The K&A Canal — 200 years old in 2010
The K&A Canal’s own magazine
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No.190 Spring 2010 £2.50
Butty Holder of the Tom Rolt award
K&A Canal Trust communication changes
A year of K&A celebrations for the canal’s bicentenary
Canal champion John Ward
The Newth family of Marsh Wharf: the final chapter Working to protect, to enhance and to promote The Kennet & Avon Canal
Newbury Boat Company Ham Manor Marina, London Road, Newbury, RG14 2BP Moorings
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Greenham Canal Services At Greenham Island Between Greenham Lock and Newbury Lock
Boat Services/Chandlery Diesel, Pumpout, Calor Gas, Coal etc Souvenirs and ice cream Tel: 01635 31672
Greenham Island
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Cover picture: Old Builders Wharf, Honeystreet
contents
No.190 Spring 2010 Picture by Bob Naylor The Kennet & Avon Canal Trust and its aims The Kennet & Avon Canal Trust has three separate but complementary objectives: • To protect the newly restored Canal from neglect, abuse and inappropriate developments. • To enhance the Canal, either by the direct application of Trust funds or, more likely, to unlock larger amounts through matched funding. • To promote the Canal as a magnificent national amenity that is freely available for the enjoyment of all. It was The Kennet & Avon Canal Trust (through its predecessor organisations) that fought successfully to save the Canal from formal abandonment in the mid-1950s. Through physical effort, innovative fund-raising and persistent political pressure, the Trust led the campaign that resulted in the Canal’s re-opening for through navigation in 1990 and the subsequent £30 million restoration project from 1996 to 2003. The Canal’s infrastructure is now in a condition that will support sustained operations for many decades ahead.
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12 pages of K&A news
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K&A 200 — a year of celebration
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John Ward — Clerk to the K&A Canal Company
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Fred Blampied on 50 years of the IWA in the region
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The Newth family depart from Marsh Wharf
The Trust’s membership reflects the wide range of leisure activities – boating, walking, cycling, fishing, pursuit of wildlife and heritage interests that the public can enjoy along the length of the 87 miles of Canal.
The Kennet & Avon Canal Trust Devizes Wharf Couch Lane Devizes, Wiltshire SN10 1EB. 01380 721279 01380 727870 (fax) www.katrust.org.uk President Michael Ancram MP
katrust-ent.org.uk Hon Engineer Mike Lee Health and Safety Ben Woodman Museum Curator Terry Mundy Archive Administrator Elaine Kirby
Trust Council
Vice Presidents Richard Benyon MP Sir William Benyon David Bruce Peter Collins Donald Collinson Michael Corfield Sir Anthony Durant Michael Goodenough David Lamb Admiral Sir William O'Brien Philip Ogden Brian Oram Sir Frank Price Prunella Scales Timothy West
Alice Boyd David Copley Peter Dunn Bill Fisher David Inight Terry Kemp Neil Lethby John Maciver Terry Mundy David Rees (Chairman) Charles Reiss
General Manager Mike Rodd gm@katrust.org.uk
Neil Lethby
Treasurer & Company Secretary Neil Lethby secretary@katrust.org.uk Office Manager office.manager@ katrust.org.uk
Kennet & Avon Canal Trust (Enterprise) Ltd Directors Mike Rodd Alice Boyd Tim Jones
Butty Editor Di Harris Pear Tree Studio High Street, Urchfont Devizes SN10 4QH 01380 840584 07711 367124 di@thebutty.co.uk
katrust.org.uk
Butty News Editor Design & Layout Bob Naylor 01380 840584 07788 134901 bob@thebutty.co.uk
Retail Manager retail.manager@
For Advertising gm@katrust.org.uk
Finance finance@katrust.org.uk Membership membership@
Contributions Articles and photographs are welcome. Please contact the Editor to discuss your ideas before submitting them. Whilst every care is taken with all material submitted, neither the Editor nor the publisher can take responsibility for loss or damage. Disclaimer Views expressed in The Butty are not necessarily those of the Editor nor of the Trust. Registered Charity The Trust is a registered charity (No CC209206) and a company limited by guarantee registered in England (No 726331) at the above address. The Butty is published by The Kennet & Avon Canal Trust of the same address. Data Protection Act The Trust is registered under the Data Protection Act 1984, reference SO46307X. Subject access requests should be directed to the Trust office in Devizes. Printers Butler Tanner And Dennis Fine Art Services. Caxton Road Frome Somerset BA11 1NF 01373 451500 Deadline for Summer issue: 30th April 2010
Plus regular features 18 Obituary 19 BW Briefing 22 French Connections 24 Reviews 28 Branch Reports 34 Trust Matters 35 Safety Matters and Museum Archive News 36 Letters 38 What’s On and Unclassified Ads
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No.190 Spring 2010
Out with the old and in with the new by Bob Naylor As the Kennet & Avon Canal celebrates its bicentenary the K&A Canal Trust Council seeks to depart from ‘dead tree technology’ and to embrace Facebook, Twitter, blogs and monthly email bulletins to communicate with its members in its quest to protect, enhance and promote the K&A Canal n the Kennet & Avon Canal’s 200th anniversary year the members’ magazine, The Butty, in the magazine form that it has taken since the very beginning of the Kennet & Avon Canal Trust more than 50 years ago is moving on. It will be replaced with what Trust members are promised will be an exciting new comprehensive communications strategy that embraces internet social networking, an up-to-date website and e–newsletters — supplemented with printed quarterly newsletters and a Butty Annual in the Autumn that promises to be a bigger, glossier ‘enhanced’ version of The Butty as it exists now. To decide the future of The Butty and the way that the Trust
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communicates with its members Trust Council formed a sub-committee in December headed by retired journalist Charles Reiss, along with Trustee and former BW K&A Canal Waterway Manager Terry Kemp and Trust General Manager Mike Rodd, the former British Computer Society Director of Learned Society and External Relations. They by Trust Council. produced their The report criticises existing report and in print and on-line material for having become ‘too January their buildings-centred and not sufficiently people-centred’. recommendations It goes on to say of the existing Butty, ‘It is strongly were cherished by some Trust members, although it is unanimously unclear how it is viewed by the membership in general’. accepted in full When asked if the Trust membership had been consulted before the recommendations to Trust Council were made, sub committee Chairman Charles Reiss said, ”Our judgement was that no change is not an option. That being so, any consultation would have been at best a pretence”. Based on what the committee themselves describe as ‘back of the envelope calculations’, the report says, ‘Approximately 50 per cent of the Trust’s total income from membership fees is currently sunk into the magazine. It is questionable whether Trust members would feel this is the best use of half their contributions’. The Trust is now advertising nationally and locally for a person or people with the necessary skills to tender for the work of producing the printed newsletter, e-newsletter, The Butty Annual, manage the website and handle the Trust’s public relations. The K&A Canal Trust is already making strides towards this ‘modernisation’ through the efforts of Terry Kemp who now has three K&A Facebook pages, his Vodafone Volunteering blog and he ‘Twitters’ — or ‘Tweets’ — at ‘kavolunteers’. And BW have set up their own Twitter, ‘KandA200’, to keep people informed of the celebration events on the canal. It is proposed that the Chairman and other influential people within the K&A Canal Trust will also blog so that through this all embracing strategy members can be kept up to date with all things K&A in what the sub-committee and Trust Council say will be a far better way than in the past. A small extract from Terry’s blog is printed on the facing page so that Trust members can understand fully just what they are missing by relying on what the authors of the Trust Council sub-committee report describe as “dead tree technology”. So to keep up to date with what is happening at the K&A Canal Trust follow Terry’s blog and keep checking the website and — if you haven’t done so yet — make sure that you get your email addresses to: gm@katrust.org.uk — or you won’t get the Butty e-bulletin. Artic
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Keep up to date with Terry’s blog This blog has been reproduced with ‘old technology’ — to keep right up to date you need to go to Terry’s blog at: http://worldofdifference.vodafone.co.uk/uk/terry-kemp/ to move things on so – We now have Facebook pages – we will Post | Making an early start have a Volunteering Blog on the website – A Volunteering page on 19:12 on December 17th 2009 the website. Just when I thought we had until next year to make plans in advance Also I am tasked with a paper to produce for the charity trustees on of the appointment, things begin to happen. I am advised of a British blogging. I want to shout, SHOUT, SHOUT to come and join us Waterways workshop on volunteering development on our and work with us and enjoy enjoy enjoy ! That said we need waterways then a conference on the development of the Third to do it where people can ‘hear’ us. Sector then another conference in Taunton. I knew I would be busy but my working plan is growing already... Post | Blagging and Blogging?
Post | Day One
16:01 on January 13th 2010
Monday 11th January and the launch of this years Vodafone Make a Difference. It was impressive with nearly all the 500 winners braving the cold and snow to get to London Bridge and the venue for the induction and celebration. The buzz in the venue was impressive with everyone there I thought eager and ready to ‘Make a Difference’... Part of the day was to collect from and train us to use a new phone. Great fun – The train journey home was taken up with this rather than the novel I was to read. So – I now have configured the phone to download my emails and I think I now understand the many buttons – Next job is to find out how to sync it with my PC. Toys for the boys and girls……………..
Post | Day Two and Away! 17:01 on January 13th 2010
Tuesday 12th January The day had already been booked with me making a presentation to gain a Budget from Wiltshire Council for Holiday Clubs for Kids and Young Adults with disabilities. The presentation went well but we now have to wait with baited breath……… Not truly canal business but I have great plans to find ways of getting some of these kids on a boat. The rest of the morning was to get my work programme together with Mike the General Manager for the Trust. More ideas were generated that I will now get into a work plan. A lot of work too I need to get together to include the web and other tools...
Photos | Communications, Communications, Communications 13:01 on January 15th 2010
A day considering communications and the tools required and available. First a look at what I have in place?- Skype/Email accounts/landline/blackberry/New mobile phone compliments of Vodafone Foundation/Website/Facebook ………….WOW we have the tools now we need to put them to use!... This is a start of our new communications journey. Must go now for three phones are ringing, Skype is calling and I have ten emails to answer.
Post | Its all about shouting !!!? 19:01 on January 16th 2010
An interesting time undertaking a review of the communications media within the Kennet and Avon Canal Trust. This work is required to get a full understanding of the way we can use communications media in all its available forms to meet our objectives. To remind us they are – To Celebrate, Develop and Implement volunteering on the Kennet and Avon Canal. We have some work to do – Amongst other things – The website needs a full revamp it is dated and clunky. The e-newsletters go to a limited audience and are not very good. There is no use of social networking. These items I know are under review but in the short term we need
19:01 on January 16th 2010
A day blagging not blogging to get things together for the future. The main part of the day was on the phones getting to talk to people to get meetings dates. I have come to the conclusion that I am to have to blag as much as blog !!! Having said that people who know me will say I spend my life doing that already.
Post | Its all about Beer? 20:01 on January 19th 2010
January The evening is not about the Canal volunteering project but another volunteer project with strong canal links. Its about beer but the meeting is not in a pub its in a meeting room and its all about writing a business plan for the Barge Inn Community Project. We are all drowning in beer sales facts!...
Post | Terry’s on the Telly 20:01 on January 19th 2010
January Last week during the cold and snow I met with the director from BBC Countryfile to help him find the right places to interview and film about our waterway. The canal was frozen hard - and the landscape covered in snow. They wanted a boat ride which was of course not possible. So the whole programme schedule of ideas had to be revamped. We filmed then on the Tuesday in the bitter cold. The programme was light and positive which was great and I was able to say very positive things about the Trust that were broadcast this evening. Great bit of publicity for us...
Post | Social Networking – I can handle it !? 19:01 on January 23rd 2010
I have found myself in the exciting world of Facebook and Twitter. I am a great advocate of the tremendous benefits of the internet for communication and knowledge but I have never, till now, stepped into this world of Social Networking. The Vodafone World of Difference Project has changed all that. I have looked at it, tasted it, tested it and am now a fully signed up user for our project. My son has suggested his dad will be addicted in a week. But I can handle it! I think ?
Post | Don’t knock it join it !!! 19:01 on January 26th 2010
I always have wanted to share the delights of The Kennet and Avon Canal with more people. Using Social Networking is one tool we will use. Some view it with a great degree of sceptisism. But the opportunities for promotion and marketing are huge.Facebook has 350 million users and 3.5 billion processes of content shared each week and in the Charity world 45% said social networking is important for fundraising. I’m in !!...
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Report promises better Butty by Charles Reiss he Butty is on the move. And the reasons are two-fold. Firstly, your magazine is costing far more to produce than the Trust can afford. Secondly — and perhaps even more important — we urgently need to improve and update the way we communicate with our members and branches, and the means by which members can communicate with us.
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The Butty has a great history. The magazine, however, costs more than £36,000 a year to produce. Sales and advertising bring in just £13,000. The Trustees decided in December that this £23,000 gap must be plugged. A small working party was set up consisting of Terry Kemp, Mike Rodd our General Manager, and myself. Our brief was to reduce the magazine costs by £15,000, but also to re-think our whole communications effort, not least via the net. Our report was discussed by the Trust Council on January 26 and agreed unanimously and unchanged. The full working group report is now available. So what happens next? The main points are as follows: This issue of The Butty will be the last in the current format. Publication four times a year will continue. As from later this year there will be one much-enhanced and expanded Autumn issue of the current publication. This will be named The Butty Annual. There will be three separate publications to cover the other
les:
Artic
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A Butty e-Bulletin will be emailed monthly to members who have provided their email addresses
three quarterly periods. They will draw on the monthly “enewsletter” and will be published in a good-quality, eight to twelve-page A4 format. They will retain the title of The Butty and be mailed to all members, as will the Annual. Our website is to be
From later this year there will be one much-enhanced and expanded Autumn issue of the current publication. This will be named The Butty Annual. completely rebuilt. It has been, frankly, half-hearted and half the time out of date. Before long we hope to have a monthly emagazine, delivered by email and also available on the new website. Obviously, not everyone is on the net. But if the emagazine (The e-Butty?) is to be a success we need your email
The committee has taken The Moonraker, the magazine of the Wiltshire Branch of the CPRE as its model for the new quarterly printed Butty
addresses. This issue of the Butty carries a request for these and we hope all those members who are on the net will respond, either directly to the trust on membership@katrust.org.uk or by traditional mail. There is more in the pipeline, including a more organised public relations effort, a Trust presence on Facebook and, we hope, a number of blogs – ideally including our Chair,
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voices from the branches, and voices from the volunteers. Any offers, please get in touch. These changes have not been made lightly. The Butty is woven into the fabric of the Kennet and Avon Canal Trust. But your Trustees hope and believe that the results will provide a better service for members at fair value for money, and a better effort to protect enhance and promote the canal.
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Marina boat fire Neighbouring boaters evacuated their vessels as fire swept through a 30ft cabin cruiser, Alfa Romea, in Bristol Marina during the afternoon of 1st February. There was no-one onboard the vessel at the time of the fire, which is thought to have been caused by a faulty diesel heater. Five fire crews and a safety boat fought the blaze, which left the boat severely damaged.
Countryfile effect The BBC TV programme ‘Countryfile’ broadcast in February featured the K&A Canal. K&A Canal Trust Council member, Terry Kemp and Crofton Branch Chairman, Harry Willis were featured. Afterwards Terry said, “The programme was seen by many. There has been a ‘Countryfile Effect’ in the Tourist Information Centres in Devizes and our enquiries and sales have increased with customers mentioning the programme.”
