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Canals on TV

ditchcrawler

By ditchcrawler
in General Boating

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Posted
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Thanks for the link, but its a bit like not being able to receive the signal, iplayer is not available outside of Europe.

So if there is any DVDs could someone let us know.

 

Woops - thought you were just in a poor signal area in the UK. :rolleyes:

 

Didn't check your info. properly.

 

OK - Canal Walks is coming out on DVD,

 

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Julia-Bradburys-Canal-Walks-DVD/dp/B0045ZIY7C

 

will it be available in your DVD region??, not sure TBH.

 

Don't know about The Golden age of canals prog.

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sinep Gongoozler

sinep

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A mate recommended I might like to join after mentioning the BBC FOUR "Golden age of Canals", where I saw a clip of my (late) Dad, with George, our horse, pulling Margaret, one of our boats, along the Llangollen Canal, circa 1962. I may have been in the boat at the time, but with firm reins on, coz I would have been a Toddler at that point in time, and getting myself into everything. My Dad was Pat Saunders, and I am Wil (William) his eldest son.

 

I would be delighted to chat with anyone who knew my Dad. Although he appeared on the BBC FOUR show, he was not mentioned. I for one remember him being very very very involved with all sorts of restoration projects, and being part of a huge canal activist network, from the early 1950's until his death in the early 1990's. He always had a boat or two or three or four hidden away somewhere, and always seemed to be fighting some British Waterways plot !

 

As for me, Dad once pointed out the point on the Llangollen Canal where I was conceived ! And much of my childhood included mucking about in boats, or with steam railway restoration projects, or other forms of industrial archeology, courtesy of Dad. And that childhood has lingered in my psyche for years, so I quite understand why I have an incredible urge to get my own boat and get back on the canals. I've had a couple of weeks back on water, and my appetite had become ravenous ! I've also been walking the towpath on the grand Union, from Brentford northwards. My last jaunt got be to just short of the port of Berkhampstead. Check out my facebook page if you want pics of my towpath wanderings

 

I am cruising the Trent and Mersey next week, from around Fradley Junction up to Stoke, then onto the Caldon and thence to beautiful Consall Forge, and the return journey.

 

So Hi there one and all

 

Wil

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Tiny Rising Star

Tiny

Posted
Posted

She should do the Basingstoke to show what a state lack of local council funding has left it in.

 

Tone

 

I think she is more the happy walker, positive fact giver - and seeing the camera bikes slow, boaters wave (but we always do) and the whole thing looks bright and beautiful even if really its dark and wet. Still I would like the Maccy, Caldon, Grand Union, Staffs and Worcs, Shroppie and Oxford covered plus the Chesterfield, Mon and Brec and so on.

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ditchcrawler Veteran II

ditchcrawlerDonate to Canal World

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On the Julia Bradbury walks though, it is the last one in the series next week.

I really hope the BBC make another one as there are still so many walks she could do.

Either of the L%L Rochdale or Huddersfield pennine crossings for one example

Towing paths are ideal places for pushing prams

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slammer Collaborator

slammer

Posted
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A mate recommended I might like to join after mentioning the BBC FOUR "Golden age of Canals", where I saw a clip of my (late) Dad, with George, our horse, pulling Margaret, one of our boats, along the Llangollen Canal, circa 1962. I may have been in the boat at the time, but with firm reins on, coz I would have been a Toddler at that point in time, and getting myself into everything. My Dad was Pat Saunders, and I am Wil (William) his eldest son.

 

I would be delighted to chat with anyone who knew my Dad. Although he appeared on the BBC FOUR show, he was not mentioned. I for one remember him being very very very involved with all sorts of restoration projects, and being part of a huge canal activist network, from the early 1950's until his death in the early 1990's. He always had a boat or two or three or four hidden away somewhere, and always seemed to be fighting some British Waterways plot !

 

As for me, Dad once pointed out the point on the Llangollen Canal where I was conceived ! And much of my childhood included mucking about in boats, or with steam railway restoration projects, or other forms of industrial archeology, courtesy of Dad. And that childhood has lingered in my psyche for years, so I quite understand why I have an incredible urge to get my own boat and get back on the canals. I've had a couple of weeks back on water, and my appetite had become ravenous ! I've also been walking the towpath on the grand Union, from Brentford northwards. My last jaunt got be to just short of the port of Berkhampstead. Check out my facebook page if you want pics of my towpath wanderings

 

I am cruising the Trent and Mersey next week, from around Fradley Junction up to Stoke, then onto the Caldon and thence to beautiful Consall Forge, and the return journey.

 

So Hi there one and all

 

Wil

Well done to your late Father ....And enjoy the Cauldon mate , I am just leaving it heading south so we may pass ..currently aboard a large 60ft trad cream and black ,with red strip. No name written at the moment , thumbs up to ya ;) And enjoy the Cauldon its bloody grand .

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sinep Gongoozler

sinep

Posted
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Well done to your late Father ....And enjoy the Cauldon mate , I am just leaving it heading south so we may pass ..currently aboard a large 60ft trad cream and black ,with red strip. No name written at the moment , thumbs up to ya ;) And enjoy the Cauldon its bloody grand .

