Anderton Lift Toll Houses - How much?

[DHutch]

 

PRESS RELEASE

 

STEP BACK IN TIME AT ANDERTON BOAT LIFTS NEWLY-RESTORED TOLL HOUSES

 

Two toll houses at the worlds first boat lift, Anderton Boat Lift in Northwich, have been refurbished, allowing visitors to step back in time and experience what it was like to book a boat passage a hundred years ago.

 

The £90,000 restoration project has been carried out by the Canal & River Trust, the charity which cares for the lift and the nations 2,000 miles of historic canals, and was jointly funded by public donations to the Trust and the Saltscape Partnership, funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund.

 

The Trust plans to furnish the two tiny buildings as they would have appeared early last century and staff are appealing for the publics help to send in old photos of the toll house and boat lift, and any memories or stories about the lift.

 

The public will be offered a first sight of the newly-restored buildings on Heritage Open Day, Saturday 12 September, when they can enjoy free entry to Anderton Boat Lift visitor centre and other heritage buildings across the country.

 

Nicola Lewis-Smith, enterprise manager with the Canal & River Trust, said: The toll houses were important buildings at the boat lift. Boat owners would be welcomed by the clerk who would weigh the boats cargo and collect an appropriate toll before allowing the boat onto the lift. This is the scenario we want to create for visitors as part of the Anderton Boat Lift experience.

 

The toll house renovation project involved using traditional materials such as lime mortar for the brick repairs, and the installation of new floors and drainage. The toll houses were in a poor condition and werent fully restored in the major boat lift restoration of 2002, so its fantastic to see them brought back to life now.

 

Anderton Boat Lift, built in 1875, is a scheduled monument and connects the Trent & Mersey Canal with the River Weaver 50 feet below. The lift was originally constructed as a commercial boost to the regional salt and pottery industries but is now the centrepiece of a popular visitor attraction, offering public boat trips through the lift aboard the Edwin Clark boat.

 

Alison Lomax, Saltscape Manager said. We are delighted that the Toll Houses will be open to the public for the first time as part of Northwich Heritage Open Day on Saturday 12th September. Its a great opportunity for people to meet the actor who will re-enact the role of the clerk, find out more about these important buildings and see a new aspect of this much loved local landmark come to life.

 

The Anderton Boat Lift and the Canal & River Trust are key members of the Saltscape partnership, launched earlier this year to deliver a range of projects designed to protect, restore and celebrate mid-Cheshires unique salt heritage and landscape. The partnership is funded by the National Lottery through the Heritage Lottery Fund and is expected to generate £1.4million of investment in the Weaver Valley during its lifetime.

 

Anyone with old photos or stories to share should get in touch with the Trust via email on enquiries.northwalesborders@canalrivertrust.org.uk or tel 0303 040 4040.

 

For more information about visiting Anderton Boat Lift and boat trips through the lift and along the River Weaver, check out the Trusts website: www.canalrivertrust.org.uk/anderton-boat-lift.

 

 

ENDS

 

 

 

For further media requests please contact:

 

Lynn Pegler or Clive Naish on 077177 60284

Lynn.pegler@canalrivertrust.org.uk

[Pluto]

Hardly the world's first boat lift, which accolade should really be given to the ones, built in 1788-1789, on the Churprinz Canal, near Freiberg in Saxony. James Watt junior attended the Bergbauacademie at Freiberg for a couple of years from 1787, and may have brought back the idea to England where the first boat lifts dated from 1794.

 

I notice that they have not suggested rebuilding the toilet block provided for boatmen at the top of the lift, which was certainly an interesting, if unappealing, visitor attraction in the 1970s.

[DHutch]

I support retaining and or restoring this sort of thing, even total rebuild of lost items, and dont really want to have a go at CRT either, but less there is a mistake or typo £90k seems a stagging amount to spend on re-roofing and repointing two two tindy brick buildings?

 

 

Daniel

[Pluto]

I support retaining and or restoring this sort of thing, even total rebuild of lost items, and dont really want to have a go at CRT either, but less there is a mistake or typo £90k seems a stagging amount to spend on re-roofing and repointing two two tindy brick buildings?

 

 

Daniel

It is considerably more than the L&LC Society have spent on their Lottery-funded work on Kennet. Our figures, at around £70K, have included some re-plating of the hull, complete derusting and repainting of the hull, refurbishment of the shuts, installation of toilet and storage facilities, purchase and installation of a generator, wiring and lighting, a new frame and tarpaulin covers for the hold, new access to the hold, all interpretation, and the development of educational material for schools, visitors and volunteers.

[Murflynn]

I support retaining and or restoring this sort of thing, even total rebuild of lost items, and dont really want to have a go at CRT either, but less there is a mistake or typo £90k seems a stagging amount to spend on re-roofing and repointing two two tindy brick buildings?

