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Serving the communities of Bures St Mary and Bures Hamlet

Whilst researching the Wormingford Cut, I observed that a tributary was constructed just above Wormingford Lock
But why ?
(between C and D on the map)

Ref:- The Essex and Suffolk River Stour Navigation

Maps as far forward as 1891 still indicate a tree line, but by 1900 this has disappeared and been replaced by a dotted line.
It also seems to extend directly into the farm yard, the opposite side of the entrance driveway.( see below)

<<see 1900 map.

This 1925 map shows this this line extending all the way into the farm buildings

So what can we conclude from this evidence ?

My own thought's are that Lighters turned into the tributary north of Wormingford Lock to unload goods for the Hall.
The tributary was constructed because any stationary Lighter loading or unloading goods would have impeded the navigation for other traffic travelling along that stretch of River.
To impede the flow of traffic would be in violation of the Navigation by-laws

Possible goods that were transported:-
Coal for the many fireplaces inside Smallbridge Hall
Grain for a Water Mill that was located within Smallbridge Farm.
Flour from Smallbridge WaterMill

These goods were then transported using the track adjacent the Treeline
Possibly circa 1900, the trees were removed to make way for a more substantial hard surface carriagway to haul the Lighter goods.
The tributary was constructed in 1838, so after sixty years the track would have been in a very poor state so it would have required
possible reconstruction.

This may account why the track bed has been seen by one local resident across this field ( similar to crop circles) during a specific time of the year.