Something different for you this time. It's the anniversary of Frank Bellamy’s birth today - 21 May 1917 and I've kept this back as I was over the moon to discover this image - admittedly not so much because of Bellamy's quality but more because I live near the area mentioned! The Fens and the Wash are very familiar places so I've enjoyed researching this one for you more than I suspect anyone will want to read. But I'm a completist when it comes to listing Bellamy's output so what better day than today to introduce you to....a man-made estuary for the River Nene!
The following image comes from Market Harborough Advertiser and Midland Mail dated Friday 24 September 1948 and perhaps some of you might need a bit of background to what's being discussed.
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| Market Harborough Advertiser and Midland Mail Friday 24 September 1948 |
The Rivers Nene, Welland, and the Great Ouse flow into the Wash. Floods were constant threats to Northampton and Wellingborough much further up the River Nene - where I recently learned the River is pronounced the "NENN" - whereas in Peterborough and the Fens, it's the "NEEN".
A sluice was needed north of Whittlesey, just east of Peterborough to maintain water levels in the City and stopped the tidal flows on that part of the River Nene and that was placed at the Dog-in-a-Doublet - which was named after the (in this century) award winning pub that stood there but is now boarded up since 2023. Why any pubs in England are called this is a controversy I'll leave you to investigate, but I favour the phrase being a form of ridcule - someone looking out of place dressing up beyond their position! But this link will show you the lock and also provide some background to the draining of the Fens.
I checked as I thought all waterways were nationalised after the war, but apparently there were exceptions. The Nene Catchment Board was not disbanded with the nationalisation of the waterways in 1947; instead it continued until about 1951 when responsibility for the Nene passed to the Welland and Nene River Authority.
The Northamptonshire and Evening Telegraph (dated Saturday 20 February 1939) has a front page with images of Councillor H. Turland's bungalow "by the sea" and the Wicksteed Park aviary - where "the waterfowl were in their element but the peacocks pocketed their pride and took to the rigging"! This was all due to the tributaries feeding the Nene having dumped their water and flooding the Nene Valley between Ringstead and Oundle.
Anyway the above is another example of Bellamy making a diagram to show readers very clearly where some information - in this case the new channel was to end in the Wash. When searching the Northamptonshire and Evening Telegraph around Bellamy’s time working at the Blamire Studio, I often saw examples of such artwork but have not listed them as I can't be sure they are Bellamy. But here, on his birthday, one paper gave him the credit he deserved.
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