Trustee training Five trustees and one Trust Council observer attended a Board Development training day to improve their skills as charity trustees in Devizes in November facilitated by trainer Ben Eccles. A second session was planned for the seven trustees who were unable to attend that session.
NEWS
BW licence campaign success Unlicensed boats on BW waterways fell by 1.5% in 2009 he British Waterways ‘Licence it or Lose it’ campaign has paid dividends with 2009 showing a further drop in the number of unlicensed boats on BW waters. The national figure for boats seized from their owners as the final outcome of enforcement action this year was down from 140 in 2008 to 70 in 2009 — but on the K&A Canal the number of boats seized rose from four in 2008 to nine in 2009. The BW annual National Boat Check conducted over two weeks in November showed a
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1.5% reduction in unlicensed boats with 94.7% of the 31,400 boats on BW’s canals and rivers now fully paid up licence holders. Simon Salem, BW’s marketing director said, “These results confirm that the overwhelming majority of boat owners in England and Wales are obtaining the correct licence. The revenue BW receives from them is an important contributor towards the cost of maintaining the waterways. “In just two years, the hard work of BW enforcement teams
has seen the licence evasion rate fall by almost 50%. The success of the ‘License it or lose it’ campaign and the late payment charge, combined with the increased efficiency of the routine monthly data collections have all made an important contribution.” 2009 was the last year that the National Boat Check will take place because BW say that they are now collecting boat data more regularly and in future they will publish those results in the spring and autumn.
Narrowboat night-time blaze Devizes Flight boat fire — police suspect arson man was arrested in connection with a fire on a boat in Devizes that police believed was the result of arson. The fire aboard the narrowboat moored in the pound above the Black Horse pub on the Devizes Flight of Locks was reported by a passer-by shortly after 6pm on 11th January and firefighters were quickly on the scene where they found the unnamed
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and un-numbered 42ft narrowboat burning fiercely. The spot where the boat was moored is unlit and access was difficult. Water rescue units from Chippenham and Trowbridge and a lighting unit from Salisbury were called in. Because of access problems they transported their equipment from Prison Bridge along the towpath to the fire using a 4x4 vehicle. Firefighters from Devizes
and Melksham quickly established that there was no-one on board and they spent three hours tackling the fire. The boat, named ‘Horus’ had not been used for some time and it is believed that the owner was in the middle of negotiations to sell the vessel. The arrested man was later released without charge and the police are not looking for anyone else in connection with the fire.
Avon Vale 100 Club winners December 1st Prize: £41 DW Ball, 2nd Prize: £20.60 L Gibney January 1st Prize: £41 J Clark, 2nd Prize: £20.50 J & E Kirby February !st Prize: £40 Devizes Boat Club, 2nd Prize: £20 Devizes Boat Club March 1st Prize: £40 J Clark, 2nd Prize: £20 Devizes Boat Club.
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Canalside carols Pictures by Bob Naylor
Devizes Wharf
The carol service on Devizes Wharf was led by Canon Paul Richardson with music by the Trowbridge Band of the Salvation Army. About 100 singers were at the event organised by Devizes Branch of the K&A Canal Trust and ÂŁ70 was raised for the Salvation Army.
Dundas Wharf
There were decorated boats and almost 200 singers of all ages who braved the rain for the annual carol service on Dundas Wharf led by the Rev Peter Atwill with music from the Trowbridge Band of the Salvation Army.
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What to do with the drunken sailor? by Bob Naylor he vexed question of what to do with a drunken sailor has taxed the imagination of mariners since the days of sail. The traditional heaving shanty offers some suggestions — from throwing him in the scuppers with a hose-pipe on him to shaving his belly with a rusty razor — and one version of the song even suggests that putting him in bed with the captain’s daughter is a fitting punishment. None of these traditional punishments were available to District Judge Simon Cooper when Simon Hemper appeared before him at North Wilts Magistrates Court in Chippenham late last year. Hemper, 44, of Poole, Dorset was charged under sections 80(3) and 82 of the Railways and Transport Safety Act 2003: for being on board a ship under way, namely ‘The Plot Vessel’ and not being a
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professional ship’s master, ship’s pilot or seaman he attempted to exercise a function in connection with the navigation of the ship having consumed so much alcohol that the proportion of it in his breath, namely 100 micrograms in 100 millilitres exceeded the prescribed limit (the legal limit is 35 micrograms). On 21st September 2009 the police were called after
Hemper was said to have been making erratic progress along the K&A Canal, hitting the bank, boats and bridges as he travelled from Bishops Cannings towards Pewsey. Hemper was arrested at Honeystreet and breathalysed and found to be over the limit. Hemper pleaded guilty to the charges and he was fined £60 with £85 costs with a £15 statutory victim surcharge. Passing sentence, District
Judge Cooper said, “It was clearly foolish to drive a narrowboat when your judgement was impaired. You posed a moderate risk to others in that state”. The K&A Waterways Manager, Mark Stephens, said: “Drinking too much when in charge of a boat isn’t a good idea and puts other canal users at risk even when travelling at the wonderfully leisurely pace of a narrowboat. “Impaired judgement can cause accidents and significant damage to our ageing locks, bridges and landing stages. “The majority of people who use the waterways behave sensibly and with great consideration to others and the environment around them.” Mark concluded, “In the rare instance of a public disorder incident on our property British Waterways’ staff will call in the police.”
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Changing faces at the K&A Canal Trust New Chairman for Trust Council avid Rees is the new Chairman of the Kennet and Avon Canal Trust Council. He has a wide experience of rural, urban and market town regeneration together with business development in assisting the start up and growth of small and medium sized enterprises in many rural areas of the South West. David is also an adviser to a Salisbury-based charity developing Food Banks across the UK and supporting vulnerable young people in Bulgaria. David said, “This is a challenging time to chair the famous K&A Trust and one of my first priorities will be to engage with the British Waterways Managers and encourage them to agree to pilot some of their ideas on the K&A. “The Trust wants British
Staff departures s part of the cost cuts needed to balance the Trust’s books, Office Manager, Katherine Culverhouse, above, was made redundant before Christmas and the job of Barbara Frogett, right, came to an end when the running of the tea room at Bradford on Avon was put in the hands of commercial partners, Victoria and Tarkan Kisioglu who also run the Canal Tavern in Bradford on Avon.
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Picture by Bob Naylor
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Picture by Bob Naylor
Picture by Bob Naylor
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Waterways to work with us and our key stakeholder local authority partners to pilot a new model of working which will give more local control, provide better value for money and develop a waterway for the future for everyone to enjoy who lives along the K&A.”
Now selling diesel, gas, solid fuel and everyday boating essentials
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Roy Smedley, Chairman of the Bath and Bristol Branch of the K&A Canal Trust, was elected to Trust Council at the 2009 AGM. He is standing down at this year’s AGM.
David Rees the new chairman of the K&A Canal Trust Board of Trustees
HILPERTON
Trustees stand down
Devizes Branch Chairman, Alice Boyd has been a Trustee since the 2009 AGM. She is standing down as a Trustee and from the Board of K&A Canal Trust (Enterprise) Ltd at the AGM.
Picture by Bob Naylor
Picture by Bob Naylor
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No.190 Spring 2010
Volunteer workshops BW held a series of workshops around the country in January for BW staff to meet the volunteer groups working on their waterways. Members of BW’s volunteering team and local colleagues were on hand to talk through BW’s plans for volunteering and to discuss how BW can work together with volunteer groups to increase and improve volunteering opportunities. The K&A meeting was held at the Canal Centre, Devizes, on Friday 29th January. Trust General Manager Mike Rodd and volunteer champion Terry Kemp joined Karen Fishwick, Ed Moore and Mark Stephens from BW to meet IWA representative John Webb and three members of the Pewsey Wharf Boat Club.
Harbour Festival This year’s Bristol Harbour Festival is on the weekend of 31st July – 1st August. Quay and pontoon moorings are limited to 250 — so boaters who want to go should book early. Ring the Harbourmaster on 0117 9031484 or email: harbour.office@bristol.gov.uk www.bristolharbourfestival.co.uk
K&A 200 Raffle Karen Fishwick, the BW Volunteer Coordinator for the South drew the K&A 200 raffle when she visited Devizes on 29th January. The lucky winners are: 1st Prize, £250 Mr Pearson of Newbury 2nd Prize, £150 Ken Keegan of Andover 3rd Prize, £50, Dr J Riviere of Wells There were also 10 runners up who each won one year’s free Trust membership: Mr & Mrs Smith, Mr G Malcolm, J Weeks, R&A Owen, CG Saunders, R Harris, B Martin, OM Shaw, P Brooker and M Green. The raffle raised in the region of £2500 after expenses.
Vodafone funds volunteering project Trustee Terry Kemp has been awarded a £2,500 grant from the Vodafone Foundation. Vodafone’s World of Difference programme provides funding to pay people to work for two months for the charity of their choice. Terry chose to work for the K&A Canal Trust, celebrating, developing and implementing volunteering on the canal. Terry said, “My passion is
about the importance and benefits our waterway brings to people. Volunteering is one real opportunity we have for closer engagement with each other and to make a difference to our waterway.” Part of Terry’s agreement with Vodafone was to write a ‘blog’, some of which is reproduced on page 5 and you can read more at: worldofdifference.vodafone.co.uk
Claverton Craft Weekend Spring Bank Holiday weekend Sunday 30th & Monday 31st May John Rouse, Journeyman for the Waterways Craft Guild, will be demonstrating how to paint Roses and Castles, with a variety of traditional canal-related items for sale. And sculptor Gordon Aitcheson will be displaying his work and demonstrating his many skills The 1813 waterwheel-driven beam pumps will be in operation. Work being carried out on the restoration of the Burbage Crane will be on display 10am until 5pm (last admission 4:30pm) £4.50 (Children under 16 are admitted free but all children must be accompanied by an adult)
BW staff Star Awards BW staff who go above and beyond the call of duty can now be nominated by colleagues or customers for a Special Thanks and Recognition (STAR) Award. Recent recipients include an employee who rescued a boy from the canal after he had fallen through ice, bank staff nominated by an elderly boater who they helped at the Caldon Canal breach and a further nomination by a boater who said he “owes his life” to the quick-witted BW employee who pulled him out of the canal after he had slipped from his boat. To nominate a BW employee, get in touch with the local waterway office or email: enquiries.hq@ britishwaterways.co.uk.
Explorer Licence retained The consultation on boat licence fees has ended and BW has taken note of the strong demand for retaining the 30-day Explorer Licence. Sally Ash, BW’s head of boating, said, “Despite only low level take-up in previous years I am pleased that we will continue making the Explorer Licence available”. It is now available from: britishwaterways.co.uk/licensing
Woman and dog rescued from icy waters “Keep your dogs away from the water in freezing conditions”, is the message from firefighters after they had to rescue both a woman and her dog from the icy waters of the K&A in Thatcham in December. A fire crew from Newbury was called to a sluice in Station Road, Thatcham, and found a woman and her dog struggling in the dark. The woman had gone into the water to rescue her dog and got into difficulties herself. Both were rescued, very cold, but otherwise unharmed.
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Boating community rally round after horror boat blaze by Bob Naylor
The twisted hull of Eliza Louise after the fire near Trowbridge last November
After his home and all his possessions were destroyed in an inferno that also killed his dog, Rod Heavens thought he had lost everything... until boaters on the K&A came to the rescue and helped him rebuild his home and his life od Heavens is back afloat following the horrific fire that swept through his boat in November last year. Boaters got together and started fundraising with benefit nights in pubs that raised more than £2,500. Steel was bought and the burned out shell was dry docked at Widbrook Marina and the work began. With the help of friends, the top was cut off and the hull extended to 66 feet and a new back cabin has been built. When finished the boat will
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look like a traditional working boat with canvas over a plywood cabin supported on a steel framework. Before Eliza Louise was refloated at the beginning of March, a renaming celebration was held at the dry dock — and the boat’s name was changed to Feenix Nites. Rod said, “There is still a long way to go but we will get there in the end. All my boating friends have been absolutely fantastic — without them it would not have been possible.
The work of extending the hull almost finished
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Rod Heavens and friends celebrate at the renaming ceremony at Widbrook Marina on 10th March before Feenix Nites takes to the water
Rod back afloat — with plenty more work to do, but confident it will be done
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Tel: 01380 827801 www.foxhangers.co.uk 12
Corgi Reg: 50508
Beechfield Road Hopton Trading Estate, Devizes Telephone 01380 727266
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NEWS
No.190 Spring 2010
Safe Rowde link to K&A Canal opened
new footpath linking the village of Rowde with the Caen Hill Flight was opened by BW Waterways Manager, Mark Stephens, on 6th December. Plans for the walkway were drawn up after a questionnaire to villagers showed that there was huge demand for safety improvements for walkers using the busy road. Rowde Parish Council set up a steering committee and the first hurdle was overcome when
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Rowde’s new footpath link to the K&A Canal will give canal users safe access to pubs and the new village shop By Di Harris, pictures by Bob Naylor BW allowed a permissive footpath to be created across their land. This became a catalyst, and Wiltshire Council, the Parish Council, and Viridor Waste Management, supported by the police, joined forces to deliver and fund the outstanding
sections of path, which continues to the bus stops on the A361. Mark Stephens said, “The new path now means that our boating customers can safely walk to Rowde, its pubs and the new village shop, whilst villagers and visitors can come
and enjoy the fantastic sight of the Caen Hill Flight.” The final works to the pathway, a ramp and widened pedestrian crossing over Marsh Lane Lock, will be completed after Easter. Neil Bawden, of the Marsh Lane Footpath Steering Group said, “The new ramp and footbridge are happening later than we hoped, but they are worth waiting for and will make the Caen Hill Flight fully accessible”.
Kennet & Avon Canal Waterway Manager, Mark Stephens, left, cuts the ribbon to open the footpath. Villagers and visitors walk the path, centre and right, Susie Mercer, BW’s Boating and Trade Manager for the South of England cuts a celebration cake.
TH MA RI A P NE W O T
the Barge Inn Honeystreet
MOBILE MARINE SERVICE FOR WATERWAYS CRAFT
Historic Canalside Inn serving home cooked food from noon — 2.30pm and 7 — 9pm
Tel: 01672 851705 www.the-barge-inn.com
Crop circle venue with notice boards
Real Ales
ON THE KENNET & AVON CANAL
Campsite
Outboard/Inboard Engine Servicing & Repair 12/240V Electrics, Plumbing & Diesel Heaters Breakdown Service & Boat Relocation
Marquee for parties
Contact:
Tom Sheldrick Tel: 07760 452195 13
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NEWS
No.190 Spring 2010
Bedwyn village shop re-opens
Dogged determination protects future of historic K&A barge
T Canal users and local people have welcomed the re-opening of the village shop in Great Bedwyn that closed unexpectedly in September. The new owner is Dipak Patel, who also runs another shop in Salisbury. The shop sells newspapers and magazines and is applying for an off-licence and Dipak is planning to start grocery deliveries.
Boat business folds
No Board pay rise BW Board Members unanimously decided not to draw the 1.5% pay rise awarded them by Defra. The money will go to The Waterways Trust for existing projects with disadvantaged young people.