 

 

Daniel

.................................... plus new floors and drainage - the cost of which could be as long as a piece of string, depending on how 'authentic' the end product was required to be..

[David Mack]

.................................... plus new floors and drainage - the cost of which could be as long as a piece of string, depending on how 'authentic' the end product was required to be..

What drainage do they need? Presumably only guttering and downpipes.

[Laurence Hogg]

Hang on a moment here folks, has someone dropped a bloomin great clanger? I will stand corrected if what I think isn't true.

 

Are these toll offices?? I think not, they were the control rooms for the electric lift and contained Dick Kerr style tramway type control boxes for the caissons, that was there intention, not toll offices.

 

See below lift in original form:

 

 

this is in later form:

 

 

You will notice in the later picture two control cabins have been built.

[Derek R.]

Control cabins - or toll offices?

 

http://tinyurl.com/p9755o6

 

Workshops?

 

http://tinyurl.com/p7xtht6

 

Control cabin

 

http://tinyurl.com/pbpoxm6

 

Nice to see an original shot of the lift. So much lighter overall.

 

 

[MoominPapa]

Hang on a moment here folks, has someone dropped a bloomin great clanger? I will stand corrected if what I think isn't true.

 

Are these toll offices?? I think not, they were the control rooms for the electric lift and contained Dick Kerr style tramway type control boxes for the caissons, that was there intention, not toll offices.

 

See below lift in original form:

 

 

this is in later form:

 

 

You will notice in the later picture two control cabins have been built.

I know I'll be shot to bits for saying it, but I do think that when the lift was converted back to hydraulic operation, it would have made it look so much better if the redundant machinery deck and A-frame supports had been removed, returning it to the amazingly light framework of the original lift.

 

MP.

[Pluto]

I know I'll be shot to bits for saying it, but I do think that when the lift was converted back to hydraulic operation, it would have made it look so much better if the redundant machinery deck and A-frame supports had been removed, returning it to the amazingly light framework of the original lift.

 

MP.

You can always go to Belgium and see the ones at La Louviere. Similar design, with hydraulic machinery by the Belgium engineering company Cockerill, the founder of which came from Haslingden.

[Suzie_q]

I know I'll be shot to bits for saying it, but I do think that when the lift was converted back to hydraulic operation, it would have made it look so much better if the redundant machinery deck and A-frame supports had been removed, returning it to the amazingly light framework of the original lift.

 

MP.

The local story was that when it was closed due to becoming unsafe it was only the A frame that kept it standing as the original legs were rusted through.

 

The gears and cogs from the top spent 10 years to my knowledge on the ground in the weeds at the bottom because the frame wasn't strong enough to hold the weight. So for most of my time in northwich I have seen it without the gears on it.

 

It was one of the key stages of the restoration work to get the gears back on the top and there was a bit of a fete in the park overlooking the lift on the day of the last crane lift.

[MoominPapa]

The local story was that when it was closed due to becoming unsafe it was only the A frame that kept it standing as the original legs were rusted through.

 

 

According to the David Carden book which I've just received, that's not true. The original cast-iron columns survived with much less corrosion than the steel A-frames. Other parts of the original lift (eg aqueduct, caissons) did have much more damage.

 

The photos in that book show a much more pleasing structure pre conversion and the addition of the huge superstructure. Even with that removed, the restored lift would still be a hybrid, since it retains the dry river basin which was introduced as part of the electric conversion.

 

MP.

[Laurence Hogg]

Just to update, I have notified CRT of their error but received no reply. Peraphs the lift will gain two "hysterical" toll offices in the near future!!

[DHutch]

The gears and cogs from the top spent 10 years to my knowledge on the ground in the weeds at the bottom because the frame wasn't strong enough to hold the weight. So for most of my time in northwich I have seen it without the gears on it.

Certainly the pulleys/gears (no defunct, but returned) spend a fair while on the floor, as the framework was deemed unable to support them (even without the weights/caissons) although I could not put details on which bits where rusted. I understand they are now filled with ferrocement, as a cheap and easy way to put some strength back without effecting the aesthetics.

 

the huts look like later additions, but I could not comments what was inside them.

 

 

 

Daniel

[Laurence Hogg]

Having checked with a few older boating friends there seems little doubt that these two structures were control cabins for the caissons.Built during the conversion to counterbalance electric use. No one remembers anything regarding toll equipment but all remember the top wooden office having the toll equipment, desks etc still intact. This later became Allan Galley's off ice when running the Anderton Canal Carrying Co.

CRT have got it wrong.

[David Mack]

The local story was that when it was closed due to becoming unsafe it was only the A frame that kept it standing as the original legs were rusted through.

 

The gears and cogs from the top spent 10 years to my knowledge on the ground in the weeds at the bottom because the frame wasn't strong enough to hold the weight. So for most of my time in northwich I have seen it without the gears on it.

