Heartland

With an increase in license fees how does it affect those who moor on other waterways and pass through CRT waters is there a proportional charge and will more boaters move away from having the CRT as base? Can canals under restoration which are not part of the CRT but linked to it benefit?

That may be the case as Hooper produced at least two versions

Attached is a painting of what seems to be a river lock by John Horace Hooper, said to be from 1896 and called the Old Lock. It may be a depiction of a lock on the Thames or a connecting waterway. There is a water mill shown on the left with either a breast shot or undershot wheel. With all paintings there is the element of artistic licence, but how accurate is it ?

One of the biggest challenges for the Worcester and Birmingham was to have a lock across the bar so that craft could pass between the two waterways. They had been asking for it about the time the Stratford reached Lapworth and a through carrier's route from the Warwick & Birmingham had become possible. There was a provision in the BCN Bill of 1806, but that provision became a separate bill and that second bill application faltered in parliament. There was a certain irony in that their application to parliament before the bill progressed urged for parliament to consider the problem of their existing coal supply from Netherton through the Lapal Tunnel was frequently disrupted.

I wonder what John Rennie would say about the road and owing to space constrictions a modern road would need to be wider and no doubt destroy ancient woodland and then the urban terrorists would crawl out their caves and glue themselves to a tree,

Recalling conversations with Laurence Hogg, I remember aspects of the discussion regarding the dimensions of craft was related to boat gauging tables. The width and length of locks was also a factor. Craft size could be determined by the cargo and some craft were built to maximise capacity when passing along the waterway. The size of the craft was determined by the narrowest and shortest lock. Careful construction might enable more favourable gauging readings where the wet system of gauge was employed, and such factors led some navigations (such as the BCN) to adopt dry system gauging. Canal dimensions and lack of locks enabled the Hampton Boats to navigate specific canals and with the Shrewsbury Canal and the Upper Chesterfield Canal the locks were particularly narrow. The tub boat canals were also restricted by dimensions and the use of the inclined planes. The wider dimensions of the Ashby, I seen to recall had wider craft in use for that waterway, but not to pass the stop onto the Coventry. The Bond End Canal had craft of wider dimensions that worked up to Shobnall. Had the Commercial Canal been built it might be interesting to reflect on the dimension of craft on that intended navigation.

Well there is always the nationalisation option Now what could the name if nationalised ?

Within this context all navigations often found problems to overcome when they started to make a new waterway, but some had more difficult challenges than others. In this context the Worcester and Birmingham Canal encountered many issues, Firstly with getting their act, then building a barge width waterway from Birmingham. The problem of water supply was another challenge as was the task of getting a lock in the 7ft wide bar that separated it from the Birmingham Canal Navigations. Trade was affected and their first links with another canal was the Dudley Canal at Selly Oak and the Stratford upon Avon Canal at Kings Norton. As with other waterways the transport of coal was important and yet that main supply came via the Dudley initially when the Dudley was completed yet it was an imperfect supply as the problems with Lapal Tunnel led disruption of trade there. The Worcester & Birmingham built some high embankments and long tunnels to reach the point where the levels fell away and the barge locks as intended were replaced in a new scheme to build boat lifts. That experiment also was suspended and narrow locks made instead. Additional acts were needed to raise funds and the canal was not completed to the Severn at Diglis until 1815 during a period when the UK were at war with France and the various economic consequences of that war that hindered finance.

The interesting point to note about the Hancox map is the scale. The Snape map is much larger with many sheets. It has a later amendment for one part at Wednesbury. This copy is with the CRT now but Birmingham Library has a microfilm of the map when it was a Gloucester, The original was coloured. With Hancox it seems to show the original Coneygree Newcomen Engine location

The original lock 20 of the BCN at Aldersley was 10ft, which may be regarded as a Simcox Lock and Stenson on the Trent and Mersey (Brindley) 12ft 4in. Amongst the many listed above some are wide locks. But is Tuel Lane the deepest, what is the depth of the Kennet & Avon Lock at Bath that takes boaters onto the Avon. The thing I recall about that lock is is the chapel roof adjacent that states "prepare to meet thy god"

Yes, it seems that Samuel Bull was definitly an accomplished engineer, What brought about this query was the map of 1773 by Hancox where the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal warehouse was south (immediately) of the junction. I have now had time to look through my notes on Snapes map of the BCN which is generally accepted to be 1777. This map shows the S & W Warehouse as NORTH of the Junction and a Lock House where Hancox called the building a warehouse. Compare this map with the 25 in 1901 ordnance survey, but could the new lock 20 have been made adjacent to the route may be through stanking off a section at the new site, earlier, or was all the work done at the same time?

I have yet to find evidence of previous channels, but the Bushbury Tithe indicates the towpath past the S & W buildings turned inland and them stopped and that point might mark the position of a lock. Yet in looking to this issue a few years ago the stoppage from late August to mid September 1784 would appear insufficient time to complete the new arrangement, so the thought came then that the two locks were on a diverted course were constructed over time and completed during the stoppage period. Requests to change the original arrangement had been raised over time and it was also a point of issue in John Smeatons report to the BCN regarding water supply

Yes the Tettenhall bypass was suggested, and if I recall there are mention the various canal co minutes re water

I see also there is a neigbourhood watch sign- DO they do anything ?

How many rats are there in the sinking ship ?