Waterways - Summer 2022 by The Inland Waterways Association

www.waterways.org.uk waterways Issue 276 • Summer 2022 PLUS Heritage champions and South Eastern ArmtheStrollingriversStourbridge Uncovering industrial heritage The Bond...name's Burton’s forgo en Bond End Canal Love waterwaysyour Championing our inland waterways

BOATCRICKSHOW BRITAIN’S BIGGEST INLAND WATERWAYS FESTIVAL rick Waterside & Marina, Northamptonshire NN6 7SQ FRIDAY 3RD ~ SUNDAY 5TH JUNE 2022 TRADE & PREVIEW DAY – THURSDAY 2ND JUNE Book now at ADVANCEwww.crickboatshow.comTICKETPRICE–SAVE15%* Adult Day Ticket £18 | Adult Weekend Ticket £34 Children 16 and under go FREE Camping, mooring and weekend tickets also available (book early to secure your camping or mooring space) *15% applies to tickets only, not camping, mooring or any additional products. Advance tickets can be ordered online until 12 noon Friday 27th May. The Show is subject to any changes in government restrictions and the safety of our visitors, exhibitors, suppliers, contractors, volunteers and sta is paramount. Subscriber advance ticket discount applies to tickets only and does not apply to Trade & Preview Day, Camping, Mooring, Wheelchair/Mobility Scooter hire. SAVESUBSCRIBERSAFURTHER 10% ONPRICES*TICKETADVANCE Waterways World Trade & Preview Day –Thursday 2 June 2022 Get ahead and visit the boats, quayside exhibitors and other boating businesses before everyone else on Preview Day! Preview Day Tickets must be booked in advance and will not be available at the gate. Marine Welfare Leisure IN ASSOCIATION WITH Waterways World ORGANISED BY IN ASSOCIATION WITH BRING YOUR IWA MEMBERSHIP ID FOR ACCESS TO THE VIP MARQUEE

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All IWA national and can be contacted by licence;construedfirstname.lastname@waterways.org.ukemail:NothingprintedinWaterwaysmaybeaspolicyoranofficialannouncementunlessstated,otherwiseIWAacceptsnoliabilityforanymatterinthemagazine.Althougheverycareistakenwithadvertisingmattersnoresponsibilitywhatsoevercanbeacceptedforanymatteradvertised.WhereaphotocreditincludesanotesuchasCC-BY-SA,theimageismadeavailableunderthatCreativeCommonsfulldetailsatwww.creativecommons.org

within the IWA and beyond 12. Walk with IWA

WAteRWAYs edItOR: Ffion Llwyd-Jones Tel: 01283 742962 E-mail: f.llwyd-jones@wwonline.co.uk edItOR: Claire Davis MANAgeR: Laura Smith Tel: 01283 742956 E-mail: l.smith@wwonline.co.uk Jo Ward Samantha Furniss E-mail: s.furniss@wwonline.co.uk from Stroll the Stourbridge Arm towpath where details illustrate the social and economic significance of our waterways Love your waterways Campaigns Officer Amy Tillson lives and works aboard a historic narrowboat and champions our inland waterways 16. silver challengepropeller locations on the South Eastern waterways 20. the name's Bond... the remains of a largely forgotten canal that has its roots in Burton’s brewing industry 24. campaigns update Including the latest on establishing the network of heritage champions across the country, and supporting electric boats on the waterways Restoration update update on what we’re doing in 2022 Canal Clean-ups led by branches keep many waterways clear of Restoration is kept high priority through funding for the Waterway Recovery Group Over 10,000 days of volunteering each year will be supported with the right training, tools and materials can campaign to defend the waterways from unwelcome development can pass on traditional skills and workbased experience for volunteering young people can lobby the Government and work with other organisations to repair, improve and protect our waterways heritage voice is counted when IWA speaks up for all those who enjoy the country’s canals and rivers More details are available from IWA Head Office. Join IWA at waterways.org.uk

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RePROgRAPHIcs: Waterways World Ltd, 151 Station Street, Burton-on-Trent, Staffordshire, DE14 1BG. Printed in England by Warners (Midlands) PLC, Bourne, Lincs Articles may be reproduced provided permission is obtained and acknowledgement made. ISSN 0969-0654 www.waterways.org.uk waterways Issue 276 Summer 2022 PLUS Heritage champions and South Eastern ArmtheStrollingriversStourbridge Uncovering industrial heritage The Bond...name's Burton’s forgo en Bond End Canal Love waterwaysyour Championing our inland waterways 001_cover_SS_FLJ_BC pdf.indd 14 COVER PICTURE: Mooring near Godalming on the River Wey Navigation. 6. News The latest

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Summer 2022 Contents Winter 2018 IWA Waterways | 3 A non-profit distributing company limited by guarantee (612245), Registered as a Charity (No. 212342) Founded: 1946, Incorporated 1958 RegIsteRed OffIce: Island House, Moor Road, Chesham, HP5 1WA Tel: 01494 783453 E-mail: iwa@waterways.org.uk Web site: www.waterways.org.uk Deputy Chairs - Nick Dybeck and Sue O’Hare Company Secretary – Genevieve Wilson For press inquiries please contact: pressoffice@waterways.org.uk

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20261214S EVEN REASONS WHY YOUR MEMBERSHIP CONTRIBUTION IS VITAL 1. IWA

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www.boatfinderbrokerage.co.uk Experienced in selling narrow and wide beam canal boats from their home moorings, whilst out cruising or from brokerage moorings 8 page colour brochure & video of all boats, available on our website Extensive, accurate database for matching boats to buyers requirements Wide choice of pre-owned wide beam & narrowboats Dedicated client account & professional handling of all paperwork Introductory membership to RCR (River Canal rescue) Viewings are normally conducted by owners Boats Wanted - Selling? Buying? Boatfinder Brokerage Services@BoatfinderBS Boats Wanted! Here’s another successful sale from Overwater marina, one of our partner marinas! T: 01270 760 799 M: 07732 366 185 E: sales@boatfinderbrokerage.co.uk PART OF MIDDLEWICH CANAL CENTRE EXCLUSIVE SELLER OF NORTHWICH BOATS @EltonMossBoatsElton Moss Boatbuilder BOAT B UILDERS ELTON MOSS PART OF MIDDLEWICH CANAL CENTRE BOATS AS UNIQUE AS YOU ARE 01270 760 160 sales@eltonmoss.com Award Winning Luxury Live-Aboard Boats Call Us For Details Visit us at www.eltonmoss.com Outstanding build quality Demo boats available Why not visit and see for yourself 0% VAT live-aboard wide beams available (when qualifying conditions are met) Fully fitted narrowboats and wide ideasobligationAppointmentsbeamswithouttodiscussyour or Call 01270 760 799 visit us at: www.carefreecruising.com Come and see us at one of our regular Open Days to find out why 99% of our owners would recommend us! See our website for details Carefree Cruising @CarefreeCruise PART OF MIDDLEWICH CANAL CENTRE OWN THE ENJOYMENT...SHARE THE EXPENSE SHARES IN OUR 2022 BOAT ARE NOW AVAILABLE Call now to reserve yours!