Thanks, I fully intend to enjoy the Caldon, especially at Consall Forge, which I have visited via car 3 - 4 times. I'll be on Reiki Sanctuary, a 57' navy blue Cruiser, with a great friend of 25 years. I'll keep my eyes open for you, and say hello if I see you passing. Dad was quite an amazing guy, though I didn't really appreciate it at the time, coz he was just Dad to me. But in his time, he must have introduced 100s to the canals, recruiting them to restoration campaigns etc etc. But all of these memories and childhood experiences form a terrific legacy for me, one which is far better than material goods. - Wil

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billh Rising Star

billh

Posted
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Yes, agreed, a very enjoyable evenings viewing.

 

Always good fun playing "spot the location".

 

The selection of which restorations they concentrated on was obviously dictated by which of the thorns in BW's side had the presence of mind to film their activities.

 

My (slightly biased) view is that the LPF/Ashton restoration, and Operation Ashton in 1968 were a more significant event than the Stourbridge restoration, but of the Ashton work, there seems to be only a small amount of B&W footage, and there is more footage in colour of the Stourbridge.

 

Clearly some artistic licence was employed, as the narration of Ailsa Craig's voyage talked about arriving at the tunnel, complete with footage of the Marsden portal and emerging from the tunnel 5 hours later also with footage of Marsden!

 

I wonder how much artistic licence was employed in other places. Some of the footage of complete deritiction and locks absolutely clogged with rubbish, and gates devoid of all planking, imply that mere weeks later the volunteers had patched it up sufficient to pass a hundred boats.

 

Is this an accurate depiction of the state of things, or does the footage of deriliction not correspond to he stretch that was fixed?

 

Sorry about the late post, I watched the program this week-end, best telly I've seen for some time.

Most of the derelict canal scenes were on the Ashton Canal, taken in the sixties in the Droylsden and Clayton areas. The locks were just about usable, with one exception in 1961, within a very few years the dereliction and neglect was surprising.

Operation Ashton was an incredible event, as Dave says , it was the turning point which allowed major restorations using volunteers to be taken seriously. I was there, the sight of hundreds of people working in extreme filth in bad weather ( I think it rained all week-end), bonfires burning along the towpath, excavators and mobile cranes all working with one purpose. Something like 2000 tons of debris was removed from the canal over a length of 2 miles, the JCBs were still loading trucks for the Corporation tips the following Wednesday!

The Ashtac event in March 1972 was a more organised encore. Restoration of the Ashton & Peak Forest had already been agreed and that week-end was to kick-start the clearance work and was with the full co-operation of BW ( absent at managerial level in 1968) I spent the week-end with a team clearing out Margaret Street bridge hole, using a WRG excavator and monorail tipping skips. Sadly , 39 years later, there's been no further digging done at that location.

There must be some other forum members who were there? Perhaps don't want to admit it for reasons of age or something?

Bill

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Pluto Veteran

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Posted
Posted

There must be some other forum members who were there? Perhaps don't want to admit it for reasons of age or something?

Bill

I was there in 1972, I seem to remember with a group from Gas Street, though by then I was working for Peter Froud at Preston Brook. I also worked on the Rochdale Nine, and was there for the opening on Attila, and took my own boat Pluto to an unrecalled event, possibly earlier as I couldn't take the boat up the flight. Until 'adjustments' had been made to the Rodwell Tower concrete supports, it was impossible to get a wide boat passed there. Does anyone remember the Christmas parties under Rodwell Tower?

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Jo_ Proficient

Jo_

Posted
Posted

The girl is mad! Stood on the gunnales on the lovers leap side all the way across. Am suprised the beeb let her do that.:unsure:

 

Yeah ... we both shrieked in disbelief when she swung around onto the gunwale. I felt sick! :blush: especially since I'm a real cowardy custard when it comes to the Pontcysyllte and don't even look over the lovers' leap side!

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slammer Collaborator

slammer

Posted
Posted

Thanks, I fully intend to enjoy the Caldon, especially at Consall Forge, which I have visited via car 3 - 4 times. I'll be on Reiki Sanctuary, a 57' navy blue Cruiser, with a great friend of 25 years. I'll keep my eyes open for you, and say hello if I see you passing. Dad was quite an amazing guy, though I didn't really appreciate it at the time, coz he was just Dad to me. But in his time, he must have introduced 100s to the canals, recruiting them to restoration campaigns etc etc. But all of these memories and childhood experiences form a terrific legacy for me, one which is far better than material goods. - Wil

Very true words , we tend not to appreciate our nearest and dearest until we are old enough to fully understand their actions and efforts ,unfortunately too late for alot of us. I am presently moored at Stone enjoying the windy weather .lol ;)

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canaldrifter Experienced

canaldrifter

Posted
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A parachute might have been more apt.

 

In fact I think Peter Jones was rather foolish and irresponsible to let her do it. He was the skipper in charge of a passenger trip boat at the time.

 

Good programme though.

 

Tone

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