Original Structure
The
main structure was built by the Canal Company in 1837 to provide
stabling for the towing horses near the mid-point of the canal.
At the same time, the Company agreed new Bye Laws defining how many
horses were needed (from one to nine depending on the size of vessel)
and what the charges were to be. A group of owners based at Purton
provided horses for towing up the canal, and owners based at Gloucester
provided horses for the return journey.
Complaints About Horse Drivers
The
conduct of some of the horse drivers led to complaints from ship’s
masters, particularly concerning shortage of horses or delays en
route. One master complained that his vessel was delayed two hours
because the horses were not brought at the time ordered and the
boys driving them misbehaved because their request for “grog” was
refused. Another complaint arose after an attempt by a light vessel
to overtake a loaded one ended in a collision. Each complaint was
investigated by the Canal Co committee, and those found at fault
were usually fined or banned from future employment.
Addition of Bridge House
It
was probably in the late 1850s that the house was added at the south
end of the stable block to provide accommodation for John Hunt,
the new man in charge of Sandfield Bridge. The previous bridge keeper
had lived in a house in Whitminster Lane. Soon after Hunt moved
in, however, his wife was involved in a tragic accident. One evening
when he was away, she was called out to open the bridge, and in
the darkness she missed her footing, fell into the canal and was
drowned. The Canal Co immediately ordered that vessels navigating
the canal at night must carry a good light fixed at the bow. Hunt
married again and stayed at the bridge for over 30 years, but then
he too had an accident when he fell into the empty hold of a vessel
and died from his injuries. John Hunt was followed at the bridge
by his son Thomas, then by Thomas’s son Reg and then by Reg’s wife
Lil, making a continuous service by the Hunt family of over 100
years.
Horses Replaced by Tugs
After
tugs began towing vessels along the canal in 1860, the role of the
towing horses declined and the stables were no longer needed. It
is not clear what the building was then used for, but there is a
local tradition that the loft was occupied for a time by a sailmaker.
If so, it was probably George Newman, who was living in Frampton
at least between 1881 and 1901. A sail loft at Sandfield Bridge
would have been well placed to serve owners of vessels trading on
the Stroudwater Canal as well as those having vessels built or repaired
at the Junction Yard on the opposite side of the Sharpness Canal.
Twentieth Century
By
the middle of the twentieth century, and probably long before this,
the building was just used by the bridge keeper - half as a workshop
and tool store and half for keeping chickens, ducks or geese. After
the Hunt family moved out, the house was extended to incorporate
part of the stable block, and the remaining part later became a
store for the canal maintenance team. After they moved out in 2005,
British Waterways obtained planning permission to convert the former
stables into a café, and The Stables
Cafe opened in 2008. |
