Bugsworth Tippler

"Update on 23/05/2016: Over the weekend we were able to start the fish rescue needed before we can finish draining the canal. So far around a 1000lb of fish have been removed, it’s likely to be tomorrow before this can be finished and draining of the canal completed. The physical inspection of the canal will take place tomorrow and it is expected that repairs will start on Wednesday. We have a lot of silt to remove before we can be certain of the full extent of the problem and then how long it is likely to take to repair. The towpath will be closed from Wednesday between bridges 26 and 27. This is necessary so that we can operate with mechanical plant on the towpath. For people trying to pass through Bollington there is access to the Middlewood Way from bridge 25 and we will advise people to leave the towpath at bridges 25 and 28 (Grimshaw Lane). We’ll provide a further update when we have more certainty about the likely timeframe for repairs. While we are trying to see the canal reopened in time for the bank holiday weekend, we are not certain that this will be achievable. Customers will also be aware of the canal closure in Marple affecting the area. Repairs are underway at Lock 12 and we are expecting the Marple flight to reopen tomorrow, Tuesday 24th at the latest." I can't believe it's going to take two days to remove the fish. There was hardly any water for them to swim in when I looked on Sunday. I can believe there's a lot of silt to be removed. When was it last dredged?

A visit to the site, and a chat with a C&RT employee, revealed that the canal is partially dewatered. The fish will be rescued tomorrow and the damage more fully assessed after that. It is hoped that temporary repairs will allow the canal to be re-opened by next weekend (or the Bank Holiday). Permanent repairs will be carried out in the winter.

Bad News - Closure of Canal Good News - Bollington Wharf winding hole has apparently been reinstated http://www.canalworld.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=84761&page=4

I hope the winding hole signs at Bollington will be re-instated to avoid having too many 'discussions' with the occupants of the wharf.

"After much robust "discussion" with CRT, involving a doughty campaigner of fairly mature years and others, I have pleasure in announcing that the winding hole at Bollington Wharf is now open again. CRT have finally admitted that they were wrong and it always was a winding hole. It is usable now, but a couple of modifications will be made to the jetties to make things easier still. CRT have had to buy back a couple of moorings they allowed to be placed in the winding hole. George ex nb Alton retired" I'm delighted to hear this. Well done George!

An excellent venture. I wish you every success with it. Unfortunately I'll be travelling to the Bromsgrove Folk Festival from 'up North' on those dates. Is the festival always in the same area?

A stoppage notice issued today states that the Macclesfield Canal is closed in Bollington and suggests winding at Bollington Wharf. BW/C&RT were adamant that this wasn't a winding hole a year or so ago even though the winding hole signs were still in place at the time. They were quickly removed when this was pointed out to them. Is this an implicit admission that somwehere in C&RT's documents Bollington Wharf was listed as a winding hole even though they've now allowed a private marina to take it over for moorings and it's not now listed as a winding hole on the Maccalsfield [sic] Canal? The distance between the Hurdsfield winding hole and the one at Bridge 27 is far too great in my opinion. A visit to Bollington from the Marple direction now requires an additional 90 min (2 x 45 min) just for turning. And anyone reaching Bollington from the south and then stopped by this stoppage will be in a bit of a pickle if they have to reverse all that way.

With Marple Locks apparently closed there must be quite a few boats trapped on the Upper Peak/Macclesfield Canal. There's many a worse place to be! But failures such as these, just as the boating season is starting, are not good.

"Jungle drums (well Brian on Alton) say that there is also a problem on the Macc at Bollington. No stoppage notice as yet." Well there is now - the Macc is closed at Bollington at least for the weekend. Is that why the levels were down last week?

From Date: 20th May 2016 at 08:00 To Date: until further notice Type: Navigation Closure Reason: Structure failure Description: We have been monitoring a leak at Clarence Mill, Bollington and as a precaution have taken the decision to close the canal for further investigation. The canal is closed between bridges 26 and 27, either side of Parmerston Embankment. We will be investigating the issue with the aim of undertaking repairs, we anticipate that the canal will be closed over the weekend and into the early part of next week. When we have a better idea of the length of the closure we will update this notice. Mooring is generally available either side of the closure on the towpath. Location: Macclesfield Canal Starts At: Bridge 27, Kerridge Road Bridge Ends At: Bridge 26, Sugar Lane Bridge Up Stream Winding Hole: Between bridges 25 and 26. Down Stream Winding Hole: Bollington Wharf Is that last reference to a winding hole at Bollington Wharf the one that BW/C&RT maintained never existed even though there were winding hole signs up at the time?

This song has been added to the 'Songs of the Inland Waterways' website. If anyone can supply any useful information about it I would be pleased to hear from them. http://www.waterwaysongs.co.uk/victorian_ballad.html

Thanks Dave, I'll include the words on the Songs of the Inland Waterway website with your description of it its source. In this current age of information availablity where one expects to be able to view almost anything on-line it is interesting to note that I haven't yet been able to track down this ballad on-line. I'll keep trying. Regards, Ian

Does this ballad have a title?

Hi Dave, Thanks for the pointer to the Victorian ballad which I would like to add to the 'Songs of the Inland Waterways' archive. Does it have a title? By the way, I envy your memory! You are quite right about the starting point for the production of canal related songs in the 1970s. It was 'Straight from the Tunnels Mouth' by The Boatmen which first got me hooked. With somewhere in the region of 300 songs in the archive (some good, some not so good) I take it as a good sign that people are inspired by our waterways to want to write songs about them. I think that modern songs which try to tell historical tales can fail on a number of levels - as evidenced by the response to 'Chocolate Charlie'. Ian

There is another song about Charlie Atkins on the 'Songs of the Inland Waterways' website. It is called 'Charlie Atkins' by Mal Edwards http://www.waterwaysongs.co.uk/Charlie_Atkins.htm Maybe this might get a better reception than Bill Malkin's song which got some rather unfavourable (and undeserved IMO) comments. Perhaps there needs to be another verse added to 'Grumpy Old Boater'? http://www.waterwaysongs.co.uk/grumpy_old_boater.html

Thanks again for all the useful info. I've taken note of the eating options in Compton and the stoppage notice refers to a time period well before our planned trip.

