John Brightley

If that's the case, definitely don't contact the local council. Keep it low key and contact one of the local team to discuss it, don't suggest that you are complaining. The only contact I can find is the head of North West region jon.horsfall@canalrivertrust.org.uk

No, you aren't over-reacting. The tunnel portal is listed (see https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1261904?section=official-list-entry ) and what CRT has done has affected the setting of a listed building. The local team should have consulted their local Heritage Manager before doing this work, but I suspect that this hasn't happened. So you need to contact the CRT Heritage Manager- North , but I don't know who that is.

I've now compared the original image with the photos of Byrd and Nansen II, and the hull (and cabin) shapes are all different, so, no it isn't Nansen. It does look more like a cruiser hull to me as it doesn't have an inward sloping top bend.

The Ocker Hill photo above is by Philip Weaver, and is from the RCHS archive. Another Philip Weaver photo in the RCHS archive is this one which shows BYRD at Batman's Hill depot: https://rchsimagearchive.org.uk/index.php?album=Canals-Inland-Waterways/BCN/2-BCN-OML/2g-Wednesbury-Oak-Loop&image=045905E.jpg

Myself and Ray T have found a situation recently where Laurence had claimed copyright over a photo which is actually a copy of an Edwin Shearing original in the RCHS collection.

Hi Richard. You can see the gasworks building in the background of one of the photos. I live in Kenilworth too, and I know that Philip and Rodney Weaver lived in Queens Close. But they seem to have kept themselves to themselves, as nobody else in the town I've mentioned their name to has ever heard of them.

The Warwick and Birmingham Canal was opened in December 1799. Its Warwick terminus was at Saltisford basins, the end of what is now known as 'the Saltisford Arm'. Alan Faulkner states in his definitive history 'The Warwick Canals' (published by the Railway & Canal Historical Society in 1985) ,the basins "had fallen into disuse in the mid 1930's..the basin was filled in in the early 1960's and all but one of the former canal buildings (was) demolished in March 1964" As I live locally, I had been searching for photos of the former canal buildings at the Saltisford for years without success. Even Faulkner's book doesn't include any. Imagine my surprise when, amongst the photos recently uploaded to the Grand Union section of the RCHS Image Archive were several photos of the basins and canal buildings, taken by Philip Weaver on 19th March 1964. Here are links to them: https://rchsimagearchive.org.uk/index.php?album=Canals-Inland-Waterways/Grand-Union/Birmingham-Warwick&image=045614E.jpg https://rchsimagearchive.org.uk/index.php?album=Canals-Inland-Waterways/Grand-Union/Birmingham-Warwick&image=045613E.jpg https://rchsimagearchive.org.uk/index.php?album=Canals-Inland-Waterways/Grand-Union/Birmingham-Warwick&image=045611E.jpg https://rchsimagearchive.org.uk/index.php?album=Canals-Inland-Waterways/Grand-Union/Birmingham-Warwick&image=045612E.jpg https://rchsimagearchive.org.uk/index.php?album=Canals-Inland-Waterways/Grand-Union/Birmingham-Warwick&image=045615E.jpg https://rchsimagearchive.org.uk/index.php?album=Canals-Inland-Waterways/Grand-Union/Birmingham-Warwick&image=045616E.jpg Most notable are the two photos 045613 and 045614 showing the start of demolition on what Weaver calls "the old weigh house". 045613 shows the view from the Saltisford, with the Antelope pub in the middle of the view, the only building now surviving in 2024, all other surrounding buildings having been demolished. When I showed these photos to a friend of mine, he said that he worked for Warwick Production Co. at the basin from 1968 to 1974, and the basins were still in water at that time. So Faulkner's statement about them being filled in in the '60's was wrong. These photos are very rare. They are possibly the only photos to survive of the buildings at Saltisford basin, of any date. This really shows the value of our work to collect and digitise the images in the RCHS archive and make them available to all.

"You spend ages waiting for one, then two come at once". This is the phrase which sprang to mind when, only a few weeks after my last post, I managed to purchase another Alan Firth painting recently. I was very pleased to get it as it is one of Alan's famous 'misty' scenes. Here it is: Although it isn't dated or titled, I think it must be one of Alan's later works as it is much more finely detailed than his earlier painting. It is very similar to the painting called 'Out of the Mist' which is illustrated in Tim Coghlan's article.

It's a shame that it's owned by Stonegate. They've got a poor reputation (at least in Warwickshire). One of their pubs near me has a change of landlord frequently every few months as the landlords can't make it pay because the rent is too high.

I've just posted this in 'Waterway & Boat Events" but as I think more people look at this section of the forum, I thought it worth posting here as well: https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/things-to-do/events/winter-open-days-2024-25?page=1 Caen Hill Locks 8th Feb Hatton Locks 15/16 February

https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/things-to-do/events/winter-open-days-2024-25?page=1 Caen Hill Locks 8th February Hatton Locks 15/16 February

I have now looked through the Hoseasons brochures for 1990-95 and 99. Swan Line Cruisers did have a boat called Whistling Swan in 1990, but as most if not all of their boats were of the same design as the photos in the 1994 brochure I think it's unlikely this is your boat. 1994 was the last year that Swan Line appeared in the Hoseasons brochure. There are no other boats called Whistling Swan in the brochures, so your boat must have been called something else when in a Hoseasons hire fleet. The fully glazed front bulkhead with its leaded lights, and the side hatch, are relatively unusual features for a hire boat so this may help someone to identify it.

There are a small number of us on this forum who are interested in the history of the hire industry and have collections of brochures. I have the Hoseasons brochures from 1979 to 1995. Here is the Swan Line Cruisers page from the 1994 brochure. Note that Hoseasons were/are a booking agency, not the owners of the boats.

Presumably you've noticed that the advert says the BSC expired in October 2024 ?

See this thread...