Showing posts with label River Wensum. Show all posts
Showing posts with label River Wensum. Show all posts

Monday, 11 March 2019

River Wensum walk

Today Jan and I recce-ed a walk along the River Wensum in Norwich. We are organising a day out in our fine city for anyone in the Boaters Christian Fellowship who wants to come along - so far there looks to be ten of us.

I had hoped the railway swing bridge would have been visible from the riverside path but the Laurence Scott works are in the way.

One end of the walk, then, will start at the neighbouring Carrow Road swing bridge.

The Norwich City Football Club ground is just to the right.

Further upstream is Pull's Ferry, one of the most photographed locations in the city.

Next up is Bishop Bridge, above which hire boats are not allowed.

There wasn't much traffic on the river, but we were crossing the bridge when this hire boat came up to have a look before turning round.

Next to the Cow Tower ...

... is a curious collection of bird boxes in the name of art.

Skirting round the cathedral and the courts, past the art school and the Playhouse, we came to New Mills Pumping Station.

The Victorian pumping station spans the river and was used for pumping sewage to a treatment works. Water turbines compressed air which drove pneumatic ejection pumps, a system reputed to be replicated in only one other place, the Houses of Parliament. (Info from here)

There was rather a cold wind blowing today, but we had some welcome sunshine. Let's hope it's not raining on Saturday.

I had forgotten how long it takes to write a blog post - perhaps that's why there has been such a gap since the previous one.

Friday, 3 May 2013

Seen while cycling: one Candlestick, one Moggie and one wherry

I enjoyed a twenty mile cycle ride yesterday in the sunshine around the lanes of Norfolk. There are some strange road names out there!


I was on my way to help a friend move a car and a whole load of boxes and pieces of furniture.


On a different cycle ride a couple of days before, on the Marriot's Way - a former railway line now cycle/footpath - I saw this depiction of a wherry. This is about a mile from Norwich city centre by the River Wensum.


I'm not really sure why this wherry should be here. There is a small river which the railway crossed by the bridge in the above photo, but I don't think it was navigable this side of New Mills Pumping Station.

Monday, 11 March 2013

Taking a punt on the Wensum in Norwich

I came across these two punts in the middle of Norwich today. I had not seen them before.


Someone must be getting ready for summer, and starting a business. The plate on the side of the punts states that the maximum number of people allowed is 12 (like a narrowboat, then). I imagine a 12-up punt must seem rather crowded, and I don't suppose there'd be much freeboard!

Wednesday, 30 January 2013

River Wensum by night

I'm off to London for another course. The last time I went I had half-an-hour to kill in Norwich waiting for the connecting train, so I went down to the river.

This is the River Wensum here, a little further downstream it becomes the Yare, flowing out to sea at Great Yarmouth.

I don't expect this trip to be quite as exciting as the last time, when I went boating as a guest on Indigo Dream.

Sunday, 21 February 2010

Holes for hoses?


I noticed the other day something I hadn't spotted before. Let into the side of Foundry Bridge over the River Wensum in Norwich is a curved piece of iron conduit.


There's a similar thing on Blackfriars Bridge a little further upstream.


I assume the conduit is - or used to be - for use by the fire service so a hose could be let down into the river without it kinking. Many bridges on the BCN have red fire doors for this purpose, although I don't know how the Birmingham fire fighters prevent their hoses kinking!


Foundry Bridge, in the top photo, was built in 1886 of wrought iron according to this website. Another site, Broadland Memories, has good information on this and other Norwich bridges.

Tuesday, 7 October 2008

An extra week's boating!


the River Wensum in Norwich

Thanks to my brother buying a share in our boat Shadow I'm to have a week on board in November. David's thinking of cruising the southern Oxford canal. It'll be weird being crew and not captain! Now I'll be able to sit at the front and watch the scenery glide past....some chance! I'll be at the back as usual, wet weather gear on, only not steering quite so much (probably).