Waterwitch #144 Autumn 2010

Autumn 2010 Edition

WATERWITCH MAGAZINE OF THE

LANCASTER CANAL TRUST

Number 144

The Lancaster Canal Trust (Registered Charity No.240957

Affiliated to the Inland Waterways Association Ltd.)

http://www.lancastercanaltrust.org.uk/

2

Two photos of the IWA National meeting at Beale Park

3

Front cover: The Tripboat, in its new paint job, at the Westmorland Show (see P6)

Welcome to this edition of the Waterwitch, since the last one summer has come and mostly gone and for many it was much warmer and drier than of recent times. There has been much

activity on within the Trust as members continued to support our various. Pat has sent in an extensive write-up of the IWA National at Beale Park, Alan Mather & Chris Jones have given an

insight into the trip boat operations this season, where due to the better weather and extra running we seem to be heading for a substantial increase in donations this year. The AGM was

highlighted by a very inspiring talk from our guest speaker Geraint Coles of the Chesterfield Canal Partnership, leaving us all to realise that for the Trust to really move forward we

desperately need to find ways to get somebody of his ability and drive employed full-time. It may be difficult to see how but it is not necessarily an impossible dream, just one that needs

working on.

We are indebted to Ken Broadhurst for deciding to run a Trust member visit next year to the Falkirk Wheel; many may have already been but still worth the trip. Members and guests will

get first chance to book the limited number of seats before it is opened to all. (see page 31).

There are a number of offers of help being requested for the working parties that are soon to commence and for help in restocking on a regular basis our fairly recently installed leaflet

holder at various point on the canal and which have proved so popular that keeping up with the resupply is a never-ending task for the ‘few’. So, come on, do offer to help – (see page 34).

Finally you will see on page % the news that regrettably the Trust is to increase membership

fees from next January. The rises may seem a bit steep but running costs do eat up more and more of our finances. This journal, which most members seem to enjoy in its fully colour

version, probably takes up at least half the current membership income for printing not to mention the postage. We are going to reduce the issues to 3 per year rather than reduce size

and quality of print. We hope members will continue to support us, and by receiving the Waterwitch keep up by written and visual means with all the Trust’s activities. I shall be pleased to receive any comments on any matter. The next Waterwitch should be out in early

January 2010, please don’t hesitate to send in article and pictures; it is your magazine!

Regards ED

Contents

Letter from the Editor 3

Chairman's Report 4

Summer Festivals 6

Boat Operation Managers Report 10

Fuelling Stops on the Lanky 12

Working Party Report 14

Trust's Annual Accounts 17

Canal Memories Ian Dunn 18

Helen‟s Puzzle 19

„You see there was this 19 year old lad‟…. 20

Bellringers go to Crooklands 22

Water, water everywhere 24

Notes from the Southern Canal System 27

Falkirk Wheel Trip 29

British Waterways Update 30

4

Those of you who didn’t get to the AGM in June missed a wonderfully inspiring event. I’m speaking not so much about

the business meeting itself but more about the talk which followed.

Dr Geraint Coles of the Chesterfield Canal Partnership gave us an excellent

account of their progress over recent

years. They now have several sections of restored canal, buildings restored and extended for use as office and training centre and the framework for a town

centre development at least as large as that proposed for Kendal Canal Head. All this is vividly shown on their works

programme chart, with its lines steadily turning from red (to be done) to green (actually achieved). We have much to

learn from them.

As an outcome of the AGM we now have Dave Slater as our Vice President, a new Treasurer, Peter Jones and a new Membership Secretary, Alan Mather.

Welcome to all of them and best wishes for carrying out their appointed tasks. Since the AGM Alan has also taken on

the role of Acting Boat Operations Manager, following the resignation of Frank Chalmers.

We have had a busy summer of

attendance at shows and events from as far south as Reading (IWA National Festival) via Preston (Haslam Park and

Riversway), Skipton, Crooklands (Country Fest and Westmorland County Show) and Kendal Torchlight Procession.

Also Waterwitch’s Brew, the mobile publicity and refreshment station, has

covered a variety of sites up and down the canal.

I’m very glad to report that the teams of

volunteers running the boat and the working parties are now sufficiently large and diverse to enable us to do both

activities concurrently. So for the first time for several years we have been able to do practical restoration work during

the summer months when we have longer daylight hours and a chance of better weather. We have also had two mid week working parties and I hope we

can expand on this. Our normal autumn / winter working party schedule commenced on 12th September with a

final visit to complete the restoration work on Sellet Hall Bridge.

More detail on most of these activities elsewhere in these pages.

I have been pleased to represent the Trust for the last two years or so on the steering group for the Lune Aqueduct

Enhancement Project. This group comprises BW, Lancaster City Council, Lancashire County Council and LCT,

with officers representing engineering, heritage & conservation, environment & ecology, public participation, cycle path

and footpath interests. The planning work reached a milestone in early September with the submission of an

application for a £1 million grant to the Heritage Lottery Fund. We should know the outcome by the end of the year and,

if successful, the grant will pay for a

(Continued on page 5)

Chairman’s

Report

5

100 Club Prizes: 1st £25; 2nd £15; 3rd £10. Winning Numbers since last Issue

With the changeover of our Treasurer we have not been able to set up the new bank accounts due to delays at the Bank. We have drawn the numbers and they are being securely held until these problems are resolved. We will publish them all in the next edition

number of improvements to the

accessibility and visibility of this Grade 1 listed Aqueduct, including better links between the riverside path and the canal

towpath 60 feet above. The work will be carried out in conjunction with BW’s major engineering works for relining the

channel of the aqueduct and the

embankment as far as Caton Road over the next two winters, 2010/11 and

2011/12. Boaters, keep an eye on www.waterscape.com for details of the stoppages involved in completing this

task. Richard Trevitt

(Continued from page 4)