Thanks for all those helpful comments. It's reassuring to know that the top of the Wolverhampton flight sounds a reasonable destination if we manage to get up the Wolverhampton flight. I think I'll be in need of a rest after that.

I'm planning a trip in July and CanalplanAC has suggested a day's journey from Gailey to stop at Wolverhampton (Birmingham Canal Main Line) having gone up the Wolverhampton flight. Comments and suggestions as to the suitability of this location as a suitable overnight stopping place would be welcome.

Putting modesty to one side, a copy of a CD of waterway songs I produced a couple of years ago, has been uploaded to SoundCloud and is accessible through the following link : http://www.waterwaysongs.co.uk/MyWaterwayWorld/index.htm With any luck the number of people who have listened to the tracks may soon enter double figures! Though David Blagrove can take the credit for some of the better canal songs written in the latter part of the last century, 'Miles of Poly' was apparently written by Anne Peters and Peter Dodds. See the full story on the following link : http://www.waterwaysongs.co.uk/miles_of_poly.htm

ALL the songs in John Raven's book are transcribed on the Songs of the Inland Waterways website. SOME of Mal Edward's songs have been transcribed from the CD. To be honest transcribing them wasn't easy, mainly due to references to places I didn't recognise. I sought help on this forum a year or so ago and didn't really get any further, so the transcription slipped down the list of things to do. I must get back to the task some day.

The WRG Navvies Song Book (from 2003) can now be found at the following location : http://www.waterwaysongs.co.uk/documents/navvies_song_book.pdf

It's useful to be reminded of the Web Archive and the website from AM Models does seem, at first sight, to contain a lot of interesting information. It would be a pity if it were lost. Another interesting site (about narrowboat steamers) can be found at : http://www.steamershistorical.co.uk/

Thanks to the two posters who have provided valuable information. Unless I hear of your objections I'd like to add this info to this song's page on the 'Songs of the Inland Waterways website - http://www.waterwaysongs.co.uk/chestnuts.htm As a collector of vinyl lps and now CDs I have always enjoyed reading the sleeve notes while listening to the recordings. The additional info and explanations always added to the enjoyment. That's why I like to add the additional info on the canal song website. It's good to tap into the expertise on the CDF. Thanks again.

One of the better songs about our waterways is "When the Chestnut Blooms in Flower" by David Blagrove (lyrics below from 'Songs of the Inland Waterways' website). One thing puzzles me - Why is the moon referred to as Waddington's headlamp? Any suggestions? It's five in the morn, an hour before dawn, And the frost is riming the bank. I'm down in the engine hole dipping the sump, And pumping the oil to the tank. Then it's swing on the handle, compression taps drop, And let her run up to full power. It's just the same way on a morning in May When the chestnut bloom's in flower. When the chestnut bloom's in flower, When the chestnut bloom's in flower, It's just the same way on a morning in May When the chestnut bloom's in flower. A wet Autumn day, we've been hours on the way, And I'm feeling knobbed-off with me mates. We're towing the butty uphill through the locks, With a hundred foot line round the gates. The brasses are dull and me overcoat's soaked,, And the motor's got fast on a scour But it's just......... A cold winters night, I run by the light, Of Waddington's headlamp, the moon. Me fore end is bosting a thin skim of ice, And I reckon t'will thicken up soon. The going is slow, there's two miles to go, And the boozer there shuts in an hour. But it's just......... A day in July, when the bright swallows fly, And dragonflies dart in the reeds. I'm laid on the counter, poking the shaft, 'Cos the blessed things blocked up with weeds. The cut starts to boil as the thunder rain drops, Lets hope that it's only a shower. But it's just......... And what does 'fast on a scour' mean?

Well, head above the barricade again, I'm surprised I didn't get more criticism. I was fairly happy with the song but uneasy, partly because the song wasn't really making the point about the need for an experienced professional workforce sufficiently well and with a line that oscillated between 'not more volunteers' and 'not just volunteers' could have been taken as 'anti-volunteering'. This line has become 'don't exploit volunteers' and I am much happier with it and include what I hope will be the final lyrics in this post : Just twelve more locks 'til we reach the top level Just twelve more locks, then we'll stop for the night Though lock walls are leaking, paddle gear's creaking Through hell and low water, we'll get up this flight We've struggled through duckweed, deep silt and tall reed Removed poly bags and rope wrapped round the prop We've scraped and been scratched as we pushed through the bridge holes Despite all obstructions we'll get to the top Is this a song of canals in the sixties? Unfortunately not, it's a tale of today While towpaths are tarmacked so cyclists can fly past Boaters are struggling with stoppage delays Am I bitter and twisted with glasses rose-tinted? 'Cos I can't help but think how things were in the past Dereliction, restoration, a waterway salvation Now in decline, with repair list that's vast Where is the workforce that maintained the system? Now we only see those who work for no pay More public relations and pleas for donations The responses to crises occurring most days With a crumbling system near unfit for purpose Boaters and boats may soon disappear Heritage in distress, waterway SOS A plea for paid workers, don't exploit volunteers Just twelve more locks 'til we reach the top level Just twelve more locks to paint on this flight Lock walls are still leaking, paddle gear creaking But balance beams shine - pristine, black and white