 

It was one of the key stages of the restoration work to get the gears back on the top and there was a bit of a fete in the park overlooking the lift on the day of the last crane lift.

 

The original frame doesn't carry a lot of weight as the weight of the tanks is carried by the hydraulic cylinders (both in the original and current configurations). When it was converted to rope operation, the frame had to carry the weight of the full tanks and the equal weight of the counterweights. This was far more than the original frame could cope with, hence all the additional structure was added.

 

When the new structure was found to be badly corroded the tanks were placed at the bottom (where the weight was carried by the dock floor) and the counterweights and wheels were removed to relieve the structure of the weight. The restoration then reinstated the original hydraulic operation (but using oil rather than river water). The 'new' structure was repaired sufficiently to carry the weight of the wheels etc., but (I assume) doesn't carry the load of the counterweights.

[MoominPapa]

 

but (I assume) doesn't carry the load of the counterweights.

 

The counterweights have been used to make a maze in the grounds of the visitor centre.

 

MP.

[tarboat]

I have discussed the purpose of these two buildings with a mate who worked for BW and spent some time at the lift. He is adamant that they were never toll offices. Each one had a fireplace and was probably used as a shelter for lift staff in earlier days. They also contained switchgear connected to the operation of the lift. However, the operation of the lift was conducted entirely from the control cabin high up at the top of the structure. The toll office was above the lift on the Trent & Mersey and the restored buildings were not used for this purpose.

[Laurence Hogg]

I had a reply from CRT today, it seems they are sticking with their mistake:

"Hi Laurence

Our heritage team provided the following, I hope it clarifies things:

Anderton Boat Lift and its grounds are a Scheduled Monument. The list entry description for the monument is attached, copied from Historic England’s website. I have highlighted the section that references the toll buildings. Historic England (formerly English Heritage) were very closely involved in the restoration of the Lift.

We cannot confirm the exact date of construction of the buildings but they were likely to have been built at the same time or shortly after the Lift was converted to electric operation in 1908. The earliest photo I have seen so far was taken in c1920s and is in David Carden’s book on Anderton Boat Lift from our archives at Ellesmere Port.

We are aware the control boxes were housed in the buildings (two in each) so the buildings would have been used by the lift operators too. We have photos showing fixings where they would have been located. The control boxes are in store at the site and if funds allow we are hoping that we will be able to refit them as part of our plans for interpretation of the buildings now they have been repaired.

Joe

Joe Coggins

National Press Officer

 

I replied as follows:

"

Joe and all.

All this proves is that my statement is correct and that the buildings are control cabins. Where is there any evidence of them being toll houses? Its not the correct place to have a toll house as access to the boats for gauging is limited to day the least.

Someone has not done their homework properly here, the plans exist in your own archives for the rebuild in 1908 and show the control cabins. The gauging office is at the upper level.

Your heritage team is wrong.

 

Regards,

Laurence Hogg

[DHutch]

You tell them Laurence!

[Laurence Hogg]

You tell them Laurence!

 

I have now three times but they don't seem to care? I know I am right.

They seem "happy" to get it wrong! I really cannot understand this CRT logic at all, I was involved with the lift when recommissioned and remember how detailed and accurate things had to be, I made the large re opening plaque which had to mirror the earlier one exactly.

Now they don't seem to care, maybe its going to be the North West Disney land with tele tubbie toll clerks and the fat controller at the controls (if they can find them, let alone fit them back). The lift painted pink with "Willie the Whale" in top aqueduct will look authentic in their eyes.

 

Rosie and Jim may do a comeback weekend too.............

Edited August 25, 2015 by Laurence Hogg

[ditchcrawler]

 

I have now three times but they don't seem to care? I know I am right.

They seem "happy" to get it wrong! I really cannot understand this CRT logic at all, I was involved with the lift when recommissioned and remember how detailed and accurate things had to be, I made the large re opening plaque which had to mirror the earlier one exactly.

Now they don't seem to care, maybe its going to be the North West Disney land with tele tubbie toll clerks and the fat controller at the controls (if they can find them, let alone fit them back). The lift painted pink with "Willie the Whale" in top aqueduct will look authentic in their eyes.

 

Rosie and Jim may do a comeback weekend too.............

Will they also be rebuilding the bridge across the entrance with the brick stairs each end?

[Laurence Hogg]

A bridge, how useful.

Well theres a thought. You will not be surprised to hear that CRT have ignored all the evidence and are proceeding to equip the control cabins as toll offices. Despite detailed emails and references being sent the "team" haven't even had the decency to reply, this is real proof that where heritage is concerned CRT doesn't have a bl@@dy clue.

 

"Lets distort heritage and history today" - its better for the future ---- ought to be their new slogan.