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Vandalism hot spots.


yabasayo

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1 hour ago, mrsmelly said:

One of the first place we ran a pub was Failsworth!!  Never had a problem.

To be fair the local cabbies also told me some of the local youngsters were big trouble-as did the very helpful bunch of older kids that helped me set the lock. 

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18 hours ago, Halsey said:

I've been cruising for 53 years - the only vandalism was in my home village of Hopwas at the time and stoning in Stoke which is common place in the areas mentioned - the canal system is generally very good if you are reasonably streetwise and strive to fit in rather than confront.

 

As with all things these days there is too much hype both in the formal and social media highlighting the bad aspects of our society

I agree entirely, if you have a conversation with the people you meet and treat them with respect it seems to make things easier. (I accept there ae exceptions but it's a good starting point)

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  • 1 year later...

Recent posts about graffiti have had mixed response and ranges from vandalism to art. There has been a particular concern as to graffiti on walls and other structures, as this can be seen as unsafe area, where boaters should not moor and walkers speed through as fast as possible. There seems, sadly, to be an increase in this practice, which must be more worrying. Those that paint, and paint over, with writings and names remains unsightly particularly with heritage  structures.

 

 

DSC_0044r.jpg

 

This view is at Wolverhampton with the new Station buildings in the background and has a mixture of "artwork" and the building behind has not escaped.

 

This was a section of the BCN completed in 1849 following a diversion of the canal required for the making of the station behind. It is a view that some might consider spoilt by graffiti and others  might approve especially with the building behind. Yet this building dates from 1959 and a time when British Transport Waterways was looking to keep canal traffic. Made from aluminium, this structure was part a new vision for constructing such types of buildings. The Waterways Archive has a view of this building in place in 1959. This was a time when boating families still lived (and washed their clothes) on working boats!

 

 

BW197-2-13-52.jpg

Edited by Heartland
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When the photo of North Lock on the Leicester Navigation is looked at, my personal view is that it is unsightly. From a historical standpoint, North Lock is on the canal section which once served the major carriers depots and had Limekiln Lock made as part of a subsequent flood relief program. It can be described as graffiti. I think it is vandalism and indeed can go further to call it historical desecration.

 

  

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1 hour ago, Heartland said:

When the photo of North Lock on the Leicester Navigation is looked at, my personal view is that it is unsightly. From a historical standpoint, North Lock is on the canal section which once served the major carriers depots and had Limekiln Lock made as part of a subsequent flood relief program. It can be described as graffiti. I think it is vandalism and indeed can go further to call it historical desecration.

 

  

What you have in that area is paid for, and not paid for graffiti. Sometimes side by side or opposite each other. The whole area is under development anyway and will probably get sanitised soon.

Some of the stuff like the Soho Loop one is exceptionally well put together.

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On 22/10/2018 at 12:45, yabasayo said:

I have read a few posts on here and elsewhere and seen a few youtube clips that refer to vandalism or places that are not safe to stay overnight.

Mention of mooring lines being cut, stones thrown at boats, theft and even a boat being set on fire.

Maybe this forum is a good place to identify such areas for the benefit of those who may pass by without the benefit of local knowledge ?

I have had more problems with fishermen than yobs.

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It's the same as driving or visiting the seaside, in fact anywhere you may encounter idiots.

Basically anywhere/anytime.

One thing's for sure, my idyll on Thursday three weeks from now was your nightmare two days ago.

 

Just get out there and get on with it, if you're really going to be worried about things you have no control over perhaps inland boating isn't for you.

When I go distance boating I'm aware I have no control over ........

  • Engine breakdown stopping me getting back on time *
  • Strangers in front of me having an accident and stopping me from proceeding*
  • Strangers behind me having an accident and stopping me from returning
  • A tree falling on my boat *
  • Fishing matches *
  • Returning from shops and finding boat damaged by another boat which hasn't stopped
  • My dog getting ill or lost *
  • Me getting ill or lost
  • Dead body round the prop
  • Friend or family phoning me to say major issue back at home *
  • Work calling to say "Sorry I know you're on holiday but ...."
  • Sinking
  • Canal breach

........ I recognise the above isn't exhaustive and there's nowt I can do about any of them.  Since my first trip in 1965 the ones above with asterisks have occurred, some more than once.

 

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5 hours ago, zenataomm said:

It's the same as driving or visiting the seaside, in fact anywhere you may encounter idiots.

Basically anywhere/anytime.

One thing's for sure, my idyll on Thursday three weeks from now was your nightmare two days ago.

 

Just get out there and get on with it, if you're really going to be worried about things you have no control over perhaps inland boating isn't for you.

