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archie57

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Posts posted by archie57

  1. 3 hours ago, hughc said:

    During the summer of 1975 we did an extended trip on Avon. It was a very, very  dry summer and there were low pounds and closures throughout the system. We were pleased to get back on the Erewash which was the only canal still running weir. Now, fifty years later, it's the same canal fed by the same river but plagued by almost constant water level problems. Same canal, same water supply, different management with I suspect different priorities.

         .... but haven't we lost the supply from Moor Green reservoir - for some reason.....  it was always ok when Eric Dunstan was there.....

     

     

     

  2. 3 hours ago, Zep1975 said:

    I’ve just found a great, albeit short, video on YouTube regarding the 1971 breach. Very informative and even includes some cine film taken at the time. Encouragingly once the decision was made to repair the canal the works only took about 10 months. Surely that could be improved upon 50 years later? The YouTube channel is called alanlymm and the video is called The Biggest Thing to Ever Hit Lymm. Another one to watch on the same channel is Canal at Lymm 100 Years Ago.

      - don't forget we are mired in H & S nowadays, it'll take 10 months to do the risk assessments, put up the fencing etc before they even start.........

  3. 11 hours ago, Tam & Di said:

    Albert's Two in the parks were sometimes referred to as Sarah's. Hunton Change, yes, but we were told that was where the 'Rodneys' (itinerant lock wheelers) changed.

    I'm not suggesting the that the Hunton Bridge change lock only was connected to the steamers, I think all boaters may have referred to it as such when going down the "Three Lengths".........

  4. 1 hour ago, Derek R. said:

    Hunton Chain - or change as in steamer crew?

    Slaughters or Slauters

    Bottomside

    Topside

    Broadwater

    Gas two

    Bushes

    Two below Maffas or Peter's two or Storkies two

    Nags Head three (Seabrook)

    Corketts two (Ivinghoe)

    Pools (Horton)

    Neals (Slapton)

    'Jackdaw pound' yes, between Leighton and Stoke three and shallow

    Stoke Hammond three

    Talbots

    Finney

    Stoke seven

    Heyford Deeps (through Nether Heyford)

    Bugby seven

    Braunston six

    Wigrams three

    Radford ten

     

    That's about my lot.

     

    'The Nag's Head'. Behind Cooks Wharf at Cheddington there is a house that could have been a pub at some time, and it's called 'The Duke of Wellington'. It may be conceivable it changed its name at some time? It's in Wellington Place, opposite Cheddington Road. Only a guess though.

     

    Talking to lots of boaters, and having asked the question, the lock below Croxley only ever seems to have been known as "Lock 80", I know there have been other names used for that. You're correct about the "Hunton Chain" lock , it's  "Change" lock - as in steamer crew, I think Miss Gayford got it wrong.....

  5. On 19/08/2024 at 15:17, David Mack said:

    Bridge 83, Plough Bridge, Huddlesford, Coventry Canal

    Detail

    From Date: 19/08/2024 13:00

    To Date: On-going

    Type: Navigation Closure

    Reason: Repair

    Is the towpath closed? Yes

    Location

    Closest waterway: Coventry Canal

    Starts at: Bridge 83, Plough Bridge

    Ends at: Bridge 83, Plough Bridge

    Upstream winding hole: Huddlesford Junction

    Downstream winding hole: Fradley Junction

    Description

    Please be advised we've had to temporarily close the navigation & towpath at Bridge 83, Plough Bridge on the Coventry Canal until further notice.

    The northern bridge parapet has been struck by a vehicle overnight, resulting in a large portion of the parapet being knocked into the canal and the remaining sections of parapet displaced outwards. The navigation & towpath therefore needs to be closed to allow contractors to attend site and make safe those sections of damaged parapet that remain in-situ. 

    As soon as we receive confirmation that the structure has been made safe, we'll update this notice.

     

     

    https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/notices/29266-bridge-83-plough-bridge-huddlesford-coventry-canal

     

    No mention of clearing the bridgehole - they seem to think it's bottomless...........

  6. On 18/08/2024 at 17:16, David Schweizer said:

    An interesting film. Several scenes were out of sequence, but it certainly reminded me of what the Grand Union between Leighton Buzzard and Braunston looked like in the early 1960's. Quite a few working boaters portrayed, but the only ones I recognized were Arthur Bray and Ernie Kendall on Roger and Raymond.

     

    Alf Best's boats Tarporley, Bakewell and Elstree, Mrs Frances Best in charge of the pair. Alf Best had won the prize for the best turned out boats at the 1950 rally I believe, and his boats here were still immaculate!  Modern historic boat owners should take note of some of the finer details - eg scrubbed Ash strips, size and position of plaits on the helm etc.  Mr Best latterly was at Stocker's lock where you may have met him!

  7. 27 minutes ago, David Schweizer said:

     

    Not completely, there were still quite a few BW  working pairs on the southern GU in the 1960's

    Thats why I said largely - There were still Barrel boats, pile boats and cement boats in the SE division, but any long distance GU boats at Braunston after 1963  would have been Willow Wren

  8. 2 hours ago, PeterScott said:

    spacer.pngspacer.png

     

     

    at 22.14 there's a consultation of a map on the old BW Cruising Guides. It's not in brilliant focus, but it looks to be P21 of GRAND UNION CANAL Part 1 Brentford to Braunston with Wolverton Aqueduct in the middle, and the paragraph shapes look to be the same... THis format, it says on the back cover, was first published in 1965...

     

     - but the BTW carrying fleet (largely) finished in 1963....

  9. 4 hours ago, koukouvagia said:

    I am putting the finishing touches to a book called Hampton, the story of a butty, which will be a companion to Owl, the story of a Josher.

    Hampton is motorised and I am looking for pictures of other motorised butties which show the various methods that have been used – e.g .with cut away back ends with swims, anti-cavitation plates, motors in the ellum, bolted on outboards etc.

    Obviously, I would need permission to use any image, which will be duly acknowledged.

    Many thanks for any help you can give.

     

    This is what we've done to Hampton with a hydraulic motor in the ellum.

     

    Has anyone successfully managed to put electric propulsion in a butty?

     

     

     

    P1210211.JPG

    I believe the "Birdswood" is electrically powered.......

    • Greenie 1
  10. As a result of this breach the Coventry council boats were left on the bottom in the basin. As there were trip bookings to fulfil they were craned out and taken to Sutton Stop which became our base for a while . As we had the crane already in the basin we attempted to lift out the "Grace" but with the slings then available, together with a lack of a spreader bar this was a non-starter so there it stayed. We did recover no end of coal from the canal bed however!

  11. 6 hours ago, Hugh Potter said:

    I am working on getting more of the Philip Weaver Collection of photos onto the RCHS/ROMA website, work that was ably begun by Ray Shill. Many slides are captioned but not all, and help would be appreciated. This one we know is "GJCC's steam launch Swift. 1895" but the question is where. Obviously a problem with water levels . . . Great picture anyway!

    045803E.jpg

    Hugh - Pywells lock (again!)

  12. 18 minutes ago, Heartland said:

    Looks like examples of Typha latifolia by the bank

     

    On another question where could these railway sidings be. They pass by a canal and this place is near a place which could be named after a monarchs motorcycle. The canal linked a town with many trades and the Severn. This part was originally made to barge width.

    The date of this image is 1963

     

     

    847414.jpg

     - and the fence is still the same today (- or was the last time I was along there)

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