Middlesex Matters, Issue 33, Autumn 2014

Inland Waterways Association Middlesex Matters Autumn 2014 https://www.waterways.org.uk/middlesex/middlesex

Caught, a moment in time, a flashback to Victorian times as a traction

engine crosses the Grand Union Canal at Marsworth. Photo: C. Liddle - July 2014

Middlesex Branch Newsletter email: [email protected]

No. 33 Autumn 2014

mailto:[email protected]

Inland Waterways Association 2 Middlesex Matters Autumn 2014 https://www.waterways.org.uk/middlesex/middlesex

Diary Dates 2014 Branch social evenings 7 September Angel Canal Festival.

City Pd Basin, Angel Islington N1

9 September Branch social evening

Richard Thomas - River Lee to the Thames.

14 October Branch social evening

Alan Scott-Davies – Haunted Canals

based on his book, Shadow on the Waters.

11 November Branch social evening

Tony Brooks - getting the boat ready for

winter.

Middlesex Branch social evenings are held at Hillingdon Canal Club, Waterloo Rd, Uxbridge.

Social meetings are not held in July, August or December.

For more information contact the Social Secretary Lucy Smith on,

[email protected] or 07947 451376.

Entrance is free and all are welcome including non members.

Festivals and events 13-14 September - Slough Canal Festival -

Bloom Park, Middlegreen Rd,

Slough. SL3 7BW

Entrance to the festival

and parking is free and

gates are open from 11am

to 5pm on both days.

Wheelchair access.

20-21 September

Open House London –

Hanwell Locks. See page 7 for more details. Tours start at 1.00pm, 2.00, 3.00 and 4.00pm.

Meet at The Fox Inn, Green Lane, Hanwell, W7 2PJ.

27 September - Inland Waterways Association annual general meeting at Leek in

Staffs. See IWA website for details, or contact head office (see page 15).


Chairman’s Column

The Slough Arm

of the Grand Union

Canal may not be a

pretty section of

canal, there are no

great views, no out-

standing archi-

tecture to admire

and, with all respect

to Slough, it is not a

place of special interest but very importantly

following the dredging by the Canal & River

Trust the arm is well and truly open.

Last Saturday (30 August 2014) I joined

boaters from High Line Yachting for a short

cruise down the arm to the basin and back.

Not only just narrow boats but a wide beam

boat made the journey without any major

problems.

I do not know the exact sums but over the

last year the Canal and River Trust must have

spent thousands on the Arm carrying out

major repairs to the collapsed Reeds Bridge,

the embankment at the Ridgeway Trading

Estate and the dredging.

It is very easy for us to criticise the C&RT

and we will when necessary but I feel the IWA

must also praise the Canal & River Trust when

work is done and a section of canal that

appeared to be in danger of abandonment is

restored and open for business.

I hope that boaters will make use of the

short section of canal, visit Slough and more

importantly come to the Slough Canal Festival

(13 & 14th September 2014). It would be a

great waste of resources if after all this work

the arm remains under used.

The London Borough of Hillingdon has

more towpaths than any other London

borough, with most of the Grand Union Canal

main line from Stocker's Lock to Bulls Bridge

falling within or forming the boundary of the

borough. In the past the council has tended to

ignore the canal although this may be

changing. On the Paddington Arm we have

already seem major improvements to the canal

side towpath creating an accessible path

suitable for all.

One group that has been using this

improved facility are cyclists. The use of

bicycles on the towpath is long established

especially for boaters using a bicycle to ride

ahead to set locks or go for a ride in the local

area. However in recent years there have been

calls to use the canals as long distant cycle

paths.

The IWA has made it clear that we support

recreational cycling on suitable towpaths by

individuals, families and small groups.

Commuter and recreational cycling should

only take place where the safety of the rider

can be assured and it does not compromise the

safety and enjoyment of other users.

I have heard several incidents of cyclists

travelling along the towpaths at speed and

forcing other users out of their way.

I feel that one role the IWA has is to ensure

that any towpath "improvements" do not

create cycle speedways that compromise the

enjoyment and safety of other users.

I would welcome your views on such

improvements and any issues that you have

with inconsiderate cyclists.

Keith Clayton

Chairman – IWA Middlesex Branch


Cont. >>

In Praise of the Southern GU

In the May edition of Waterways World on page 14 is an article entitled "In Praise of the

Southern GU" and response letter by Alan Hayes.