Supporting Birmingham canal transformation

Work is starting on Selly Oak’s new turning area for boats. The threemonth project was officially started by Andy Street, Mayor of the West Midlands. The new turning area will give boat access to the soon-to-berestored Dudley No 2 Canal.

Lapal Canal.

Our Waterway Recovery Group volunteers helped to repair the canal walls. Canal Camp volunteers will return in August to build an accessible turn-over path in Selly Oak Park. IWA’s Technical Support Officer, Mikk Bradley, has been supporting Lapal Canal Trust by surveying and preparing drawings for the path.

IWA Canalway Cavalcade 2022 will return to London’s Little Venice on Saturday 30th April for the full early May Bank Holiday weekend. Each year we celebrate the best of life on the waterways in London and its community. Come along and see the heart of the London waterways transformed with colourful boats, live music, refreshment stands, craft stalls and more. Over 120 vibrant boats, decked with bunting, will celebrate this year’s ‘Welcome Back’ theme. Visitors will be able to see a diversity of boats including historic, residential and working narrowboats, cruisers and wide-beams. There is a packed programme of events both on and off the water. Highlights include a pageant of decorated boats on Saturday; boat handling competitions; and an evening procession of illuminated boats on Sunday. Younger visitors can try their hand at kayaking, visit a teddy bears’ picnic or watch a traditional Punch & Judy show in Rembrandt Gardens. There will be music playing, food stalls selling a huge selection of delicious snacks and meals, a real ale bar, as well as a variety of craft, canalware and clothing outlets throughout the festival. For travel information, visit waterways.org.uk/ cavalcade.

The new water feature section will complete the development of Whitehouse Wharf, part of the Selly Oak Shopping Centre. The area includes a bridge linking the new shops to Selly Oak town centre, the remains of a lime kiln and a new public square. The large water area will be for canoeists, paddleboarders, anglers and walkers, as well as boaters. It will also be large enough to be a convenient destination for trip-boats to and from central Birmingham. The very pleasant 55-minute journey along the Worcester & Birmingham Canal will take in a beautiful green corridor not yet seen by many residents.

CavalcadeCanalwaybackWelcometoIWA

Welcome back to London’s biggest, brightest and best waterways festival this bank holiday weekend, organised by IWA volunteers.

Cavalcade.

WaterwaysNews Summer 2022 IWA Waterways | 5

The event was organised by Tameside Canal Boat Trust, Canal & River Trust and IWA Manchester Branch with help from Asda Ashton, Tameside Sea Cadets, Portland Basin Museum, Jigsaw Homes and the Wooden Canal Boat Society. £5m for Staveley restoration

It’s no secret that, in recent years, IWA’s membership numbers have been in decline and that the Association has struggled to attract new members to support its existing base, both nationally and at a Branch level. If allowed to continue unchecked, this presents a serious risk to the future of the organisation.

LookingNewsWaterways to the Future – an update on IWA's progress

Last year, IWA celebrated its 75th anniversary, a landmark occasion that prompted the organisation to take a fresh look at the role it plays in supporting the waterways sector and community. Former IWA National Chair, Paul Rodgers, shares the latest progress.

ASHTAC, 25th-26th March 1972.

Here is what was agreed: The Inland Waterways Association is the only independent, national charity dedicated to supporting and regenerating Britain’s navigable rivers and canals as places for leisure, living and business.

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Over the next three years, the canal will be extended by half a mile from Hartington Harbour onto the Staveley Puddlebank which runs across the Doe Lea Valley. In addition, 2 miles of multi-use towpath to Renishaw will be laid, plus a new lock and two new bridges. There will be a siphon pipe to take the water from Staveley Waterside (the new name for Staveley Town Basin) to the new canal section. In addition, full designs will be prepared for further work.

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Ten years ago, a large clean-up celebrated the 40th anniversary, with over 100 volunteers from all over the country, including many original 1972 participants. The 50th anniversary event was more modest, with COVID19 uncertainties preventing a larger event, although significant work was done. On 21st22nd March, over 30 volunteers from the local area and from across the north-west area cleaned up the Ashton Canal near Portland Basin. Tasks included litter picking, vegetation removing, tree cutting and general canalside tidying.

The need to focus on defining and agreeing on these objectives has been a priority for IWA’s Board of Trustees over the last 12 months. At our AGM in September last year, and in the winter 2021 edition of Waterways magazine, we shared our plan to deliver a series of projects specifically aimed at these key areas, and also our intention to deliver them as soon as possible. We’re now in a position to be able to update you on the outputs of those projects. As our reminder, we planned to review IWA’s role and purpose first, and from this to define our high-level strategic objectives as an organisation. We would then agree on the specific actions we would need to take to achieve these objectives, including a review of what we actively campaign for as a charity. With this in place, we would look at the best methods to engage both existing and potential members, volunteers, supporters and donors, to ensure their continued or new support. All of these projects would be led by steering groups with representation from IWA trustees, senior volunteers and staff, to ensure the appropriate level of views from across the Association.Lookingat the review of IWA’s role and purpose first, the steering group agreed that it wanted the key output of this project to be a clear statement that summarised why IWA exists as a charity, what we believe in, and what we’re here to do. This would be grounded in clear and recognisable needs that both new and existing supporters could identify with, would give clear direction to the specific causes IWA currently supports (or will support in the future), and would appeal to a wider potential audience of supporters and stakeholders.

There are lots of reasons for this decline, but one set of underlying factors that are consistently highlighted are a lack of clarity around who IWA is as an organisation, what we believe in and campaign for, and what it means to join or support us. These four pillars of ‘who, what, why and how’ are the absolute bedrock of any charitable organisation and, understandably, our members and volunteers want to be clear about these. They also want them to be reflected in our strategic objectives, our marketing, at our events, in our campaigning and advocacy work, and in every other touchpoint with potential supporters.

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Following local waterways campaigning, the Chesterfield Canal Trust has been awarded £5.3m from the Staveley Town Deal. IWA has supported the project, alongside years of campaigning against the effects of HS2 in the area.

IWA Manchester Branch and Waterway Recovery Group North West commemorated the 50th anniversary of Ashton Attack (ASHTAC) with two days of cleaning canals around Dukinfield Junction. ASHTAC followed on from Operation Ashton, when around 1,000 people worked on the Ashton Canal and the Lower Peak Forest Canal over a weekend in March 1972. The event contributed to the Cheshire Ring being fully reopened to navigation in 1976.

