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Photo of lock from 1965...location identity


Philip

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I've come across this photo in the link...

Grand Union Canal, Llangollen. 1965

 

 

It is from the mid 1960s, I just wondered if anyone could identify which lock this is? Going by the description in the link, it seems it could be anywhere from the West Midlands area through to the Llangollen, but no details about the route of the trip are given.

Edited by Philip
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Could it be Curdworth lock 8 (the one above dog in doublet pub)? Lock gate orientation & towpath side matches as does rough distance to the bend. Obviously the vegetation, trees etc aren’t a good guide but I don’t see anything to exclude that lock.

Edited by nicknorman
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That style of paddle gear is the same as on the lower narrow lock at Whitby, Ellesmere Port - there aren't many of that type around and I don't know their provenance but it suggests the photo is consistent with being on the SU system.

 

If I had to bet I'd say Lllangollen. possibly Baddiley Top

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2 hours ago, magpie patrick said:

That style of paddle gear is the same as on the lower narrow lock at Whitby, Ellesmere Port - there aren't many of that type around and I don't know their provenance but it suggests the photo is consistent with being on the SU system.

 

If I had to bet I'd say Lllangollen. possibly Baddiley Top

I was wondering about Baddiley. That setting looks similar to both the top and bottom locks though.

 

 

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7 minutes ago, angelasoldman said:

But did it 54 years ago, at one time it had two gate paddles !

That is one of the imponderables, as the gate will undoubtedly have changed and the ground paddles may also have changed! However...

 

Below is a modern picture of Compton, and it appears to have a weir with a hand rail above it. It also has wooden paddle starts, if they were Iron now it is possible they would be replacements for wooden ones 54 years ago, bbut the other way round? less likely

Compton Lock.jpg

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3 minutes ago, John Brightley said:

Same boat in all three, and I think the same woman and children as in the OP photo

 

Pluto will be a long in a minute to tell us it's the Canal Da Vicenza near Asiago or something like that ;) 

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1 hour ago, Rob-M said:

Compton has a gate paddle.

This lock/gate looks like it had a gate paddle on it at one point...if you look closely on top of the centre part of the balance beam you can see a neat recess in the wood. It surely must be where a paddle stand and rack used to be?

 

None of the Llangollen locks have gate paddles and also that strapping post style is mostly found on lock gates on the B&LJ section of Shroppie main line.

Edited by Philip
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3 hours ago, David Mack said:

From the Flickr set, this rather improbable looking craft seems to be the boat that is on the other end of the rope the lady is holding in the first photo.

 

Grand Union Canal, Llangollen. 1965

 

This lock looks like the Llangollen South of Trevor and Chirk. Where there's two locks quite close together. Can't remember the place.

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2 hours ago, Nightwatch said:

This lock looks like the Llangollen South of Trevor and Chirk. Where there's two locks quite close together. Can't remember the place.

New Marton - and I thought it looked like that location, too. But after looking at the map it can't be because of the bend to the left below the lock. Even if the bridge had been removed there would be a farm in view. Sure has the NM "feel" though.

 

I think the boat is from Simolda at Nantwich. The Double Pennant boats from Wolverhampton were similar, but not quite so weird.

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9 hours ago, David Mack said:

From the Flickr set, this rather improbable looking craft seems to be the boat that is on the other end of the rope the lady is holding in the first photo.

 

Grand Union Canal, Llangollen. 1965

 

 

Yes a hire boat I'm inclined to think. Firstly because the lady is pulling the rope for no obvious reason (the boat isn't going far even without the rope being pulled), and secondly there is not enough junk on the roof for a liveaboard...

 

:)

 

 

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10 hours ago, Philip said:

This lock/gate looks like it had a gate paddle on it at one point...if you look closely on top of the centre part of the balance beam you can see a neat recess in the wood. It surely must be where a paddle stand and rack used to be?