MEMBERSHIP NOTICE In common with many other voluntary organisations the costs incurred by the Trust inexorably rise year on year. We are not able to access the bulk of our savings since these are ring-fenced for the Northern Reaches restoration-based work. Therefore it is with regret that the Executive committee has agreed to increase membership fees. In order to avoid the inevitable administrative time and cost in making several small increases and in view of the fact that it is now some time since fees were last increased, the Executive have decided on one larger but we feel realistic rise that should last a number of years. Therefore, as from the 1st January 2011 the new membership rates will be: Concession £10, Adult £14, Family £20, Life £150, Affiliate £14

. Members who currently pay by standing order are encouraged, when renewing their subscription, to transfer instead to a Direct Debit . Subscriptions run from Jan 1 to Dec 31 New members joining after 31st December 2010 will pay the enhanced rates. A family membership includes joint membership by two adults and if necessary up to three children of school age. David Currington Secretary, LCT

http://www.waterscape.com/

6

Country Fest was held at the

County Show field at Crooklands

on the Spring Bank Holiday

weekend, 29th and 30th May

2010. Saturday was wet and

chilly - making it an ideal test

for our new pair of small

marquees which proudly bear

the legend of "Lancaster Canal

T r u s t " o v e r t h e

entrances. Sunday was a lovely,

sunny day and our marquees

were busy all day with visitors

who had come from a wide

geographical area and were

interested in seeing our displays and asking

many questions about the canal and the

proposals for its future restoration and also to

purchase items from our stall. The boat,

Waterwitch, ran both days and crews were

kept busy giving free rides to the

public. Some new members joined on the day

and many took membership leaflets away with

them.

The Annual Riversway Festival, which improves

each year, at Preston Dock is

now an established Event in our

calendar. The Trust attended on

Saturday, 24th July and our

volunteers were busy all day

answering questions from the

public and selling items from the

stall - at times struggling to

hear what visitors were saying

over the loud "music" being

relayed over the loud speaker


Summer Festival Reports

The two new Trust display marquees at the Country

Fest show during May 2010

Helen, David , Sheila and Beryl on duty

7

system. Sadly the still present algae in the

water prevented some of the activities taking

place which meant there were no water

skiers; a great disappointment to the female

members of the team!

Many thanks to our members, Cameron,

Doreen and Dorothy who came along on the

day and gave valuable assistance. BB

IWA National Festival

Beale Park Pangbourne

August 28th , 29th & 30th 2010

Without doubt the highlight of the waterways

events calendar is the Inland Waterways

Association‟s National Waterways Festival. It is

the event to see and be seen at, attracting

the great and the good in the waterways

movement and this year‟s event on the

Thames near Pangbourne, was no exception.

It was important therefore that the Trust had

a presence.

Gordon and I left home early Saturday

morning, 21st August, collecting our caravan

„en route‟. The journey went smoothly but

after 220 miles we were ready for a break.

Oxford was to be our base for the next two

nights, enabling us to arrive at lunchtime on

Monday at the camping site attached to Beale

Park showground, some 30 miles away.

We were lucky – although the winds were

fairly strong we did get our outfit sited and

the awning up without too much trouble.

Campers arriving on Wednesday were not so

lucky as they faced torrential rain all day.

Our lovely dry field turned into something of

a mudbath (doesn‟t this sound familiar for a

National?). Plans for a cruise on the Thames

were hastily shelved and we stayed indoors all

day.

By Thursday things were a little brighter, but

ground conditions were too wet to allow

exhibitors to take their vehicles on to the

site; their gear was either carried in or

many enlisted the help of Waterway Recovery

Group members, today‟s Navvies, with their

tractors and trolleys. We were joined in the

evening by our son Martyn, and by Mike and

Fran Valiant who had travelled to the event

on their boat from their home mooring on

the Leeds & Liverpool Canal.

Friday heralded the arrival of David and

Sheila Slater and the LCT team were complete.

The day was spent setting up our display. A

first for us at this event was power to the

marquee. Not only did this enable us to run

a kettle for the all important brews but also

the laptop we use for our talks programme.

David had put together a „powerpoint‟

presentation about the Lancaster Canal and

the Trust‟s plans for restoration, running on a

continuous loop. He had also bought a small

television which could be used as a computer

monitor. As this had a built in DVD player,

Gordon had been busy copying various bits of

television which have featured the work of

LCT from tape to DVD. Most of the day was

spent setting up the display followed by a

celebratory cup of tea aboard Mike & Fran‟s



8

boat. That evening Pat, Gordon, Sheila and

David headed off to the local supermarket for

supplies for the all important barbeque.

Saturday was our busiest day for enquiries.

Many of our visitors had either been on the

Lanky or were about to come to see us. They

were quite enthusiastic and many of them

had long conversations for 20 minutes or

more. We had fewer people “just passing”

this year - most were seriously interested in

the canal and our plans for the future. In the

evening the obligatory LCT team „après show‟

barbecue was enjoyed by all.

Sunday dawned bright and breezy and once

again we had a steady flow of visitors.

Unfortunately our marquee faced into the

wind and as it strengthened we got colder!

David gave a talk on the Lancaster Canal in

the presentation suite which was well received

and attracted more people to our stand.

Martyn left at lunchtime and so missed the

squall which hit mid-afternoon. Very heavy

rain and high winds meant much scurrying

around bringing in exhibits and closing the

marquee but we were the lucky ones. Some

campers were recalled to the campsite to

rescue tents and many on the showground

were hanging on to gazebos. It only lasted

about 40 minutes but things were a bit lively

for a while. Visitors returned and we were

busy until the close of the show.

The wind was still a nuisance on Monday but

it was much brighter. We rearranged the

layout of the stand and only opened one

front panel of our marquee, allowing visitors

to view, and ourselves to work, without the

constant discomfort. Trade was steady but

there were fewer people around.