Summer 2022 IWA waterways | 7 waterways.org.uk/legacy Have you considered supporting our campaigns to protect the future of the waterways with a gift in your Will? Request an IWA legacy pack and find out ways to share your love of the waterwaysgenerationswithtocome. Photo © Kevin Maslin A legacylasting Requestapack 01494 783 453 legacy@waterways.org.uk “Sixty years after it was demolished, we are tantalisingly close to reopening the bridge. This removes a huge obstruction to the Montgomery Canal restoration in England. It would be so good to see it reopen. With your help we can make it happen.” - Tim West Donate nowto reopen thebridgeyear!this Can you support Tim and Pru’s appeal to MontgomerySchoolhouserebuildBridgeonthebeautifulCanal? www.localgiving.org/charity/restorethemontgomerycanal First £50,000 matched £-for-£!! Image of the restored bridge Please see the Appeal Leaﬂet inserted in this magazine

PeterCommanderKelly, RN I am honoured to have been asked to write about Peter Kelly, former IWA Trustee and member of the West Country Branch, who died on 8th February aged 83. Peter John Louis Kelly was born in Portsmouth on 24th March 1938. He attended Colchester Royal Grammar School but decided that the academic world was not for him and, at the remarkably young age of 15, joined the Royal Navy as a Boy Seaman Grade II. Here his hidden talents flourished and he made his way steadily through the ranks, becoming a highly regarded captain of the survey ship HMS Woodlark and eventually commander of a fleet of three ships. On his retirement from the Royal Navy, he took up a position with the Sultan of Oman, where he had stewardship of the Royal Yacht and also learnt Arabic, no mean feat in itself. Returning to the UK, Peter became treasurer of the Hydrographics Society, which he held for 20 years, he bought a narrowboat, Sharazad, and joined the IWA, where he made many friends. He was an IWA Trustee from 2002 to 2009, represented the South West Region on the Navigation Committee for some nine years, was Region Secretary from 2009 to 2013 and also edited Sou’Wester for five years. It was only a short while ago that Peter ceased being captain of his narrowboat, having had a water-based life for more than 60 years.

Peter met Jackie in 1960, they married in 1965 and had 38 years together until Jackie died in 2003. He leaves a son, Mark, and his family, including grandchildren George and Rosie, and we wish them well. A true gentleman and friend of the waterways: Peter we salute you. Ray Alexander Aberdulais Aqueduct can be saved

inAppointmentsIWANewsWaterwaysTrustee2022

The main conclusion of this investigation and report is that, despite appearances, the condition of the monument is relatively stable and in its current state repair is feasible. IWA believes urgent and immediate works should be done as quickly as possible to mitigate further damage increasing the cost and complexity of repairs. In early May IWA, Neath & Tennant Canals Trust and CADW are planning to jointly host a site visit with all the key stakeholders (Natural Resources Wales, Neath Port Talbot Council, the Owners of the Aqueduct and Network Rail) to discuss and agree on the next steps for the project to conserve the structure, consolidating what is currently there, so that in the future it can be strengthened and relined and revert to navigation. At a local level, there is a growing awareness of heritage and the importance of project heritage assets in the area. We believe there is a real opportunity to save this heritage asset and will continue to lead on this campaign.

IN MEMORIUM

In 2020, IWA moved to a new process for selecting trustees to sit on its board, in line with Charity Commission guidelines. These require charities to consider “the skills and experience the current trustees have, and whether there are any gaps”. We will shortly be seeking applications from candidates who demonstrate the experience and skill sets that will be needed over the next two years to complement the skills of existing trustees on the Board and to fill any vacancies. Further details regarding the trustee application and selection process will be available on the IWA website in May, and at this stage, we anticipate that applications will need to be returned by the end of the second week in June. The selection panel will meet mid to late June with successful applicants being notified of their appointments at the beginning of July. The panel’s proposed appointees will be proposed to members at the AGM and members’ confirmation of the appointments will be sought. Following their selection, new appointees will commence their formal, legal role as trustees after the IWA AGM at the end of September 2022. We welcome applications from people from all walks of life and will be further promoting these trustee positions on our website, our newsletters, as well as through wider advertising.Nextsteps: information on the application process, which will detail the skill sets needed and the final details of the process to be followed, will be available on the IWA website in May. It can also be obtained from IWA’s Chesham Office - e-mail iwa@waterways.org.uk or write to Trustee Applications, Island House, Moor Road, Chesham HP5 1WA. In August 2021. IWA successfully applied for a CADW grant to cover the cost of a structural survey of the Aberdulais Aqueduct. In September Mann Williams, which specialise in the creative conservation of historic buildings and structures, undertook the survey and produced a report at the end of January 2022.

Aberdulais Aqueduct.

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• The Ashton Canal and Rochdale Canal in Manchester city centre with the Main Compound for building the new HS2 Station right alongside the Ashton Canal at Ducie Street. At each of the viaduct sites, IWA has called for noise fencing 4m high for maximum protection.

10 | IWA Waterways Summer 2022 NewsWaterways IN MEMORIUM

In 1974, new IWA branches were being formed in the South East, and Tony took the lead with a Guildford Branch, becoming its first branch secretary. He remained active on the Wey & Godalming Navigations and became an IWA appointee on Thames liaison committees when Thames Water Authority took over the Thames Conservancy that year. He continued as IWA’s principal representative on successive committees on the Thames for the next 30 years through the eras of the National Rivers Authority and the Environment Agency. His accumulated knowledge and calm reasoning earned the respect of Thames Navigation managers and other river users, proving him to be a most valuable ambassador for the Association.

Date announced for AGM

Tony Davis, who died from cancer on 15th February 2022, aged 83, was one of the Inland Waterways Association’s loyal supporters for over 50 years, not least being IWA’s principal representative on the Thames for over 30 years, and a recipient of the Cyril Styring Trophy, IWA’s most prestigious award. Trained in estate management, Tony joined IWA in June 1967 and was involved in the early years of IWA London & Home Counties Branch Working Party and the production of its magazine Navvies Notebook. He was quickly involved in all aspects of the branch and during 1968-69 he established a slide library with over 500 photos covering the branch’s waterways for promotional use. Tony was secretary to the trade show at IWA’s National Rally at Guildford in 1970 where Waterway Recovery Group was launched. He was a keen supporter of the Basingstoke Canal restoration and attended Operation Ashton and other WRG big digs. In 1971, when the branch was renamed London and South East Branch, Tony joined the committee and became IWA’s representative for the River Wey. He was passionate about preserving the Right of Navigation on the backwaters of both the Wey, and later the Thames, and amassed various legal documents and statements from past commercial operators testifying to their long public use.

IWA has studied the 335 reports and map books, totalling tens of thousands of pages, for their impacts on several waterways and the changes since previous consultations. The environmental reports detail the major adverse visual, heritage and community impacts the Proposed Scheme will have on the waterways from both construction and operation of the railway.

HS2 Ltd seeks to dismiss all canal users as ‘transitory’, with only short exposure to the noise from HS2. This ignores the facts that people live on their boats when underway, can moor for up to 14 days in most places, and often stay overnight on their moorings, whether these are officially residential or not.

Tony Davis

In 1994, Tony took on the chairmanship of the now IWA Guildford & Reading Branch, before standing down from the branch committee in 2001 after 30 years of continuous service. He was awarded the Cyril Styring Trophy, principally for his work on the Thames. At the same time, he was appointed as IWA’s first Honorary Consultant Planner, a post he held for many years, providing assistance on planning issues, property management and building surveys advice, using his qualification as a fellow of the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors. His assistance included dealing with the lease and rent review issues for IWA’s offices.