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Tireless campaigner, Paul Barnett
Harriett at Purton
BW’s battered bridges Irresponsible drivers are giving British Waterways the hump ritish Waterways is asking speeding motorists to slow down when crossing the 200-year-old hump-back bridges that span the nation’s historic canal network. Each year, British Waterways spends up to £2.5million fixing the damage caused by irresponsible drivers — money that they say would be better spent on maintenance of canals and rivers. The majority of hump-back bridges were designed in the 18th and 19th centuries to
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John Gould award for Pete Jordan Volunteer’s work recognised ears of work for the K&A Canal by Devizes Branch stalwart Pete Jordan were recognised when he received the John Gould award in February. The John Gould award is presented annually by the K&A Canal Partnership for outstanding voluntary contribution to the canal. Pete Jordan, who as well as
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canal. Often officially listed as being of special architectural or historical significance, these bridges have to be painstakingly repaired at great cost. “We’re working with the County Surveyors’ Society and local authorities to improve signage and road markings, but frankly, if motorists just slowed down a bit and took more care and attention then we’d not be defacing our heritage in this way on a day-to-day basis.”
carry horse-drawn carts over canals and are now synonymous with the inland waterways. British Waterways looks after 1,800 historic bridges and estimates that at least two are struck every week by modern vehicles, which are much faster and often larger than the traffic that they were designed for. Nigel Crowe, British Waterways’ head of heritage, said, “Whenever you go over a hump-back bridge in Britain you are likely to be going over a
being the ‘voice’ of K&A Canal Trust events, also gives regular talks and guided walks, runs the 100 Club for the Avon Vale and is on the committee of the Trust’s Devizes Branch. Terry Kemp, Chairman of the Partnership who presented the award said, “It has been said that we could do with a troop of Peter Jordans — this is very true.”
Picture by Bob Naylor
Reading Marine has ceased trading. The Edwards family have run the business at Aldermaston Wharf, Padworth since 1993 when they moved from Reading. They went into liquidation on 1st March and Peter Walker of Harrisons has been appointed to wind up the business. Hoseasons managed bookings for Reading Marine and their Product Director, Sara Zimmerman said, "We are in discussions with the current owners of Reading Marine and expect it to be operating as normal in 2010 under new ownership. The hire-boats were not owned by Reading Marine, but by private investors. ABC Leisure (formerly Alvechurch Boats) have negotiated with the owners to run the boats for them from Aldermaston Wharf with the agreement of BW who own the site.
ensuring that adequate protection is afforded to the site as a whole.” Speaking about the Purton site in an adjournment debate in Parliament on 8th December, Stroud MP David Drew said, “It certainly seems unique when one hears Paul Barnett talking about the hulks for several hours; he is most enthusiastic about them. I know that some find him somewhat difficult because he has driven things forward as a personal campaign, but with hindsight people will say thank goodness he saw it as a vision and as his responsibility.”
Pictures by Bob Naylor
he tireless campaign started by Paul Barnett, founder of the Friends of Purton, will finally assure the future of the last remaining Kennet Barge built by Robins Lane & Pinnegar at Honeystreet in 1898. She was beached on the banks of the River Severn in 1964 at Purton as part of the bank’s erosion protection. Paul said, “The 'Friends' efforts have at last been recognised and Harriett is to be formally scheduled and therefore protected by the full force of British Law. A momentous step forward, but merely the beginning of
New look for Trust leaflets The K&A Canal Trust leaflets have been redesigned and the information updated by a team from Crofton Branch. Harry Willis, who led the team, came up with the new design concept and the information was researched by Maxine Hawkins and Pam Weeks. Finished artwork was by Lee Bullett of Maidenhead.
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NEWS
No.190 Spring 2010
The snowy splendour of the Kennet & Avon Canal Pictures by Nikki Softley, Stan Green and Bob Naylor Boats moored at Newbury
The Barge Inn at Honeystreet
Bradford on Avon Wharf
Pewsey
Dundas Wharf crane
A boating snowman at Newbury
Bathampton
The ice and snow did not deter these members of Devizes Canoe club
Seend
A long cold walk for these swans passing through Horton
West Mills, Newbury
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NEWS
No.190 Spring 2010
K&A Winter works Caen Hill facelift alf a million pounds was spent replacing sixteen lock gates on the Caen Hill Flight, Devizes in this winter’s maintenance works programme for the canal. K&A Waterway Manager Mark Stephens said, “It’s fantastic to see this unique heritage structure receiving some special care and attention ahead of the celebrations for its 200th birthday”. To fit the new gates the fish were removed and re-homed, lock pound at a time, and the canal drained. The empty lock chambers were inspected and repairs to the brick work done where necessary. As well as work at Caen Hill, significant work was done at Widmead and Garston Locks at the eastern end of the canal.
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A year of celebrations for Devizes lantern parade With the support of VisitWiltshire and the K&A Canal Trust, British Waterways is sponsoring the popular Devizes Christmas Festival and Lantern Parade on Friday 26th November, which this year will use the canal as a theme. The Lantern Parade will be re-routed to take in Devizes Wharf and will replace the originally suggested event at Caen Hill on 28th December.
Bonus for tourism The original interpretation board project has evolved. A series of circular walks, linking the canal to local businesses, attractions and interesting sites will be researched, mapped out and promoted. The first of these pilot projects will be worked up with partners in and around Great Bedwyn.
Education project A new addition to the programme of activities, aimed at younger people, is a weeklong education programme in Devizes, which will encourage local school children to learn more about the heritage of their environment as well as encouraging safe enjoyment of the waterways.
Bath Flight makeover Two wrought iron bridges on the Bath Flight will be refurbished in a bicentenary upgrade of the flight. British Waterways are contributing £100,000 to the project and are calling on local residents, businesses and community groups to rediscover their canal and help return it to its former glory. With sufficient support, the project may be expanded to restore the listed chimney as well. Sarah Brice, British Waterways Regeneration Project Manager, said, “To help us achieve our goal of an
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Picture by Bob Naylor
improved canal we are asking local people, businesses and groups to aid our project by pledging 200 units of support during the canal’s bicentenary year. “That could be giving up 200 minutes of spare time helping us clear back overhanging trees, donating 200 bulbs for us to plant to brighten up the flight or giving £200 to help re-lay the towpath surface.” To find out more or to pledge your help to the restoration of the Bath Lock Flight please email KA200projects@ britishwaterways.co.uk
Bath public art Kate Orchard has been appointed to manage an arts project on the Bath Flight. She is working closely with BW’s Sarah Brice and BANES Senior Arts Development Officer Ann Cullis, and will be consulting widely with the community to commission a piece of artwork due to be installed in September.
Widcombe Rising Widcombe Rising is Bath’s biggest family fun day and street party. This year is linked to the K&A’s 200th. Visitors are invited to come wearing appropriately nautical costume. There will be canal-side picnics and even a small floating stage. Usually people are encouraged to walk to the party, but this year people are encouraged to come by boat as well. There will be plenty to interest water-borne visitors as a Heritage Lottery grant has funded a canal history trail and treasure hunt and a canal history exhibition. There will be a street theatre project with a watery theme involving up to 50 young people, culminating in a promenade performance on the day. The internationally famous Natural Theatre are based in Widcombe and are supporters of the Rising. The company’s hilarious characters will be very much in evidence at Widcombe Rising, including the rather
the K&A’s 200th birthday imposing figure of Lady Margaret whose anarchic Dog Show is a regular highlight of the event. All dogs and owners are welcome! There will be wandering musicians, top local bands, a camera obscura, women’s Morris, a punt on wheels, children’s creative activities, the forty ladies of the Handbags of Harmony in full voice, Chinese, Indian and Western foods and even a miniature cinema. And the night before there is an evening musical picnic at the stunning Palladian Bridge in nearby National Trust Prior Park. Please note there is no parking whatsoever at this event. Disabled access available to most activities.
Great Bedwyn re-enact opening On 5th June Great Bedwyn reenacts the opening ceremony of 1799 — tickets are selling fast. Revellers can join the ‘Rose of Hungerford’ at Hungerford Wharf, leaving at 2.30pm for a trip to Great Bedwyn. The boat trip tickets are £10.00 including refreshments. When the passengers arrive at Great Bedwyn Wharf at 5.30 pm they will find photographic displays of the history of the waterway, Crofton before restoration and as it is today; a traditional boatman’s cabin and interior of a fitted-out narrow boat. Crofton Pumping Station will be in steam throughout the day from 10.30am — 6.30pm. Once the party begins at 6.30pm, the wharf will come alive with a hog roast BBQ, Wadworth K&A 200 ale and a brass band. Tickets for the Wharf party are £5 including voucher.
Waterway fun days and festivals Reading WaterFest on Saturday 19th June and Newbury Waterways Festival on Sunday 25th July will both be exciting, vibrant events attracting many thousands of visitors to join the K&A 200 celebrations.
The RNLI are also holding a fundraising family fun day at Caen Hill, Devizes on Sunday 30th May.
Exhibitions and displays There will be K&A 200 exhibitions along the length of the canal, including the Frenchay Village Museum, Bristol (February to April), West Berkshire Museum in Newbury (from 15th July to 30th September), West Barn, Bradford on Avon (from 31st May to 2nd June) and Widcome, Bath in June.
Relay ramble There is also to be a week-long relay walk along the length of the canal starting in Reading on Saturday 8th May and ending in Bristol on Saturday 15th May. This is being arranged by the Ramblers Association in partnership with BW and celebrates their 75th anniversary as well as the K&A's 200th. The public are welcome to join this walk whether for a short section, a whole day, or the entire route to Bristol.
Rotary walk Melksham Rotary Club is organising a sponsored walk in bite-size sections along the length of the K&A on 25th April. All walkers will start at 10.00am. The money raised will be split between the K&A Canal Trust, Help for Heroes, Dorothy House and Prospect Hospices. They would love to have some K&A Canal Trust members to take part.
Girl guides share celebration Up to 100 girl guides will be celebrating the K&A bicentenary as part of their own centenary celebrations when they take part in a cruise from Reading to Bath and back in August on board ‘Falcon Adam’, a 70ft narrowboat owned by the Thames and Kennet Narrowboat Trust.
K&A 200 Diary 26th March – 9th April Art exhibition at the Bridge Inn Horton ‘art, ale and vintage boats’ Phone 01380 860273 for more information Friday 2nd – Sunday 4th April Devizes to Westminster International Canoe Race Find out more at www.dwrace.org.uk Sunday 25th April Melksham Rotary Club K&A Canal sponsored walk in ‘bite-sized’ sections Contact Arnold Snowball on 01225 708366. Saturday 8th – Saturday 15th May The Ramblers’ Relay Join in for as long or as little as you like, see the route schedule to plan your participation at www.ramblers75.org.uk/baton-walks Saturday 22nd May K&A Canal Trust Devizes 2010 Celebration at Devizes Wharf. For more information ring: 01380 721279 Monday 24th May - Saturday 29th May Bell ringing celebration from Bedwyn to Bath by The Salisbury Diocesan Guild of Ringers. More information from: david.hacker@blueyonder.co.uk Sunday 30th May RNLI Fun Day at Caen Hill, Devizes More information at www.rnli.org.uk 31st May, 1st and 2nd June Bradford on Avon Preservation Trust's K&A Canal Bicentenary Exhibition in the West Barn. More information at www.bradfordheritage.co.uk Saturday 5th June, Re-enactment of the 1799 opening of the canal at Great Bedwyn Wharf. Information from David Harris, 01672 870133, email davidgongoozler@btinternet.com or Roger Durie on 01672 870955, email: DurieUK@aol.com Sunday 13th June, Widcombe Rising, Bath More information at www.widcombe.net Saturday 19th June, Reading WaterFest See www.reading.gov.uk for more information. Saturday 26th – Sunday 27th June The Barge Bicentenary Bonanza — with music, entertainment, BBQ and their special 1810 celebration ale at The Barge Inn, Honeystreet, Pewsey. Thursday 15th July – Thursday 30th September K&A 200 exhibition at West Berkshire Museum More information at www.westberks.gov.uk Sunday 25th July Newbury Waterways Festival More information from Julie or Rob Dean on 01962 883939 28th – 30th August IWA National Festival, Beale Park near Reading More information at www.waterways.org.uk Saturday 30 August Devizes Carnival. Devizes Branch plan to take part. More information from Becky on 01380 721279 Saturday 9th – Friday 15th October, Thatcham Festival of the Arts will incorporate the bicentenary as part of its celebrations. More information at www.thatchamtowncouncil.gov.uk Friday 26th November Devizes lantern parade & Christmas lights switch on This year the route will take revellers to waterside activities at the wharf. More infomation at www.devizes-tc.gov.uk
More information will be added to the K&A 200 page on www.waterscape.com and at www.katrust.org.uk. Phone 01380 721279 if you have an event to add to the list.
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OBITUARY
No.190 Spring 2010
Harry Bell arry Bell died peacefully at The Lock House, Semington on 27th January while listening to music with his devoted Old English sheepdog, Sophie, by his side. Harry was one of that group of people who started canal businesses confident that the Kennet & Avon Canal would one day re-open. Harry was active in the K&A’s trade association, ACE (The Association of Canal Enterprises) and in its early days he served both as Chairman and Secretary. Harry and his wife Sue started Tranquil Boats in 1984 building a dry dock, taking in bed & breakfast guests and running an electric day hire boat. Sadly Sue died after only 10 years at The Lock House — but she was immensely proud and honoured to have been spoken to by HM The Queen at the ceremony to re-open the canal in 1990. Harry was a clever and honest man who did not suffer fools gladly. With Harry respect had to be earned — and if gained then that person had a true friend for life. Harry was a fiercely independent and private man and very few people who met him on the canal had any idea of his long and fascinating life in the world of show business. Harry Bell was born in Forest Hall, between Newcastle Upon Tyne and the coast, on the 17th December 1935. He was educated first at a church primary school then moving on to the local Grammar school. It was in school plays that he showed an interest in the ‘back stage’ work which subsequently took over his life. His love of the stage soon saw him volunteering as a general helper at the Peoples Theatre in Newcastle during school breaks. He left school with few qualifications — just 3 GCEs — but he was ambitious and he got his first job as an electrician at the Theatre Royal
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in Newcastle. He then moved on to the Empire ‘variety house’ in Sunderland but he was soon on the move again — this time with Billy Smart’s Circus. He soon realised that this was a bad move and he returned to the Empire in Newcastle, where he stayed until he was called up for National Service in the RAF. He served two years as a wireless mechanic — but he kept touch with the theatre by helping to produce the entertainment at the transmitting station where he was based. When he left the RAF Harry returned to the Empire in Newcastle where he continued as a stage hand until his 21st birthday. Then the big city beckoned and he left for London. He quickly got into his stride — first at the Chiswick Empire as an electrician, and then with the Paul Raymond organisation as stage manager, electrician and coach driver. He then joined HM Tennent who presented many of the top shows in the UK — again as an electrician — and he toured with Norman Wisdom in ‘Where’s Charley’. When the show came to the West End, Harry moved on to Drury Lane, this time for the big production of the year — ‘My Fair Lady’. Never staying still for long Harry joined the Talk of the Town as the sound man. He considered himself very lucky to work there with many performers in their last days in show business – Judy Garland and the Andrews Sisters among them. He met his future wife, Sue, and he soon realised that enjoyable as theatre work was, the wages would not buy a house or support a family. At that time commercial television was expanding rapidly and ATV had taken over the old National Studios in Elstree and needed staff — he applied and he was taken on as a prop man. Over the next 22 years
Harry Bell with his constant companion, Sophie, his Old English Sheepdog
promotion followed promotion and he progressed from Prop Man to Floor Manager and then to Production Manager. Harry was now in the prime of his life. He specialised in light entertainment for which ATV was renowned in the 60s and 70s. Harry worked with every major British and International star from Liberace to Bing Crosby and with his all time favourite — Karen Carpenter. He enjoyed every moment of an exciting working life alongside stars like Morecambe and Wise, Lena Horne, Dickie Valentine, Des O’Connor and Englebert Humperdinck. Harry said, “This was when TV was an entertainment medium run by show business people — unlike today when sadly it is run by accountants”. In 1983 ATV had become Central and relocated to the Midlands. Harry did not like the way things had been going so he decided to take redundancy and look for a new way of life. Harry and Sue had bought a boat which they named ‘Lady Caroline’ after their daughter. They used it to escape the pressures of work and to take their two Old English Sheepdogs on holiday with them. And like many boat owners
they dreamed of retirement in a house with a boat on the canal at the bottom of the garden. They found The Lock House at Semington and although the canal was not open Harry and Sue believed that it would be one day. In 1984 they moved in and set up Tranquil Boats and they were able to live their dream — a total contrast to Harry’s previous hectic life. Harry freelanced at HTV so that he was able to live at The Lock House and develop the business — while still working in television. Harry was passionate about Old English Sheep dogs — and over the years four shared his life at The Lock House. Harry always said that he had been fortunate to meet so many good people and he hoped that he had provided a good service to boaters — but he said that his life would have been a lot better if he had not had to deal with the harassment from British Waterways management which over the years had caused him so much avoidable distress. Harry was immensely proud of his daughter Caroline, her husband Mark, and his two grandchildren, Eleanor and Rosie who were all a great comfort to him.
