The Terrifying Lift of the Somerset Coal Canal - 2

[@faithg9766]

I think terrifying is a fair description of the caisson. What a fascinating look into the history & workings of the canal.

[@westcountrywanderings]

Thank you Faith! Glad you enjoyed it. It is a fascinating and picturesque area - I am sure I will return. Take care, Paul

[@Peter-MH]

Fascinating stuff! I've heard of the caisson lock there before, but I've never heard it discussed in such detail! Excellent episode! 👍

[@westcountrywanderings]

Thank you Peter! Glad you enjoyed it. As you can gather, there was a fair bit of research that went into the video, including from some books that are now well out of print. It is a fascinating canal and I am sure that there will be a part 3 in the not too distant future. Take care, Paul

[@michaelmiller641]

Wonderful video Paul, well crafted, showing how nature has taken over the lost locks and misterious caisson and lost railways!

[@westcountrywanderings]

Thank you so much Michael! Glad you enjoyed it. It is a very interesting area - and, one, I am sure, I will return to again before not too long. Take care, Paul

[@ParkinsonsWalks]

Hi Paul, brilliant as always, you wouldn't have got me in that lift for love or money, don't know about you. Learned a lot as always. Ron

[@westcountrywanderings]

Thank you Ron! Always lovely to hear from you. I learnt loads researching this video! Me neither - there is no way you would have got me inside that Caisson Lift! Still, it was an incredible piece of engineering. Hope you are having a good week. Take care, Paul

[@michaelpilling9659]

Hello Paul - greetings from Poland. In my opinion, the best canal video you've ever made. Absolutley fascinating history. Three different ways over overcoming a hill. I wish my history lessons at school were as interesting as yours. The amount of research you had to do to make this video must be applauded.

[@westcountrywanderings]

Thank you Michael 😊 you are too kind. Actually I had been putting off making this for a while, because, apart from the weather, it is hard making a video about something you cannot see, including old photos, of which there are nothing on the caisson lift. Glad you enjoyed it though. Take care, Paul

[@davidberlanny3308]

Hi Paul, What an interesting place that is. You explained all three methods of getting the boats up or down very well and the caisson is a difficult one to explain. Very enjoyable to see where it all happened and listen to the story behind it. Well done!! Of course the caisson system was far ahead of the technology of the day, it's amazing that it worked at all and no surprise that it was unreliable. These days submarines have many levels of redundancy to make sure they can submerge and surface safely. The first diagram that you showed made me think that it was similar to a torpedo tube, some navies use these to provide an exit path for divers. Imagine being the first to try the caisson system out - not me!! Look forward to seeing more on this canal in the future. All the best!!

[@westcountrywanderings]

Thank you David! Glad you enjoyed it. Yes, it was an incredible invention, and it is well ahead of its time but it was not given chance to have been adapted, I feel. As you say, it leads onto the submarine invention which came later. I will certainly be back to cover this area again at some point - it is a fascinating area with much of interest. Thank you for a great comment. Take care, Paul

[@cathydyer3774]

Thanks Paul. That was far too risky....with people in a box submarine. 🧐

[@westcountrywanderings]

Thank you Cathy! Yes, there is no way you would have got me inside there either! It is a fascinating and beautiful area though - I am sure I will be back there at some point. Thanks so much. Hope you are keeping well. Take care, Paul

[@chrisdavis4285]

Hi - good video. If you'd of gone into the first culvert you described , you would have found stone replacing brick in the middle, as this was originally the SCC aqueduct, adapted by the railway. Also at Combe Hay is the 'tunnel' , originally built for the canal ,and adapted for railway use

[@westcountrywanderings]

Thank you Chris. According to the Coal Canal website, one of the front portals of Combe Hay canal tunnel is still there (down that steep bank, which was used as the village refuse tip in the 1960s, which I showed at the end of the video), but I didn't fancy my chances walking down the steep bank into the canal cutting. As you say part of it was 'modified' (damaged) by those railway people later, unfortunately. Yes, I did realise it was Combe Hay aqueduct, before the enormous embankment was built over by the railway men, but it was far too wet inside to warrant a full explore. I will return to this fascinating area again, not least to look at the aqueducts at Dunkerton, which I do think are still intact. I have inquired subsequently to go to Caisson House and Gardens on one of their open days, but they require a hefty commercial filming fee, which I can't justify as a small KZbin Channel. Thank you for watching and taking time to comment - it is very much appreciated. Take care, Paul

[@MartinPopeFilmmaker]

Fascinating documentary Paul. Lots of info given about the coal canal. I have watched a few other videos in the past of this walk but still haven't managed to get there myself yet even though its only a short drive from me. 😊😊

[@westcountrywanderings]

Hello Martin! Always lovely to hear from you. Hope all is good with you. Yes, the Cam Brook Valley is well worth a wander - beautiful vale there, with much of interest. I covered the western end at Timsbury last time - I will probabaly have a look at the Dunkerton area next time. I also need to return to Midford - so much there! Thanks for stopping by and watching. Take care, Paul

[@trevorlewis9975]

Should have added that Anderton and Falkirk use open troughs - simpler concept, I think.

