Stoke |Bruerne 1968

[Ray T]

http://player.bfi.org.uk/film/watch-waterways-museum-1968/

Edited December 23, 2015 by Ray T

[RufusR]

excellent little film , amazing to see working boats still running in 1968 thought they were gone by then .

[David Schweizer]

Thanks for that Ray, a real treat to watch Arthur Bray work a lock so effortlesly, without any rushing around.

[Leo No2]

Assume it was Jack James' wife coming out of No3 and making sure she was in the film! A delightful film - thank you Ray.

[Laurence Hogg]

Superb! Paddles dropped properly, no Volockies to be seen either!!

[Tony Dunkley]

Thanks for that Ray, a real treat to watch Arthur Bray work a lock so effortlesly, without any rushing around.

 

Arthur Bray was moving about, and doing everything else at that time, a good bit more slowly and carefully than he would normally be doing because he was about to go into hospital for an operation on a very severe and painful hernia. That was also the reason he was using that long throw windlass, instead of his usual one. He had to avoid bending forward or down to as much as possible, and that's why they'd towed the butty round the Blisworth(pound) on the cotton line, that Ernie, on the motor, can be seen taking in and dropping onto the butty's deck, instead of the normal 'snubber' which is a much heavier rope and would normally be dropped off from the motor, into the cut, about 5-6 boats lengths from the lock to be taken in and coiled down on the butty's deck by Arthur.

Edited December 23, 2015 by Tony Dunkley

[bigcol]

Just brilliant

 

Thank you for posting

[David Schweizer]

 

Arthur Bray was moving about, and doing everything else at that time, a good bit more slowly and carefully than he would normally be doing because he was about to go into hospital for an operation on a very severe and painful hernia. That was also the reason he was using that long throw windlass, instead of his usual one. He had to avoid bending forward or down to as much as possible, and that's why they'd towed the butty round the Blisworth(pound) on the cotton line, that Ernie, on the motor, can be seen taking in and dropping onto the butty's deck, instead of the normal 'snubber' which is a much heavier rope and would normally be dropped off from the motor, into the cut, about 5-6 boats lengths from the lock to be taken in and coiled down on the butty's deck by Arthur.

 

Yes I noticed that, but assumed he was doing it like that because of the camera.

[X Alan W]

Shame won't let me view, it says something to the effect not available to view in/at your location ( France)

[Leo No2]

Shame won't let me view, it says something to the effect not available to view in/at your location ( France)

 

Alan - there's lots of software available to bypass the country restrictions - it all depends on how comfortable you are with that level of 'hacking'. If you Google (other search engines are of course available but Google seems to be a verb these days) something like 'View country restricted videos' I am sure something will come up that may help.

[Rose Narrowboats]

Thanks for posting that Ray and lovely to see & hear Mr Hadlow. I some correspondence between him and my Grandfather - he was a mine of information about the GU and had a great sense of humour.

 

Anthony

Edited December 24, 2015 by Rose Narrowboats

[IanM]

Really great video, lovely to see.

[Peter Reed]

A great find,thanks for sharing.

[Leo No2]

I am reliably informed that this is a 'magazine' article from Midlands Today and that Arthur Bray was asked if he would take the boats out again so the cameraman could get a better shot. Arthur’s reply was “I ain’t a-come from Noble (Newbold) this mornin’ to stop and have me bloody photo took!” and on he went. (It would have been about 5.30 pm when all this took place, so he would have left Newbold c 5.00 a.m!).

Edited December 26, 2015 by Leo No2

[Athy]

Google seems to be a verb these days

Yes, it's hoovered up all the opposition.

[David Schweizer]

I am reliably informed that this is a 'magazine' article from Midlands Today and that Arthur Bray was asked if he would take the boats out again so the cameraman could get a better shot. Arthur’s reply was “I ain’t a-come from Noble (Newbold) this mornin’ to stop and have me bloody photo took!” and on he went. (It would have been about 5.30 pm when all this took place, so he would have left Newbold c 5.00 a.m!).

 

Knowing the Brays quite well, I can well believe that story. However they were always happy to be photographed, providing it did not interfere with working.

 

I was actually present when Hugh McKnight took the iconioc photo of Ernie Kendall and Rose Bray taking Roger and Raymond into Uxbridge lock, and they both obligingly turned their heads to face the camera.

 

Edited December 27, 2015 by David Schweizer

[alan_fincher]

 

Knowing the Brays quite well, I can well believe that story. However they were always happy to be photographed, providing it did not interfere with working.

 

I was actually present when Hugh McKnight took the iconioc photo of Ernie Kendall and Rose Bray taking Roger and Raymond into Uxbridge lock, and they both obligingly turned their heads to face the camera.

 

 

You could be excused, if you study quite a lot of the published photos, for thinking Ernie Kendall spent as much time looking backwards as he did forwards!

 

I have that Salmon postcard, by the way, and would have had no idea that Hugh McKnight took the photo. It seems the photographer was rarely credited on these postcards.

[David Schweizer]

I didn't know his name at the time, but learnt it later. I just remember him sitting on the grass bank opposite our mooring for much of the day waiting for boats to be photographed. It was somewhere around 1967 or 1968 and there was still quite a lot of traffic on that section at the time. The 6ft high chain link gate next to the bridge was the access to our mooring.

Edited December 27, 2015 by David Schweizer

[Tony Dunkley]

 

You could be excused, if you study quite a lot of the published photos, for thinking Ernie Kendall spent as much time looking backwards as he did forwards!

 

 

In fact, he did, . . . . along with every other boatman, particularly when steering the motor, who did just the same thing, and for the same good reasons, all to do with getting along the cut at the best rate possible.

[mark99]

 

Knowing the Brays quite well, I can well believe that story. However they were always happy to be photographed, providing it did not interfere with working.

 

I was actually present when Hugh McKnight took the iconioc photo of Ernie Kendall and Rose Bray taking Roger and Raymond into Uxbridge lock, and they both obligingly turned their heads to face the camera.

 

 

 

Trees have grown since

 

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=uxbridge+lock&espv=2&biw=1536&bih=758&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjThY-6s_zJAhXI7w4KHZWSBn0Q_AUICCgD#imgrc=lCDTNCvBSJ4lSM%3A

[john10]

The boat in the opening scene is Redcap when in the ownership of Colonel Richie Redcap John