By the end of the show we had dealt

with 300 serious enquiries and taken

over £100 for Trust funds, which

i n c l u d e d g u i d e b o o k s a l e s ,

memberships and donations. One was

a magnificent payment of £50 for a

guide book. We always said they were

worth their weight in gold!!

Sincere thanks must go to David,

Sheila, Martyn, Fran and Mike for

their invaluable help over the three

days. Most of us are home now but

Fran and Mike have a longer journey by boat

– that‟s if they can get home! No water in

the Leeds and Liverpool makes boating a bit

difficult.

One person we must say a special thank you

to is Paul Shaw. Paul was part of the

Waterways Recovery Team, all volunteers, who



All set up and ready to go!

9

put the show site and all its services

together, keep the show running

including the all important job of

cleaning the loos and return the site

to a green field after the event. He

kindly transported all our large

exhibition boards, tables etc. for us

and without his help we would have

really struggled to get all our

equipment to Beale Park

Next year the show is nearer home at Burton

– on – Trent at the end of July..

PC

Stop Press

The Westmorland Show

9th September 2010, Crooklands

The day before we went to print the Trust

was again represented at the annual

Westmorland Show. On a good dry day there

were plenty of people about and from fairly

early on members manning the Trust‟s stand

were kept very busy chatting to members of

the public.

Our tripboat was again in operation on the

adjacent stretch of canal and was heavily

booked up for most of the day. It looked

fine in its almost completed decorative

repaint, just the name to go on the bow very

soon!


(Continued on page 31) At the Westmorland Show

10

Boat Operation Manager’s Report

It is a pleasant sunny evening

in late August and I am sitting

in my caravan looking along

the canal towards Millness with

the last rays of evening

sunshine on the top of Farleton

C r a g .

Re ce nt ly

there has

been no

w a t e r

e nte r ing

the canal

from the

P e a s e y

B e c k

f e e d e r

and for

last weekend‟s boating it was

six inches below the normal

level, which made it extremely

difficult to turn at Millness on

the Saturday.

On the Sunday public trips

were between Crooklands and

the winding hole to the north

only. The Trust has spoken to

BW about the situation and

thankfully things have been

restored to normal.

May was a good month for

W a t e rw i t c h w i t h 5 7 7

passengers carried, but June &

J u l y w e r e h o w e v e r

disappointing due to the poor

w e a t h e r l e a v i n g f e w

passengers around and the

crews going home wet

through.

At the time of writing it looks

like August will be a great

month with 5 charters plus

normal trip days. The charters

have been

a real

p leasure

for both

trippers &

crew. A

s p e c i a l

thank you

to Bill

D i x o n

who came

on duty at

short notice to cover for a sick

member of the crew

This year, as a trial, we

commenced running trips on 3

Saturdays in the holiday

period; if these days prove

popular will consider operating

more Saturdays next season.

Mechanically Waterwitch‟s

engine is running well. There

are no leaks of fuel, oil or

water, the new stern gland

does not leak and, now that

the boat is moored facing

south, there is no ingress of

rain through the engine

cooling air duct. The bilge in

both engine room and cabin

11

remains clean and

dry.

H o w e v e r , t h e

coupling between

the reverse gearbox

and the propeller

shaft is defective.

This coupling is

part of the boat‟s

original equipment

but Neil McGarry states that

“with a little attention and

tightening, plus no high speed

running, the coupling will last

until the end of the season”.

Boat skippers have been, and

are being, instructed “no full

throttle”. We hope to carry

out remedial action at the end

of the season at minimal cost.

We hope to carry out some

more assessments of trainee

steerers in October after the

boat is fixed. The need for

training up new members is

vital as currently we only have

14 qualified

skippers from

a crew list of

30 volunteers.

This season

has been the best yet in terms

of donations taken due in no

small part to the mainly

exce llent weather and

increased days of operation.

Chris Jones, who has taken on

the re sponsib i l i ty fo r

arranging our Charters,

informs me that up to the end

of August the following

Charters had taken place.

Crosscrake Brownies (Mary

Shaw),

Kings Church Kendal

(Linda Sutherland),


Some happy

faces from the

charter visit by

the Crosscrake

Brownies

12

The City of Lancaster has many fine establishments where boaters and canal

walkers alike can refuel their appetites with some fine ales and pub grub. You can’t get much nearer to the canal than

the impressive Waterwitch. It is a long narrow building which is not unreasonable given that it was originally

built as a stable block for the canal packet boat horses. It therefore has plenty of window seats if the weather is

bad but on a good day it is possible to sit right next to the water.

The pub part of the Mitchell's group,

underwent a makeover in 2008 and now


Fuelling Stops on the Lanky

Lancaster City Centre

The Waterwitch and

The Borough

The special one third glass trays at the

Waterwitch!

13

offer a fine range of well kept real ales.

Normally there are 7 to 8 beers plus Weston’s cider. The pub opens from 11.00am to 11.00pm daily and food is

served daily till 9pm (till 8pm Sunday). But not 3pm to 5.30pm Mon - Friday. A Deli board is also available.

In true real ale fashion they positively

encourage you to try their full range without overindulging buy the use of one third glasses conveniently presented on

their uniquely designed carrying trays.

If you need a change or just to

stretch your legs then the next recommended central Lancaster stop, (it’s no co-incidence that I’m a

member of the Campaign for Real Ale), has got to be The Borough in Dalton Square.

This free house has seven real ales on hand pump all local to North

Lancashire and Cumbria. Like the

Waterwitch it is also in CAMRA's Good Beer Guide and offers a 30p per pint

discount to card-carrying CAMRA members. Open daily for breakfast at 9am and alcoholic beverages from

10.30pm it remains open until 11.30pm (12.30pm Fri-Sat). Good locally sourced food is also available from 9.00am

breakfast through to 9.30pm daily.

