Where I am

[Francis Herne]

On 19/08/2023 at 14:40, johnthebridge said:

Looks like a rhyne culvert, of which there are several under the G and S. Like the one that collapsed and initiated the large breach at my bridge some years ago.

No. It was demolished some years ago, unfortunately.

It's more literally connected to the Whitminster Weir one - the Frome culvert under the railway, parallel to the new canal tunnel.

 

The rhyne crossings are an interesting idea, shall have to try those next time I'm down there. Ditto the Ocker Hill tunnel, although I'd be very surprised if there's any access these days!

 

Sorry for the late reply, I've been at Brownhills canal festival on the boats and sales stand...

Edited August 20, 2023 by Francis Herne

[Heartland]

And Ron M is roit

 

It is Tip'n at Ocker Hill Power Station, said to be 1951.

 

As to WYE any record of who owned it. The Electricity Authority BEA, CEA and later CEGB did own some boats.

 

 

[Stroudwater1]

23 hours ago, Francis Herne said:

It's more literally connected to the Whitminster Weir one - the Frome culvert under the railway, parallel to the new canal tunnel.

 

The rhyne crossings are an interesting idea, shall have to try those next time I'm down there. Ditto the Ocker Hill tunnel, although I'd be very surprised if there's any access these days!

 

Sorry for the late reply, I've been at Brownhills canal festival on the boats and sales stand...

I wondered why the vegetation has been cut down in a path there , thought someone had been trying to get their large dog out 🤣

It’s  the river relief culvert now only flowing when the ground is really flooded.

Im not sure but it’s possibly the original line of the river or could have been related to the adjoining flood meadow system. The flow through the Frome culverts a few yards nearer the rail bridge  is pretty strong, I wouldn’t advise trying those. The flow is a wee bit more due to the leak from the canal currently 😱 

Interesting to see from the inside. 
 

 

 

The Frome now flows to the left looking the other way, by the alder trees 

 

These are the river culverts - wouldn’t try them 😞

 

[Heartland]

The route of the river Frome, aka river Stroudwater have changed with time and included the Cambridge and Kemmett improvements, but since then work on river improvements have continued and the new brickwork in the above images would suggest modern alterations.

 

Another point for clarification is the River Frome near Bonds Mill where there was the Kemmett navigation and then south of it was another River Frome that passed through Stanley Mill.

[Heartland]

Something else to ponder on

 

 

[IanM]

On 23/08/2023 at 14:15, Heartland said:

The route of the river Frome, aka river Stroudwater have changed with time and included the Cambridge and Kemmett improvements, but since then work on river improvements have continued and the new brickwork in the above images would suggest modern alterations.

 

Another point for clarification is the River Frome near Bonds Mill where there was the Kemmett navigation and then south of it was another River Frome that passed through Stanley Mill.

 

The point at which the two channels diverge was very popular for swimming with numerous rope swings when I was growing up.  It was always referred to as Roach Pools but I think this was more of a local name rather than anything official.  The spot was rather spoilt by the arrival of the Ebley Bypass.

 

https://www.google.com/maps/@51.7380519,-2.2578889,359m/data=!3m1!1e3?entry=ttu

 

[Stroudwater1]

2 hours ago, Heartland said:

Something else to ponder on

 

 

 

One of the locks on the Marsden flight HNC?

[Heartland]

Yes it is Huddersfield Narrow Canal and in that area leading to Slaithwaite.

 

The Huddersfield Narrow Canal has had many features that have disappeared and there are those that remain such as some of the mills. There was one structure I was interested to find more on and that was a boiler works near Huddersfield.

 

 

And the ordnance survey for 1887 shows this location in detail

 

[davidg]

18 hours ago, Heartland said:

Yes it is Huddersfield Narrow Canal and in that area leading to Slaithwaite.

 

The Huddersfield Narrow Canal has had many features that have disappeared and there are those that remain such as some of the mills. There was one structure I was interested to find more on and that was a boiler works near Huddersfield.

 

 

And the ordnance survey for 1887 shows this location in detail

 

At risk of telling you stuff you already know, steam was used extensively in the textile industry both to drive machinery via line shafting and flappy belts - I can just about remember the last mill to use mule spinning in the Colne Valley where a neighbour's father worked and yes, we were allowed into the room where the mules were and somehow survived - and in the cloth processing.

 

At the front end it would be used in the washing and dyeing of the yarn and at the back end in the finishing* room. I assisted on the rotary press - a 4ft diameter drum heated by steam under which the pieces (the lengths of woven cloth, 60-70yds long) passed, effectively a giant iron - during one holiday job and spent what would nowadays be called a gap yah running the blowing machine where the piece would be rolled round a perforated 4ft dia. drum between layers of a fine heavy cotton (I think) cloth - called a blowing wrapper - and steam under pressure blown through it from the drum to encourage  felting of the cloth.

 

So even after the machinery was converted to electric motors there was still a need for steam, George Mallinsons at Linthwaite had two(?) oil fired Lancashire boilers running until the mill closed around 1980. I would guess the boiler works serviced this need for steam. I can ask my dad next time I see him if he knows anything about it. He's 91, lived in the Colne Valley all his life and worked in the textile industry from school to retirement apart from national service.

