some people don't help themselves

[Hastings]

True under. Thing is I remember the taps being there, I'm just not sure whether the reason is so as to be convenient for the boaters, or just because that was where the water pipe was. Probably a bit of both.

Until the 1970s or perhaps later, it was common (certainly on most 'narrow' canals) for the water point to be a tap affixed to a wooden board on/by the wall of the lock cottage. This was obviously pragmatic - it was close to the water supply to the cottage. Until that time, boaters either only had traditional water cans, now all generically but wrongly known as Buckby cans, or, if they had tanks, the tanks were fairly small. Very few boats had showers, and water was dispensed by manually operated suction pumps (a popular brand was Whale), so little water was needed, and it wasn't wasted as it is now with electrically operated taps. Small tanks only took a few minutes to fill - perhaps about the time it took to fill or empty the lock, not the half hour it takes now.

[alan_fincher]

Probably, but the most famus one was 'Ogden's Nut Gorn Flake'...

 

MtB

There is such a boat - an owner has posted on here in the past.

 

Sign written like the album cover.

 

It came up through Hemel a week or so back - it has usually been on the London circuit when I have seen it in the past.

[RichardH]

That looks like Woodnook lock on the A&CN to me.

It is. We had all sorts of fun and games when we were moored at Fairies Hill with the retired lock keeper who regularly switched off the water feed to the moorings.

 

To be fair to the chap, some days you can see as few as 0 boats on this section so whilst irritating for the OP I do have a degree of sympathy. On a calm day he could have swung round onto the under occupied LTM's for his bacon and eggs.

[Guest]

RichardH, on 20 Mar 2014 - 09:26 AM, said:

It is. We had all sorts of fun and games when we were moored at Fairies Hill with the retired lock keeper who regularly switched off the water feed to the moorings.

 

To be fair to the chap, some days you can see as few as 0 boats on this section so whilst irritating for the OP I do have a degree of sympathy. On a calm day he could have swung round onto the under occupied LTM's for his bacon and eggs.

 

I think I would agree up to a point. What I cant agree with is using the tap as a mooring bollard, that is just lazy.

 

As for the LTM's - I take it you mean the ones on the approach to the abandoned Altofts lock? yes it's a lovely secluded spot at which we have been tempted to moor before but were put off by the LTM sign which may or may not still be there, even though I cant ever recall seeing a boat moored there - I think they must have been abandoned now as LTMs.