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The VEC is a purpose-built
premises adjacent to Cornard Lock. Information regarding the Stour
Navigation is on display whilst electronic records of our archives
are being produced to provide resources for young people preparing
school projects, as well as student and adult researchers.
The centre can be hired for
both community and private events with our boats also available to
provide river trips.
For further information (private
booking, visit, etc) -
Contact us
 The VEC ground floor comprises
tiled function room, kitchen, toilets and shower
facilities. A covered veranda offers views of the river, countryside
and Cornard Lock. A picnic and barbecue area has been created and
there is access to landing stages, both upstream and downstream of the lock and
in the mill race.
The site
is accessible all year to those
travelling
by river who can make use of our picnic area or covered veranda that overlooks
the river and countryside. A
footpath and cycleway runs alongside the river and the RST support
the proposed link between Sudbury and Great Cornard via a riverside
footpath to enable easy access between Great Cornard and Sudbury
town centre,
Friar's Meadow and the Sudbury
Common Lands.
The Bakers Mill/Dove House
Meadow development is private property and the residents of the site
are responsible for its maintenance and the associated costs. Please
note that vehicular access and egress to and from the VEC is only
via the roadway closest to our boundary fence (over the millstream).
There is no access or egress next to the pumping station (other than
emergency vehicle use). No parking is permitted anywhere on the
river bank at any time e.g. parking is prohibited beyond the
bollards that are installed opposite the VEC entrance gate.
 The Millennium Commission originally part-funded the building of Cornard Lock in 1997
and in 2005 offered an enhancement grant of £84,171 to create the new Visitor Centre.
The balance of the funding for the £200,000 project has been raised by the Trust from
its own resources, donations and loans. The building is a significant new venture, which
will enable the River Stour Trust to provide a study centre for schools, a community
facility for the area, a base for Scouts, Guides and canoe groups, a destination for
walkers, cyclists and boaters, as well as giving a focus for opening up the riverside
between Sudbury, Cornard and Great Henny, for public use and enjoyment.
The Trust wishes to develop opportunities for promoting the River Stour Navigation
(dating from 1705), its importance in Britain’s industrial and cultural heritage, and
the Trust’s own role in promoting use of this historic waterway.
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