HS2 Bill threatens the tranquillity of waterways around Middlewich and Lymm HS2 (Crewe – Manchester) Bill

The High-Speed Rail (Crewe to Manchester) Bill for HS2 Phase 2b West was deposited in January 2022, with a public consultation on the Environmental Statement to the end of March.

Tony had a very active retirement, moved his new narrowboat to France in 2003 and enjoyed extensive cruising on the French waterways up until late 2019 when he was hospitalised following a fall in Guildford High Street. He was also a long-serving trustee of the Elsa Conservation Trust, which supports conservation education in Kenya. Neil Edwards

Waterways affected

However, the noise impacts on canal users, and particularly on the residential use of boats, is not adequately assessed and the noise mitigation measures proposed are therefore inadequate for each of the affected canals.

The main affected locations are:

• The Bridgewater Canal at Agden near Lymm a viaduct 11m high directly above the Lymm Cruising Club moorings, which will be lost during the construction period of over three years.

IWA’s response concentrates on this outstanding issue of noise mitigation, and again asks that all canal crossings are provided with noise barrier fencing across viaducts and bridges, and with fencing or earth barriers on adjacent embankments. Our response details how each of these interface locations is used for temporary, visitor and permanent moorings.

• The Trent & Mersey Canal in the Dane Valley three viaduct crossings (River Dane, Puddinglake Brook, Trent & Mersey Canal) at 10m to 13m above canal water level, and affecting visitor moorings at Bramble Cuttings and permanent moorings at Oakwood Marina.

Notice is hereby given that the Inland Waterways Association’s Annual General Meeting will be held on Saturday 24th September 2022. Currently, we are planning for this to be a hybrid event starting at 11.30am, allowing for both in-person and virtual attendance. Further details, including the meeting agenda, will be confirmed in due course, posted on the IWA website, and shared through the IWA Bulletin e-mail as they are available.

• The Middlewich Branch of the Shropshire Union Canal three viaducts close together at 7m to 8m height and affecting permanent moorings at Park Farm and visitor moorings at Yew Tree Farm.

Throughout this period, Tony maintained his active support for the Basingstoke Canals and in 1991 he was master of ceremonies and a team leader for the reopening of the Canal by HRH The Duke of Kent.

Noise impacts

Many thanks for Waterways issue 274, which my wife and I found full of interest as usual. We were particularly intrigued by the two features on punting. David Struckett’s sectional design is similar in principle to a daydream of mine in my 70s a decade ago. I got the idea from seeing sectional racing fours or eights on trailers by the Thames. I am pleased to hear that it works, and think he is wise nowadays to have a much higher free-board than traditional Cherwell punts. If you consult IWA Bulletin 69 (Nov. 1963), you will find the article that Robert Aickman encouraged me to write about a punt trip from Oxford to Cambridge in 1963. In following years, the same group of punters reached Llangollen (returning via the IWA triumphant Stratford rally in 1964); over the Pennines to the outskirts of Leeds in 1965, down the Thames to London (with a detour to Godalming) and back via the GU in 1966; and north-west to the Severn in 1967 via Great Haywood, Stourport, and Worcester. In 1971, realising that one stretch close to Oxford had not been covered, we went up the Thames beyond Lechlade, until rapids near Hannington Bridge defeated even dual-poling. In 1963, we started with a four-man crew, but from 1964 we felt that three was more comfortable, and even having just two was feasible, with 30 minutes on and 30 off. The bottom could vary enormously from our familiar Cherwell gravel – the Oxford Canal had much soft clay, but the Shroppie main line was a joy for poling. On the BCN, the colour of the ‘water’ varied from florid yellow to bright blue to black. Camp Hill locks had the sides dripping with tar. In those days we used wooden poles, with a forked metal shoe. In 1965, near Banbury, we broke a pole just near the end of the shoe. Not wishing to use our spare early in a long trip, we persuaded a garage to let us use a vice and electric drill (not so common then) to drill out the old stub. The mechanic who kindly aided us asked, “Is that a snake-catcher?” That question reminded me of the tale of the ancient Greek sailors who were stranded on a hostile shore and tried to walk home carrying their oars across country, and at one stage they were so far from the sea that locals mistook the oars for winnowing fans.

We could wait for ages for a tow through long tunnels. After waiting for hours in vain outside Wast Hill Tunnel, we ventured inside in the evening, and the one oncoming narrowboat (met two-thirds through) slowed down gently to pass us; its steerer commented, “It must seem a very long way.” At Harecastle, again after another wait of several hours, we took advantage of the (1965) rule of “southbound only” on Saturday afternoons to slip through safely; punting in tunnels or across iron aqueducts needed great care. Fortunately, in Mike, we had a left-handed poler for the return trip over Pontcysyllte, so no one had to peer over a 126ftt drop. Dick fell in the Cam of all places, and Mike fell in repeatedly on the Cherwell (twice in 10 seconds), but never on an expedition, and nor did David, Bryn, John C. or Roger. Fate spared me until the last minute of the final 1971 trip, when a well-worn pole snapped and catapulted me into the water. The nearest disaster came when moored on the tidal Thames at Brentford Creek, waiting to go up to the GUC. We returned from shopping to find the tide had suddenly turned after hours of slack water, and undid the padlock in the nick of time. However, on the Wey, we had rescued a teenage girl who tried to straighten up her parents’ new cruiser at their first unstaffed lock and found herself stretched from toes on the lockside to her fingers on the boat until gravity had its inevitable way. We also rescued a sheep on the Leeds & Liverpool.

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John & Marion Pearse (individual members since 1963).

Do you have something to say about IWA or Waterways?

Snaps, and polers

The waterways were pretty empty then, even the Oxford or Llangollen in July. Commercial traffic had largely ceased after the freeze of 1963, and pleasure-boating was in its infancy; you had to be affluent to own a family boat. We rarely found staff at places like Foxton, Watford, the Bratch, or Bingley, so we just had to work it out for ourselves. It was akin to the Marie Celeste, everything still there and working, but largely devoid of boats and people. But we did see a horse-drawn refuse boat on the BCN, flurries of activity around Anderton and the Bridgewater, and an enormous number of boats heading to the Stratford rally.

It’s your magazine so please write and tell us your views. We will aim to publish responses to letters that ask questions about any aspect of IWA policy or decision-making. Please write to The Editor, Waterways, c/o IWA, Island House, Moor Road, Chesham HP5 1WA, or e-mail f.llwyd-jones@wwonline.co.uk.

falls

Apart from the Bulletin, I was asked to show our 8mm amateur film to the London & Home Counties Branch, in 1965. In the audience, unknown to me, was my future wife Marion (we married in 1970), but we did not really meet until holiday cruises with mutual friends in 1968 and 1969. One of Marion’s friends was the late Claire Johnson, the editor of the branch magazine “The Windlass.” Claire was a redoubtable campaigner for the waterways, a veritable one-woman pressure group. In the 1970s, my wife and I hired punts when we could, including from Wargrave to explore the Loddon, and Bath to see the Avon above Pulteney weir. Marion picked up the knack quickly. Later, in retirement on our narrowboat, we occasionally encountered poled or motorised punts around the wider system, including a few heading between Oxford and Cambridge. On the Thames near Goring, we saw an accomplished lady punter suddenly lose her poise and perform a slow, graceful descent into the river. On the Peak Forest Canal near Hyde, we saw a sign in a yard that said ‘Punts for hire’, but could not explore the mysterious possibility as no one was about. In our 70s, we sometimes had difficulty in assuring young staff that we did not want a chauffeured punt, we wanted a pole. Ah, happy days! With best wishes to all in IWA, especially navvies, boating explorers and punters.

