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Honeystreet Wharf
The newly completed Kennet Barge, Diamond, on Honeystreet Wharf. Picture from
the Chris Gibson Collection
The Canal comes to Honeystreet
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In 1810 the K&A arrived at Honeystreet, opening up new opportunities to a farming community.
In the following year, timber merchant Samuel Robbins began to build a wharf
alongside the canal and in 1812 he moved his business from Pewsey to
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Honeystreet, buying additional canal-side land from the canal company in 1813.
Over the next 4 decades the business expanded and Robbins developed numerous
other businesses. By the middle of the 19th century, however,
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the railway had arrived and competition was getting keener. Cash flow problems meant that Robbins needed to raise capital and improve his business skills. |
The Robbins, Lane and Pinneger company is formed
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In March 1860 the working partnership of Robbins, Lane and Pinniger was formed.
Robbins’ son-in law, Ebenezer Lane, brought £1202 into the business and former employee, Henry Pinniger contributed £700.
All the assets in Samuel Robbins’ former business were transferred to the partnership and were listed in the
Partnership Agreement along with all the trades and operations that took place
in those buildings.
At this time the business was valued at £11,268 – including all capital and liquid assets – but the value of bad debts and monies owed and which
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were long overdue was £14,311.
The company founded a huge and thriving business at Honeystreet wharf, bringing
in supplies of timber, slate, coal, building materials and fertilisers by barge
from Bristol, Reading and London. The mainstay of the business was clearly
timber, importing softwoods and hardwoods as well as trading in ‘home-grown’ hardwoods such as oak, elm and ash obtained from Wiltshire forests, dragged by
horses to a collection point and then taken to nearby wharves, such as Burbage,
or transported on two-wheeled carriages to Honeystreet.
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Boat building
RLP is particularly well known for boat building. Their main production would
have been horse-drawn barges of various types, narrowboats, wide boats or mules
as they were called, spoon dredgers for K&A use, Kennet Barges, large barges for use on the river Wey, the Basingstoke
Canal and the River Avon and a particular type of sailing barge known as a Trow
that was used on the River Severn.
At its height, over thirty men were employed at Honeystreet on boatbuilding and
a barge took around 3 months to build. In latter years when trade was declining
and only two men worked in the boatyard, a barge would take up to 12 months to
complete.
A postcard of Honeystreet Wharf from the Chris Gibson Collection
The beginning of the end
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In its heyday, the canal was always cheaper than road transport, but the coming
of the Great Western Railway in 1841 began the slow decline in the canal’s fortunes.
To survive, the company had to diversify and concentrate on high weight-to-value
ratio cargo and cargoes such as manure and fertiliser that were toll-free — a concession granted to appease farmers and landowners whose land had been
divided by the canal.
One important cargo at this time was sulphuric acid. GWR thought it too
dangerous a cargo to carry by rail, so
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this essential ingredient of fertiliser production was brought from Bristol by
barge in glass carboys.
By 1919, cheap imports and intensified production of fertilisers elsewhere — along with lower alternative transport costs — affected the viability of the business.
By the late 1920s a lack of use and proper maintenance of the canal prompted RLP
to sue GWR for loss of navigation rights. Although the company won this case,
decline still generally continued and in 1933 the company’s one remaining barge ‘Unity’ delivered her last cargo of timber
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before being left on her moorings to rot.
In 1949 the business was sold to John Read who continued to operate the sawmills
for some time and in 1955 the inevitable end came and the business of RLP was
finally wound up.
By this time the company owned most of the village of Honeystreet, but on the
side of the wharf and its buildings, most of the tenants were allowed to take
over the freehold of their properties and to continue living at Honeystreet.
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Living and working at Honeystreet
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To an area of chronically depressed agricultural wages this 19th century
industrial estate was an important source of revenue – a labourer in 1930 who could earn eight shillings for a week in the fields
might earn 20 at the wharf.
The number of workers employed at the wharf increased over the years as the
business prospered, reaching a peak towards the end of the 19th century. In
1896 there were 136
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workers on the partnership’s payroll. This was more than a small village could provide and it is likely
that a number of these workers came from other villages in the area, though
many lived in Honeystreet itself, in cottages rented from RLP.
During the 19th century the conditions under which both skilled and unskilled
work was carried out was generally quite poor irrespective of industry.
RLP however appear to have been
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relatively progressive employers and they provided a number of important
benefits for their employees.
These included cottages which many of the workers rented from the company, a
hall that workers could use for meetings and social functions, and a
contributory benefits and savings scheme that paid money to workers when they
were incapacitated due to sickness or as a result of accidents.
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Workshops and offices on the site
There were many trades employed on the site and this map indicates the
posiotionof their workshops as well as the storage buildings, offices and
workers the Workman’s Hall.
There was a blacksmiths shop, wheelwrights shop, sawing sheds (with lath and
cloth shops over them), two engine houses, blacksmiths shop, wheelwrights shop,
sawing sheds (with lath and cloth shops over them). sawmill sheds (with storage
loft over them), fitting shop and carpenters shop forming one range of
buildings. A sawing shed and carpenters shop, granary (with clock tower),
carriage house and storeroom, deal timber shed, two stables (with a loft over
them), harness rooms and nag stable with a loft over, counting house and other
offices and the Workman’s Hall.
The trades of Robbins, Lane & Pinnegar in 1860
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• General timber merchant
• Mahogany timber merchant
• Steam sawyer
• Boat and barge builder
• Manufacturer of white hoops, laths, withies and hurdles
• Slate merchant, Coal merchant
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• Manufacturer of various artificial manures
• Manufacturer of super phosphate of lime
• Manufacturer of tarpaulins, side cloths, wagon cloths
and hayrick cloths
• Manufacturer of tar oil and colours
• Manufacture of roman cement
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The rise and fall of Robbins, Lane & Pinnegar
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1810
The K&A Canal was cut through Honeystreet
1812
Timber merchant Samuel Robbins relocated from Pewsey to
Honeystreet
1813
Samuel Robbins bought additional canal-side land from the canal company to
extend the wharf area
1841
The Great western Railway completed the rail link from London to Bristol
1852
GWR obtained Parliamentary approval to take over the whole canal
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1860
Ebenezer Lane and Henry Pinniger joined Samuel Robbins and the Robbins, Lane and
Pinniger partnership was formed to raise capital
and acquire business management skills
1869
Samuel Robbins died
1892
Henry Pinniger died
1906
GWR toll charges on the K&A had risen so they were higher than on similar waterways
1908
The partnership became a Limited Company
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1919
Ebenezer Lane died; it is believed that his son Frederick took overall management of RLP Ltd
1929
RLP successfully sued GWR for loss of navigation due to poor maintenance
1933
RLP’s final remaining barge, ‘Unity’, made her last delivery
1949
The business was sold to John Read, who continued to work the sawmills
1955
RLP was wound up and tenants were able to take over the freehold of their properties and continue living at Honeystreet
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