Both pubs are well worth a visit, whatever the excuse1

Titus O’Newt


The bar at The Borough

14

The major restoration project set

up in August to repair Sellet Hall

bridge attracted 18 volunteers,

including small groups from the

Wild Boar Hotel at Crook and

Kirkham Open Prison. James

Richardson brought his JCB which

was useful for lifting materials for

transfer from the store and then

digging trial holes along the bed of

the canal. Sellet Hall bridge is

privately own as it is the first

bridge beyond the end of the

watered sect ion of canal.

Therefore the bridge is not BW’s

responsibility

In the meantime, work began on

carefully dismantling the parapet

walls, making use of the mini-

digger expertly handled by

Richard Ingram, and exposing the

roots of the stumps and erecting

the scaffold towers needed for

access. The tree roots turned out to

be more extensive than expected,

and in fact one huge root system

was exposed which linked the

stumps on both parapet walls. This

was only successfully removed

towards the end of the day (to an

immense cheer from us all!), and

the only rebuilding carried out was

the initial course to stabilise the

exposed areas.

On Sunday, 13 people continued

with the rebuilding of the parapets

and other areas where partial

collapse had occurred. This was

carried out under the guidance of

Martin Rigby, a stonemason who

had a lso super vised t he

dismant ling to ensure that

rebuilding was carried out to the

same detail as the original bridge.

The scaffold platform was also

used to remove ivy from the

bridge, and some of the brash from

the scrub clearance was burned.

Because of the additional work

which had been needed on the tree

stumps on Saturday, the rebuilding

wasn’t completed by Sunday

evening, so to make use of the

hired in scaffolding and mixer, we

decided to have an additional

working party which will now take

place in early September.

The winter working parties will as

usual be taking place on the

second Sunday of each month,

with the exception of December.

In December, WRG NW will be

holding their Christmas Party at

Over Kellet Village Hall over the

weekend of 4th-

5th, so we'll re-

a r r a n g e o u r


Working Party Report

15

L & R

The access

steps

carefully

cleaned up so now

they are

really

accessible

once more

Above: On a dreary day ear-

ly in 2010 the Sellet Hall

bridge looks very much in

need of some TLC

Below: The huge tree stump

has gone; the parapet rebuilt

and it just awaits the coping

stones to be replaced

Left: Our Chairman

Richard leads the as-

sault on the bridge

repairs

16


Right: The undergrowth & roots have been

cleared and the parapets restored using the tradi-

tional mortar mix and the original stones

Left: The West side with the tree roots having

grown right across the road and formed a

second growth on the parapet

Right: All growth gone and the parapet and bridge

abutment rebuilt .

Left: The original self set tree on the east side has

seriously damaged the bridge structure

Right: Again the very large stump has finally gone

and the badly damaged parapet has been

repaired.

Left: The years of undergrowth & root systems

have almost blocked the roadway

17

At the AGM last June it was sensibly agreed that the Trust’s Accounts should be published in Waterwitch for al l members to see. The Balance Sheet & Income& E x p e n d i t u r e a r e reproduced herewith. Space does not permit the

reproduction of the many

associated notes giving the breakdown of the figures. If any member has any query perhaps they might contact

the Trust’s Treasurer, Peter Jones, whose contact details

are at the back of this publication ED

18

CANAL NOTES

THE CANAL TO TEWITFIELD LOCKS FROM KENDAL 1

THINK IS ABOUT NINE MILES,. ON THE WAY TO THESE

LOCKS THERE WAS A WHARF AT CROOKLANDS TO

SUPPLY WOOD FOR THE COOPERAGE AND STEAM

COAL FOR THE GUN POWDER WORKS AT GATEBECK

IF YOU DUG DOWN A BIT PIECES OF COAL ABOUT

ONE INCH SQUARE APPEARED, THERE WAS A RAIL

WAY FROM THE WORKS TO MILNTHORPE STATION PARTS OF THE EMBANKMENTS AND THE

ABUTMENTS FOR THE BRIDGE CROSSING THE CANAL CAN STILL BE SEEN, THIS WHARF IS STILL

USED TO-DAY FOR THE SALE

OF COAL,

T H E W A G O N S T H A T

T R A N S P O R T E D T H E

GUNPOWDER WERE PAINTED

RED. THEY OFTEN CAME OFF

THE RAILS AS THE TRACK WAS

UNSTABLE ON THE SLEEPERS

SO THEY USED TO CARRY A

LONG PIECE OF WOOD TO

LIFT THE WAGONS ON TO

THE RAILS AGAIN.

I HAVE DONE A LITTLE

DRAWING TO SHOW HOW IT MAY HAVE LOOKED,

ABOUT TWO MILES FROM THE WHARF GOING SOUTH, A PIECE OF LAND ON THE LEFT OF

THE CANAL WAS USED IN THE 19th CENTURY FOR TIPPING ALL KENDAL'S NIGHT SOIL!! THERE

MUST HAVE BEEN A TERRIBLE SMELL. THIS WAS TRANSPORTED IN A CANAL BARGE . 1 DO NOT

THINK THAT THIS WAS THE SAME BARGE THAT WAS USED FOR THE METHODISTS YEARLY

OUTINGS ON THE CANAL, I HOPE NOT. BUT YOU NEVER KNOW THERE WAS A FAIR BIT OF

COMPETITION AMONG THE FAITHFUL IN THOSE DAYS,

THE LOCKS AT TEWITFIELD ARE NOW JUST A SERIES OF WATER-FALLS BUT BEFORE THEY

BECAME OBSOLETE THERE

WOULD HAVE BEEN A LOT OF

NOISE AND BUSTLE, THERE

WAS I THINK A CANAL

KEEPERS HOUSE ON THE

NORTH OF THE LOCKS,

WHERE A FEW REPAIRS MAY

HAVE BEEN CARRIED OUT,

HORSE SHOE CHECKING AND

THINGS OF THAT ILK,

WHEN THE PACKET BOATS

WENT THROUGH THE LOCKS


ANOTHER IN THE

SERIES

CANAL MEMORIES

by

IAN DUNN B.A A.T.D

19

THERE WOULD HAVE BEEN

ITINERANT TRADE PEOPLE

SELLING ARTICLES FROM

TRAYS AND THINGS, AND

ALSO BEGGARS HOPING FOR

A HAND OUT. SOMETIMES

THERE WOULD BE A BOAT

AT THE TOP OF THE LOCKS

AND ONE AT THE BOTTOM,

FOR SPEED OF COURSE,

PASSENGERS COULD EITHER

STAY ON BOARD OR WALK

DOWN OR UP THE CANAL AS

THE CASE MAY BE.