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We are still adding to this area and would love to hear om anyone who has a waterway walk to contribute. Please get in touch with us at walks@waterways.org.uk. Walk with IWA This walk of just over 1 mile may give you an idea of the heritage interest along your local canal. 1 32 WordsleyJunction. heritage walk warehouse.Bonded Iron

The Stourbridge Arm towpath is an a ractive walk much enjoyed by many local people throughout the year. By looking out for the o en-small details and doing some research to learn something about the stories behind them, a walk can be really enlightening and can show how signiﬁcant the waterways are in our social and economic history. The walk starts at the Stourbridge Bonded Warehouse, a well-restored and managed building supporting many organisations. The Bonded Warehouse was well used in its commercial heyday, as can be seen by the associated moorings, and iron dovetailed wharf edgings. The la er were probably produced in the adjacent ironworks, founded by John Bradley in 1789 on land between the canal and the River Stour. Further along on the walk, we cross the footbridge over an arm that originally ran into the John Bradley works. Interestingly, this arm was cast at Coalbrookdale rather than in the adjacent works, presumably because the John Bradley works concentrated on the manufacture of iron hoops and bars. Following John Bradley’s death, the business was taken over by James Foster. He went into partnership with John Rastrick and started to manufacture steam engines. The Foster Rastrick works buildings have been restored as the Lion Health Centre, which can be seen om the canal towpath across the River Stour.

Discover new ways to enjoy the waterways with our self-guided walks. Follow the step-by-step instructions in this guide or online using your smartphone, and ﬁnd out about history and heritage features along the way. More walks are available at waterways.org.uk/walks. wharfdovetailededgings.

Summer 2022 IWA Waterways | 13 Walk with IWA 56 The CollegeGlasshouse AthleticWarStourbridgeAmblecotePrimarySchoolMemorialGround IndustrialStourbridgeEst IndustrialLinkwoodEst WollastonPlayingFields Old Wharf Road Canal Street Vicarage Road Stamford StyHolbushLane Wollaston Rd A4102Platts CresRichardsonDrive WentworthRdRichmondGrove HydeMillDriveNashGrdns HighStreet ApleyRdWyreRd TrefoilGardens KenyonClose ChurchAvenue JardinClose CorbettCrescent John CorbettDrive TrinityRoadSchoolDrive DawnCloseAuroraGardens SherwoodRoad gHihStreet gHihStreet eviRrStour

Bridge.Coalbournbrook Stourbridge Arm cottages.

In 1828, the Foster Rastrick works constructed two famous engines: Agenoria ran on the nearby Pense railway, now in the York Railway Museum, and Stourbridge Lion became the first steam engine in the US, now in the Smithsonian Institute. The base of a crane can clearly be seen adjacent to the wharf, and it is likely that the engines were taken on temporary tracks to the canal and loaded in parts onto canal boats for transport. The wharf here would have been very busy. It had a drydock for maintenance of the works’ boats, and while the drydock is no longer easily seen the adjacent weir running into the River Stour is still intact. The River Stour was navigable om the River Severn up to Stourbridge a century before the canal was constructed and some remains can be seen along its route. Further along the towpath we come to the Coalbournbrook Bridge, where it can clearly be seen that the bridge has been widened. The widening work was done in 1900 to take the Kinver Light Railway, which ran om the nearby Fish Inn. The light railway became very popular, taking people on a day out to Kinver via a route that partially ran close to the Sta ordshire & Worcestershire Canal. A short detour to the right of the bridge takes you to the Ruskin Glass centre where traditional glass cra s can be seen in operation. Beyond the bridge was Guest’s Wharf where concrete boats were built during World War 1 –one is used as bank protection up the Stourbridge ‘Sixteen’ flight of locks. The next section was lined with wharfs and industry, including several glass cones. The remains of one can be seen, although a be er example exists at Wordsley. Further on there is an a ractive terrace of canal co ages, the remains of a canal communi dating om 1829 with Audnam Brook running under the canal to an overflow weir alongside. Past ‘Longboat Lane’ bridge is the junction with the Stourbridge Main Canal and the bo om of the lock flight with interesting exposed sandstone beds. From here the walk can be extended 2 miles to the le to Stourton Junction on the Sta s & Worcs Canal or 3 miles to the right up to Brierley Hill om which buses run to Stourbridge. 4 7

6 54 3 12 7

Fosters works. Fosters crane base. Weir.

“We took Willow to Cambridge, down ‘the Backs’ to the Mill Pond. We went there between October and March when you can book passage and get your boat all the way through the centre of the city. Because our 72ft boat can do it, it means any other narrowboat can too. The punt hire operators wanted to put some extra pontoons in for the punts, and the Cam Conservancy agreed, but only if Willow could turn. So they mocked it up with temporary pontoons to see whether we’d still be able to turn. And we could.”

“In less than a year, I went from not knowing what a narrowboat was to living on one,” says Amy Tillson. “We haven’t really looked back, and the more time I’ve spent on waterways and living on boats, the more it’s just become a part of who I am.” In the 14 years since that first encounter with narrowboats, Amy and her boyfriend (now husband) have thrown themselves into the waterways life. They’ve worked in a boatyard, spent a winter on a fuelboat delivering coal and doing pump-outs (which Amy describes as probably the hardest job she’s ever done), played an active role in several boating associations, and got involved in environmental efforts. Amy is also Campaigns Officer at the Inland Waterways Association. It all began the year following Amy’s graduation from university when she became friends with liveaboard boaters in Cambridge. The historic-boat bug “I realised it was a fantastic community, and that really drew me in,” she says. “It wasn’t to do with the cost or anything, it was more the way of life in the community. That was the big thing that made me want to try it Initially,out.”Amy and James started out on a modern 48ft narrowboat, although that soon changed. “Almost immediately, we got the historic boat bug,” she says. “We’d

Amy and Lucky Duck on CanalStratfordthe2008. Amy and James, by Willow TmesAJIDy hAAsArhle

Amy decided to face up to those challenges. She joined the committee of the local boaters association as the secretary, sat on the board of the Cam Conservancy and on the committee of the Historic Narrow Boat Club.

So, we stuck with the rules and moved every other day, although in some places, such as Cambridge, there are two sets of 48-hour visitor moorings, so we could stay for four days.” After spending the summer on the move, Amy and James wanted a permanent mooring. As there was a waiting list for Cambridge moorings, the couple moored at nearby Waterbeach until they got a residential permit in the city. Here they stayed for more than ten years, living totally off-grid. During that time, the long narrowboat created some interesting challenges.