My copy of the WW Annual 2014

arrived the other day, and while I am

greatly enjoying it, I was a bit upset to

see you dismiss the town where I live -

Uxbridge in beautiful Middlesex - along

with Watford, as best quickly glossed

over (Gazetteer, p22).

Quite apart from the site of the

former FMC boatyard, worth a look by

canal history buffs for the place where

hundreds of FMC craft were made, and

hard by the Hillingdon Canal Club

(where passing boaters are always

welcome), there is plenty to do and see

in the surrounding area.

Hillingdon is the second largest of the

London boroughs by area, with more

green space than almost all others.

Uxbridge town centre has good

shopping, a couple of excellent pubs and

more food outlets than you could shake

a stick at.

Close to Uxbridge you have Little

Britain Lake, a short walk from the

canal itself, and for those with more

energy, Iver village is just up the slope

out of the valley. Beyond that, Black

Park hard by Pinewood Studios and

Langley Park, with its arboretum and

'visto' to Windsor Castle, are both

walkable from the canal; with a picnic

they would make an excellent day out.

North of Uxbridge, around Harefield,

you have the delights of the Colne

Valley, with plentiful gravel pit lakes

like pearls on a necklace down London's

westernmost flank.

It is true that HS2 will have a

terrible impact on the cut at Harefield,

so we can only fervently hope that

particular white elephant is quickly

despatched.

But a night's mooring at Harefield

would, I promise you, afford one of the

best four-pub crawls you could hope to

enjoy in an evening - and it's downhill

back to the boat all the way home!

There are plentiful footpaths linking

to Denham Country Park (right by the

towpath at Harefield), then as you

progress north you pass one of the

largest non-coastal reed beds in the

country at Stockers Lake, before

arriving in Rickmansworth, famed for

its canal festival (I believe 'a Ricky' is

still used to describe a boat jam on the

cut, although I stand to be corrected

on that).

At Rickmansworth, the nature

reserves of the 'aquadrome complex'

(Springwell, Stockers, Bury and

Batchworth lakes) are a superb spot for

walkers and birdwatchers, and

Rickmansworth Waterways Trust and

its Batchworth Lock Canal Centre lie

just outside the town. While the

fringes of Ricky are a bit


(In Praise of the Southern GU) unprepossessing, the High Street is

historic, with some great pubs.

I confess I don't know the territory

north of Rickmansworth very well, so

Watford might have to speak for itself,

but please don't 'gloss over' the Grand

Union mainline section from Brentford

northwards, that takes in the Hanwell

flight, the industrialised 'back views'

of Bull's Bridge and historic GWR town

of West Drayton (where Comag, which

distributes your esteemed publication

has its offices, yards from the canal,

and where you will also find Fray's

Island Nature Reserve and some

beautiful parts of the Colne Valley

Trail) to the greener uplands of

Hillingdon where, after passing under

the M40, you really feel like you are

breaking free of London.

It's a mixed up, complicated, fringey

landscape, with some superb canal

architecture, and I invite you to come

and have another look.

Best regards,

Alan M. Hayes

Uxbridge.

Important safety warning from BECO

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Photos from RNLI

Rescue after collision at Hammersmith

The crew on board the narrowboat

Alesha had to be rescued on 13 August

when the strong Thames Spring tide swept

their boat around Hammersmith bridge and

onto a moored houseboat. The Chiswick

RNLI was launched at 2:42pm and rescued

the crew of four on board Alesha as it was

held fast against the houseboat by the

strength of the tide, with no way of

getting off. Luckily no-one needed medical

assistance.

The houseboat Amethyst was moored

alongside a pier in Hammersmith, with the

narrowboat stuck across her bow.

Aparently, this is a regular occurrence

when a strong tide sweeping around

Hammersmith Bridge takes narrowboats in

its wake, their length and lack of power

leaving them at the mercy of the tide.

A lifeboat crew member was put aboard

Alesha to set up a tow line and then she was towed clear of the moored boat. The

narrowboat was secured at Dove Pier with assistance from the Port of London

Authority vessel, Driftwood II.

Mind the ducks A large bag of yellow plastic ducks being transported to the Monmouthshire &

Brecon Canal for a duck race fell off the lorry near Abergavenny and scattered all

over the carriageway.