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K&A Waterway Manager Mark Stephens t’s February, the snow appears to have passed, the canal has thawed and work has recommenced on this season’s lock stoppages. A slightly frustrating start to the year, particularly for our construction teams but such are the vagaries of working outside. Prior to the Christmas break, lock gates were replaced at Widmead and Garston. The work at Widmead included extensive brickwork repairs; many of you will recall that much of the brick facing to this concrete lock had been lost. Our construction team has replaced several thousand bricks and as a result the lock is looking far more presentable. There are some further repair works to do when reduced river levels allow and we will return in due course. Unfortunately, high water levels and poor weather conditions are one of the compromises that we live with in order to undertake as much of our work as possible during the winter when the canal is quieter. I am considering the
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Regeneration Manager South James Young ince last writing in The Butty Autumn edition the new BW Regeneration Directorate has been established and a team of 18 has been brought together to cover the South of the country, under the leadership of Richard Rutter. The geography of the Kennet & Avon Canal is diverse and covers protected countryside and historic conurbations. The underlying common purpose is to prioritise the enhancement of the waterway network and, as a consequence, the public
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BRITISH WATERWAYS BRIEFING
No.190 Spring 2010 potential for short, focused stoppages at other times of the year. This would cause some disruption to navigation of the canal but favourable river and weather conditions allow us to complete more repair and construction works with the limited budget available. Such a proposal would require careful consideration but hopefully you’ll agree its worthy of discussion. Both of our construction teams are currently based at Caen Hill and are making good progress with the stoppage works. This winter we’re replacing eight pairs of bottom lock gates on the ‘main’ flight; that’s a total of nearly 50 tons of oak lock gates! The locks are being completed two at a time which reduces the total duration of the works, reducing our site overheads and making more efficient use of our resources. Our budget is fixed; delivering more for the same (or less) cost continues to be a priority. The Caen Hill works are part of an on-going programme of lock gate replacement on the Kennet & Avon canal. British Waterways has a national programme for lock gate replacement; all of our lock gates are ranked in order of condition and the top (or
perhaps more accurately bottom) 200 are identified for replacement. This year the Kennet & Avon scored highly in terms of requirement for new gates and next year we appear to have again secured more than our ‘fair’ share of the gates on offer. It’s a dubious honour but we are now making significant in-roads into improving our gate stock. Still on the subject of efficiency, we’ve completed a report that identifies the condition of the pumps in our pumping stations. It is well known throughout the Kennet & Avon community that many of our pumps are reaching the end of their lives and are well overdue for replacement. In this sense, the report tells us what we already knew. However, I now have the detail required to present a case for the systematic replacement of pumps and control panels that will make the waterway both more reliable and more efficient; current pumps and control panels offer huge energy efficiencies over earlier, energy-hungry pumps that were conceived before CO2 emissions and energy consumption levels were a proper consideration. Water levels and pumping
capacity were high on the list of issues raised by everyone at November’s User Group Meeting; I’d like to thank everyone who drew current concerns, including this one, to my attention. I can report that new nonreturn valves for the Bradford station have been ordered. I think that all of the above is very positive for the canal and I intend to continue to push hard to make sure that the Kennet & Avon receives the attention from British Waterways that it requires. I’m also excited by the prospect of working much more closely with the Trust; BW and the Trust share many of the same objectives and plans for achieving them are taking shape. My Directors at British Waterways are very supportive of the partnered working that we are exploring on the Kennet & Avon; with this support and a good local working relationship I’m confident that this canal could be something of a model for the future of all of our waterways. Thank you for your continued support; there’s a long way to go and the canal won’t be transformed overnight, but I’m looking forward to the journey ahead of us.
benefit delivered by British Waterways. A key priority is to develop and secure funding for projects that provide a direct and ongoing contribution to the maintenance and development of the waterway network. Though the restoration programme, the Kennet & Avon Canal has witnessed the creation of strong associations between key stakeholders. The Kennet & Avon Partnership was formed in 1994 to safeguard the future of the waterway, leading to the successful HLF bid. The publication of the Conservation Plan was a requirement of the £25m HLF award and provides a management plan for the environmental protection and
sustainability of the canal for the future. I believe that placing the Conservation Plan at the heart of the new BW Regeneration Strategy for the K&A Canal will provide a vital opportunity to develop stronger partnerships with the K&A Canal Trust, K&A Trade Association and the six riparian authorities of Bristol City, South Gloucestershire, BANES, Wiltshire, West Berkshire and Reading. These relationships will support and sustain our wider business aims. I also consider it necessary to engage with a wider audience of key stakeholders, for example the Environment Agency, AONBs and user groups such as SUSTRANS. Stakeholder engagement is
at the core of the Regeneration Directorate and needs to be developed in an open and accountable way. In conjunction with the creation of the funding package for the canal restoration, the riparian authorities entered into agreements with BW, and it is incumbent on BW to identify the true social, economic, and environmental benefits that are enjoyed by the local communities. Of equal importance is the relationship with the Kennet & Avon Waterway Unit and the support that can be offered in contributing to the Steady State cost of waterway maintenance. It is hoped that, with the key stakeholders working in partnership, the existing benefits can be enhanced.
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1756 John Ward was born in Cheadle, Staffordshire. 1788 As agent to the Earl of Ailesbury (Lord Bruce), Ward attended a meeting in Hungerford in March to discuss the proposed extension of the Kennet Navigation from Newbury on to Marlborough — the Western Canal. In July he wrote a pamphlet setting out the advantages and supporting the proposed scheme to extend navigation for transporting coal, freestone (Bath Stone), building materials, lime, peat ashes, manure, corn, malt, cheese, chalk and flint. 1789 Surveyors proposed a route from Newbury to Bath via Hungerford, Marlborough, Chippenham and Bradford. Ward advised Lord Bruce that a more southern route via Pewsey provided a better line for the canal. 1792 Canal mania — fuelled by early dividends on other canals — encouraged the wealthy from Bath and Bristol to ‘Race to Devizes’ to buy shares in the new canal. The committee of subscribers appointed Ward as their solicitor. 1794 The Act of Parliament was passed enabling the building of a canal to join the River Kennet Navigation at Newbury to the Somerset Avon at Bath. Ward was appointed Principal Clerk to the Canal Company and John Rennie was appointed Chief Engineer.
John Ward: champion o The K&A Canal celebrates its 200th anniversary this year — Mike Corfield looks at the vital role a small town solicitor played in bringing the dream of a waterway link between Bristol and Reading to reality. Without Ward it is unlikely that the canal scheme would ever have got off the ground. f the many people connected with the planning and development of the Kennet & Avon Canal, one of the least acknowledged has been John Ward. Neither Ken Clew nor Warren Berry make much more than passing reference to him in their books. This is surprising because without Ward it is unlikely that the canal scheme would ever have got off the ground. So how was it that a small town solicitor could have been such an influence on such a great enterprise? John Ward’s uncle, Charles Bill, had preceded him as the agent to the Earl of Ailesbury (Lord Bruce). The Wards and the Bills came from Staffordshire and they were connected by marriage to John Gilbert, agent to the Duke of Bridgewater — probably the prime mover in the planning of the
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Bridgewater Canal. John’s sons, John junior and Thomas were agents to the Marquis of Stafford and his son Earl Gower, both key players in the Grand Trunk Canal (later called the Trent and Mersey Canal) and the Staffs and Worcester Canal. John Junior and Thomas were shareholders in the Grand Trunk and also, significantly, in the Rochdale Canal. So Ward had three concerns when he attended the meeting in Hungerford in March of 1788 to discuss the proposed Western Canal: his own knowledge and interest in new navigations, his need to look after the Ailesbury interests and also the need to get the best deal for Marlborough. Although he was sceptical about the
1794 On 18th November, Ward wrote to Rennie to say that work had begun at Bradford. 1810 Ward went into partnership with his clerk Thomas Merriman and they became jointly Principal Clerks of the Canal Company.
Picture by Mike Corfield
1820 Merriman succeeded Ward in his own right as Clerk. 1827 Ward died on 13th April and is buried in a vault lying in the NE corner of St Mary’s churchyard, Marlborough. The skew bridge on the ride from Tottenham House to Wilton Brail that Ward persuaded Rennie to build
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of the Kennet & Avon Canal link viability of the initial proposal for extending the Kennet Navigation to Marlborough he recognised that it would be good for the town — but he rightly did not think that it would be possible to get the agreement of the river’s major riparian landowners. Nonetheless, when in July 1788 it was proposed that the new canal should go through to Bristol he threw himself wholeheartedly behind the scheme and wrote the pamphlet “Observations on a Scheme for extending the Navigation of the Rivers Kennett and Avon, so as to form a Direct Communication between London, Bristol and the West of England”. During the next four years the line was surveyed by Whitworth’s assistants and pronounced feasible, ignoring the implacable opposition of the owners of Ramsbury Manor and Littlecote House. Ward meantime was pointing out as early as 1789 to Lord Bruce that a line via Pewsey would be better and would be supported by Bruce’s tenants. Later, he was probably instrumental in the appointment of Rennie over Whitworth as the engineer, possibly because of his cousins’ experience of him, but also because Rennie was building a silk mill for Lord Bruce near to Marlborough. After the ‘Race to Devizes’ in 1792, Ward was indefatigable in his efforts to reconcile the Bristol and Bath merchants who had the money, the landowners who held shares, the people of Devizes who while the line through Marlborough was favoured planned their own through Pewsey to the Basingstoke Canal, and finally his fellow citizens of Marlborough who were outraged at what they saw as the loss of trade that would be caused by the new line. After all these had been placated (Marlborough not until the last hours of the passage of the Canal Bill through Parliament) Ward was appointed the clerk to the Bill — effectively the author of it. In this his diplomatic skills were again needed as he had to have the written consent of every landowner and occupier of land along the line — from the greatest to the most humble. Some of these were most difficult — Mrs Wroughton and her sisters of Wilcot
Manor holding out to the end, demanding a payment in cash, a handsome bridge and a wide lake (Ladies Bridge and Wilcot Wide Water). As the time for the Bill to be presented to Parliament approached Ward had to use his contacts with MPs and aristocrats to drum up support. He also had to persuade the aristocrats to support bills promoted by others who might object to the K&A Bill if they were opposed — and equally to oppose those that the great aristocrats did not favour. The Duke of Bridgewater in particular needed constant appeasement such was his power and influence. Here again, Ward was advised by his uncle and cousins. When the Bill was finally enacted Ward was commended by his uncle John Gilbert, who said the Act would be seen as a precedent. With the Act passed, Ward was appointed as the Principal Clerk to the Canal Company and became the primary link between Rennie and the Committee. Once again he was out and about in all weather, mostly on horseback but occasionally by coach, smoothing the way, locating timber and clay for bricks, dealing with landowners and making sure that the impact on the Ailesbury estates was minimal. He probably persuaded Rennie to build the first prototype for a skew bridge so that the straight ride from Tottenham House to Wilton Brail was not disrupted by a bridge at right angles to the canal. He urged the construction of the hugely expensive Bruce Tunnel, entirely unnecessary on engineering grounds, so that the pleasure grounds would not be disrupted by a deep cutting. And he asked for the canal east of Crofton to be built with a sinuous line (as was demanded when the Bath Road was built) so that there would be a constantly changing vista to please the traveller. Ward continued as Principal Clerk until his death in 1827. He was succeeded by his partner Thomas Merriman who maintained the connection through the take over by the Great Western Railway and beyond as the Chairman of the GWR canal committee.
Much of the content of this article is drawn from the letters sent by John Ward to the Earl of Ailesbury during the years that covered the planning and construction of the Kennet & Avon Canal. The letters are in the Wiltshire and Swindon Archives and an extended summary has been published by the author in the Journal of the Bristol Industrial Archaeology Society (1981 and 1982); greater detail of Ward’s connections with canal entrepreneurs and the aristocracy is in the Journal of the Railway and Canal Historical Society (July 2009). 21
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Butty
French connections
No.190 Spring 2010
Region takes control of Canal du Nivernais he New Year brought a new start for the K&A Canal’s twinned French waterway, the Canal du Nivernais, when the Burgundy Regional Government took control of the canal. Members of the ACN (Les
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Amis du Canal du Nivernais) gathered at l'écluse du Batardeau, the first lock after the port of Auxerre (and the northernmost point on the Canal du Nivernais) on 29th December to show their support for the change.
Local boatyard owner and former ACN President, Jo Parfitt said, “We came here to show our support for the plans. We hope they will work and we will do everything we possibly can to help with the new arrangement.”
Picture by Philippe Bénard Although the canal will now be funded by the two riparian Departments, the Yonne in the north and Nièvre in the south, the running of the canal will be contracted back to the VNF (Voies Navigables de France) who ran the canal previously.
50 years of the IWA in South Wales and the South West by Fred Blampied President of the IWA Avon & Wilts Branch n 15th June 1960, IWA members assembled at the YMCA in Park St, Bristol, and were addressed by Robert Aickman (Founder and Vice President) on the IWA’s aims and the need for local support. This became the inaugural meeting of the South Western Branch — covering the area from Gloucestershire to Cornwall — and South Wales where a South Wales Section was formed. Joint meetings were reached using the train, the only link across the Bristol Channel. Don Collinson became the first Hon Secretary & Treasurer and I became Chairman of the SW Branch. The initial action of the committee was to enable familiarisation of the waterways in the area — by navigating wherever possible. Towing path walks explored the Mon & Brec and the
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Bridgewater & Taunton canals whilst a series of Easter Monday walks along the Kennet & Avon eventually reached Reading on the eighth outing. Publicity through the radio, the press, and public meetings helped to further the cause. Volunteer working parties were held on the Mon & Brec, the Stratford on Avon and the K&A in conjunction with the K&A Canal Association. In Bristol, the Totterdown Basin and the Feeder Canal were provided with significant improvements. The major challenge arose in 1969 when Bristol City Council announced plans to close the City Docks, truncate the system and close the Feeder Canal, severing the link to the River Avon and the K&A Canal. Sections of the dock were to be in-filled and major road bridge crossings were intended. Strong protests arose, headed by a liaison between
the IWA Branch, the Civic Society and the Cabot Cruising Club. A public meeting filled the Colston Hall. The Council was outvoted, but gained a majority vote at a later ‘Town Poll’. The fight continued, resulting in a petition to the House of Lords. Some amendments were obtained, but the unsatisfactory situation remained. Fortunately the Act became time expired so that the waterway system remains intact to see its 200th anniversary and is now highly regarded by its citizens and visitors. There was a need to publicise the inherent amenity and recreational value of Bristol’s waterways so the IWA experiences of Boat Rally Demonstrations were promoted to the Branch. In liaison with the Cabot Cruising Club and with the support of many other organisations, the Bristol Water
Festival was created in 1971. After being run by volunteers for seven years the Council took over the organisation of what is now known as the Harbour Festival. 2009 was the 35th anniversary. Our inland waterways have become appreciated nationally and in the South West the plan to use the Bridgewater & Taunton Canal as a flood relief channel has been abandoned. The Mon & Brec is open as far up as Brecon and as far down as Top Lock at Cwmbran, and the K&A is navigable throughout. Sadly, age and health mean some who became embraced in the early years are no longer with us. But I conclude these notes with a big “Thank You” to ALL who have contributed to our campaigning during the last 50 years.
