Staffs & Worcester Canal

[nebulae]

In my opinion,it is the small and sometimes obscure pieces of canal infrastructure which create as much interest as some of the well known major structures.Mileposts are a link with the working past,old mileposts(and new replacements)add to the pleasure of cruising.I believe that canal companies were obliged to provide them in their Acts of Parliament,to facilitate charging of tolls.Does anybody know why there are no mileposts on the Staffs and Worcester Canal?

[Mike Tee]

Nicked and weighed in?

[Laurence Hogg]

A lot of canals dont have mileposts, often though they have boundary posts with the company name or initials on. The Staffs and Worcs has a prolific number of bridges which are all named so you know where you are.

[nebulae]

I thought the purpose of mileposts was primarily to aid in the calculation of tolls.The bridge number would,of course,tell boatmen where they were.

[Laurence Hogg]

I thought the purpose of mileposts was primarily to aid in the calculation of tolls.The bridge number would,of course,tell boatmen where they were.

Most tolls were based on the weight of cargo carried. Boats were "weighed" or "gauged" and a weight to depth in the water table was produced. From this the calculation could be made.

[nebulae]

Presumeably,tonnage was charged on a ton/mile basis.Major embarcation points might be known to toll keepers,but many small wharves would indicate a schedule of mileages on some sort of chart.(I appreciate that in the latter years of n.b.carrying the range and destination of cargoes were more limmited.)If part loads were carried for part distance,or mixed loads on more than one canal,tolls get complicated.Obviously,after the publication of Bradshaws,a calculation would be possible.Would a toll clerk have access to such an august tome.Without clear indication of mileage how would an owner boatman (who could be illiterate)calculate carriage charges?I understand the gauging process.This would cover the tonnage,measured at well known gauging points such as Etruria and Stewpony locks.I dont understand the mileage part of the process.

[Derek R.]

The tolls were set by the canal companies under 'guidance' from government. Mileage was involved in most, but toll points were strategically placed near or at junctions and took in the distance likely to be traveled between toll points. Mileposts were not necessary for any boatman to work out what he paid, that was already established by the company. The toll tickets would almost certainly have a notation of the destination as well as the commodity carried.

 

Illiteracy was not uncommon in many walks of society, but it does not mean the 'illiterate' could not know their numbers. They knew how many pennies to the pound, and what change to expect. I know someone today who is largely illiterate, but you won't short change him!

[Pluto]

Under the 1894 Rates and Tolls legislation, many of the more successful canals were remeasured to ensure accuracy. For instance, the current L&LC cast iron mileposts replaced older stone mileposts which were at different locations as they dated from before the southern Lancaster Canal was taken over. There were a number of orders related to specific canals, and it was presumably those canals which installed new mileposts.

[nebulae]

Did not intend to infer lack of literacy had any conection with inteligence.I am sure boat captains were well able to understand the maths otherwise it would have been imposible to function.I am intereted in how the collection of tolls worked,particularly in the 18th and 19th century.The canal companies were first and formost,a business.Efficient collection of income would have been fundamental to their survival.My origional post related to mileposts(or lack of).I know that some canal companies Acts of Parliament required the provision of mileposts.I find it dificult to believe that where they were provided,this was just to tell boatmen where they were.As has been pointed out,bridge names and numbers would do this.I think I need to do some more reaserch.

[Heartland]

Dr Ian Langford mentions mile stones in his definitive study of the Staffordshire & Worcestershire Canal (Goose & son 1974. On page 88 these stones were put in place as a requirement of the Act of Parliament required a stone to be erected every mile.

 

Ray Shill

[nebulae]

Many thanks for the replies.Thats the beauty of this forum,a large pool of knowledge spread over a wide range of subjects.

[nebulae]

Have just managed to obtain a copy of J.Ian Langfords book,Staffs & Worcs.Canal Towpath Guide No 1 from Fleabay.Exellent book,many thanks for the tip.(Wonderfull photos.Had no idea there was a lock keepers cottage at Kidderminster Lock)

[nebulae]

Reference in Ian Langfords book led me to the purchase of Eric De Mares book The Canals of England.(also a Fleabay purchase)Always wondered what Aldersley Junction looked like in its heyday.Cant believe how comprehensively the infrastructure has been destroyed.I note that as I suspected,there were stone mileposts everey mile on the Staffs & Worcester.I have not yet seen a photo of one.Does one exist?Were they removed during the second world war,as on other canals?Is the stone post just along from Calf Heath a milestone?If they were buried,as on the Maclesfield Canal and the mileages were not acurate,would they ever be retrieved?The program of reinstatement/replacement of mileposts on some other canals has been a great achievement by the relevent canal societies.

[Laurence Hogg]

The Staffs & Worcester has been robbed of much of its architecture in the past years but the almost total loss of this settlement is truly sad, Aldersley alive and in its heyday:

 

[nebulae]

What a fantastic photo of Aldersley,Lawrence.Many thanks for posting.Is it possible to get a copy?

[keble]

What a fantastic photo of Aldersley,Lawrence.Many thanks for posting.Is it possible to get a copy?

I second that! Great photo.

[Heartland]

That view, which shows a large house, is perhaps representative of the fact as Ian Langford notes, that the Staffordshire & Worcestershire Canal Company dominated the trade here.

 

Ray Shill

[Laurence Hogg]

What a fantastic photo of Aldersley,Lawrence.Many thanks for posting.Is it possible to get a copy?

Send me your email address and one will come as if by magic!

[nebulae]

The Staffs & Worcester has been robbed of much of its architecture in the past years but the almost total loss of this settlement is truly sad, Aldersley alive and in its heyday:

 

chrischesher@gmail.com

[Heartland]

With regards to Laurences informative picture the building on the right, I have taken as a BCN toll office, which the large building by the turnover bridge, Staffordshire & Worcester offices, house and warehouses. The first Ordnance Survey of the 1880s shows a crane there and various buildings apart from the main rectangular building.

 

Regarding the Kidderminster Lock and house, I do show a picture of this with iron bridge over lock in my recent Amberley Book. I can send on a copy if interested, but as said before, my current system here does not support posting an image on this site.

 

Ray Shill

[nebulae]

chrischesher@gmail.com

[Blossom]

Here is a shot of the same area in 1953 but facing the opposite direction. I was always led to believe that this building housed the BCN toll office (the half hexagon extending out from the front of the building next to the bridge 'ole.

[nebulae]

Wonderfull photo. Hard to believe such a substantial building existed looking at the minimal remains on the ground. I wonder if this vandalism was official policy or just neglect. Thank goodness for the Landmark Trust. The argument that the properties were in poor. condition and without facilities does not hold water. It is the duty of responsible landlords to keep their properties in good order and up to date.I wonder what these properties would fetch on the open market today?

[Heartland]

This image is similar to one I have that shows the BCN House and attached toll office (and published in p27 of Birmingham Canal Navigations) and yes the other office opposite as shown in Laurences image, I have always believed to be Staffs & Worcester, although looking at both images ( mine and Laurences) now have reconsidered this opinion. The problem is how did the process of gauging for both companies work and why did the large building have what appears to be an office for checking boats. I have yet to find a map what shows these respective offices. Another thought is how old the "Staffordshire & Worcestershire" squarish office on the north side of the entrance to the BCN is. It might be one of the original 1770-1772 watchhouses and the larger building was made subsequently. Regretably early Staffs & Worcestershire records can be fragmented and are found in different places, which make research a complex task.

 

Ray Shill