When I go distance boating I'm aware I have no control over ........

  • Engine breakdown stopping me getting back on time *
  • Strangers in front of me having an accident and stopping me from proceeding*
  • Strangers behind me having an accident and stopping me from returning
  • A tree falling on my boat *
  • Fishing matches *
  • Returning from shops and finding boat damaged by another boat which hasn't stopped
  • My dog getting ill or lost *
  • Me getting ill or lost
  • Dead body round the prop
  • Friend or family phoning me to say major issue back at home *
  • Work calling to say "Sorry I know you're on holiday but ...."
  • Sinking
  • Canal breach

........ I recognise the above isn't exhaustive and there's nowt I can do about any of them.  Since my first trip in 1965 the ones above with asterisks have occurred, some more than once.

 

 

Do the *s have any significance?

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On 23/10/2018 at 07:48, Halsey said:

This is worth a small story - travelling the Ashton flight a few years back we had other boaters further back saying "watch out there's trouble ahead with yoofs on bikes ………………." so we did the usual sensible stuff shut the front doors took the phones off of the roof etc and cruised on - we then met these lads on their bikes and yes they were a bit loud and "out of control" BUT we said hello asked how they were, let them say hello to the dogs etc and they helped us down the flight then we asked them where to moor and they said "anywhere mate we control this area and you will be OK" - and we were - the moral is common sense and engage don't confront - I admit I have spent most of my life working in "social/affordable" housing (I hate labels but just used here to explain my background) so perhaps I'm a bit more streetwise than some but if you cruise the system and are looking out for trouble it will probably find you...………. blend in relax and enjoy and don't flaunt your apparent "wealth" just humbly acknowledge your good fortune

Hey we did the same. Arrived at a lock surrounded by young lads. Jumped off the boat and said "these gates are heavy, could you help me?" They bounced into life, asking me for instructions, asking where we were going, dead excited to be given a windlass and told how the lock worked - so much curiosity about our life aboard and the canal network. The man of boat we were sharing the lock was shocked that I was so "brave". His wife hid inside as soon as she saw the young men.

I've always found if you chat and engage they turn out to be good people

And the ultimate is to say "who's the strongest ' ?

Edited by Ange
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5 hours ago, Ange said:

Hey we did the same. Arrived at a lock surrounded by young lads. Jumped off the boat and said "these gates are heavy, could you help me?" They bounced into life, asking me for instructions, asking where we were going, dead excited to be given a windlass and told how the lock worked - so much curiosity about our life aboard and the canal network. The man of boat we were sharing the lock was shocked that I was so "brave". His wife hid inside as soon as she saw the young men.

I've always found if you chat and engage they turn out to be good people

And the ultimate is to say "who's the strongest ' ?

We try to do the same, engaging youths at the locks rather than being aggressive with them.

 

There has been the odd occasion where I've had to say it you don't get off that gate or so swimming in the lock then you might get crushed to death by the boat. At that point I tend to find they move. But generally we ask anyone to push a gate especially closing gates behind us.

 

It was a bit strange chatting to a chap on farmers bridge who was sat heating some drugs up on a piece of tin foil whilst the boat was rising in the lock but we had a conversation, I warned him of the dangers of using the lock as a bath which he said he had done the previous day.

 

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On 10/09/2020 at 16:24, IanD said:

Two self-explanatory examples of graffiti from our recent trip through Leicester...

graffiti_bad.jpg

graffiti_good.jpg

In principle I disapprove of graffiti, but I must say that the lower example does not lack artistic merit.

The same can't be said for the gougings at Hillmorton Locks.

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7 hours ago, Athy said:

In principle I disapprove of graffiti, but I must say that the lower example does not lack artistic merit.

The same can't be said for the gougings at Hillmorton Locks.

The lower one -- like several others in Leicester, some of which are *really* pretty -- is done by an officially-authorised graffiti art bunch in conjunction with CART, you can see the logos on it. We ran into a couple of them actually in the act at a lock further through Leicester, and had an interesting conversation with them about what they were doing. They did say that the stuff they did mostly got left alone by the taggers, and that public opinion seemed to be overwhelmingly in favour of what they were doing because it replaced eyesore tagging with properly done creative artwork which actually added something to the view.

 

So graffiti in general -- especially on historic structures -- is undoubtedly a bad thing, but experience shows it's well-nigh impossible to either prevent it or clean it off. I'd say it's far better to have arty graffiti (like the one I showed) on such structures than badly drawn uncontrolled tagging, because not having anything isn't a realistic option without having hundreds of graffiti police patrolling the canals 24h a day -- and they'd be far better employed fighting real crime which affects people which is completely under-resourced like burglaries...

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