IAN DUNN


HELEN’S

WORD

SEARCH

LANCASTER

CANAL

BRIDGES

Can you find the 33

bridges in the maze below. If you want

a real challenge then

cover the names up

and use the Trust’s

Canal Guide to pick

them out!

Answer page 32

20

First of all may I apologise for not be ing able to attend the AGM this year. As I write these notes I am moored at Cropredy on the Oxford Canal heading for the Thames. I am grateful that the Editor has agreed to publish these musings, which were also read out by him at the AGM. As you may know in 2013 the Trust will be 50 years old, having been formed in 1963. I joined in 1964 and became active on the Committee. Six years later a raw but enthusiastic 19 year old joined us. His name was David Slater. It wasn‟t long afterwards he was putting the Trust‟s case for restoration in front of Granada‟s cameras as part of a documentary they were making – quite a baptism in the art of canal campaigning. In 1969 David married the gorgeous, pouting Sheila! I was Best Man and I recall one of the wedding presents was a bottle of Lancaster Canal water (1969 vintage). Whether David still has this bottle and whether it has now fermented and matured only he can tell you.

He has spent 41 years as an active committee member holding positions as Public Relations Officer, Secretary

and Chairman. This is an enormous achievement and one of which we should all be grateful and he should be proud. It is indeed a record most unlikely to be surpassed. Throughout these years he was an essential thread of continuity as committee members came and went.

In the early years, of course, we had no computers or mobile phones, indeed most of us had no telephones at home! We had to resort to using public phone boxes to contact colleagues at their places of work. Contact was also maintained by post.

Another aspect of David‟s work has been, from the very beginning, his continuous input into ‟Waterwitch‟ by way of articles and comment. I believe that since he joined there has not been one issue of „Waterwitch‟ that did not contain an article by him. This, again, is quite an achievement. I would also like to point out that for many years „Waterwitch‟ appeared four times a year – quite a lot of writing – with no facility of printing photographs which take up space.

Indeed, as editor, I took the then editor of the BW magazine to task for „space filling‟. For example, six workers were presented with long service awards and six different pictures were printed – of each recipient – and the beaming chairman, instead of one photo of all of them. A group award photograph appeared the following year! David & I became involved, for quite a time, in trying to save the Inland


You see, there was this 19 year old lad........

By John Gavan

21

Hello! The Lancaster Canal Trust extends a very warm welcome to

the following new members and we hope to see you at some of

our events:

Waterways Amenity & Advisory Council (IWAAC) from abolition. This was at the time of Ted Heath‟s government that had drawn up a list of Quangos to be abolished. (We‟ve come full circle ED). The chairman if IWAAC at that time was David Wain. I recall making a spoof quote by him in „Waterwitch‟ – “I‟m taking my last quango to Paris!”

Anyway , as a result of our efforts a meeting was convened at Count y Hall, Preston at which interested parties, including the local IWA, passed a unanimous resolution opposing the abolition Similar meetings around the country eventually forced the Government to change its mind.

Being Chairman or Secretary of the Trust is time consuming if the job is to be done properly. Giving lectures and slide shows, organising trips on the canal, having a stand at boat rallies, liaising with British Waterways and Local /authorities – the list is endless. For 41 years David has shown gusto, enthusiasm and drive. I am sure that, like me, , you are proud of him. As a result you, the members, are honouring him tonight with the post of vice President and both David & Sheila with Life membership. I personally would like to congratulate him on this achievement – he certainly deserves it. Thank you

John Gavan.


J Sims C Byrne

N Johnson S Bennett

Z Metcalfe L Birchell

D Bevzeva I McCullough

Mr Landles M Peet

J Johnston I Young

M Adkinson H Wilkie

G Fitch I Fair

22

As a bellringer at St Johns church in Lytham, I have often left them one short when crewing Waterwitch on a Sunday morning so I thought it was about time I organised a charter on the boat for my fellow ringers to make up for it. We decided on Sat the 14th August as we had no weddings to ring at on that day, but thought maybe we could combine a ring at a church near to the boat, so I contacted a nice lady called Rachel at St James church Burton in Kendal.

We arrived there about 1pm and rang the bells “up” six in all with the help of Rachel, we were dismayed to find out that the bells were rarely rung there as her family are the only ringers in the village and there was little interest in the bells from within the church itself. This seems to be a country wide problem as many churches are falling silent mainly due

to the lack of ringers, it’s an art that needs to be passed on and once the band is lost its hard to get one going again. For the record and for any ringers reading this we rang some called changes and some nice touches of Grandsire and Steadman doubles, then we rang the bells “down "again. At around 2pm we left Burton and drove over to the boat at Crooklands; before boarding we had time for a quick drink and comfort stop at the Crooklands hotel. At the boat we met

the smiling faces of Chris and Alan ready to welcome us aboard, this was to be their second charter of the day and the weather was holding up well. Once aboard it was decided we were going to cruise the whole length available to us with Chris steering and Alan as steward. I was a passenger today. The trip was pure bliss as lots


