Waterway Length Competition

[Stroudwater1]

I noticed two plaques from British Waterways times on the wall at Hawkesbury junction recently. There doesnt seem to be much on here about them. I can imagine they went with CRT coming in?

 

It seems there were several winners regionally but has anyone seen any other plaques on their journeys? I cant recal seeing any myself. I presume there is a list of winners and runners up. 

 

What was the aim of this, just to try to encourage well kept parts of the waterways? 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited August 30, 2023 by Stroudwater1

[magnetman]

Probably just to help make the place nice using competitive instinct. 

 

Yars ago Squires garden centres used to sponsor Thames lock gardens which was quite good. 

 

 

[GUMPY]

Used to be plaques on the River Brent at the bottom of the GU. 

[magnetman]

The piling competition one was still there last time I went past below Hanwell flight a few yars ago. 

 

I don't have the misfortune to ever be there these days but did like the piling competition situation a lot. 

 

 

 

 

I just think it is the right idea. 

[ditchcrawler]

Minworth Lock Cottage  has a plaque as does Meptmore Lock

[Pluto]

If you look in 'Lock & Quay', the magazine for the D&IW department, there are details of similar presentations going back to the 1950s or 60s. I have photos of several recent awards (ten years ago) which were on the wall in Apperley Bridge office.

[Jen-in-Wellies]

They are a left over from when Lengthspersons were still employed by BW, with responsibility for a particular section of canal. Now a much smaller number dash about in vans over a wide area. Back then, encouraging pride in their length and a little competitive spirit made sense.

[GUMPY]

Thinking about it there are  some at Cowroast.

[Ray T]

Regarding Sutton Stop, my late friend Mike H was involved with the best kept length in 1997 & 1998.

Mike was lock keeper at Sutton's at the time.

 

Edited August 30, 2023 by Ray T

[Sea Dog]

1 hour ago, Jen-in-Wellies said:

They are a left over from when Lengthspersons were still employed by BW, with responsibility for a particular section of canal. Now a much smaller number dash about in vans over a wide area. Back then, encouraging pride in their length and a little competitive spirit made sense.

Sounds like a great position to recruit volunteers for. A regular walk with the odd spanner here, a lick of grease there and an early heads up on anything requiring a stitch in time would probably work wonders.

[Heartland]

In modern canal parlance what is a Lengthsman, or rather Lengthsperson, in this PC World that has been inflicted upon us?

 

Do they still exist?

 

The competitions that gave purpose to their efforts seemingly have gone as contractors have taken over the role. Those who sit in the CRT Ivory Towers perhaps do not appreciate the change for the worst. 

[Ray T]

A few words that were in common usage when I started with the GPO in the late 60's were "pride in the job." As also indicated in the newspaper cutting above.

This was applicable to many businesses at the time. As bean counters and poorley trained managers took over along with flogging the firm off to the stock market the employee became a disposable asset. All was looked at was profit and loss. Also in latter years of my employment with BT the constant threat of discipline for the most minor of faults was never far away. How can one have pride when treated thus?

 

Edited August 30, 2023 by Ray T

[Pluto]

Canal Transport Ltd had a similar scheme in the 1930s-40s for their boatmen:

[magnetman]

16 hours ago, Heartland said:

In modern canal parlance what is a Lengthsman, or rather Lengthsperson, in this PC World that has been inflicted upon us?

 

Do they still exist?

 

The competitions that gave purpose to their efforts seemingly have gone as contractors have taken over the role. Those who sit in the CRT Ivory Towers perhaps do not appreciate the change for the worst. 

 

 

The river Wey still has lengthsmen. 

 

It is a well kept waterway. 

 

National Trust.

 

 

 

 

 

[Ray T]

On 30/08/2023 at 18:43, Ray T said:

A few words that were in common usage when I started with the GPO in the late 60's were "pride in the job." As also indicated in the newspaper cutting above.

This was applicable to many businesses at the time. As bean counters and poorly trained managers took over along with flogging the firm off to the stock market the employee became a disposable asset. All was looked at was profit and loss. Also in latter years of my employment with BT the constant threat of discipline for the most minor of faults was never far away. How can one have pride when treated thus?

 

Further to this BT's Personnel Department became Human Resource and I became 803088441. 

[IanD]

40 minutes ago, Ray T said:

Further to this BT's Personnel Department became Human Resource and I became 803088441. 

 

Were you in prison then? 😉

[Hudds Lad]

3 minutes ago, IanD said:

 

Were you in prison then? 😉

Norman Stanley Fletcher....... etc.

[IanD]

43 minutes ago, Hudds Lad said:

Norman Stanley Fletcher....... etc.

Funny, I don't recall any inmate of Slade called Ray... 😉

[cuthound]

2 hours ago, Ray T said:

Further to this BT's Personnel Department became Human Resource and I became 803088441. 

 

Blimey Ray you were indoctrinated. I forgot my EIN (Employee Identification Number) within weeks of leaving BT.

 

You couldnt forget it when working for them as it was used to access just about everything. 

[PeterScott]

 

From oop north

 

============================================

 

 

 

 

Glasson Lock No 1  Lancaster Canal

=========================================

 

 

 

 

 

Wootton Rivers Bottom Lock No 51   K&A

[jeannette smith harrison]

On 30/08/2023 at 15:25, magnetman said:

The piling competition one was still there last time I went past below Hanwell flight a few yars ago. 

 

I don't have the misfortune to ever be there these days but did like the piling competition situation a lot. 

 

 

 

 

I just think it is the right idea. 

 

The piling competition as per bottom of the Hanwell thicket was won by two members of my boating family Tommy Humphries who 1st wife was Grandads sister he was also known in his boating days for doing the Lime juice run & Tommy Osborne who was my Nan's half brother .both where ex long term boatmen from several generations of Boating folk. Who when they retired from the boats went to work for the company (waterways) & at the time both lived in cottages on the thicket .I was only a baby when this happened but remember the stories told for many years after of the week long celebrations in the fox