River Wey & Navigations : The Wey Navigation

HOME . . . . . . . . SITE MAP . . . . . . . . GETTING TO KNOW THE RIVER . . . . . . . . EXPLORING THE RIVER . . . . . . . . MAP OF THE RIVER . . . . . . . . MAP OF NAVIGATIONS . . . . . . . . RIVER WEY NORTH BRANCH . . . . . . . . RIVER WEY SOUTH BRANCH . . . . . . . . RIVER UNITED TILFORD TO GODALMING . . . . . . . . THE WEY NAVIGATIONS • Introduction • History • The Godalming Navigation • The Wey Navigation . . . . . . . . RIVER TRANSPORT • Introduction • Lock • Barges • Life on the Barges • The Horse- drawn IONA . . . . . . . . WEY INDUSTRY • Introduction • Watermills • Flour & Bread • Fulling & Cloth • Chilworth Gunpowder Mills • Charcoal Making • Brewing • Papermaking • Ice Houses . . . . . . . . WEY WILDLIFE • Introduction • Habitats • Trees & Plants • Insects • Birds • Fish • Countryside Designations . . . . . . . . WEY PLACES • Introduction • More About ALTON • More About FARNHAM • More About GODALMING • More About WEYBRIDGE • More About BROOKLANDS . . . . . . . . WEY PEOPLE • Introduction • Legends • The Big Names . . . . . . . . WEY ART • Introduction • Boat Art • Inn Art • River Graffiti . . . . . . . . ADJOINING WATERWAYS • Basingstoke Canal • Wey & Arun Canal • The Thames . . . . . . . . LINKS & FURTHER SOURCES . . . . . . . . ABOUT OUR PICTURES . . . . . . . . USEFUL BITS . . . . . . . . FEEDBACK We welcome your comments . . . . . . . . SITE MAP . . . . . . . . WEY RIVER FREELANCE COMMUNITY	The Boys from The Black Stuff Just how is charcoal made the traditional way? Join Ian Baldwin he demonstrates the art of making charcoal from local sustainable woodland sources. Supporting your local charcoal maker will provide you with top quality lumpwood charcoal that burns hotter and for longer than most imported varieties.
	The charcoal kiln. Made from steel, kilns last for many years. Despite having to contend with the extreme heat of over 20 years' burns, Ian's is still going strong.		With the kiln empty, the starting point is to dig out the eight air vents at the base of the kiln and clean them to ensure regulated air flow for the burn.
	Once dug out, the base of a chimney is thoroughly cleaned to remove debris from the previous burn. There are four chimneys and four air intake pipes to clean.			After cleaning, the air vents are replaced and bedded in to ensure an air-tight seal.
	The next step is to lay a base of fines in the centre of the empty kiln. These will help the burning cinders to take hold for the burn when they're added later.		Spokes of large logs (bearers) are raised up against the central cone of fines. These will ensure that the channels to and from the air vents remain open to maintain air flow evenly throughout the whole kiln.
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