St Johns Bellringers go to Crooklands

23

of wild flowers were out due to the recent rainfall. We passed both sets of swans and signets and countless moorhen and coot with their young, the swallows were diving down in front of the boat, it seemed like they were showing off their amazing flying skills but I'm sure it was to

catch insects off the top of the water. We passed the winding hole north of Mattinsons bridge where we normally turn around and the excitement grew as the weed and overhanging branches closed in, I told my fellow ringers we were going into uncharted waters, and soon we reached Stainton the most northerly place on England's canal network, (hopefully not for too much longer) and turned around for our return to Millness to see the Motorway blockage. In no time at all two and a half hours had gone by and we were back at the stables to disembark, everyone had enjoyed every minute of the trip and

had shown great interest in the history of the canal and the work of the Trust. There were a few worried faces though when I said I'd be asking questions later to see what they had learnt. To round the day off we had booked a table at the Crooklands hotel, we all enjoyed a fine meal and a few

pints of real ale went down very well, we all agreed it was a day to remember and arrived home about 10.30pm, a nice cup of tea and then to bed as we have to be up early to ring at St Johns for Sunday service in the morning. I must add on behalf of

all the ringers a big thank you to Chris and Alan and the LCT for a great day out and I can highly recommend a charter on Waterwitch to any group who would like a memorable day out. Many thanks again, Neil McGarry.


24

August for us has come to mean

the IWA National Festival and the fun of greeting visitors to the LCT

event stand. We decided this year to travel to the show by water for the first time, and set off in June

from Skipton. Our planned route would take us along the Leeds-

Liverpool, down the Bridgewater and Trent and Mersey Canals,

along the Coventry and North Oxford and via the Grand Union

to the tidal Thames. Like a skein of wool being knitted up behind us, the water dried up

as we progressed along the Leeds-Liverpool. The low water levels

meant that there were restrictions in place at locks, and by the time

we arrived at Wigan, BW was only allowing one passage per

day down the flight. A stuck paddle at the top lock and padlocked gates at the bottom

slowed our descent but we eventually made it through. Not a

moment too soon, as we heard a few days later that the navigation

from Gargrave to Wigan would be completely closed within a

month if there was not enough rain; and there wasn’t! The

drought, however, did mean that

we were travelling in fine weather much of the time and so were able

to appreciate the beauties of the surrounding countryside. Our journey had its droll and

dramatic moments. At Croxton Flash we had moored up for our

afternoon cuppa when a passing boat missed the sign warning of

shallow water and ran onto the mud. The crew’s increasingly

frantic attempts to retrieve the

situation provided us with much amusement until we finally took

pity on them and used our boat to tow them back into the main

channel. On another occasion we had moored for the evening on a rural stretch of bank near several

other craft when a hire boat came t h u nd e r i ng p a s t , t o t h e

consternation of those of us buffeted by its wash. Their haste

was forgiven when they explained that they had a medical

emergency on board. A few (Continued on page 25)

Water, water, everywhere?

Fran & Mike go to the IWA National Festival

Statue of James Brindley in Coventry basin.

25

minutes later, the Air Ambulance helicopter landed in the cornfield

bordering the towpath and the casualty (a child who had suffered a head injury and was displaying

symptoms of concussion) was rushed ashore. We were relieved

to learn later that, although he needed stitches, his injuries were

not life-threatening. Our steady progress southward

was interspersed with forays off the main line. We took a side trip down to the Coventry Basin, our

visit coinciding with a fascinating exhibition at the Herbert Gallery

of Robert Longden’s photographs of working boat families in the

1940s.

Another sojourn took us up the Wendover Arm. We had watched

the restoration of this stretch with interest when we lived in

Buckinghamshire, and it was fulfilling to be able to finally cruise

up the partly restored navigation. Our imaginations went ahead of us

to the day when we will be able to

say the same of the Northern Reaches!

Our long cruises are never without their technical hitches. An annual occurrence, it seems, is the expiry

of our mains generator. This duly died at Tring, so had to be packed

up and sent off for repair when we arrived at Berkhamsted. At the

same time, the engine developed strange noises which we suspected

heralded the imminent demise of our drive plate. We ordered a replacement and booked an

engineer to meet us at Uxbridge, where we spent a noisy, dusty

(and expensive!) two days in a boatyard before being declared

fit to proceed.

Having studied the tide tables, we timed our arrival at Brentford for

August 11 to lock down onto the Thames the following day. BW

facilities here were excellent and,

as the loss of our generator had



Moored at the current terminus of the

Wendover Arm

Brentford Dock - overnight stop before the tidal Thames

26

rendered our on-board washing machine unusable, we took full

advantage of the laundry. Once down onto the Royal River, sunny skies allowed us superb views of

Kew, Richmond and Twickenham,

though the landmarks

fairly sped by as we

were swept along by

the tide up t o Teddington.

The water that had been in such short supply at

the beginning of our journey was seen here in abundance at the

s p e c t a c u l a r we i r s wh i c h accompanied every lock.

Perhaps we could bring a few bucket loads of the precious wet

stuff back with us. As I write, we

are moored up in a monsoon in Henley. Tomorrow should find us at

Beale Park to meet up with the rest of the LCT gang. No doubt, Waterwitch will be telling that tale

in the show report.

When and where will the story of our 2010 cruise end? Our plans to

return homeward via the River Trent and the Aire were thrown

into confusion by the news that BW had been forced to close the Leeds

end of our home canal too. Will we be doomed, like the Flying Dutchman, to wend our way

around the network, endlessly searching for a way back to

Skipton? It could bring a whole new meaning to our understanding

of the term ‘continuous cruising’!

Fran & Mike Valiant


Imposing buildings of Richmond-on-Thames

Passing under

Richmond bridges - and over its weir!