 

None of the Llangollen locks have gate paddles and also that strapping post style is mostly found on lock gates on the B&LJ section of Shroppie main line.

It could well be on the B&LJ main line, although I'm struggling as to which lock as they're nearly all close together in flights. The B&LJ was in the same ownership so furniture would be similar.

 

You can't read too much into gate paddles though, they're too ephemeral. On most canals that had them they come and go almost as fashion items.

 

There is a recess, your sharp eyes spotted it and I hadn't, but it is rather too big, it's as wide as the rubbing board. And the hand rail would have had to have been replaced too. I'm not saying gate paddles are never taken off, but they're usually just disabled. So I'm not sure the gate ever had a paddle, and even if it did, I'm.not sure it tells us much.

 

Just to add, the S&W had gate paddles that were almost invisible from within the lock as the spindle was at the end of the balance beam with a long connecting rod along the beam. If we go back to the S&W idea it could be one of those. 

 

My money is still on one of the Baddiley locks though!

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28 minutes ago, magpie patrick said:

It could well be on the B&LJ main line, although I'm struggling as to which lock as they're nearly all close together in flights. The B&LJ was in the same ownership so furniture would be similar.

 

You can't read too much into gate paddles though, they're too ephemeral. On most canals that had them they come and go almost as fashion items.

 

There is a recess, your sharp eyes spotted it and I hadn't, but it is rather too big, it's as wide as the rubbing board. And the hand rail would have had to have been replaced too. I'm not saying gate paddles are never taken off, but they're usually just disabled. So I'm not sure the gate ever had a paddle, and even if it did, I'm.not sure it tells us much.

 

Just to add, the S&W had gate paddles that were almost invisible from within the lock as the spindle was at the end of the balance beam with a long connecting rod along the beam. If we go back to the S&W idea it could be one of those. 

 

My money is still on one of the Baddiley locks though!

Well this picture...http://lh4.ggpht.com/-MNDXFP_aPw0/VPHYRHwa2tI/AAAAAAAAumU/TEzunXwD4dA/s1600-h/IMG_3649%255B3%255D.jpg[IMG_3649%255B3%255D.jpg] IS Baddiley bottom lock (http://seyellas-journey.blogspot.com/2015/02/ for more details), and the background looks very similar to the second picture posted further up. Suggests the top picture may be in the same area...

Edited by Philip
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I can't find any old photos of the top end of Baddiley bottom or middle locks, but here is one of the top lock looking towards Wrenbury from the 1950s..

 

http://collections.canalrivertrust.org.uk/bw192.3.2.5.2.22

 

image BW192-3-2-5-2-22

 

The background looks similar, but I can't see the stop plank cover that is in the initial photo I posted...and clearly this one here does have a gate paddle.

Edited by Philip
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15 minutes ago, Philip said:

I can't find any old photos of the top end of Baddiley bottom or middle locks, but here is one of the top lock looking towards Wrenbury from the 1950s..

 

http://collections.canalrivertrust.org.uk/bw192.3.2.5.2.22

 

image BW192-3-2-5-2-22

 

The background looks similar, but I can't see the stop plank cover that is in the initial photo I posted...and clearly this one here does have a gate paddle.

That's interesting - as you comment it's got a gate paddle but also has the continuous handrail as seen in the original photo 

1 minute ago, Derek R. said:

Also taken in the sixties. Only just visible is one ground paddle at the far left. Looks the same type.

This, from the 'West' family album.

 

268933691_WestalbumGen242(Medium).jpg.0bfbe8f0ca7ac36b2fcf02c3e564d00c.jpg

Blimmin eck Derek, your eyesight is better than mine! Philip's picture certainly has the same type of paddle gear in it, and yours may well have.

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11 hours ago, David Mack said:

From the Flickr set, this rather improbable looking craft seems to be the boat that is on the other end of the rope the lady is holding in the first photo.

 

Grand Union Canal, Llangollen. 1965

 

 

 

 

 

Aha an early protoype of the EELady class.

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