Coal Harbour, Ham, Creech St. Michael
A beautiful spot for a walk, follow the drove and through the fields to view the picturesque village of North Curry.
History
The parish of Ham enjoyed relative prosperity in the 17th and 18th centuries, based apparently on a mixed economy involving river traffic. Land called Colehouse, on the north bank of the Tone opposite Ham, was evidently by 1559 a landing place for coal and probably other heavy goods from Bridgwater.
Coal Harbour House appears to date from the early 17th century, and its ornamental plasterwork includes the arms of the Merchant Adventurers Company and a fireplace with the initials 'R.M.B.' and the date 1679. In 1684 Richard Bobbett took a lease of the 'back river' and a moor, with the right to land coal.
By 1714 there were warehouses, a salt house, pans, and cellars, a smithy, and landing areas. A warehouse was built c. 1783 but business declined in the 19th century and by 1839 there were only three coal yards along the river. Coal Harbour House alone remained in 1984.
The river Tone was improved for navigation by the Tone conservators under proposals drawn up in 1698 with Ham as the point of toll between Bridgwater and Taunton. Tolls for traffic from Bridgwater were paid at Ham Mills in North Curry and for traffic going up to Taunton at Coal Harbour.
At Coal Harbour the river was widened leaving an island between the old and new branches linked by bridges. The western branch had been filled in by the late 19th century. Locks were constructed to improve navigation near Ham and at Creech mills. After serious flooding in 1960 the river was deepened and widened, and New Cut was made south of Creech Bridge to carry excess water. The Bridgwater and Taunton canal running east-west through the parish was cut in 1827, with a pumping station between Foxhole and Charlton to lift water from the river. The engine house survives. The Chard canal opened in 1842 and closed in 1866. To its junction with the Bridgwater and Taunton canal it was carried by buttressed walls which survive, together with nearby buildings converted for defence during the Second World War.
Alongside the Bridgwater and Taunton canal runs the railway, opened in 1842. A halt in Creech village was opened in 1928 and closed c. 1969. The branch line to Chard alongside the Chard canal was opened in 1866 and closed in 1963.