27

Our Vice President John Gavan has sent in some notes on recent past adventures:

“A” is for the Ashby Canal alongside

us which is where, in Leicestershire, the Battle of Bosworth in 1485 was located. It is also where BW has constructed special moorings for visitors to see the fine exhibition Centre nearby. Unfortunately it has very recently been revealed beyond argument that the REAL battlefield is some 2 miles away situated in some farmers fields. How this situation will be resolved is any one’s guess Further up the canal one comes across the three stones – Congerstone, Shackerstone and Snarestone. These are three Leicestershire villages and quite attractive ones at that. I had been using 1983 Nicholson’s Canal Guide which describes the villages having stores, post office and garages. Not anymore. They are now bereft of any facility, which illustrates how the power of supermarkets has grown in the last 27 years. Trust members would be jealous of the terminus here, the abandoned 9 miles to Moira is presently being fully restored. Of course they don’t have a motorway to bedevil the situation!

„B‟ is for Birmingham, Brindley Place

and the meeting of 5 canals. Between 3rd & 6th October this year any boater that enters this area will be stopped by the police and their boat thoroughly searched. The search is estimated to last at least 15minutes. This is all because the Tory Party Conference is taking place in the canal-side National Conference Centre. Boater wishing to enter between 6pm and 8 am will need the written permission of the Chief Constable.

„G‟ is for the Grand Union Canal which

has barge locks similar to the Leeds/Liverpool Canal – but with two differences. Lock working on the G.U. involves clambering over the gates – on the Leeds/Liverpool every lock has a footbridge. On the G.U many locks now only have ground paddles – new gates are not fitted with gate paddles. On the Leeds/Liverpool all locks have gate


Sol-y-Sombra (Sun & Shade) moored at Cosgrove on the Grand Union canal. Cosgrove is a nice village

in Northants. Typically all shops and stores have disappeared.

Notes from the Southern Canal System

28

paddles

„L‟ is for Lechlade. We travelled

there in May – it is the end of the navigable river. Lechlade is an unspoiled & attractive Cotswold town. In the centre is The Crown Inn – unusual for it has its own ‘micro’ brewery which produces a very acceptable bitter, called, appropriately, ‘old Lech.’

„P‟ is for Penkridge – on

the Staffs/Worcestershire Canal where I was somewhat bemused to read what appeared to be an official BW notice in the sanitary facilities block. Of course it didn’t take me long to realise I was reading a ‘spoof’ – but amusing nevertheless. Finally - a thought. New marinas are springing up all round the

canal system – some holding up to 400 boats. If, during the summer season, these marinas emptied just 10% of their craft onto the canals the whole system would jam up. Fortunately on our travels this year we did not have to queue for any locks and long may this be so! JG


working party to coincide with

this.

We should have held a working

party on 12th September to finish

off the coping stones at Sellet Hall

bridge, and in October we're

planning to spend some time

around the Millness & Crooklands

area, generally tidying up after the

summer.

The rest of the winter programme

will hopefully involve some

projects which will allow us to

progress the re-opening of the

canal, instead of the maintenance

aspects we've been concentrating

on in recent years. Watch this

space!

As usual, all help will be

gratefully received, and if you're

not already on the mailing list

please let me know if you're

interested in helping out on the

working parties

Paul Shaw


29

Lancaster Canal Trust

Outing to The Falkirk Wheel.

Saturday May 14th 2011.

It is proposed to run a coach from

Lancaster to Falkirk including: a fifty

minute trip through the Wheel and along

the new canal spur.

The coach (Messrs Bibby's) will leave

Lancaster at 7.30am (Subject to change !)

picking up at Carnforth, Burton, Holme

and Milnthorpe. A stop will be made at

Moffatt and on to Falkirk to arrive 12.00 to

12.30. £30.00 each person.

Further details will be sent when booked.

Due to time limitations we cannot accept

bookings for children. Please note we will

require a non

r e t u r n a b l e

deposit of £10.00

for each booking.

You will be

advised of your

final payment

later. PLEASE

BOOK EARLY.

Limit of 53 only.

Please contact

J.K.Broadhurst (01524 781604.) ‘Seatoller’, Vicarage Lane,

Burton in Kendal, Carnforth . LA6 1 NW.

Bookings for Lancaster Canal Trust Outing to The Falkirk Wheel.

Saturday May 14th 2011.

Please book _____________ tickets (Member of L.C.T.) Yes/No.

Mr/Mrs/Ms ________________________________

Address_________________________________________

Post Code ___________________ Phone No

Payment Deposit (£10.00 each) £______

(Payable to Lancaster Canal Trust)

The Trust, through Chris Jones our Grants officer, has been successful in obtaining a grant of £2400 in order that we can purchase and install a number of seats along the canal. The money has been kindly given through the Cumbria Waste Management & Environment Trust (CWMET) and has to be spent in the Holme/Burton. The Trust needs to agree the sites with CWMET and then our working parties can install them during the coming months.

A picture of the new seats the Trust will purchase

30

LUNE AQUEDUCT

ENHANCEMENT SCHEME

PROJECT

UPDATE

The magnificent Lune Aqueduct is

currently earmarked to be given a

£2.5m facelift as part of ambitious

plans to develop Lancaster Canal as a

key visitor centre and economic

generator for the North West.

Over the last two years, British

Waterways have been working with

partners from Lancaster City

Council, Lancashire County Council

and the Lancaster Canal Trust to

seek funding from external sources

to ca r ry ou t a se r ies o f

enhancements to the structure and

its surrounding environment which

will widen the appeal of the aqueduct

to local communities and

visitors.

The plans will make the Grade I

listed aqueduct – which carries

the picturesque Lancaster Canal

over the River Lune – more

accessible and visually appealing

to visitors, in addition to

underpinning the structural

integrity of the aqueduct for

decades to come.

In March 2009, the HLF

awarded British Waterways a

£50,000 development grant to help

develop proposals for the Lune

Aqueduct project, Following guidance

from the HLF, and also through

carefully assessing the objectives and

needs of our project, development

works have been carried out. British

Waterways’ own Heritage expert,

Andrew Tegg , completed a

Conservation Management Plan

which will provide a framework for

the f u tu re p rotec t ion a nd

conservation of the structure.

