The Golden Age of Canals

[bigste]

For anyone who hasn't seen it you are missing out. It is about the revival and restoration of the English canals after the war to the present day. It first aired on BBC last year. The link allows you to watch online and I give it 10 out of 10.

http://www.thevideochannel.net/play.php?id=1305752171

The site also hosts the Canal Walks with Julia Bradbury covering the Worcester & B'ham as well as the Llangollen canals.

Edited February 17, 2013 by bigste

[Joseph]

Thanks for that.

 

The film was still up this evening.

 

If anyone wants to see what I looked like at the age of 7 (cringe....),and what I looked like 49 years later, I'm featured a number of times. I was also on the later one about the Golden Age of Steam briefly.

 

I do have one long-shot query that maybe someone might be able to answer. At 29:32 and 29:43 there is film, taken by Dad in August 1963, of a boat from the BW NW fleet passing upstream at Barbridge. There's a clear view of the steerer. Is there anyone, by any remote chance, who could identify who this person is? I suppose it's just possible this person is still alive and might even have recognised himself....

 

You never know, maybe someone has a fantastic memory! Even a guess would be great.

 

Take care, everyone

 

Joseph

[Laurence Hogg]

Thanks for that.

 

The film was still up this evening.

 

If anyone wants to see what I looked like at the age of 7 (cringe....),and what I looked like 49 years later, I'm featured a number of times. I was also on the later one about the Golden Age of Steam briefly.

 

I do have one long-shot query that maybe someone might be able to answer. At 29:32 and 29:43 there is film, taken by Dad in August 1963, of a boat from the BW NW fleet passing upstream at Barbridge. There's a clear view of the steerer. Is there anyone, by any remote chance, who could identify who this person is? I suppose it's just possible this person is still alive and might even have recognised himself....

 

You never know, maybe someone has a fantastic memory! Even a guess would be great.

 

Take care, everyone

 

Joseph

 

The boat is BW "Admiral class" Pimblott built "Grenville", the only Pimblott Admiral with a raked stem. The steerer may be John Jinks, the posture and body language seems to be his, also the mass of black hair belies the "Teddy boy" style he liked so much. Sadly if it was John he left us in 1994, much missed and never forgotten.

[Ian Mac]

I'm with Laurence on several counts, I too think its a young John Jinks, it would make sense for him to be there. Its also Johnny J's stance at the tiller, we each have our own style and that's his.

--

Cheers Ian Mac

Also still missing him and but not forgotten.

 

I'm in my mid twenties when I appear, working on Dungebooth Lock.

Edited March 4, 2013 by Ian Mac

[Joseph]

Very many thanks Laurence and Ian

 

Canal World Discussion Forum members do it again!

 

I thought it might be John Jinks - I went to a memorial event for him at the Boat Museum around 1996, and I've seen the film of him moving a boat on the Trent & Mersey near Marston, and the final shot in the it is uncannily close. Definitely the hairstyle is similar, and I don't suppose many other young boatmen (were there many?) had the same style.

 

If this is him, he would be 23 at the time, and the only thing that made me hesitate is whether this gent looks as young as that. I suppose that 8 years working since school, all in the open air, would make you look a little older than you were.

 

I wonder if his family (there were several at the memorial event) have seen the Golden Age film?

 

Ian, I'll look through the film for you at Dungebooth.

 

Many thanks again.

 

Joseph

Edited March 5, 2013 by Joseph

[Max Sinclair]

I had the pleasure of helping with the Golden Age of Steam film which used some of my 9.5mm Pathe film. It was digitally improved and cleaned. Before the waterways swallowed me up I had a lot of fun with my narrow-gauge babies. I was so proud to see Gertrude which I purchased for £2 from Stewarts and Lloyds Bilston crossing through Portmadoc from the Welsh Highland to the FFestiniog.

When we started using a narrow gauge line to dredge the Droitwich Barge Canal my friends worried it might join up with North Wales.