It was the motorists dodging around the ducks who alerted the police, who had

the task of clearing them all from the road. They were eventually collected and sent

on their way to the bank holiday event.


Hanwell Locks – Open House London weekend

If you’re interested in the history and architecture of the Grand Union

Canal don’t miss the opportunity to visit the Hanwell locks during Open

House London weekend 20-21 September. The walks start at the Fox Inn

pub in Green Lane (W7 2PJ), off Lower Boston Road in Hanwell and take

place at 1pm, 2pm, 3pm and 4pm on both Saturday and Sunday.

There’s parking available in Green

Lane and also at The Fox Inn pub.

Opened in 1796, there are

reminders of a bygone era scattered

all along this stretch of the Grand

Union Canal. Along the way there’s an

assortment of curious but interesting

looking features, some puzzling lock

fittings, and lock keeper’s cottages.

On the towpath side there’s Ealing

Hospital, formerly St Bernard’s

Hospital with its great wall alongside the towpath, with access to the canal

for deliveries of coal and other waterborne goods. Today these access

points, no longer in use of course, are just bricked up arches but still visible

bearing witness to earlier activities.

You’ll see and hear about Brunel’s famous Three Bridges, built in 1856,

where the old railway line from Southall to Brentford docks is crossed by

the canal and Windmill Lane (A4127).


The completed dredging operation now allows these two boats to pass each other

with no problems, which would have been difficult before. Photo: Paul Fox

Slough Arm dredging

The dredging project, with a funding allocation of more than £700,000, removed

around 10,000 tonnes of silt and debris from the canal.

Back in May, police were

called out after two metal

cylinders were dredged up.

Paul Fox, senior waterways

engineer at the Canal and River

Trust, said: “We did have a

concern when a couple of

unidentified metal cylinders

were dredged up. The police

were called, though they

confirmed that they were not

ordnance devices and were

completely harmless.”


Above: The Grove Bridge (No. 164)

Below: Grove Mill

Scene on the Grand Union Canal


Invasive Plant Species Himalayan Balsam

Himalayan Balsam crowds out native plants

and can take over whole areas of river and canal

bank leading to erosion when the plant dies back in the winter.

Himalayan Balsam (Impatiens Glandulifera) is

an invasive plant introduced

to Britain in the mid 19th Century by Victorian

gardeners. It is the tallest

annual plant in the UK, growing to a height of over

three metres.

The seeds, up to 800 per plant, are released

explosively from the

seedpods and can travel for up to seven metres from the

plant. If the seeds land in

waterways they will be taken downstream where they can

start a new colony, one of

the reasons this plant is so difficult to control.

If you see any plants growing, before the seed

pods have developed, usually from August onwards,

pull up the plants and leave them on the side to rot down. Report any

locations of Himalayan Balsam to your local

waterway office.

Ensure you don’t accidentally carry the

seeds to a new area (eg on

the bottom of your shoes or on the deck of a boat),

and don’t place balsam

flowers or stems on areas where it was not

previously present.

Over the last ten years, this plant has

become more established

on many of our waterways; however, it

can be controlled by

pulling it up before the seeds develop.

As a result of

increasing prevalence of Himalayan Balsam but

mindful of the relative

ease with which it can be tackled, IWA has

developed a campaign to

decrease the plants along our waterways. IWA,

supported by CRT, have

been organising work

parties in various

locations around the

country to actively limit the spread of the plant by

targeting problem areas.

See the IWA website for more information.

Himalayan Balsam growing along

Yeading Brook. Photos: C. Liddle


Japanese Knotweed growing along the Slough Arm

Invasive Plant Species

Japanese Knotweed

Recently spotted on the Slough Arm of the Grand Union Canal, Japanese knotweed (Fallopia

japonica var japonica) is also a non-native invasive species of plant. Since it was introduced into

the UK as an ornamental garden plant in the mid-nineteenth century it has spread across the UK,

particularly along watercourses, transport routes and infested waste areas. It invades natural

habitats and out-competes the native plants and animals that normally live there. Rivers, hedges,

roadsides and railways form important corridors for native plants and animals to migrate, and large

infestations of non-native weeds can block these routes for wildlife.

Slough Canal Festival

Saturday & Sunday 13th and 14th:- Slough Canal Festival, Bloom Park,

Middlegreen Road, Langley Slough. The Slough Arm of the Grand Union

Canal has been dredged and the reeds cleared why not come to this festival

and help us celebrate our 20th anniversary for Middlesex Branch. There will

be a Fish and Chip supper on the Saturday night for all boaters, members

and friends who wish to attend. On the Sunday the Mayor of Slough

Borough Council will cut our "birthday cake".