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To the Manager: Name of Bank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Devizes Canal Museum Crofton Beam Engines A GEOprojects canal map of the Kennet & Avon Canal that includes the River Avon and Bristol Docks
Address of Bank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ................................................ Name of Account . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Branch Sort Code. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Account Number*. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Originator’s identification Number 630996 Ref Number (for office use only) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Instructions to your bank or Building Society Please pay the Kennet & Avon Canal Trust Direct Debit from the account detailed in this instruction, subject to the safeguards assured by the Direct Debit Guarantee. I understand that this instruction may remain with the Kennet & Avon Canal Trust and, if so, details will be passed electronically to my Bank/Building Society.
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Gift Aid Declaration Name of Charity: The Kennet & Avon Canal Trust: No.CC209206 Details of Donor Title . . . . . . . . . . . . . Name . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
And The Trust's new style Butty will be posted to you Please post or fax the form opposite to: The Membership Secretary, The Kennet & Avon Canal Trust, FREEPOST, Canal Centre, Couch Lane, Devizes, Wiltshire, SN10 1BR. Fax: 01380 727870
Address . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ................................................ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Postcode: . . . . . . . . . . . . . I want the charity to treat all subscriptions/donations I have made for this Tax year and the six years prior to the year of this declaration (but no earlier than 6/4/2000) and all subscriptions/donations I make from the date of this declaration until I notify you otherwise, as Gift Aid Donations.
Signed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Date . . . . . . . . . . . You must pay an amount of Tax at least equal to the tax that the charity reclaims on your donations in the appropriate tax year.
the
Butty No.190 Spring 2010
BOOK REVIEWS
Leonard Pearcey
WOLF HALL By Hilary Mantel First published in 2009 by Fourth Estate ISBN 978 0 00 723018 1 653 pages. £18.99 hard back
THE BURIED CIRCLE By Jenni Mills First published in 2009 by HarperPress ISBN 978 0 00 725122 3 505 pages. £12.99 hard back
ou can see Wolf Hall from the K&A – though of course the canal wasn’t there in Henry VIII’s time…’. Well, I wasn’t going to argue with The Editor’s choice of book for me to review for you, especially as it was the winner of the 2009 Man Booker Prize. But what’s left to say about a work that’s been so comprehensively covered over the past few months? Quite simply, if you haven’t read it yet, then I urge you to do so. It’s brilliantly written, thrilling, and, yes, ‘unputdownable’. The story of the King and his desire to divorce Catherine and marry Anne has been told many times, but here Thomas Cromwell is the main character, and it is a fascinating narrative. You might also like, as I did, to put Wolf Hall into a search engine. The www.burbagewiltshire.co.uk/historic/wolfhall site is intriguing. The Seymour family lived at Wolf Hall, and Henry’s third wife Jane gave him a son who founded my old school. This book, like the one that follows, is now also in paperback.
y final review for you is of one of my own books, bought because I so enjoyed the writer’s first novel ‘Crow Stone’ set here in Bath. Her new novel is also local, but more widely based, and would I knew from her promise bring back a likeable archaeologist from her first; but that book’s heroine also makes a guest appearance. It mixes fictional characters with people who really existed and is centred on Avebury in both World War II (young Frannie is the heroine here) and the present day (when she and her granddaughter India head up the story). In this thrilling novel (sorry, but it’s also ‘unputdownable’) ‘ancient mysteries collide with modern obsessions’. And there’s a small but important role for the K&A.
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Tim Wheeldon OVERBOARD! AND OTHER CANALLING MISHAPS By John Cook. First published in 2007 by Hadleigh Court Books. ISBN 978 0 9555087 0 7 120 pages £4.99 paperback anals and canalling are — or can be — a rich source of humour. Most of us can remember instances that have caused much mirth — either to oneself or to those who watched one making a clot of oneself and in this book there’s an enormous amount of detail about the things that can, and do, go wrong when boating. No-one can fail to be familiar with, for example, the joys of having a jet of water up their trouser leg (or skirt) from a ground paddle’s blow hole or hearing the splosh as one’s windlass/mug/camera slides off the cabin top. But somehow this book reads like a hire company’s instruction manual — describing so much that can go wrong that a tiro (lovely word used by Rolt but not by many since) may feel like going home. Any book which taps successfully into this potentially deeply funny vein should have one rolling in the aisles (although I’m not suggesting reading it in church), but the only quote — from your crew, who else? — that elicited a chuckle from me was “Who do you think you are anyway, Captain bloody Bligh?!” Perhaps I wasn’t in the mood — so I suggest that you read it if only to prove me wrong.
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A SOMERSET NAVIGATION and Other Plays By Jeremy Gibson. First published in 2009 by Thumbnail Media. ISBN-10: 0955637910 91 pages £6.95 paperback t school I used to find reading the scripts of plays difficult (let alone acting in one) and have not done it since. However, a new book concerning ‘my’ canal naturally attracts my attention even though it is written in the form of a play. Local playwright, poet and composer Jeremy Gibson has written this intriguing short (30 minute) play about the origination and construction of the Somerset Coal Canal. His research is impeccable and the story is carried by nine of the characters who were involved in the enterprise. By putting thoughts and words into real people the author creates the drama, excitement, frustrations, disappointments and traumas which undoubtedly accompanied the creation of this enterprise. The plot is augmented by poems and songs — the music of which is in the appendix. It would be appropriate and fun for a community near the Somerset Coal Canal — say a village drama society — to perform this play. As a bonus extra there are two other plays in the book but the coal canal story is the main feature. A most unusual and entertaining little volume.
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The Trust Shop in the Canal Centre on Devizes Wharf carries an extensive range of canal books — including some of the books reviewed in The Butty
Trip Boats Butty the
No.189 Winter 2009
‘Jubilee’ A 30 seat converted traditional narrowboat operating from Brassknocker Basin, opposite Viaduct Inn, Limpley Stoke on the A36 East of Bath Public trips: • Good Friday to October Sundays and Bank Holidays (and Tuesdays in July and August) 12.00 – 2.00pm 2.30pm – 6.00pm Charter trips are available Booking Manager: 0800 121 4682
The Kennet & Avon Canal Trust attractions Claverton
Cafés & shops
Bradford on Avon Wharf shop & café Tel: 01225 868683
Pumping Station Claverton Pumping Station is a waterwheelpowered beam engine built in 1813 to raise water from the river Avon to the Kennet and Avon Canal. It has been restored by volunteers and is now open to the public. Claverton is five miles south of Bath off the A36 Warminster Road, 400 yards down Ferry Lane across the uncontrolled level crossing. The pump is approximately 25 minutes walk from Dundas Aqueduct. Free admission for children under 16 (must be accompanied by an adult).
Open days 2010 Wednesday, Saturday, Sunday and Bank Holiday until October 27th Opening times: Wednesdays 10am – 4pm, other days 10am – 5pm
Devizes Wharf museum & shop Tel: 01380 729489
Running days
‘Barbara McLellan’ 65ft wide-beam boat for 51 passengers operating from Bradford on Avon Wharf Cottage Public trips: • Every Wed, Sat, Sun and Public Holidays from Apr to Oct - 2.30pm, 2hr to Avoncliff and return. • Every Sat and Sun in July and August 11.30am, 1hr to Meadows Bridge and return. • Special Trips including Cream Teas, Bath, Autumn Tints. Christmas Santa Trips Wheelchair/disabled access Charter trips: from 1 hour to a whole day.
Booking Manager: 0800 121 4679
April 4th and 5th, May 3rd, 30th and 31st June 13th and 27th, July 11th and 25th August 8th, 29th and 30th September 12th and 26th, October 24th
Phone: 01225 483001 Email: enquiries@claverton.org
Museum Devizes Wharf The museum is housed in the historic bonded warehouse on Devizes Wharf. Its exhibits chronicle the rise and fall of the canal as a commercial waterway and its subsequent restoration by volunteers.
Crofton Pumping Station shop & café Tel: 01672 870300
Opening times: 10am — 4pm, 7days a week
Crofton Beam Engines ‘Rose of Hungerford’ A wide-beam boat seating 50, operating from just off Hungerford High Street. Public trips: • Every Saturday, Sunday and Bank Holiday from Easter until the end of October 2.30pm: 2.5 hours • Every Wednesday from June until the end of September 2.30pm: 2.5 hours • Every Wednesday during July and August 11.30am: 1.5 hours • Every Sunday during August 11.30am: 1.5 hours • Special Santa Trips at Christmas Charter trips available for all your special occasions Wheelchair/disabled access Booking Manager: 0800 121 4674
All boats have a licensed bar and refreshments are available. There is a public address system or you can use your own sound system.
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1812 Boulton & Watt and 1846 Harvey beam engines regularly steamed from hand stoked, coal fired Lancashire Boiler. Amazing industrial archaeology in a rural setting.j20
Newbury Wharf shop & café Tel: 01635 522609
From Marlborough, either take the A346 to Burbage and then follow the brown 'Beam Engines' sign, or take the A4 towards Hungerford, turn right, 'Beam Engines' sign before Froxfield, and continue to follow the brown signs, through Great Bedwyn, to the pumping station. From Hungerford, take the A338 towards Salisbury, turn right at Shalbourne following the signs to Great Bedwyn, then follow the brown signs. From Salisbury, follow the signs to Hungerford on the A338, then turn left at East Grafton and follow the brown signs.
Open days 2010 Open daily, except Wednesdays, 10.30am to 5pm from April 2nd to September 26th
Steaming days April 3rd, 4th and 5th (Easter) May 1st, 2nd and 3rd, May 29th, 30th and 31st June 26th and 27th July 31st – August 1st August 28th, 29th and 30th September 25th and 26th
Aldermaston visitor centre, shop & café Tel: 01189 712868
Phone: 01672 870300
General enquiries: 01380 721279
Website: katrust.org.uk 25
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No.190 Spring 2010
Good-bye to Marsh Wharf As the K&A enjoys its bicentenary, Rolf Augustin completes his history of one of the major trading families of the canal. After the growth and successes of earlier years, Rolf now describes the fate of the family as an era in the history of the canal came to an end.
1886 Ordnance Survey: Wiltshire Public Records Office
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executor and at the age of 35 the youngest surviving son of the late coal merchant. They were reviewing a text drawn up to implement Arthur’s purchase of his father’s Kennet & Avon coal business at Hilperton Marsh Wharf. The Will had given him four weeks to decide — either buy the business from the estate, or convert its assets into cash. The enormous risks of buying could not have been more obvious. Rapid expansion of cost-efficient and faster rail transport had caused irreversible decline in K&A coal traffic. Before his death on 21st November, Walter Newth had barely managed to stabilise the Marsh Wharf operations by making deep cuts in the haulage schedule, manpower and fleet size. The canal business was still profitable but running very much on a month-to-month basis. As for Arthur himself, he was already occupied full time at the Cockhill Brick & Tile
Plan of the Cockhill Brick & Tile Works, managed by the Newth family for 38 years, 1849–1887.
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Picture from Newth Family History Society
he mid-afternoon sun flooded into the first-storey conference room, saturating the delicate dyes of the Tabriz oriental and splashing against two somewhat disorderly bookcases guarding the door. A framed colour lithograph of Queen Victoria hung on one wall near a standing case clock that ticked relentlessly. Muffled but plainly audible through the closed sash window was the usual daytime din on Fore Street of clopping hooves, whirring carriages, groaning carts and distant hawking vendors. It was December 1874. Two men were seated at a large rectangular table. Silhouetted in the bright sunlight was the venerable Charles Atkins Collins, coexecutor of Walter Newth’s Last Will and Testament and senior partner of the prestigious Trowbridge solicitors, Clark & Collins. Opposite sat Arthur Augustus Newth, also co-
Arthur and Fanny Newth were married on 3rd October 1866 at the Holy Trinity Church in Trowbridge.
Works, a facility in Little Trowle leased by his father since 1849. Whether he could now successfully shoulder additional responsibility was questionable. Nevertheless, after long days and nights of vacillation, Arthur had opted to buy. Payment was to come from his share of the estate. “Sign here, Arthur…” instructed Mr Collins, sliding the paper across the polished mahogany surface and offering him the inkstand, “…your full name, please.” Palpably nervous and apprehensive, Arthur hesitated. Then, numbly, he took the pen, inked the nib and executed the document. It was an act of courage. It was an act of fear. It was also a moment that would haunt him for the rest of his life.
