The first weekend in April 2011 saw the return of our friends from the Waterway Recovery Group BITM group.
Along with our own local volunteers, they laid a good hard surfaced towpath from the slipway to the planned overspill weir. Later a new hard surface was also laid in the compound.
The site of the Lock and surrounding area was cleared of brambles, and a proper pedestrian path formed across the bottom of the lock joining onto the existing track along the flood plain. In 2012 the fence around the Lock excavation was extended down towards the riverside, complete with a barrier, to limit access to and from site by pedestrians and the riverside path.
Some time ago the Trust acquired parts of an old Gloucester County Council road signpost that had languished at Oxenhall and Over Basin for several years, but during the summer 2013 they were reunited at Over.
The post is now painted and erected near The Wharf House. The decorative top piece has been repaired by volunteer Dave Hurran, who has also made new finger direction boards suitable for its new home by the canal.
An old slipway winch was kindly donated. It has been immobilised, cleaned up, painted and put on show for visitors near to the Lock entrance as an interesting piece of waterways heritage machinery.
Regular work is done at the Over Basin entrance.
The block paving was lifted last year in 2012 to drain the rising bollard chamber. In 2013 two impressive gate posts were built using reclaimed bricks, hinge blocks and capping stones, salvaged from the old hospital main entrance when it was demolished in 1998. Their setting is perfect; they look like they could have been there for years! To complete the work a new piece of fence has been positioned between the one pillar and The Wharf House Annex.
Some visitors to Over do not see the car park until they have driven past the entrance, so in 2012 at the entrance to Over Basin and the Wharf House some smart new signs were erected. They are in our golden yellow and black house style. We are hoping that the new sign in front of the Wharf House will help them to turn right there.
The Milestone.
A milestone, marking half a mile, was positioned at Over in 2008. It is one of three similar stones placed at points along the canal to mark the 25year anniversary of the formation of the Canal Society in 1983, that in later years, became the Canal Trust. The stone was moved from its original position to the end of the Vineyard Hill stretch in 2012.
The other milestones can be found close to House Lock at Oxenhall, near Newent and along the towpath at Yarkhill, in Hereford. The stone was dressed and the wooden patterns made for the casting of the mileage plates, by our Trust Volunteers. They are close replicas of the original stones that were commonly found at one mile (and half mile) intervals along the length of the H&G Canal.