Planning & Navigation

Hillingdon Canal Partnership (HCP) Report by Ray Gill

Items relating to planning and navigation

discussed at the Partnership meeting held on

7th July 2014:

The clearing of Shackles Dock is likely to

proceed and the dock will provide a facility

for Sharks Canoe Club. Dredging of the dock

entrance could potentially provide a winding

point to the east of Hayes town centre.

The Nestles site in Hayes is to be

redeveloped. The 1930s factory by Wallis

Gilbert is locally listed. The HCP is promoting

the idea of a new footbridge over the canal

from the Nestles site to provide a better

connection between the proposed new mixed

development and Hayes town centre.HCP are

lobbying the planners at Hillingdon to ensure

that Ballymore comply with their obligation (a

condition of the planning consent) to provide

temporary visitor moorings at High Point

Village in Hayes.

The Partnership plans to prepare a

‘Waterspace Strategy for the canal in

Hillingdon. The strategy, which will be

devised by a planning and landscape design

consultant, is likely to be funded by the local

authority. CRT is advising on the selection of

the consultant and the scoping brief for the

study.

As part of the Middlesex Branch

involvement in the Partnership we have

prepared a conceptual scheme to improve the

interface between Stockley Park and the

Grand Union Canal. The in itiative has two

main objectives; to transform an existing

intimidating towpath environment that is over

a mile in length and to provide better links

between the towpath, public highways and the

Stockley Park estate. The scheme proposes

clearing six areas of landscape to provide

pockets of rough grass opening up views

between the business park and the canal as

well as links into the Stockley Park

footpath/cycle way network. CRT is

supportive of the proposals and issues of land

ownership and security are being researched.

The initiative is likely to form part of the

Hillingdon Waterspace Strategy mentioned

above.

HCP are trying to resurrect a scheme for

residential moorings alongside the Kingshott

Business Centre in Hayes. The planning

permission previously obtained by CRT has

expired, as funds to develop the moorings

were not forthcoming.

CRT has produced a Hillingdon Towpaths

Report that identifies sections of the towpath

worthy of upgrading together with notional

costings. We have stressed that sections of

towpath constructed to a higher specification

should not be seen as a high speed network for

cyclists and it is important that any

improvements must take account of all users

needs including boaters, walkers anglers and

the disabled.

Discussions with DfT are ongoing

concerning a possible planning benefit from

the HS2 project, which may involve the

funding of a national cycle route. Part of this

route would include the Grand Union intowest

London as will as the Slough Arm.

Ray Gill – Planning and Navigation Officer


MIDDLESEX MUSINGS

Is it a Towpath or Velodrome?

I wonder what the average age of IWA members is? A lot of

members will remember about twenty years ago, cyclists wishing to use

the towpath were required to have a cycling permit issued by British

Waterways.

This gave permission to cycle on desig-

nated towpaths and was accompanied by a

BW code of conduct, which had to be

adhered to at all times. ‘Cycling permission

may be withdrawn if you ignore this code,

and you could be liable to prosecution.’

The increase in use of the towpaths by

high speed cyclists is now a topic that most

towpath walkers and boaters are well aware.

Whilst the subject is constantly being

raised at user meetings, there seems little

action from CRT (and BT before) to do

anything about it.

Issue 32: Reflections on page 16

In the last issue there was a request for

suggestions regarding the photo.

Re: Photo in Reflections

For Sale: Private parking space with easy access to all local leisure amenities. Contact ....

Thanks go to Dave Dent for that one.

C&RT’s new Strategy?

Readers may recall in the last Middlesex

Matters the item in Musings - Stuck between a rock and a hard place. The

incident, where a woman was evicted from

the canal making her homeless, caused a lot

of critisism of Canal & River Trust’s handling

of the situation. The Trust has now decided

that it needs the post of a Welfare Officer

stating ‘The post forms part of our strategy

to support vulnerable boaters.’ Strategy?

Must be a new one, more than likely a result

of the bad publicity following the eviction.

It’s no joke being editor

For all the years that I’ve been editor I’ve

not had one complaint. Now I’ve received one

for each of the last two issues, both relating

to the jokes.