Arthur’s entire existence had been structured, ordered and predictable. Never had he wanted. Never had he experienced the unknown. Never had he ventured beyond the universe created for him. He had been born in Trowbridge on 4th February 1839 in the elegant family residence at No 8–9 Timbrell Street. Around the age of 11 he went to live and study with his grandmother, Ann Newth, who had just established a formal school in the loft above the stables at her Marsh Wharf homestead. Subsequently he boarded at the public King’s School in Bruton, Somerset. After graduating he joined his father as an assistant at the Cockhill works and in time became the manager.
growing family over the long term. The generous bonuses from his father would no longer be forthcoming. Without added revenue from Marsh Wharf he could foresee the disintegration of his entire world. He would be forced to sell Cockhill. He would have no job, and he had no training for any other profession. Worse, he would be forced to uproot Fanny and the children from their ‘honeymoon’ house. In short, as much as he feared continuing with the canal enterprise, to do otherwise would jeopardise the future of everything he held dear. Whatever the dangers, he saw no alternative but to soldier onward and hope for the best. The ensuing years were not kind. With his sons too young to be of any real help, managing the two businesses proved to be a decade-long nightmare. By 1886, as commerce on the K&A spiralled ever downward, tonnage hauled in the lone remaining Newth barge had dwindled to the point of no return. Collapse of the coal operations seemed imminent. In tandem, suppliers to Cockhill were refusing to deliver raw materials because of nonpayment, choking production and effecting virtual shutdown. What finally brought closure to this desperate end game was not so much the management workload or the dramatic duel between rail and water transport. The more immediate causes were Arthur’s own inhibitions and his sad lack of business
Picture from Newth Family History Society
In 1866 Arthur married Elizabeth Fanny Pollard, not coincidentally the daughter of another prosperous Trowbridge coal merchant (originally a clothier in Frome). The newlyweds moved into the house at the Cockhill site, promptly christened by Fanny as ‘Ivy Cottage’. To help with household chores they employed a young Somerset girl. Fanny shopped at the best stores and dressed stylishly. By spring 1874 four of their eventual seven children had been born, all boisterous and thriving. A private tutor visited on weekday mornings. Life was good, very good. Arthur’s only ambition had always been to please his exigent father, whom he absolutely idolised. Indeed the two had been very close. Whereas his older brothers were pursuing separate careers, he alone shared Walter’s passion for the canal, the narrowboats and barges, the tow horses, the hustle and bustle of the coal yard. Clearly this is why the option to keep the coal business had been extended to him. But in trying to groom his young son, Walter had never allowed him to make mistakes, much less to fail. Even after placing him in charge at the brick works, the ever-dominant father had retained a tight grip on the finances. When Walter died, Arthur’s dilemma was that income from Cockhill was too marginal to sustain the lifestyle of his
Ivy Cottage in Little Trowle, the home of Arthur and Fanny Newth from 1866 to 1887, still stands on the A363 leading out of Trowbridge. It was converted into semi-detached units around the turn of the century.
acumen. Perhaps it went counter to his benign nature and sense of good taste to hound customers who owed him money. Perhaps he worried about offending or losing accounts. In any event, his 1876 receivables gradually invoice from escalated out of control. Camerton Coal & Coke Debts to his bank, the Works shows that Arthur Newth was Somerset collieries and already using barter to conserve cash, in other providers mounted this case trading Cockhill tile to pay for apace. almost 12% of the outstanding coal Payment in kind with balance. Cockhill products, a system of barter he had adopted dynasty at Hilperton Marsh from the outset to ease Wharf had vanished into history. pressure on his scarce cash With what few resources he reserves, was no longer and Fanny could save, Arthur possible. transferred the family to Total loss of liquidity Bradford on Avon. followed soon behind. As 1887 They rented a small terrace dawned, both Marsh Wharf and house at No19 Huntingdon Cockhill operations were in Street, high up the hillside in terminal chaos. He was ruined. the working-class part of town. Arthur could have declared Absent were servant and bankruptcy. Yet apart from the tutor. The older children were public disgrace and lasting sent out to earn their daily detriment to the family name keep. Arthur took a commission that might well ensue, he must job as a brewer’s traveller, have viewed the option as possibly with Usher’s of unethical. Trowbridge, the brewery once Walter had invariably taught represented by his him to take responsibility for his grandmother. actions. The best and only His siblings, far from offering honourable course was to even the slightest sympathy or erase the debts by himself, succor to a brother in distress, rather than under the dictates now shunned all contact. Their of a Court order. cruel Victorian scorn He would have to liquidate devastated him. some holdings. But by then, Failing in mind and spirit, along with traffic on the canal, Arthur Augustus Newth died of the value of his coal assets and exhaustion on 17th March goodwill had plunged. 1894. He had just turned 55. To compensate for the His ashes were interred in shortfall, ultimately everything the west yard at nearby Christ had to go — Marsh Wharf, the Church, the grave marked by a old homestead, the barge, the simple white cross (today horses, the Cockhill works, Ivy missing) above a small pedestal Cottage, the expensive bearing his name. furnishings, the lot. Here, amidst the rows of The news was quick to linden trees standing in vigil spread up and down the K&A over the stillness, his tormented and throughout the Trowbridge soul at last found the peace he community. had so fatefully signed away 20 After 74 years the Newth years earlier. The author gratefully acknowledges the kind assistance he received from the Wiltshire Public Records Office and The National Archives, as well as the continuing encouragement of Mr Alan Reginald Newth, great-grandson of Arthur Augustus Newth, who generously provided access to documents, original images and other historical data.
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Butty No.190 Spring 2010
Reading he canal is quieter in winter but things still happen. The lock gates at Garston have been replaced and the paddle gear changed but the unique turf sided form remains. I was walking past the site when a crane removed the lower gates and the contractor’s staff were surprised to find strange marine creatures still clinging on to it. These were American Signal Crayfish, an invasive species now found on the Kennet in their thousands. A more welcome natural sight is the magnificent Red Kites which are increasingly seen near the canal around Reading and Burghfield. The January snow reduced canal activity but at the first signs of thaw the fishermen were back, including a couple trying to catch fish through a hole in the ice Eskimo style. Canoeists were also out on the unfrozen river sections
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David Copley: 0118 9598247
practising for the Devizes to Westminster race. Whilst photogenic, the snow has increased the number of branches and brambles overhanging the towpath ready to waylay passing cyclists. Some newly fallen trees have added to local concerns over the growing amount of dead wood which has been cut back just sufficiently to allow a boat to pass cautiously but remains as an obstruction in the water. The Branch held our Christmas meeting at the end of November. Our Secretary, John Swift, staged a fascinating quiz combining recognition of unusual local buildings with a brief account of the history of each before we demolished the Christmas food. A raffle organised by Mary Wall added to Trust funds. The preceding month’s talk about the Maharajah’s Well, a local landmark, also went “very well”. The Branch Christmas dinner
New Trust trip-boat by Alice Boyd ollowing months of negotiations with Ian and Sue Sharp, the K&A Canal Trust has taken on its fourth trip boat, the Kenavon Venture, which has been operating out of Devizes for a number of years. Unlike the other boats, Kenavon Venture is initially on a three-year lease to the Trust. Next: how to man it? The Devizes branch of the Trust does not currently have the membership to take on an undertaking of this magnitude. But what a “hook” to “reel in” some new fish! A press release and coverage on the website and in the Gazette & Herald produced interested potential volunteers galore. They packed the meeting room at the Wharf on Monday 1st February, with many more expressing their interest, but unable to be there on the night. David Inight of the West Wilts Branch provided an overview of
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managing and running a trip boat and it was a pleasure to see a number of existing skippers present supporting this venture. But at the end of the evening — no one willing to be Boat Manager (a crucial position!). Had David done too good a job of explanation? Should we have tried to pull wool over eyes? Engineering Manager? Yes, got one of them. Bookings Manager? Yes, got one of them too (actually two since they’re married to each other!). But getting a Boat Manager required a degree of persuasion involving home-baked cakes. Keith Vickery (an existing BMac skipper) stepped up to the mark — for this year at least. Since then emails have been flashing through the ether, arranging various familiarisation and training “cruises” and the team is gradually bedding in — and bookings are coming in!
(held in March) and the annual canal clean-up will have taken place between the time I write this near the end of January and the time you receive this copy of the Butty. The date of the clean-up had to be moved forward a week to avoid conflict with Reading Marathon which shuts most town centre streets. Several of us have been dragging shopping trolleys out of the canal for over 25 years and we are hoping for help from some organisations with younger members this year. The Aldermaston Canal Visitor Centre and shop will also have reopened after the winter break, still staffed by manager Tracy and Trust volunteers. All passers-by are welcome to call in for refreshments and information and we continue to investigate ways of increasing involvement of local residents as customers and volunteers. Waterfest is scheduled to take place on Saturday June
19th in central Reading. Waterside events continue on the successful formula of previous years but further crumbling of the Reading Abbey ruins means that some of the dance displays will be moved to the Forbury Gardens close by. You may even find a small band on top of a large boat. In the absence of other offers, Mike Wyatt has valiantly agreed to be Harbourmaster again and needs more boats to fill the water space. Please contact Mike (0118 942 7708 , 07771 884 450 or mikewyatt29@fastmail.co.uk) or me for further details, boat entries and offers of help. We won’t mind a rush of applicants. I hope that you enjoy using our wonderful waterway in bicentenary year and highly recommend a visit to the eastern part of canal, whether by boat, by car or on foot.
Kenavon Venture Based at Devizes Canal Wharf, next to the Trust Headquarters, shop and Canal Museum. This 60-ft long, wide-beam boat, seats up to 50 passengers and offers a fully licensed bar. Public trips are normally run between April 2nd and October 31st, on Saturdays, Sundays, Bank Holidays and Wednesdays, leaving at 2.30pm. The boat is also available for charters for Te: 0800 028 3707 special occasions or email: kenavonventure@katrust.org.uk
HAMS TRANSPORT HOPTON INDUSTRIAL ESTATE, DEVIZES, WILTS
With flatbeds up to 60’ we can safely transport your narrowboats and wide beams throughout the UK 01380 726837 www.hams-transport.co.uk
BRANCH REPORTS Newbury e were delighted to welcome Ken Keegan onto the committee and even more delighted that he has accepted the role of Health and Safety officer for the Newbury Waterways Festival. With experience in this field over many years at work, he is well suited to the role. We particularly welcome new talent on the committee as Newbury branch has a lot in the pipeline for 2010. Improvements at the Stone Building continue. The cafe reopened last July and we are now developing the upstairs room into a well equipped canal information centre. We shall seek grant funding to help cover the costs but will launch the centre anyway. The information centre will
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Julie Dean: 01962 883939
Hungerford
in this theme for some ingenious boat decorating, we feel! This year is a very special festival, celebrating 200 years of the canal, and we are expecting a full contingent of boats, including some Heritage boats. We are still seeking a suitable band for the boaters’ barbecue and for the Sunday, so any ideas are more than welcome. Booking forms for boats and stalls should be out by the time you read this, if you haven’t got yours then let me know. With so much going on Newbury branch will have its hands full this year. We would be delighted to have some more hands to share the load. If any of this sounds interesting to you, please get in touch. We are a friendly lot!
Richard Snook: 01635 253446
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Picture by Bob Naylor
‘Rose’ battles through the ice on a Santa Cruise
cancelled. We did have to postpone one to the following day when so many of the passengers phoned in to report their travel problems. On one particular trip there were 24 worried children aboard who could see Santa on the towpath but the boat had great trouble getting to him owing to the thickness of the ice. When the helmsman eventually got the bow to the bank and the children realised that Santa had at last been able to get aboard, the resounding cheer of relief and excitement could probably be heard as far away as the North Pole! Santa’s sincere thanks also go to Diana for cheerfully organising the
buying, wrapping and labelling of the 350 or so presents. She has already bought and wrapped a large number ready for this December. I now see “Shop early for Christmas” in a completely different light! Looking forward with great optimism the charter bookings already coming in for the 2010 season are very promising, let’s all hope we are blessed with good weather this summer. In my next report I should be able to tell you all about how the Rose was involved in a local wedding and how we helped to
celebrate the 200 year anniversary of the Kennet and Avon canal. As always, such success relies on the skill and dedication of our volunteers and we have posts to be filled both on board and supporting roles, if you would like to become involved with our very worthwhile cause please call me for an informal chat. The Hungerford Branch AGM will be on Friday May 7th at 7.30 pm aboard the Rose of Hungerford to which all branch members are cordially invited.
Picture by Ian Marshall
ith a healthy covering of snow as far as the eye can see and the mercury registering minus 6, there is nothing I would rather be doing than sitting down in the warm with a hot mug of tea and the remains of the Christmas cake putting together this report. The 2009 season was a long one with the first charter on January 24th and the last one on December 28th. Between those dates we had a healthy number of charters and public trips galore and so many passengers, lots of whom showed great interest in coming on the Rose again. Indeed, several have already booked charters for 2010. December was, of course, a busy month with, in addition to the family party charter, 5 Santa charters and 15 Santa public trips, all of which were sold out. These trips were indeed more of a challenge this year with ice and snow to contend with but, with the help and determination of captains and crews, not a single trip was
Also demonstrating how users can contribute through Trust membership and direct involvement in work to protect and enhance the canal. This is an ambitious and exciting project and we are seeking a project manager to take it forward. If you think you would like to help us with this, please call. In May we will be working with the Ramblers Association to support their baton relay along the length of the K&A celebrating 75 years of the Ramblers and, of course, 200 years of the K&A. They will be coming through Newbury on 9th May. The Newbury Waterways Festival, 23rd – 25th July, is our main event of the year and planning is already well underway. Our theme will be ‘2010 – a canal Odyssey’. Lots of scope
present under three themes: • The origins, building and decline of the Kennet & Avon Canal. • Restoration and redevelopment with a particular focus on the life and work of Trust pioneer, John Gould. • The current life of the canal as a leisure and environmental asset, providing information on ways to enjoy the canal as well as demonstrating its importance to the environment. Other canal-using organisations such as the Ramblers or Canoe club could be offered space to advertise their activities. The challenges of the future, explaining why canals have to be maintained and demonstrating the funding and governance issues. Covering plans for development of the canalside area in Newbury.
Santa in his Grotto aboard the Rose of Hungerford
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Butty No.190 Spring 2010
Crofton
by Jon Willis: 0118 9712897
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The new window being fitted — and below in place — looking splendid
Picture by Harry Willis
Following a number of meetings with BW staff and our safety advisor, Ben Woodman, we have decided to explore alternative means of inspection — possibly using sub-aqua survey specialists. As mentioned previously, TRADA, the specialist timber consultancy, have completed a comprehensive survey of all the timbers in the building. Whilst finding evidence of wet rot and worm infestation, the timbers are generally not quite as bad as some of us feared. The main problem is water ingress through the west wall which has started to affect a number of internal timbers on that side of the building. The mortar of this wall has failed in many places and will require complete water proofing and repointing if we are to stop the timber decay. Now that we have completed the structural and timber surveys of the main building we can build up a picture of what needs to be done to keep this historic building in one piece. I am afraid that before too long some large amounts of money will be required. On a brighter note, some skilled carpentry has been done on the No 2 pump valve involving some 50 hours work to form the two rows of oak ‘teeth’. Those doing the work were in awe of the skill of the original builders who could only use
Picture by Harry Willis
t is at this time of year when we look at the state of chaos around the station and we start to wonder if it will all be put back together by our first public steaming on Easter Saturday. There is a huge hole in the entrance where we have unearthed a heavily corroded and leaking drain from the boiler which must be replaced. The exhaust line from the stationary engines is in pieces awaiting repair of another leak. We have taken some 1960s cladding off the main beam supporting wall to find rotting timber and large holes in the brickwork which need attention. Our recent survey of all the timber in the building revealed two supporting beams which were seriously rotten, requiring urgent temporary or permanent support. Thankfully the replacement of No 2 pump discharge valve has gone extremely well and it is now back in place. Also for a number of reasons we have decided to postpone our planned inspection of the culvert leading from the canal to the pumping station. There are potentially many risks associated with this kind of project including the unknown effect of dewatering on the structural integrity of the 200-year old tunnel and a range of personnel safety issues associated with air quality and possible water inundation.
basic hand tools — we had the advantage of modern hand and power tools. Hopes are high that the valve will not shed the new teeth for many years to come. And finally we are very pleased with the new boiler house window. After much
discussion and delay over the design, the replacement window is now in place. Our grateful thanks go to Rosemary Wakeford and her company Penny’s Mill for constructing the frame at no cost to Crofton and to Tony Cundick for his expert glazing in a traditional fashion.