14 | IWA Waterways Summer 2022

“She’s a fantastic old boat, called Willow, built in 1935 by Charles Hill in Bristol. The company built many other large ships, but only eight narrowboats, and she’s one of the eight. And she was built with what was, at that time, the revolutionary technology of welding wrought iron as opposed to riveting. Ours was one of the first-ever welded narrowboats. She’s 72ft long, which is one of the longest narrowboats, as most of the historic traditional working boats were up to 71ft 6in. Willow is a Severner, built for the Severn & Canal Carrying Company. The previous owner had converted the boat with a full cabin extension, and we bought it as a kind of empty shell and fitted it out.”

The couple initially spent six months moving around, although not as continuous-cruisers, as Amy explains: “The Fen waterways we travelled around on are run by the Environment Agency and the Cam Conservancy, not the Canal & River Trust, so there’s no continuouscruising option. We used visitor moorings, which are for 48 hours only.

A true passion IWA Campaigns Officer Amy Tillson lives and works aboard a historic narrowboat with her family, and has long championed our inland waterways spent time with friends on their historic boat, and then we started going to historic boat rallies and joined the committee of the Historic Narrow Boat Club.” Amy admits to being “a bit of a serial committee joiner”, and it was through that network of people that she met other people who had historic narrowboats, and finally found the couple’s current boat.

She adds that being on the Conservancy board at the time helped with the discussions. Defending waterwaysthe There were other interesting and challenging experiences, too, which led to the start of Amy’s involvement in voluntary work for the waterways: “We had a lovely mooring in a great community with great people. But one of the challenges of living afloat is that you are always having to defend your choice of lifestyle – not just (sometimes) to your family or friends, but also to the authorities.”

Phil Speight is a master craftsman, and I was so lucky to learn from him in the tradition of the old working boatyards and decorative painting.” Amy painted professionally when she worked at the yard and has done a few commissions since then. However, she says it’s mostly a hobby now, although she hopes to do more as her son gets older.

Summer 2022 IWA Waterways | 15 “We had so many meetings with the council and with the Conservators of the River Cam, which is the navigation authority in the area. There was always talk about raising our fees and generally making life more difficult for us. So we were just continuously fighting.” That conflict led Amy to set up a River Users Group on the Cam to encourage dialogue between the various river users and resolve conflict. She comments that although the challenges have changed, they’re still there simply because of the lifestyle choices: “We are always an oddity, a bit of a ‘square peg in a round hole’ situation. We keep defending our rights. It’s not always easy.” The couple later moved to Cheshire to live and work at a boatyard – an experience they greatly enjoyed, particularly learning about the business. It was during this period that she and James spent the winter supplying boaters with fuel and pump-out services. Afterwards, they moved to their current location in London. Part of my identity With Willow on a full residential mooring on the Grand Union Canal near Uxbridge, Amy and James are involved in different aspects of waterways life. James is a qualified skipper and steers tugs and freight boats, as well as commercial passenger-boats, including one with a restaurant, and an education boat. However, the biggest change to the couple’s lives was the arrrival of their son, who is now three years old. “We’re constantly changing Willow’s interior to make it work for the family, and we’ve got lots of modern luxuries,” comments Amy. “There’s also some lovely woodwork. Her previous owner repaired harmoniums and was an amazingBringingwoodworker.”upachildon the waterways has its own challenge, she says, adding that it’s a brilliant way of life for him.

The nerdy career Working with IWA means getting to know the waterways around the country, and Amy adds that it’s such an important infrastructure: “I’ve been lucky enough to travel some of it, but through my job, I get to learn about all the interesting people and places across the whole system.”

Amy concludes that her continued involvement with the waterways community, along with her most recent work as Campaigns Officer with IWA, means she’s “made a career out of being nerdy about the waterways”.

Amy continues to be a waterways campaigner, using her experience and education in built environment and climate change research. But she still finds time to do some hobbies, including decorative canal art. “For a long time, my main hobby was rowing. I spent most of my time on the water and used to row all the time in Cambridge. But now it’s all about roses and castles – that beautiful old-fashioned canal painting. I learned to do it when I was working at the boatyard up in Cheshire.

“I just absolutely love all the history and heritage that goes with it. That’s one of the reasons we have an old boat – I love being part of that long tradition of living and working on the waterways. I’ve done that for quite a while and now it feels like it’s part of my identity.”

“Water resources are going to be critically important as a result of climate change. We need to make sure our waterways can help mitigate that by such things as transferring water from places where there’s a lot of water to places where there’s less, and using the navigations to transfer water. Perhaps using restored networks to transfer water instead of building a pipeline. Use the waterways for transporting freight as a great way to take lorries off the road and reduce emissions. That’s what they were built for. We’ve got a huge number of big rivers, big waterways, that can economically transport large amounts of freight.”

Above: Signwriting. JAmes TIdy Above right: Blacking Streatham.at JAmes TIdy right: Helpinghands! JAmes TIdy left: PaintedWare. A. TIllson

“For a start, he doesn’t know anything else, so he doesn’t think he’s missing out on anything,” she explains. “I love how he can spend so much time outside and get to know nature. He knows all the different types of water birds and the difference between moorhens and coots. We’ve got all these birds just outside our window. “It’s also being part of the boating community. It’s absolutely wonderful for him because he’s met other boat children. Our marina has many families so he’s got lots of friends and we’re in a safe environment around the gated marina. He’s a very sociable three-year-old child as a result.”

She is currently involved in the heritage campaign and believes the waterways can help meet the challenges of adapting to climate change.

Willow trees can be seen growing along the bank. These are a specialist varie , grown as a commercial crop for cricket bat manufacture for over 100 years. EWL reinvests the income in the navigation.

Chelmsford Basin

EWL is based at Paper Mill Lock, where kayaks can be hired and there is a slipway for trailable boats. EWL licences are required for all cra .

networkreachestheExploringfar-ﬂungoftheisnowevenmorerewarding

Victoria and Albert operate om here and it would be possible to charter one of these for a day to reach Springﬁeld Basin.

Heybridge Basin was the home of E. H. Bentall & Co, which developed agricultural machinery and engines. The imposing yellow-brick Bentall’s warehouse is the only surviving building of a much larger complex alongside the navigation. It dates om 1863 and is a scheduled industrial monument.

Springﬁeld Basin was once surrounded by industry, including Chelmsford Gas Works, using Chelmer and Blackwater, Springﬁeld Basin.

Trade eventually ended in 1972. IWA held a rally at Chelmsford in 1973 to start leisure use of the waterway, and coordinated the restoration of Springﬁeld Basin in 1992. Uniquely IWA has been the navigation authori since 2005, through its subsidiary company Essex Waterways Ltd (EWL).

In each case, the Silver Propeller Challenge destination is at the head of navigation. All three can be visited by local, portable and trailable cra and also by trip-boat.

The navigation was authorised in 1793 and opened four years later, with John Rennie as Chief Engineer and Richard Coates as the local engineer. Industry developed rapidly, with trade in iron ore, coal and timber inwards and grain and ﬂour outwards – and the more unusual cargo of live eels in later years.

