:Lock flights of England
622:English-heritage.org.uk
322:stationary steam engine
285:Illustrated London News
150:Canal & River Trust
54:Leicestershire, England
467:Hugh McKnight (1987).
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99:75 ft (23 m)
649:Canal inclined planes
578:on 27 September 2011.
397:Heritage Lottery Fund
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233:Foxton Inclined Plane
24:Foxton Inclined Plane
293:Grand Junction Canal
237:canal inclined plane
45:canal inclined plane
473:David & Charles
362:Foxton Canal Museum
287:of 19 December 1903
76: /
475:. pp. 46–49.
386:scheduled monument
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257:Foxton Lock flight
185:Reference no.
162:Scheduled monument
141:Gordon Cale Thomas
80:52.5001°N 0.9817°W
249:Market Harborough
241:Grand Union Canal
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116:Grand Union Canal
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341:inclined plane
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345:Watford Locks
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291:By 1897, the
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169:Official name
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625:. Retrieved
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597:. Retrieved
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576:the original
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433:. Retrieved
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356:Preservation
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104:Construction
15:
627:16 November
599:16 November
380:Restoration
314:narrowboats
83: /
59:Coordinates
643:Categories
403:References
261:narrowbeam
177:Designated
122:Demolished
68:52°30′00″N
306:Bulbourne
138:Architect
112:Built for
107:1898-1900
96:Elevation
71:0°58′54″W
435:19 April
310:caissons
247:town of
130:Restored
51:Location
370:Measham
343:at the
267:History
188:1018832
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366:museum
253:Foxton
618:(PDF)
318:barge
316:or a
235:is a
146:Owner
629:2017
601:2017
552:ISBN
525:ISBN
501:ISBN
477:ISBN
437:2012
360:The
330:tons
231:The
133:2008
125:1926
41:Type
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539:^
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