Mike Price MABSE Boat Trips
From the Cunning Man, Burghfield Bridge Public trips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .May to September Private party hire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .A range of cruises Day boat hire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Self-drive for up to 12 people Holiday hire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 & 6 Berth Narrowboats Flexible weekly or short break periods Moorings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Permanent or temporary Enquiries: 14 Beech Lane, Earley, Reading, RG6 5PT Tel: 0118 987 1115 Fax: 0118 921 0604
www.kennetcruises.co.uk 30
Approved Independent Boat Safety Examiner Tel: 01225 703747 Mobile: 07736 837968 Email: mpboatsafety@aol.com
BRANCH REPORTS Devizes
by Alice Boyd
e-reading my last Butty input, I see I am again reporting a quarter of mixed fortunes. Our annual skittles challenge against the Wilts & Berks Canal Trust took place in November, organised efficiently as usual by Rob and Helen Wright: an excellent evening — except that we lost the trophy AGAIN. We really ought to practice beforehand! December’s Carols at the Wharf evening was a great success, with more than 100 attendees on a bitterly cold though dry evening. We were led by Canon Paul Richardson, from St John the Baptist, Devizes, with musical accompaniment provided by Trowbridge’s Salvation Army band. Our Trust President, Michael Ancram attended with his wife, and said how much he’d enjoyed the evening too. We’ve had so many positive comments that we’ve already booked this year’s slot — so put Saturday 11th December in your diaries now!
Picture by Bob Naylor
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Devizes Branch carol singing raised £70 for the Salvation Army.
And our Santa Cruises, organised by Mike Messam with support from Helen Wright and many other volunteers, were very well patronised — the only hiccup being the weather which meant that two cruises were ice-bound — but Mike improvised admirably. Well done, Mike! Many thanks also to our Santas! The Trust have entered into a three-year lease of Ian and Sue Sharp’s tripboat, Kenavon Venture, and we now have to find volunteers to crew and support the trips and charters. To that end a very successful evening was held on 1st February at which some 40 people expressed active enthusiasm and willingness to help — now we’ve got to transfer this into training and
development so that we can maximise the benefits to the Trust. But I feel that “slowly, slowly, catchee monkee” is a better policy rather than “fools rushing in where angels fear to tread”, so we’ll endeavour not to overextend our capabilities this year, and look to build on them in coming years. If you are interested in helping in any way, do please get in touch either with me or with the Wharf office. We have had our downs too — our first social of the year, the Navvies’ Supper, had to be called off due to insufficient numbers. A real shame, particularly after Alan West put in so much effort organising it. Enthusiasm for a January event just seemed to be lacking.
Our February pancake evening was a great success. We invited our local Wilts & Berks branch — we may not be able to beat them at skittles, but we still enjoy their company! And then in March we had our annual Towpath Tidy in conjunction with BW and in the evening our AGM. Our branch’s major K&A200 celebration will take place on Saturday 22nd May with an allday event at Devizes Wharf. Planning for this is well under way, with entertainment for all the family, including filmshows, working boats, refreshments etc. And plans for our float in the Devizes Carnival procession on Saturday 4th September are evolving. If you are interested in helping at this (or indeed, any) event, do please contact the Trust office. It’s going to be a busy and challenging year for our branch. We’re going to need all the help we can get, so please give us your support.
Avon Vale Restoration Group ork on the Avon Vale is all but complete with only a few minor finishing touches needed. In only two years and 1000 man hours the team have restored this old BW work boat that was sitting on the bottom of the canal in Bath with the engine completely submerged. She now looks as good as the day she was commissioned. The Monday team of John Kirby, Rod Hannah, Adrian Softley and John Peters have been supported by Eric Argent who refurbished the engine and Pete Jordan who has done the accounts and run the 100 club. And with commercial sponsors who have donated goods and
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services it has been possible for the boat to be completely restored at no cost to the K&A Canal Trust. All of the work to the boat has been done in line with the Boat Safety Scheme and BSS Examiner, Mike Price is donating his time to do the final checks so she will carry a brand new BSS certificate when she heads for Devizes Wharf where Bob Howse, formerly of Commercial Signs and Displays, will put on the Trust and BW logos along with the signs of all the sponsors. Then barrels of Wadworth special K&A 200 Celebration Beer will be delivered by horse drawn dray to make the journey onboard Avon Vale to The Bridge Inn at Horton for
the first of the K&A 200 events — ‘art, ale and vintage boats’. Three canal-based artists, Nikki Softley, Robert Francis and Bob Naylor will be exhibiting their work in a new gallery in a barn at The Bridge Inn, there will be vintage boats moored alongside the pub and the pub is holding its ‘cask ale’ event — so there will be a wide choice of beers and vintage boats moored alongside the pub.
After this event Avon Vale will head for Claverton to pick up parts of the Burbage Crane to take them to the IWA National Rally at Beale Park. Anyone who can spare some time to help with these moves will be very welcome — both trips will be done in easy stages so the journey won’t be too arduous. And then of course the boat will have to be brought back from the River Thames to the K&A Canal.
If you are interested in crewing the Avon Vale or helping with maintenance contact either Adrian Softley at: adrian.softley@bridgeinnhorton.co.uk or John Kirby: JHKoneaonly@aol.com or tel: 07748 873 280
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Butty No.190 Spring 2010
West Wilts
Picture by Grant Milner
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at Dundas in very inclement weather. All the crew and passengers enjoyed themselves — and the American supper provided by everyone too. During November, volunteers took the boat to the Devizes boat yard for bottom painting. Again it was cold and the return trip wet. Unfortunately, because of the ice, the boat has to be painted all over again. One night in November, Colin and Linda Dawes hosted a very enjoyable bangers and mash night aboard the Barbara Mac. At the beginning of December the MCA inspection took place and much to everyone’s relief the boat passed with flying colours. After a few disappointing years the Trust has taken the decision to look for a private partner to run the shop on our behalf. We are pleased that Victoria and Tarkim from the Canal Tavern have been chosen to take the shop on. They will re-open by Easter and will continue to sell tickets for trips on the Barbara Mac and to sell K&A gifts on our behalf. Our usual Devizes trip will
Barbara Mac — cutting a path through the ice
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Picture by Bob Naylor
s we look forward to the new season it is good to reflect on the last few months. Despite the dreadful summer, we experienced a successful season. We had a record number of charters and our special trips, including our Santa Trips, were very well supported by the public. During one Santa trip the skipper and Father Christmas could be seen retying a boat that had come adrift from its moorings. Throughout December and January the ice on the canal has caused problems. One trip was cancelled, however the Brownies proved to be a more stalwart bunch and decided to have their party but not to go anywhere and they were entertained by the crew. Another trip, this time a birthday party, was cut short because the ice was causing damage to the newly painted bottom of the boat and was so thick it made navigating the boat very difficult. Luckily the party understood the problems and enjoyed themselves back at the wharf. Just before Christmas, the usual Carol service took place
Gill Milner: 01225 762051
Barbara Mac coming down the Caen Hill Flight with a newly blacked bottom and a brand new burgee
take place during April. This is a very long trip and is split over four days. Passengers can choose any of the days or join us for all of them. As our special trips prove to be so popular we are hoping to introduce some different ideas. For further information about our existing and new ideas please contact Bernard on 0800 121 4679. This year the Trust celebrates the 200th Anniversary of the K&A Canal. Various activities will take place to mark this occasion. During the Spring Bank holiday week we will be working with the Bradford on Avon Preservation Trust and mounting an exhibition of canal historical display material. This exhibition
will take place in the West Barn at Bradford on Avon. During the next few months our crew training will take place. The MCA requirements means that all our crews have to undertake regular training involving fire and person overboard drills. Although this has a serious side we do try to make these sessions fun. It is also a chance for volunteers to meet together as a group. Once again we will also this year be training new skippers. Training will commence during the Spring, culminating with their test during June and July. We are all looking forward to the new season and wish all the other Trust enterprises a successful year.
BRANCH REPORTS Claverton and Bath & Bristol inter maintenance at Claverton was increased this year after problems with the pumps on the last run of the 2009 season; we could not get the pump to prime indicating problems with the pistons. Dismantling revealed that the rope piston packing had failed and also that the wooden valve seats were in very poor condition. These were last replaced some 20 years ago. They were always a regular maintenance item in the pump’s working life when a spare piston was kept at Claverton ready to be fitted. The worn piston would then be sent to the GWR works at Swindon for overhaul. Without that luxury we had to make the valve seats ourselves. They are assembled in two rings on each piston and need to be very tightly fitted and very flat to obtain the water tight seal. Both pistons will have been
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overhauled and refitted by Easter and we should be operational again. On 30th and 31st of May we are being visited by a member of The Guild of Canal Artists, John Rouse, who will be demonstrating his art. Also in attendance will be Gordon Aitcheson who is our official artist for the Burbage Crane project. Gordon is a sculptor and will be showing some of his Burbage work and some of his other works. This should be a different and interesting weekend at Claverton. The Burbage Crane project is progressing very nicely and will be completed this summer. During some very cold days in January the crane’s jib was fitted, this involved the drilling for and installation of six one-inch diameter bolts, each 54 inches long, through a sandwich of the oak timbers. Quite some task and a special long drill had to be
Assembley of the Burbage crane continues
Pete Dunn: 01761 432811
The sandwich of oak timbers that had to be drilled to take the 54-inch long, one-inch bolts
produced by the team to achieve this. I remember my time at Stothert & Pitt Ltd in Bath the famous crane maker — there was often a part payment of the contract when a crane’s jib was raised — sadly we did not have that this time, just the satisfaction of achieving a difficult part of the project. Rather ambitiously we have decided to display the crane at the National Waterways Festival to be held at Beale Park near Reading between the 27th and 30th of August 2010 prior to its return to the wharf at Burbage. Parts of the crane will be transported by water on K&ACT’s work boat Avon Vale through July and August. Here is an opportunity for members to take part in what will be an almost full-length transit of the waterway in its bicentenary year carrying a genuine load which reflects the Trust’s modern activities. The plan is to move the boat in stages using different crews
on each leg — so please contact me if you are interested in helping out. Even if you can only spare a day it will help and you can play your part in this rather different project. Later this year we hope to resurrect the stalled Dundas Wharf Project. At the time of writing the future of the Toll Office is still under negotiation with BW, but we hope that this will be resolved soon. We will be undertaking some clearance work plus cleaning and painting the wharf crane. Anyone who visited the wharf this winter will have noted that the area in front of the warehouse is very muddy. Eventually we would like to have a paved area there which would greatly improve the appearance of the whole area. If like me you think that Dundas is one of the nicest areas of our waterway I am sure that you will agree that it deserves to be spruced up a bit now that the Aqueduct has been so well cleaned and restored.
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Butty
TRUST MATTERS
No.190 Spring 2010
One year on
The Kennet & Avon Canal Trust
by Trust General Manager, Mike Rodd year ago I was delighted to be appointed by your Trustees as your General Manger, and what year it has been! I still never cease to be amazed by the genuine excellence and devotion to the K&A of all the groups of our members that I find everywhere along this wonderful waterway that we are all here to support and sustain. I quickly realised, however, that my biggest task would be to help pull all these efforts together, so that we could face our next big challenge — that of developing a new relationship with British Waterways. BW, as the legal ‘owner’ of our waterway, has found itself subjected to horrendously swingeing funding cuts and faces a determination by government — regardless of who will be in power after the election — to effectively ‘privatise’ it and force it to become a so-called ‘3rd Sector’ organisation. We simply have to become part of this change process, so that we are in a fit state to be true partners in whatever emerges from this restructuring. Essentially, we have to move from being an organisation that ‘restored’ the waterway, to becoming one that is integral to its on-going survival. To this end, the number of tasks facing us is daunting. Our underlying governance is ineffective, being neither fleetfooted enough to react quickly, nor broad enough to allow all our members to have a voice in decision-making. Our financial basis is shaky, with budgets largely built upon ‘promises’ of funds to be raised in the year ahead, and accounts shrouded by complexity. Our operating company, Enterprise, for example, has not contributed to the Trust’s coffers for several years, despite our boats (which fall under Enterprise) all doing exceptionally well. This has required a complete analysis of our costs, resulting in:
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• Staff reductions • The introduction of professional caterers as our partners in our Newbury and Bradford on Avon cafes, and an investigation into the future of the one at Devizes. • A reorganisation of all our communications, both with members and with the rest of the world, including the nowageing website. • A close look at all our properties, and the acquisition of other canal-side sites in need of protection and conservation. • Leasing of an additional trip boat for our fleet. Alongside this has been extensive behind-the-scenes work with BW, including exploratory high-level discussions regarding our underlying future relationship. This could, for example, possibly be based on the powerful and effective management arrangements developed for handling the Heritage Lottery Fund Grant that was received by the Trust, working in partnership with BW and the canal-side local authorities. We have also been working with BW’s moorings team to develop an effective policy that will gain general user acceptance, trying to address the growing over-population problems on many sections of the waterway. On the volunteering front, we have teamed up with BW to bring more volunteers into areas where BW will simply not be able to provide sufficient support in the future. We have also been working with their property professionals to determine where we can best help to maintain (and, where necessary, acquire for the Trust) important heritage sites. Finally, we are working ever more closely with our Waterways’ Manager, Mark Stephens, so that we can collaborate to ensure that this wonderful waterway is maintained and protected — so that it will still be fit for use another 200 years from now!
Notice of Annual General Meeting The forty-eighth Annual General Meeting of The Kennet & Avon Canal Trust will be held at the Canal Centre, Couch Lane, Devizes, Wiltshire, SN10 1EB on Saturday, 12th June 2010 commencing at 11.00 am for the purpose of hearing an address by the new Chairman of Trustees, Mr David Rees, and to conduct the following business: Ordinary Resolutions: 1. To receive and adopt the Board of Trustees’ Report and Accounts for the year ended 31st December 2009. 2. To elect Members to be Trustees: Messrs Kemp and Lethby retire in accordance with Articles 50 and 51 of the Trust’s Articles of Association and being eligible, Mr Kemp offers himself for reelection. Ms Boyd has advised that she wishes to resign as a Trustee, thus making up the remaining number of retirees required by Article 50 of the Trust’s Articles of Association. 3. Nominations for election to The Board of Trustees:1,2 There are some vacancies. The Board of Trustees has a policy of continuous recruitment to ensure it has access to the skills and experience to run a modern heritagebased Charity. Properly authorised and seconded nominations are invited from among Trust membership to sit as a Trustee and Director of the Trust. 4. To re-appoint the Auditors, Messrs David Owen & Co, and to authorise The Board of Trustees to fix their remuneration. By Order of The Board of the Kennet and Avon Canal Trust
Neil Lethby Company Secretary 1st March 2010 Notes: A member entitled to attend and vote may appoint a proxy to attend and vote in his/her stead. 1
Under Clause 39 of the Articles of Association of the Trust, a member is only eligible to stand for election as a Trustee if aged less than 70 at the time of election. 2
Notes for guidance together with nomination forms are available from the Secretary by e-mailing secretary@katrust.org.uk or in writing to The Secretary, K&A Canal Trust, Canal Centre, Couch Lane, Devizes, SN10 1EB. Closing date for receipt of valid nominations is noon on 23th May 2010. Registered in England and Wales: No 726331. Registered Charity: No CC209206
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Butty No.190 Spring 2010
Museum Archive news renchay Village Museum asked us for an exhibition to celebrate the bi-centenary of the K&A Canal. The exhibition opened in February and has had a lot of media attention. The Museum is open on Saturdays and Sundays (2–5pm) and from 1–4pm on Wednesdays. Entrance is free. It will be there until 6th April. We will be providing an exhibition for Bradford on Avon for the end of May Bank Holiday and there will be an exhibition at Widcombe in June. With help from articles in the Butty we have been able to assist the EA in updating their
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records on water supply of the Hampshire Avon. The cover picture of the previous Butty was of ‘Harriett’ at her resting place as one of the Purton Hulks. She is the only example of a Kennet Barge in existence, the last surviving boat built on the K&A at Honeystreet. The museum archive was approached by English Heritage to check Harriett’s provenance before making the boat a scheduled monument. She is now formally scheduled and protected by law. We are coming to the end of our project grant from Wiltshire Museum Service to digitise our
Safety matters
by Elaine Kirby
moving film archive. With grateful thanks to Amanda Huntley of the Huntley Film Archive we now have three excellent quality digital copies of our 16mm films. We must also thank Chris Smith of Video Active who provided us with digital copies of three of his company’s videos free of charge. Four 8mm films are being digitised at the moment and shortly various other videos will be transferred. When this project is completed I will produce a list so that any branch wishing to hold a film evening can apply to borrow the DVDs.