These development works have

enabled us to shape the final plans for

the wider Lune Enhancement Project.

The stage 2 application was

submitted to HLF in August, and this

will hopefully result in the awarding

of £1m grant towards our vision for

the site. This comprises:

A relined canal channel;

Renew corroded trench sheet

wash walls;

A re-pointed stone aqueduct

trough;

Re-pointed open joints in


B ritish

Waterways

Update...

Lune Aqueduct

31

masonry arch;

Vegetation removal from the

structure

These crucial plans for the long term

protection of the aqueduct will be

complemented by a series of

additional enhancements that will

increase the appeal of the site as a

key visitor attraction for Lancaster:

A range of access improvements

to enhance linkages between canal

and Millennium Cycleway;

Towpath upgrades;

Interpretation and signposts,

providing information in relation to

the structures development and

historical significance;

Ecological improvements

including landscaping of the river

corridor

Provision of a new visitor car

park at Caton Road.

A full time project officer for the site

to run a programme of activities at

the Lune over a period of three years

The funding application now has to go

through an appraisal process by the

Heritage Lottery Fund that could take

up to three months to complete. It is

hoped that a positive decision will be

achieved by Christmas of this year.

It is planned that the engineering

works will commence early in January

2011, and the visitor enhancements

will begin to be implemented in the

Spring of the same year. SH

A great big thank you to all who

manned the marquee and tripboat

booking arrangements and to those

steerers who worked all day on the

boat. We gained some new members

and many signatures to our petition, so

a very worthwhile day. DC


Right: Alan Mather brings home another bunch of happy people

32

Coffee Morning,

23rd October, 2010 Elizebeth Gaskell memorial hall

Silverdale

10 to 12 noon

Usual Stalls, raffles etc


Below: The remains of the hacked down root stump which was temporarily left in

the canal bed!

Below: The extent of the lifting action of the growing tree can clearly be seen

33

THE

LANCASTER

CANAL

St. John's bell-ringers

Lytham

A family birthday party,

p lus tw o fami ly

outings .

Skippers and crew for

these trips were Alan

Mather, Frank Chalmers,

Neil McGarry, Peter

Simmonds, Bill Dixon,

John Acres, Chris Jones.

You do not need to be a

member to charter

Waterwitch, so if you

know any group or

individual who may be

interested in booking for

next year, even outside

our normal operating

months of May to

September, please ring

me (evenings preferably)

on 07816 874563.

Chris would like to thank

t h e g r o u p s a n d

individuals who have

booked charters, their

generous donations, and

to the volunteers who

have skippered and

c re w e d Wa te rw i t c h

throughout this summer.

AM


34

President

C.H.Bagot J.P. F.R.I.C.S.,D.L

Vice - Presidents

John Gavan

David Slater

Chairman

Richard Trevitt 2 Fern Bank, Lancaster. LAI 4TT (01524) 846303

Vice - Chairman

Helen Thomas 7 Bay View, Over Kellet, Carnforth, LA6 1DR

(01524) 735504

Secretary

David Currington 12 Sedbergh Road Kendal LA9 6AD (01539) 732599

Treasurer

Peter Jones 14 Blencathra Gardens Kendal LA9 7HL (01539) 739105

Membership Secretary

Alan Mather 15, Claughton Ave Bolton BL2 6US (01204) 521031

Public Relations Officer

Trisha Buzzard 07802438412

Waterwitch Editor

David Currington 12 Sedbergh Road Kendal LA9 6AD (01539) 732599

Working Party Organiser

Richard Trevitt 2 Fern Bank, Lancaster. LAI 4TT (01524) 846303

Grants Officer

Chris Jones Apt 305, Liberty House, Yard 5, Highgate, Kendal,

Cumbria LA9 4BU 07816 874563

LANCASTER CANAL TRUST Officers and Committee

August 2010

35

Arlen Hire Boats

Australian Canal Society

Beetham Parish Council

Burton - in - Kendal Parish Council

Bury & District Anglers Association

Catterall Parish Council

C.A.R.P. Ltd

Holme Parish Council Lancaster Canal Boat Club

Kendal Civic Society Natland Parish Council Newton with Clifton Parish Council Preston Patrick Parish Council Ramblers Association (Preston Area) South Lakeland District Council

Westmorland & North Lancashire

Long Distance Walkers Assoc

Waterwitch is copyright 2010, published by

The Lancaster Canal Trust (Registered Charity No. 240957)

c/o David Currington, 12 Sedbergh Road, Kendal, LA9 6AD

The Lancaster Canal Trust may not agree with the opinions expressed in this magazine but encourages publication as a matter of interest. Nothing printed may be construed as policy, or an official announcement, unless so stated - otherwise the Trust accepts no liability for

any matter in the magazine.

The editor retains the right to edit any article or letter submitted for publication.

The deadline for contributions to the next edition of

Waterwitch

will be December 31st 2010

Contributions may be e-mailed to

[email protected] Or by post to

David Currington

12 Sedbergh Road Kendal, Cumbria

LA9 6AD

Trisha Buzzard

07802438412

Publicity Officer & Trip Boat Committee

Alan Mather

Acting Boat Operations Manager

(01204) 521031

Beryl Bowcott

Chairman Recruitment & Promotions

Paul Shaw

Working Party Supervisor 07866 803351

Sandra Henstock

(L.C.B.C. Representative) (01253)764171

Affiliated Members

Printed by Kent Valley Colour Printers, Kendal. (01539)741344

Visit LCT website at: http://www.lancastercanaltrust.org.uk/

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEMBERS & OTHER TRUST OFFICERS

Waterwitch #144 Autumn 2010

Documents

Transcript of Waterwitch #144 Autumn 2010