The newsletter takes several weeks to

produce and is the culmination of editing and

proof reading before it can be published.

Proof reading is undertaken by a group that

includes two women and I value their cont-

ribution enormously. They offer a balanced

view and an eclectic mix of inputs to the

process.

Once the changes have been made the

newsletter is ready for printing.

The jokes don’t have any hidden meaning;

as the name suggests, they’re just jokes

Terry Liddle

Editor.


IWA London Region boundaries

Chelmsford Branch Chelmer & Blackwater Navigation

Mundon (White House Farm) Canal

River Thames - North bank east of the old GLC boundary

Chiltern Branch Grand Union Canal - Tail of Stockers Lock to Ship Bridge, Marsworth

Grand Union Canal - Aylesbury Arm

Grand Union Canal - Wendover Arm

Lee & Stort Branch River Lee from the M25 to Hertford

River Stort

Middlesex Branch Grand Union Canal - Paddington Branch West of Ha'penny Bridge

Grand Union Canal - River Thames to tail of Stockers Lock

Grand Union Canal - Slough Arm

North and East London Branch East London Rivers - Bow Back Rivers

Grand Union Canal - Paddington Branch East of Ha'penny Bridge

Hertford Union Canal

River Lee - River Thames to the M25

Limehouse Cut

London Docklands waterways North of the Thames

Regents Canal

River Roding (including Barking Creek)

South London Branch Grosvenor Canal

Kensington Canal

London Docklands waterways South of the Thames

River Thames - Teddington Weir to the old GLC boundary by Purfleet

River Thames - all navigable creeks not part of N E London area


The views expressed in this Newsletter are not necessarily those of the Inland Waterways Association or of its London Region or of its Middlesex Branch. They are however published as being of interest

to our members and readers

© IWA Middlesex Branch 2014

The Inland Waterways Association is a charity campaigning for the conservation, use, maintenance, restoration and development of the inland waterways and is a non profit distributing company limited

by guarantee registered in England number 612245 registered as a charity number 212342 whose

registered office is at:

Island House, Moor Road, Chesham. HP5 1WA.

Tel. 01494 783453

http://www.waterways.org.uk

AND FINALLY

Dates for committee meetings for 2014/15 are given below. Members are welcome to attend. Meetings start at 7.30pm at the Hillingdon Canal Club, Waterloo Road, Uxbridge UB8 2QX.

23 Sept 25 Nov 27 Jan 2015 24 Mar 2015 2 Jun 2015 28 July 2015 22 Sep 2015 24 Nov 2015

YOUR BRANCH COMMITTEE

Chairman Keith Clayton 020 8573 0883 [email protected] Vice Chairman Michael Phillips [email protected] Secretary Robin Bishop 020 8452 2632 [email protected] Treasurer Lucy Smith 07947451376 [email protected] Panning/Navigation Raymond Gill 07785886255 [email protected] Michael Phillips [email protected] Membership Keith Clayton 020 8573 0883 [email protected] Sales Robin Bishop 020 8452 2632 [email protected] Social meetings Lucy Smith 07947451376 [email protected] Newsletter Terry Liddle 020 8863 2551 [email protected] Publicity Lucy Smith 07947451376 [email protected] Events Lucy Smith 07947451376 [email protected] Other members Stephen Bray

The newsletter welcomes communications from readers. If you have a point to make, a question to ask, or an interesting picture or article worthy of publication send it to us at

Middlesex Matters, 39 Hillview Gardens, Harrow, Middlesex HA2 6HJ

Email to: [email protected]. NEWSLETTER EDITOR Terry Liddle Middlesex Matters is produced using MS Word 2007. Printed by Colour Image Printers, Loudwater, High Wycombe. The next publication will be the spring 2015 edition, issue number 34


Did you know?

There are 10 types of people in this world; those

that understand binary and those that don’t.

A recent study has found that women who carry

a little extra weight tend to live longer than the

men who mention it.

I was in the charity shop yesterday and a woman

in front talking to her friend said ‘My husband‘s

been missing a week now, police said to prepare

for the worst. So I’m here to get all his clothes

back.’

I was at a cash point recently when the person

behind asked if I could check their balance. So I

gave them a good push. They didn’t fall over, I

told them it was quite good.

Middlesex Matters, Issue 33, Autumn 2014

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Transcript of Middlesex Matters, Issue 33, Autumn 2014