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Heartland

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I’m thinking yes it is definitely a turf lock on the K and A because they are exceptionally long locks, don’t know how long. 
And I remember remarking at the time on the iron fron off the railways which ‘lines’ the lock. 
 

I was also impressed by a man who always seemed to be at the locks. Monkey Marsh? Chris his name was (is) who’d enjoyed helping people through. Always carried his windlass with him to work. And on a good day he’d have his fancy waist coat on. 

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It is 1957 and Aldermaston Lock

 

On restoration the scolloped walls were extended to full height

 

I was particularly interested in the wooden balance beams

The image is from the RCHS Collection, and an enlargement of said image, and taken by somebody who probably deserves better recognition for interest in canal history

The main object of this post is to see if the image is the correct away around as the mount was self made.

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1 minute ago, Heartland said:

It is 1957 and Aldermaston Lock

 

On restoration the scolloped walls were extended to full height

 

I was particularly interested in the wooden balance beams

The image is from the RCHS Collection, and an enlargement of said image, and taken by somebody who probably deserves better recognition for interest in canal history

The main object of this post is to see if the image is the correct away around as the mount was self made.

Funnily I did flip the picture and it looked better. (It’s not a small pony but someone bending over😳)
 

So that’s Aldermaster with the scalloped walls?

Why did they do the walls like that?

FF8DF4DF-2419-4A42-994C-AF15F6022CB7.jpeg.15cf61be030f0d1056859c079e648b3c.jpeg

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2 minutes ago, dmr said:

If that really is Aldermaston lock then it is flipped, the towpath should be on t'other side.


😂

I’ve flipped it

 

Just now, Goliath said:


😂

I’ve flipped it

 

Heartland originally posted but questioned whether it’s the correct way around, so I flipped it and posted above. 
 

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1957 is a long long time ago...the year I was born 😀.  Aldermaston is a deep lock and somehow the lock in the photo does not look deep to me.  It might of course have a deep walled section lower down and just a "turf topping" but it looks wrong to me.

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Looking at the general environs in the more recent image courtesy of G maps, it doesn't match with the original image posted by Heartland. The mid distance black and white bridge (could be modern) is not there, but more noticably the mature rows of trees have gone - and there's a house on the right - though it does look like 'new-build'. Some massive changes have taken place if it's Aldermaston lock. Then - I've changed a bit since I was ten years old.

Edited by Derek R.
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Thanks, that is useful

 

But there were other images in this group with others the reverse of the one posted, one shows the tower structure on the towpath which appears in more recent images of Aldermaston Lock and the scalloping can be seen on other images lower down in the chamber.

 

In the first post for this question I made sure that the towpath was on the ;left side of the image which it was. On the other images it was on the right side so I flipped those particular images

 

As to this collection and the type of camera used, or if was taken by the collection owner, or acquired are factors to be decided. This person died a few years ago aged 101. but was active taking water images up to the  early 1990's

 

As to this subject, it would seem to be Aldermaston, how it changed so much probably deserves further discussion. This image shows a section of the tower structure:

 

ES7701.jpg

Edited by Heartland
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2 hours ago, Rob-M said:

I presume it is Tuttle Hill bridge, https://canalplan.org.uk/place/9g42

Which would mean it was Judkins Wharf and the Punch Bowl Inn.

 

https://canalplan.org.uk/place/knj4


Looking at a map, wouldn’t we see a railway bridge from Tuttle Hill Bridge?

That looks like a footbridge. 
 

But otherwise yes, it seems you have it. 

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1 minute ago, Goliath said:


Looking at a map, wouldn’t we see a railway bridge from Tuttle Hill Bridge?

That looks like a footbridge. 
 

But otherwise yes, it seems you have it. 

I looked for a road bridge in the area that had a wharf near by and used to have a pub.  Also the sign on the end if the building matched with Tuttle Hill bridge.

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20 hours ago, Goliath said:

So that’s Aldermaster with the scalloped walls?

Why did they do the walls like that?

My recollection from the time of restoration is that BW thought that turf sided locks would not be acceptable on safety grounds - you can't step on and off the boat in the lock for example, and shorter cruisers could go diagonally in the lock and get caught under the longitudinal rail as the lock fills. So the decision was made to extend the existing lower scalloped walls up to towpath level - a compromise between retaining the previous arrangement and completely rebuilding with conventional straight sides.

At one of the other turf sided locks they kept the original chamber but built a new normal lock immediately upstream.

Edited by David Mack
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15 minutes ago, David Mack said:

My recollection from the time of restoration is that BW thought that turf sided locks would not be acceptable on safety grounds - you can't step on and off the boat in the lock for example, and shorter cruisers could go diagonally in the lock and get caught under the longitudinal rail as the lock fills. So the decision was made to extend the existing lower scalloped walls up to towpath level - a compromise between retaining the previous arrangement and completely rebuilding with conventional straight sides.

At one of the other turf sided locks they kept the original chamber but built a new normal lock immediately upstream.

Thanks 


Now I wonder about the two remaining turf locks, do they also have some low scallop walls?

 

I can’t recall seeing any, only the iron frame work and grassy banks.

 

And why scalloped?

 

 

 

Edited by Goliath
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After a bit of Googling:

I realise I should have said that’s Mount Judd in the background,  😃 which kind of rings a bell with me, but I think I’ve always thought of that as Tuttle Hill. 
When I was a kid most Sundays we’d drive past it on the way from Coleshill to Hill Top in Nuneaton to visit me grandparents. (We had a choice, scenic route or M6, back in the days when I was left outside the Boot or Griff or wherever with a bottle of pop and some crisps)

And whilst I’ve always known it to be a spoil tip, I didn’t know it was of granite. 
 

 

Edited by Goliath
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Another question this date stone is found on a bridge for a canal that started as separate venture, formed an alliance with another and then another and was absorbed into a greater undertaking in the twentieth century. It is in the West Midlands.

 

 

 

 

711532.jpg

Edited by Heartland
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