BuckbyLocks

May well be a different branch of the family, but there was a W Allcott working for GUCCC during WW2 on Arcas and Malus. I understood their family lived at Stowe Hill Wharf before the A5 was 'modernised' and a few years ago there were still Allcotts in Braunston. One worked for BW.

Hockley Port, Dudley Port, Ellesmere Port, Stour-Port, Port Sunlight,

Jack Griffiths was working the boats Bargus and Uranus in 1944. There are some photos of him in the photo archives of the Imperial War Museum but I do not have a reference number for them. The name given in the captions is wrongly given as Gribbis though.

When we first encountered Braunston Puddle Banks 50 years ago, there was a large heap of puddle clay stored next to the point where the dredgings were unloaded as the embankment was quite wide there. I always assumed that the local clay was suitable for repairing the canal so some was stored where it could be easily accessible in case of need. Some of the wartime photos of the bomb damage to this embankment should show the original construction methods but I don't have them currently to hand. I recall that the reconstruction gang were working too slowly and were replaced!

My first thought as well.

"The other one was Tyburn. Used to be at Uxbridge not sure where it is now" Tyburn was the renamed Worcester and Birmingham Canal Tunnel Tug. 'Birmingham'. Built by Abdulla and Mitchell like 'Worcester'. It was Section 8ed many moons ago and was technically saved as part of the BW heritage fleet. When last seen a few years ago it was cabin less and mounted on a plinth at Tardebigge Yard.

Yes, although the hovercraft is really on the river Rea which runs underneath the canal at Spaghetti Jct. Mostly filmed around Gas St and we were nearly thrown out of the cinema in Staines because we burst out laughing every time there was a change of direction. For example, Cliff is seen heading off towards Smethwick and the next scene shows him near Hockley Heath. My childhood next door neighbour felled the tree that supposedly fell in front of the Landrover in the woodland scene. The Brumburger Restaurant was the church hall of the demolished church that stood on top of the Broad Street Bridge/Tunnel.

Thanks Ray. No idea why I couldn't get in. I never had any problems before, but haven't wanted to look for a while.

Can I ask how you access them then. I used to have no problem and indeed have made many suggestions for alterations, but I cannot get through the verbiage that is the current CRT web site. Not updated for over a year, (presumably because of Covid) and I just go round in circles trying to see pictures I even have numbers for.

Not sure David. Although Barrow was the first real boat that offered me a cup of tea in the basin when we first arrived as owners of Victoria, I didn't get to know ? (My memory is definitely failing!!) until many years later when I found I was working with him in the Museum. I think he moved out of the basin soon after 1971.

Yes, Mike, I recall that you had had designs on Linda/Victoria when we first met! Having failed to get the Seaford out of Willow Wren, we made our first visit to Gas Street and came away the proud owners of an engineless heap. No regrets though. Enjoyed best part of 25 years ownership.

As opposed to the motor with the missing engine hole roof which is Linda/Victoria, just before we bought it! Barrow, next door to John's Victoria, was soon to get a full length cabin.

The wooden camper, as opposed to the metal Linda/Victoria. Unusual engine configuration in John's boat too.

Yes, that is how I remember them in 1971 although the remains got a little lower over time. Although we had left the basin by the time the far too steep new bridge was built there, I believe the gates were finally removed when new dropping gates were installed. More importantly is that the remains of the Toll Keepers plank bridge can be seen behind the left hand gate. That had been removed by the time we arrived but the mark 1 swing bridge had already disappeared then and it was back to the builders plank as in the earlier Gas Street image. Bodmin appears to have had a lot of work done as well.

Surely someone who attended the Birmingham IWA Rally in Gas Street can remember whether the beams were still there or had been cut off. I only started going to the Rallies the year after, but as Magpie says, the beams and all above water level gear had disappeared by 1971. There is some confusion about the plank bridges though. I have no idea when the standard BCN Toll Office bridge disappeared. It does appear in photos of the basin. Clearly at one point in the 60s a builders plank was used, and that was also the only way of crossing the Bar Lock when we first arrived there in late 1970. I believe the bridge shown here was installed for the Rally but soon disappeared, although there were at least two more versions of this bridge there during the late 70s and early 80s. They were rather flimsy and were regularly knocked off the mountings by pleasure boats, resulting in a shout for as many people as possible to come and lift them out of the water. Because of the counterweights they were quite heavy to lift!