CHALLENGEBoating in

The navigation is designated as a Conservation Area and has a public footpath along its full length.

The disused Langford Canal branches o below Beeleigh Lock and originally served a mill. It is next to a 1920s steam pumping station, formerly used to supply Southend-on-Sea with treated drinking water and now housing the Langford Museum of Power.

The Chelmer & Blackwater Navigation is a canalised navigation using the Rivers Chelmer and Blackwater in Essex. It runs through largely rural surroundings for 13.8 miles, om Springﬁeld Basin in the coun ci of Chelmsford to the tidal estuary of the River Blackwater at Heybridge Basin near Maldon.

SILVER PROPELLER

Sue O’Hare explores three Silver Propeller Challenge locations on South Eastern rivers

The majori of the Silver Propeller Challenge locations are on the main connected waterway network. Locations on isolated navigations pose a particular challenge, but also have a distinctive character and appeal. Here, we look at three river navigations in South East England (in Essex, Kent and East Sussex), which are perhaps unexpectedly connected by the theme of cricket.

The navigation has 11 locks plus the sea lock at Heybridge and ﬂood gates at Beeleigh. The locks were built for 60 by 16 barges, which were horse-drawn until the building of Susan in 1953 (a timber-built lighter currently under restoration). Susan had an inboard engine, but in order to maximise load space the steel barges of the 1960s had outboard Harbormaster engines.

Trip-boats

Langford Waterworks nearby takes up to 35 million gallons of water daily om the navigation.

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Cricket Country

At Sandford Lock, the site of a water-powered corn mill was bought by Chelmsford Borough Council in 1924 for its waterworks. These are now redundant and the council is planning a new country park. EWL is keen to reuse the ﬁlter beds as a marina, which would create a new destination point on the navigation.

The River Medway rises in the Weald, the area between the parallel chalk escarpments of the North and South downs. It flows for 70 miles from Sussex through the Kent towns of Tonbridge, Maidstone and the Medway conurbation to the Thames Estuary near Sheerness. The non-tidal Medway Navigation runs for 19 miles from Lucifer Footbridge above Tonbridge to Allington Lock below Maidstone. With appropriate planning and safety equipment it is possible for inland waterways craft to reach the Medway from the Thames Estuary, although the voyage is a substantial undertaking. Indeed, the now derelict Thames & Medway Canal was built to remove the need. The Medway forms the traditional dividing line between ‘Kentish Men’ born to the west and ‘Men of Kent’ born to the east. The tidal section was very significant historically and is still busy with commercial traffic. Rochester Castle was built in the 1080s to defend an important crossing. Huge naval dockyards developed in Chatham, where the British fleet was attacked by the Dutch in the Raid on the Medway in 1667. In contrast, the rural non-tidal length is popular with leisure craft. It passes through medieval stone bridges and the rolling countryside, hop fields, oasthouses and orchards of the ‘Garden of England’. Willow trees can be seen growing along the bank. These are a specialist variety, grown as a commercial crop for cricket bat manufacture for over 100 years. Chelmer and Blackwater, Springfield Lock. Heybridge Basin. River ClassicMedway.Kentview at Yalding. River NarrowboatMedway.with oasts at East Farleigh.

Tonbridge Rail-Bridge

Summer 2022 IWA Waterways | 17 coal brought by water from the North East. The basin is still being redeveloped, as part of a wider regeneration scheme known as Chelmer Waterside. Chelmsford is built around the confluence of the rivers Chelmer and Can, which are currently separated from the navigation by an automatic weir. IWA Chelmsford Branch has campaigned since 1985 for a link, and has now secured support from the city council for a new lock. Find out more at essexwaterways.org.uk.

ARO'HSuee O'HSueARe

Upstream of Maidstone the village of Teston is home to the former Alfred Reader cricket and hockey ball factory, where hand-stitched cricket balls were made and exported around the world. The building is now apartments but the company still operates locally. Further upstream at Hartlake Bridge there was a disaster in 1853, when a wagon carrying 40 hop pickers crashed through the side of the rotting wooden bridge. The passengers were thrown into the flooded river and 30 people died.

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The Silver Propeller Challenge is to reach anywhere above Tonbridge Town Lock. Small craft can navigate for another couple of miles, but Great Bridge above Town Lock has low headroom. Tonbridge was renamed from Tunbridge when the railway was built, to avoid confusion with Tunbridge Wells. The ruined Norman castle is a major landmark, overlooking the river near Great Bridge. The Silver Propeller Challenge is to reach anywhere above Tonbridge Town Lock. Small craft can navigate for another couple of miles, but Great Bridge (or Big Bridge, or Tonbridge Bridge) above Town Lock has low headroom. Boat trips and rowing boat hire are available in Tonbridge (tonbridgerivertrips.co.uk). There are several slipways along the river, and small boats can be Findhired.out more – including useful links to the Environment Agency - at waterways.org.uk/ rivermedway.

Barges above Allington Lock. East Farleigh Bridge. right: Alfred Reader & Co Cricket & Hockey Ball Teston.Factory, Tonbridge.

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Maidstone River Park was created for the new millennium. It stretches from Aylesford on the tidal section past the moored preserved barges near Allington Lock and the Kent Life open air museum, through Maidstone to Teston Country Park. The county town of Maidstone used to be a significant brewing centre. Its river frontage includes the 14th-century Archbishop’s Palace, formerly the residence of the Archbishops of Canterbury.

The Medway was made navigable with 11 locks (now 10) following Acts of Parliament between 1664 and 1824. It was a busy transport route, taking ragstone as well as apples and hops to London, and iron and timber from the Weald to the dockyards. Sailing barges known as ‘stumpies’ were developed without topmasts for easier passage through bridges. Bow-hauling by gangs of men was common on the upper river until just after 1836. The Environment Agency is the navigation authority and all craft must be licensed. The IWA Kent & East Sussex Branch has played an active part in improving facilities for boaters, for instance in providing visitor moorings in Tonbridge. There are some unusual navigational features such as the canoe ‘chutes’ at locks, which double as fish passes.

waterways.org.uk/easternrother.Thenavigablesection

Find out more at of the River Rother from Scots Float Sluice to Bodiam Castle is about 12 miles long and there are no locks.

Summer 2022 IWA Waterways | 19

River Rother. IWA National Trailboat Festival 2013 at Bodiam Castle. Newenden Bridge.

Bodiam Castle, Sussex.

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The navigable section of the River Rother from Scots Float Sluice to Bodiam Castle is about 12 miles long and there are no locks. Although it is managed by the Environment Agency, it is a free river with no licence required owing to the Rother Level Acts of Parliament of 1826 and 1830. The river runs across drained marshland and has high flood banks, from which there are views of the chalk Downs to the north and towards the sea to the south. The only village near the river is Newenden, where there is a medieval-style arched bridge.

