Bank repairs work to maintain the historic Bude Canal

Maintaining an historic canal with bucket loads of unique character is not always an easy feat but is one that Cornwall and Cormac take seriously in Bude. Longstanding visitors to the canal will appreciate the challenges faced by the canal’s traditional banks, which include a range of construction types, from earthen banks in the upper sections, through to stone faced sections in the basins and a multitude of repair and restoration methods that have been used across the decades.

In recent years the Council has invested heavily in repair and enhancement of the canal banks, adopting an approach that seeks to make expenditure go further by ensuring the quality of restoration extends life expectancy in the face of increasingly challenging environmental and use conditions. One example was the major repair in the upper basin after the effects of the 2022 drought left the bank exposed and crumbling away into the drying channel. Here, resistant blockwork now supports one of busiest sections embankment, including timber edging to protect craft where they are carried in and out of the waterbody. 200m of bankside have also recently been restored near Rodd’s Lock, and area where dog ingress, amongst other factors, had led to the need for significant investment.

Images show before and after restoration of the banks near Rodd’s Lock.

Surveying the canal for bank repairs is an ongoing task, and as well as visual inspections, geotechnical expertise also plays a part. Indeed, a full technical survey has recently been undertaken of the Bude Canal banks, identifying and specifying the correct construction methods for each section of bank in need of repair, allowing future works to be prioritised to make sure that capital funds are well spent.