Frenchay Village Museum is in the Grounds of Frenchay Hospital, Bristol. It gives an insight into an unusual village that was a community made up of largely non-conformist Quakers and Unitarians many of whom invested in the K&A Canal Company.
by Ben Woodman
The nation mourns e mourn as a nation when we hear news of the latest fatalities from the war in Afghanistan. How many UK soldiers have we now lost in the Afghan war? One hundred dead in 2009 alone. We feel the hurt of the families left behind, and regardless of our views of the rights and wrongs of the situation, we mourn as a nation. Why then does the death of twice that number of our fellow citizens in their workplaces not stir the same feeling of national
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grief and indignation? These are not soldiers going to war; these are ordinary folk like you and me going to work on a daily basis. Every year more than 200 or so don’t come home. Last year 220 fatalities at work, and just as disturbing, 29,000, yes, 29,000 major injuries. Why does this news not stir us in the same way as the fate of our fighting forces? We are not callous people, I guess we just accept it, or more probably, we just don’t know.
Soldiers at war are exposed to risks many times more severe and numerous than our friends and neighbours face at work. The military spend a huge amount of time and effort evaluating the risks and taking precautions. Why then can’t we assess the risks we face on a daily basis at work in the same way? Risk assessment and the avoidance of danger is a proven way of avoiding accidents.
Never mind the urban myths like banning conkers for safety reasons; I’m the first to admit that ‘Safety’ isn’t a popular subject, but it has at its heart the business of preventing accidents that can kill and injure people. Let’s not add to the morbid statistics; let’s assess risks, decide on the safest way to do a job, and stick to the precautions we’ve identified. If a job can’t be done safely, don’t do it. Find another way. Avoid risk, stay safe; stay alive!
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07973 876891 or email enquiries@moonboats.co.uk with your requirements
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Butty
No.190 Spring 2010
Until this issue of the Butty many members have been unaware of the proposed changes to their magazine because they will not have received the email bulletins because the Trust does not have email addresses for the
majority of members. Nevertheless, the Butty office has been inundated with phone calls and emails from people who are dismayed at the proposed changes. Only time will tell if Trust Council’s plans will give the
savings promised and if the membership of the K&A Canal Trust believes that Twitter, blogs, Facebook, e-bulletins and the new style Butty are the way that they want to keep up to date with the canal. Here are a few of the letters
received — with apologies to those whose letters we have had to leave out. We have had no correspondence yet from any members who support the changes.
certainly not the membership. • How are the savings arrived at? No details yet on the web site. • Make improvements, yes, but £23,000 is not a ‘gap’ — it is providing the Members with a service. What else do they get? • If advertising collapses the situation could actually worsen. • Why not prove the revamped website/enewsletter/magazine work, are economic and meet Members needs before cutting back the Butty?
Is Trust Council sure that whatever replaces the current Butty will comply with one of the core values, to advance the education of the public, as laid out in The Memorandum and Articles of Association of the Kennet & Avon Canal Trust? Elaine Kirby Assistant Curator Jeremy Hogwood Archivist Sarah Gould Researcher For The Kennet & Avon Canal Trust Museum.
CHANGES TO THE BUTTY he museum archive team regularly use editions of the Butty from its inception to help with research requested by members and non-members, British Waterways, English Heritage, the Environment Agency, Trust Branches, Trust Council and the Trust office, and the general public at large. We are sad and concerned at the news that the Butty will no longer be published in the very informative and comprehensive fashion that it has been during the past five years.
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It will be a great loss to the members, the folk on hire boats, and outlets all along the canal. The Butty is our major method of Promoting the canal, it helps to Enhance people’s perception of the canal, it ensures that our members realise what is happening to Protect our beautiful canal. We are really concerned that no other way could be found to save money than to downgrade our award-winning magazine. No one has been consulted — not volunteers — and
TRUST COUNCIL RESPONSE from Trust Council member, Charles Reiss group –— “No change is not an option”. That being so, any “consultation” would have been at best a pretence. • “How are the savings arrived at?” — The figures are given in the communications report now on the website. The projected savings are estimates. They are bound to be, because they depend on contracts with editorial, printers etc which have yet to be negotiated, let alone signed. But it is clear that very substantial savings approaching and possibly beyond £13,000 a year will be made. • The question “What else do
we, for the sake of the canal. That is precisely the key to why the Butty – however well liked — must not be allowed to swallow up a disproportionate amount of our limited resources. That said, members get great opportunities to volunteer and play a direct part in aiding the canal. They also gain free entry to the museum and to Crofton and Claverton as well as the Butty which, it should be stressed, will still be published and delivered to every member four times a year.
he decision to make changes to The Butty, and to our overall communications effort, was not made lightly. The Trustees fully agree that the magazine plays a very important role to promote enhance and protect our canal. And it will definitely continue to do so, four times a year as before. The letter raises serious and important questions which I will do my best to answer fully. • “No consultation…” — The Butty is a very good magazine. But it costs far more than the Trust can afford. Our duty as trustees is to act in what we judge to be the best interests of the Trust. Our judgement was that – in the words of the report from the communications working
members get?” goes right to the heart of the matter. We hope and believe our members are not in the Trust for what they can get. They are in it, as are
• An “advertising collapse” would naturally be damaging, under the new arrangements or the old. • “Why not prove the revamp…before cutting back the Butty?” This seems to suggest we run the new publication system
have just received a letter reminding me that my membership subscription is due. I have been a member of the K&A Canal Trust for 30 years. Although I was an active fundraiser in the years before the HLF grant, spending many hours raising money through car boot sales, my support more recently has been just that of what I thought was a ‘normal’ member, paying my membership fee and adding to the membership numbers.
When I moved away from the immediate area of the K&A my days of actively working for the K&A Canal Trust ended, but I have always enjoyed keeping in touch through the news I read in the Butty. I have known the Butty for three decades and I have seen it improve over the years as you would expect from a successful canal society. I often work abroad and I always have the magazine posted on to me so that I can keep up to date. It is always
such a good read. I first learned about your plans for The Butty in Waterways World and it seems that my contact with the K&A through the K&A Canal Trust is over. I do not have internet access, I do not live close to the canal and I can’t offer my time as a volunteer. All I can offer is my financial support through my membership. And all I ask in return is to be kept informed through a newsy and
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and the old at the same time, which, sadly, is not practical. • Are we sure the new arrangements will “advance the education of the public”? Yes. The Butty will continue to be published four times a year.
Together with much-improved communication via the net, which is a vital part of the package, we believe the new arrangement will do a much better job of reaching and educating a wider public. The truth is that across the country, indeed across the developed world, print journalism is having to adjust to the reality of the growth of communications via the net. It is simply not realistic to say that the K&ACT can, or should, ignore that revolution.
entertaining magazine. I feel my news of the canal I worked so hard for is being cut off. I do not seem to be the sort of member the Trust now wants. Sadly, I shall not be renewing my membership to the K&A Canal Trust, but as always I wish the canal well. I will glean what news of the K&A that I can through magazines like Waterways World. Ray Rogers Winchester
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR publication and may well be the reason that many were members of the Trust. The months ahead will be interesting. Best wishes and see you around. Robert Coles Bath
ow can the Trust think to change The Butty? It is a great shame. The Butty is an excellent publication. I certainly do not "blog" or "twitter" and do not often read
emailed newsletters. I get so many emails to wade through already.
his morning I received the general newsletter via email from Mike Rodd, in which his new plans are outlined for communications. I thought the Butty explanation somewhat limp and devoid of detail, and fear that
what is being proposed will lose a lot of the flair you have given to the quintessential job of keeping the Trust membership both interested and informed.
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H T
DR Marlborough
HUNGERFORD FOOTBRIDGE PLANS just wanted to comment on the designs for the Hungerford Wharf footbridge as shown in Winter issue of the Butty. The design by Nick Furr is wonderful compared with either of the other offerings. For option 2 just take a look at Stratford on Avon basin and see the horrific stainless steel marina-type railings.
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They did away with the sympathetic 1960s bridge that paid homage to Victoriana and they failed to pay any heed in the replacement. It is like a modern station approach. Would you please forward this letter to West Berks Council. Andrew James Reading
Picture by Nick Furr
have just been told officially of the demise of the Butty as we know it. Even if it frees up a lot of your time (I well know how long it must have taken you both) it must be upsetting. The Butty was I suspect the very best canal society/trust
Rolf Augustin Massachusetts, USA
We need your email address Our much-improved e-Butty will be emailed monthly to all members who want it. But for that to succeed we need your email address. We know that some members will always prefer print on paper, and we respect that. But communicating by email, to those who are happy with that, is far more cost-effective – and friendly to the environment. WE WILL NOT pass on your email address to any other organisation. WE WILL respect your privacy, and observe data protection rules. SO PLEASE let us have your email address now.
The footbridge bridge style proposed by Hungerford Wharf resident, Nick Furr, as an alternative to the proposals made by architects Turley Associates.
Stop at the one-stop service
HONEYSTREET Visit our Wharf on the Long Pound by Honeystreet Bridge for diesel, Calor Gas & coal water & 240 volt electrics overnight moorings pump-out & ‘Porta Potti’ disposal
PLEASE send your email address by email to: Mike Rodd at gm@katrust.org.uk or by post to Dr M Rodd, General Manager, Kennet & Avon Canal Trust, Couch Lane, Devizes, Wiltshire, SN10 1EB,
the tutti Pole by the South side of Hungerford Bridge Enjoy the relaxed atmosphere of our Tea Room/Restaurant and Patio Area seating up to 50
Morning Coffee • Luncheon • Afternoon Tea Roast Sunday Lunch • Home made fare a speciality Monday – Friday 9am – 5.30pm • Saturday & Sunday 9am – 6pm The Tutti Pole, 3 High Street, Hungerford RG17 0DN Telephone: 01488 682515
Gibson’s Boat Services Telephone 01672 851232
DAY BOATING on the beautiful
Kennet & Avon Canal self-drive and skippered boats canadian canoes & cycle hire The Bath & Dundas Canal Co. Brass Knocker Basin Monkton Combe, Bath, BA2 7JD Telephone: 01225 722292 Web: www.bathcanal.com
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WHAT’S ON
the
Butty
No.190 Spring 2010
March Wednesday 31st Newbury Branch Boat Building and Industry at Honeystreet by Adrian Softley. 7.45 pm at the Stone Building, Newbury Wharf. Admission free, light refreshments, ample parking (£1.00 charge). Enquiries: phone 01635 580356.
April Friday 16th — Monday 19th Barbara McLellan annual publicity trip to Devizes. Friday 16th, 10.00 am, Bradford on Avon to Foxhangers. Saturday 17th April, 11.30am, Foxhangers to Devizes. Sunday 18th April, 11.30am, Devizes to Foxhangers. Monday 19th April, 10.00am, Foxhangers to Bradford on Avon. Passengers, who should bring their own picnic lunches, may join the boat at any of the start points at Bradford on Avon, Foxhangers or Devizes. Passengers should also make arrangements for their travel
home at the end of the trip. These boat trips are free, but donations to the K&A Canal Trust would be appreciated. More information from 0800 121 4679 or e-mail barbaramac@katrust-ent.org.uk. Friday 23rd
Reading Branch. Talk by Jacky Akam of Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust, ‘Living Landscape Project and insects of the Kennet Valley’. All Saints Hall, Downshire Square, Reading, RG1 6NH. 7.30 for 8.00pm. £2.50. Wednesday 28th
Newbury Branch AGM followed by The K&A 50 years on: a review based on photographs from 1960s canoeing trips by Ray Denyer. 7.45pm at the Stone Building, Newbury Wharf. Admission free, light refreshments, ample parking (£1.00 charge). Enquiries: phone 01635 580356. Friday 30th Reading Branch. All Saints Hall, Downshire Square, Reading
all-aBoard MarIne servICes & newBury dry doCk
All boat maintenance services Boat Safety Examinations Anywhere on the K&A and Thames
Corgi Reg:
189616 Tel: 01635 37606 Mobile: 07940 583361 & 07703 235779
GREENHAM LOCK COTTAGE, AMPERE ROAD, NEWBURY RG14 5SN
www.aamarine.co.uk
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RG1 6NH. 7.30 for 8.00pm. £2.50.
May Friday 7th
Hungerford Branch AGM. 7.30pm aboard the ‘Rose of Hungerford’. Friday 21st Reading Branch. ‘Grand canal of China’ by Liam D’Arcy Brown. All Saints Hall, Downshire Square, Reading, RG1 6NH. 7.30 for 8.00pm. £2.50. Saturday 22nd Devizes Branch K&A 200 Celebrations. Join us for a funfilled day of family entertainment at the Wharf, celebrating 200 years of the K&A Canal. Music, dancing, films, children’s entertainment, refreshments. Fancy helping? Contact Becky Wells on 01380 721279 or email kaoffice.manager@btconnect.c om for further details. Sunday 30th & Monday 31st Claverton Pumping Station. Craft Weekend with John Rouse (Canal Art) and Gordon
Aitcherson (Sculptor). Visitors will also be able to see a display of work currently being carried out on the restoration of the Burbage Crane as well as watching the waterwheel in operation.
June Saturday 12th K&A Canal Trust AGM. Canal Centre, Couch Lane, Devizes, Wiltshire, SN10 1EB. 11.00am. Saturday 19th Reading Branch. Reading Water Fest in central Reading on the River Kennet including Abbey Ruins, Chestnut Walk and Riverside Walk. Starts 11am.
July Sunday 25th July Newbury Branch. Newbury Waterways Festival. Victoria Park, Newbury. Enquiries: phone 01635 580356. Saturday 31st – 1st August Bristol Harbour Festival. More information from: 0117 9031484, www.bristolharbourfestival.co.uk
David Owen & Co Chartered Accountants and Registered Auditors 17 Market Place Devizes Wiltshire 01380 722211
126 High Street Marlborough Wiltshire 01672 512163
Auditors to The Kennet & Avon Canal Trust
Bicentenary celebration gifts The full colour calendar includes 15 gorgeous views of your favourite canal and a whole host of dates for events throughout the year. The 100% cotton T-shirts are just the thing for those spring and summer days out.
T-Shirts Size
Price each
Number required
Kids Age 1 – 2
£5.00
Age 2 – 3
£5.00
Age 3 – 4
£5.00
Age 5 – 6
£5.00
Age 7 – 8
£5.00
Age 9 – 11
£5.00
Age 12 – 13
£5.00
Order Form
Cost
Please make cheques payable to The Kennet & Avon Canal Trust and send to: The Kennet & Avon Canal Trust, Canal Centre, Couch Lane, Devizes, SN10 1EB Name and address to which items should be sent: Name: .............................................................. Address: ...........................................................
Adults ........................................................... Small
£7.00
Medium
£7.00
Large
£7.00
X Large
£7.00
XX Large
£7.00
Town: ................................................................ Postcode: ........................
Calendar Price each
Number required
Total cost
£1.50 Post and package — per order
£1.50
Total value of order
£
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