 

*My dad's occupation is listed as cloth finisher on his marriage certificate.

Edited August 31, 2023 by davidg

[Graham_Robinson]

I wondered when our Uddersfield correspondent would pop in.
Top reporting Sir.
cheque in post or banky transfery thingy accepted.

[davidg]

37 minutes ago, Graham_Robinson said:

I wondered when our Uddersfield correspondent would pop in.
Top reporting Sir.
cheque in post or banky transfery thingy accepted.

Make the cheque out to HTAFC Player Recruitment Fund but do it quickly, the window closes tonight.😀

[Heartland]

Cum on the Baggies, will Uddersfield meet a thorny reception at the Hawthorns?

 

 

[D Ash]

Lai off him

[Heartland]

Another canal question, this time an aqueduct that was said to replaced by British Waterways using steel.

The aqueducts here, probably 3 in number, began as a narrowboat width, was replaced to a wider width, by the then owners as a section was widened. A flood is said to damaged the replacement with some accounts stating it was washed away which leads to the question "was there a temporary replacement by the "then" owners who were different to those that made the wider aqueduct?

 

 

And originally was an 3 arch masonry structure over a river 

Edited September 2, 2023 by Heartland

[Heartland]

I suppose the original aqueduct design was with Brindley and construction was associated with Hugh Henshall

[archie57]

Replaced during the last war I understand.....

[David Mack]

6 minutes ago, archie57 said:

Replaced during the last war I understand.....

1930s I thought. But either way, not by British Waterways as @Heartland suggests.

The new aqueduct under construction.

From this thread:

 

 

[Heartland]

Thanks to David Mack

 

But the image shown, I gather relates to the North Staffordshire Railway Widening of the canal in association with the making of Anderton Lift which went as far as Middlewich and which I mention in my Trent & Mersey Book p 80 which relates to the 1891 act and the work of Edward B Smith, engineer to North Staffordshire Railway.

 

The problem of the flood on the River Dane in the 1930's was said to have "washed" the NSR aqueduct away. By that time the LMS had the canal and the question was to what extent repairs were carried out especially as the LMS was more concerned with their other operations.

 

The image of the steel bridge was taken in 1962, when BW are stated to have replaced it.

 

[Heartland]

This is a similar image from the Waterways Archive

 

 

[beerbeerbeerbeerbeer]

Here’s a plane one.

I upset a couple of people yesterday with the back of my boat in this winding hole. 
But what was it’s original purpose?

 

 

(when I say I upset a few people, I mean they made a fuss to prove a point to me, there was still plenty of room to wind)

[Rob-M]

That looks like the entrance to the top of the Foxton inclined plane.

[David Mack]

On 05/09/2023 at 14:01, Heartland said:

Thanks to David Mack

 

But the image shown, I gather relates to the North Staffordshire Railway Widening of the canal in association with the making of Anderton Lift which went as far as Middlewich and which I mention in my Trent & Mersey Book p 80 which relates to the 1891 act and the work of Edward B Smith, engineer to North Staffordshire Railway.

 

The problem of the flood on the River Dane in the 1930's was said to have "washed" the NSR aqueduct away. By that time the LMS had the canal and the question was to what extent repairs were carried out especially as the LMS was more concerned with their other operations.

 

The image of the steel bridge was taken in 1962, when BW are stated to have replaced it.

 

So if I understand the chronology correctly, Croxton Aqueduct was originally a narrow (7ft?) brick arched structure. Anderton Lift opened in 1875, but the canal from there to Middlewich wasn't widened, and the aqueduct replaced, until some time after 1891. Was the Big Lock also widened at that time? Around 1930 the aqueduct was 'washed away', with a replacement being constructed some time in the mid 1930s or during WW2 (suggesting the 'washed away' aqueduct wasn't completely lost but was repaired and remained in use for a few years). That replacement was in turn replaced by BW by the present structure in 1962.

That sounds a lot for one structure! 

[Heartland]

As to Croxton,

 

That is essentially what can be found out unless there are records at the TNA for the LMS

 

As explained in my book, the North Staffordshire Railway engaged in various canal improvements and Big Lock was one of those as was the later lock at Hanley and there were hopes for other improvements that were ended with the onset of the First World War.

 

But the principal reason for this post was to investigate some of the conflicting accounts

 

That the canal was widened to Middlewich is a matter of record

In 1916 subsidence is said to have led to taking down of Croxton Aqueduct and its temporary replacement in wood as well as the towing path. In 1920 their engineer Harry Curbishley had the aqueduct reconstructed in Concrete and Steel, which was reported in various periodicals at the time.

 

Whether the image of the "new" Croxton Aqueduct reproduced is  matter for debate to decide if it was 1890'sor 1920.

 

As to the flood, the Dane flooded on occasion and in 1935 there was a bad flood, but there are no traceable reports of the aqueduct being affected.

 

How well did Curbishley aqueduct survive over time?

 

The present structure looks more modern than a Curbishley structure which would have been 42 years old in 1962 and the image reproduced suggests a modern structure 

 

Edited September 7, 2023 by Heartland

[davidg]

I've borrowed this from another forum I frequent so no peeking as it has already been answered there.

 

[Tacet]

Where is this, anyone?