Morwellham Quay - Archaeological Excavations

Canal Incline Head, 2004-05

An opportunity to excavate part of the winding house at the head of the canal incline occurred when the current owners of Canal Cottage decided to remodel their garden.

The truncated remains of structures in the ground here included two turntable bases and a machinery pit which agree with the 1826 description of the incline's operation by Carl Von Oeynhausen and Heinrich Von Dechen.

This reconstruction section was prepared from the archaeological evidence, coupled with the 1826 description and a later one by Richard Hansford-Worth from 1888.

Alongside the winding house is the power source: this enormous water wheel pit, which housed a 40ft diameter pitchback water wheel driven by water taken from the canal.