[@stephen_pfrimmer]

Thank you Paul. Another beautiful and informative video.

[@westcountrywanderings]

Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it. Hope you have a good weekend. Take care, Paul

[@royedwards8713]

Hi Paul nice video 😊

[@westcountrywanderings]

Thank you Roy! Thank you for watching. Hope you are having a good week. Take care, Paul

[@eldred1809]

Very interesting watch Paul, well-researched and explained. I live about 10 miles away and didn't know any of this existed, even though my father's family are from the area. I look forward to Part 3. Bev.

[@westcountrywanderings]

Thank you! I hadn't been to this section of the Somerset(shire) Coal Canal before - and there is much more that I have still to uncover. I hope to do part 3 later in the year, all being well. Thanks for watching and commenting. Paul.

[@trevorlewis9975]

And, of course, a caisson system is not the same as a lift!

[@malcolmrichardson3881]

Fascinating and well-researched video on an important piece of canal archaeology, which nicely conveys the challenges facing the canal engineers and the various methods which they tried to meet them. I suppose the caisson idea might be seen as the precursor of the Anderton Boat Lift. What a pity that nothing seems to have survived, though as you suggest, future excavations may reveal more hidden remains. Thank you for a very enjoyable video.

[@westcountrywanderings]

Thank you Malcolm! Glad you enjoyed it and found it interesting too. There is so much of interesting along this canal - I am sure I will be back here again before too long. Take care, Paul

[@thomasfilion9064]

Caison is the first submarine essentially. Exactly principal.

[@westcountrywanderings]

Indeed it was! I felt a fair bit of sympathy with Robert Weldon - he was a brilliant innovator and it is such a shame that he could not overcome the obstacles to improve the reliabilty of the Caisson Lock here. Maybe the canal owners were putting pressure on him, or the initial trial period was simply not long enough? Either way, I think the history of this deserves to be more widely known. Thank you for watching and commenting. Cheers! Paul

[@DarylW426]

The Caisson Lock was an absolutely brilliant design and on the other hand completely terrifying. Certainly not good for someone claustrophobic like me. It would be interesting to see if similar designs were used around the world. Wonderful research Paul. Thank you👍

[@westcountrywanderings]

Thank you Daryl! Yes, an incredible and unique design which came before the submarine. Thank you for watching and commenting 👍 Cheers, Paul

[@emaartamor]

Great video. Thank you. I visited Caisson House/ Garden's yesterday for one of their Open Gardens day. A wonderful place. Even one of the locks is now a pond. They are removing weeds etc from some of the other locks to reveal them.

[@westcountrywanderings]

Thank you! I did look into visiting Caisson House & Gardens (it was open on the day I was filming) but unfortunately they charge a hefty filming and photography fee for commercial uses (including KZbin). Glad that they are clearing out and restoring the locks on the land there though. Thanks for watching and commenting! Cheers, Paul

[@emaartamor]

@westcountrywanderings Oh! That might explain why Paul and Rebecca Whitewick have never included the house/gardens in their video of the Coal Canal. At least the some of their locks can be seen from the path and their beautiful wildflower meadow. When I asked the owner about the Caisson Lift he showed me a huge Lime Tree by the property that was said to have been planted on the spot of the lift. So that's intriguing. Thanks again for your videos.

[@westcountrywanderings]

@@emaartamor Yes, quite a lot of the canal length is in private property too, which does make it a little tricky to cover. I have heard about that Lime Tree and being the spot where the Caisson Lift was before, but obviously no one can be 100% sure where it exactly was once. Thanks again, Paul.

[@trevorlewis9975]

Other balanced-tank UK examples - the Anderton Lift (vertical, as on the SCC) and the recent Falkirk Wheel (rotary ). Also, I think it's pronounced 'Kay - Son'.

[@westcountrywanderings]

Thank you! Yes, the caisson system was very different because of the buoyancy of the caisson inside the water. Truly innovative. Such a shame that the issue could not be overcome. As I understand it, the 'Kay-son' pronunciation is for the American meaning of the word, an ammunition storage device. It has other meanings too - including one to do with ceilings and coves, which have yet different pronunciations. Of course, we have no idea how the canal builders would have pronounced it at all, as this was all pre-Edison and Marconi. Thank you Trevor. Cheers, Paul

[@dianarolph1770]

That proved to be a real eye opener for me! I had never heard of a caisson lock before & the fact that they were prepared to invest money into the scheme was alarming. Thank goodness the venture didn’t get going. But the alternative of 22 locks in a such a short space must have been daunting too. It must have proved worth it to transport large amounts of coal & make a profit!

[@westcountrywanderings]

Thank you Diana! Yes, it was such an extraordinary invention and particularly clever with regard to weight buoyancy - more advanced than the later boat lifts. However as ever, profit was at the forefront so there was not enough time for the problems to be ironed out. That said, I still wouldn't have wanted to have gone in it! Thank you for watching and commenting ☺️👍 Take care, Paul