RaymondS57

Hello everyone. Sorry I have been away doing lots and lots of stuff but nothing to do with Canals. But anyway I'm still breathing and hoping to carry on from where I left off, as it were. Meanwhile, has anything happened !! Watching Tim and Pru on 'Great Canal Journeys' has jolted me back in time. Have one or two photos of Barrowford new lock gates to upload. I should also say that my mother passed away last June at the age of 93. And its 'Mother's Day' today.

Yes, I agree with you entirely (ditchcrawler) I liked and enjoyed most of Tom's inventions, although a few didn't really come to much and got scrapped. Even Barney's toy inventions were very good. Hope to see more of them next year, perhaps?

Oh dear me plenty of commentators saying they didn't like the programme. Myself I quite liked the programme, even if it was held together by Tom's son, Barney who kept 'wowing' at the new inventions that his Dad came up with. Some were good inventions, others were rubbish - that's fair to say. But I think in years to come Barney will take over from his Dad and be in charge of all new stuff. So, perhaps we should give them one more try, and another three programmes would be worthwhile, I believe. Though I doubt many others would agree with me on that score

Yet another excellent programme tonight, apart from Tom who continued to annoy. Perhaps next time, and I hope there is, could we have Tom's son, Barney, doing the whole programme because "his" ideas are just brilliant. Or maybe we could have just:- 'Barney's Fantastic Floating Home' with assorted toys and remote controlled toy vehicles, please.

Thanks everyone for the comments, I did not realise that the same programme was already mentioned elsewhere on the Forum. But yes, I really enjoyed watching, and yes I also think the inventor's son Barney stole the show - he was so enthusiastic about all the new inventions, and yes Tom, his Dad, did get a bit annoying later in the programme

Did anyone see the new Channel 4 programme on Sunday evening at 7pm called Tom's Fantastic Floating Home - in which inventer Tom Lawton and his son Barney invent things to make their lives easier on their newly aquired rather shabby-looking boat. Although the boat leaks somewhat and you can see through some of the wood panels, Tom and Barney carry on with their inventions, from an armadillo-type cover to a long periscope/security camera with panoramic viewing all around the boat in case of burglers and unwanted characters. I think Tom's son Barney stole the show with his innovative ideas which seemed, at times, rather better than his Dad's often unworkable inventions. All in all an excellent programe. Will watch again next Sunday.

Yes Laurie I remember that in the film and book Tom Brown's Schooldays. What excellent films we had back in the 60s and 70s. Nothing can really match them these days. I remember a canal in the 2nd film of 'The Railway Children' and the canal was mentioned in the book by E.Nesbit. The 1970 film of the same name missed out the canal scene. Best wishes.

Hahaha, have started something now have I not. No mention of canals in Hard Times by Dickens and 'not really' any mention in Oliver Twist. There is a waterway/canal in one of his books as I recall 'Our Mutual Friend'. So many titles to choose from and such great stories. Any more come to mind:

Yes, indeed there may well be b0atman. Five men to do a whole canal section is just not enough, no wonder the locks are starting to rot away, but give these chaps from this new waterways charity a pat on the back because they're doing their best in very hard times (Hard Times was that a book by Charles Dickens?).

Thankyou Laurie, great b/w photos, too. I remember that name Earnshaw brothers and Booth in Burnley. There were so many mills and factories in and around the town in the 50s and 6os, many located beside the L&L canal. Sadly, the demise of the cotton trade and other articles made in Lancashire (or Britain) for that matter, has all but gone now and many manufactores left ruined and derelict, or they have disappeared completly. Luckily the canal survives, though it is looking rather shabby nowadays. I understand there are only 5 men between Burnley and Barnoldswick sections to do maintenence jobs and, there are many jobs need doing, but that's another story.

Thankyou everyone you're all very kind, and thanks Laurie.Booth. I seem to recognise that factory from somewhere in Burnley, looked like a big operation, with lots of big pipes, chimney and machinery. What was the name of the factory/company?

Hello everyone, I'm a newbie on here but I worked on The Leeds & Liverpool canal many moons ago when the good old BWB had it. I worked mainly at Barrowford Locks, but also on the Burnley section. I loved working on the canal and enjoyed watching the narrow boats progressing up and down the 7 locks at Barrowford. All the boat people were always very happy folk. I have had an interest in the roses and castles paintings on the many canal boats that use the canals for a long time - I think these colourful paintings are gorgeous. There is, perhaps, a little bit of the canals and boating in my ancestors' history. My cousin was a lock-keeper. He is now a well-known canal artist. So with all that in mind, I will be commenting when I see something that takes my interest, and most certainly it will!