Braunton Canal

Before 1808, the area around Braunton, Velator, Wrafton and South Burrow was an extensive salt marsh. In that year, the Board of Agriculture sent Charles Vancouver to investigate the marsh, and his report recommended that it should be enclosed and reclaimed. This met with local approval, and James Green was appointed as engineer for the drainage scheme. Green commissioned John Pascoe to produce a survey and map (held by the Devon Record Office), which outlined two schemes. The first involved an embankment from the mouth of Braunton Pill to Bench Hill, with a canal from the Pill via Wrafton and the edge of Velator Marsh to some lime kilns near what is now Velator Quay. There were concerns…

Velator Quay and the surrounding area is used as a mooring for small boats. In 2006 Braunton council blocked vehicular access to the quay as it was found to be in danger of collapse. An engineering survey was conducted on the quay in 2010, by consultants Bolgar Sykes, as the council were hoping to make it more of an amenity. The survey revealed several possible options for repair, ranging in cost from £80,000 to £400,000. The limited budget available to the council for such work meant that only basic repairs were considered. A subsequent report by Peter Lord, one of the parish counsellors, recommended that demolition of the quay would be the best long-term option, with the provision of a…