Bodiam Castle Bodiam Castle is the head of navigation of the Eastern River Rother in East Sussex. Like the River Medway, the River Rother rises in the Weald, generally accepted as the area where the game of cricket originated. It flows for 35 miles through the borders of East Sussex and Kent, and reaches the south coast at the ancient Cinque Port of Rye. The Rother has been used for navigation since Roman times. Scots Float Sluice just outside Rye dates from before 1723 in its original form and includes a sea lock. At the beginning of the 19th century, parts of the river and its tributary the River Brede were used to link the two sections of the Royal Military Canal. Together with the Royal Military Road, this canal was built as a defence against invasion during the Napoleonic Wars. It runs for 28 miles along the edge of Romney Marsh between Cliff End (4 miles from Hastings) in East Sussex and Hythe in Kent. It was intended for commercial as well as military use but became disused within 100 years. During World War II the gun emplacements were repurposed as sites for pillboxes. Today, the route and the surrounding marshland form a valuable wetland habitat. It can be explored by non-powered boats and during the summer there are small boats for hire and an electric trip-boat in Hythe.

The magnificent medieval moated Bodiam Castle is a National Trust property which has featured in paintings by artists including J.M.W. Turner. It was the location of the 2013 IWA National Trailboat Festival. The surrounding area is known as ‘1066 country’. There are many vineyards, and the Kent & East Sussex Railway runs steam trains between Bodiam and the former port of Tenterden.Thereareslipways at Scots Float Sluice and at the Bodiam Boating Station in Newenden. Boat trips to Bodiam and small boats for hire are available from the latter (bodiamboatingstation.co.uk).

below: The Mount Pleasant Inn, at the junction of the Bond End and Trent & Mersey canals.

All ImAgEs from ThE rEgAn mIlnEs CollECTIon.

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Above: A working boat, Victory, from a Stoke-on-Trentbased carrier, on the Bond End Canal outside the Mount Pleasant Inn. The pub, located at Shobnall Basin, was a well-known watering hole for boat crews on the canal. It was never equipped with beer pumps, the staff having to go down to the cellar to draw pints. Sadly, after closing in 1961, the pub was demolished a few years later.

Visitors to this year’s IWA Festival of Water will have the opportunity to explore the remains of a largely forgotten canal that has its roots in Burton-on-Trent’s brewing industry

The Bond End Canal

The name’s ‘Bond, the Bond End Canal’, and, unless you have a deep interest in waterways history, it’s likely you’ve never heard of it. For not only was this Burton-based waterway less than 2 miles long, but it was also in operation for just a few years, from c1787 to 1874, and little of it remains today. The canal originally ran from the River Trent at Burton through the centre of the town to connect with the Trent & Mersey at Shobnall, but a fair chunk of it was infilled before the turn of the 20th century. As we’ll see, however, what is still in existence has earned its place in contemporary waterways history, and visitors to this year’s IWA Festival of Water, taking place on 27th-29th August on the Trent & Mersey Canal at Burton-on-Trent, will have the chance to explore it in person.

The construction of the Bond End Canal is related to Burton’s brewing industry, which dates back to the foundation of the Benedictine Abbey in around 1000AD. It was soon discovered that the local water sources contained a high level of gypsum that proved excellent for brewing. As such, a whole industry was to emerge that continues to this day. But to understand the full story of the Bond End Canal, we first have to go back to the pre-canal age – when the packhorse reigned supreme and the only cargocarrying boats could be found on rivers. Before the advent of Canal Mania, the River Trent was used to transport the brewing essentials of hops, grain and malt to Burton from Wilden Ferry (near Shardlow). This traffic increased following navigational improvements to the Trent in the early 1700s, and cheese, pottery, iron and timber were also carried on the river. As a consequence, a stretch of the Trent close to Burton Abbey, known as Bond End, became home to the wharves, warehouses and river craft of the Burton Boat Co. Following the Enabling Act of the Trent & Mersey in 1766, which would provide a new link between Shardlow and Burton (and onwards up to Preston Brook), the Burton Boat Co became concerned about the loss of trade on the Trent. As such, it approached the canal’s engineer, James Brindley, asking if his planned canal could terminate at Bond End, from where, it was proposed, boats could continue to Shardlow on the Trent. But Brindley was concerned about the river’s fluctuating water levels, so refused the suggestion, leaving the Burton Boat Co to devise a new solution.

The Bond End Canal Summer 2022 IWA Waterways | 21

River and connectionbrewing

Decline In 1805, the leading proprietor of the Burton Boat Co died and the carrying fleet ceased operation, with virtually all river traffic above Wilden Ferry coming to an end. It seems probable, like so many other canals, that after a period of initial success, the advent of the railways brought about a dramatic downturn in trade for the Bond End. In August 1839, the Birmingham & Derby Junction Railway started running trains to Burton, with a spur line built to terminate alongside Shobnall Wharf. By 1843, traffic on the Bond End had decreased substantially, but the short waterway found a new role in helping to solve a common problem of the day: removing sewage. Burton’s primitive sewage system was extended to the Bond End Canal at the River Trent and a system was devised whereby every time the river lock here was used, water was forced through the sewer to act as a flushing agent. With around 12 boats a day passing through the lock, it proved a success for a while. By 1872, the Bond End Canal was virtually disused and just a couple of years later, a 1-mile section of it was infilled from the River Trent, leaving the wharf at Shobnall as a transhipment point and railway sidings. Five railway lines were built around the basin in total, all primarily to serve the local breweries.

The entry bridge to the Bond End Canal from the T&M, before the Hines family took over.

Canal construction The Trent & Mersey Canal opened in 1777 and quickly proved a success. In around 1787, the Burton Boat Co built its connecting canal: the Bond End. It is sometimes referred to as the ‘Bond End Branch of the Trent & Mersey’ but this is incorrect as the promoters of the T&M refused to allow a connection between the two canals. As such, the Shobnall Bar came into being. Like the famous Worcester Bar at Gas Street Basin, central Birmingham, this required goods to be transhipped between boats on either side of the bar at what is now Shobnall Basin. This proved such an inconvenience that one night the Burton Boat Co attempted to break through the Shobnall Bar, which only resulted in litigation and the swift reinstatement of the structure. However, in 1794 a compromise was reached with the building of a stop lock at Shobnall.

Revival

As does the influence of the Hines family, who moved back to Burton in 1972 and obtained a three-year lease on the land.

By this point, the attractive humpback bridge – No 1 of the Bond End Canal – that carries the T&M over the entrance to (the then derelict) Shobnall Basin was due to be demolished by British Waterways.

There was even planning permission to build a road across the site. The Hines family planned to develop a boat-hire business at the basin and begged BW not to flatten the bridge. They also succeeded in persuading the council to move its proposed road and, in due course, purchased the land from British Rail. In this way, the canal never fell into the ownership of British Waterways and, later, the Canal & River Trust. It remains a privately owned canal – albeit, a very short one! The route of its infilled sections can be traced through the town simply by following Evershed Way. This road was built in the late 1980s on the route top: The short basin, seen in 1968, was all that remained of the Bond End Canal.

The fact that the Bond End Canal was infilled and remained in the ownership of the railways (later, British Rail) has an important bearing on the revival of Shobnall Basin and the Bond End Canal.

Left: By October 1976 the basin was already full. Note the mix of private cruisers and Jannel Cruisers’ distinctively painted steel hire narrowboats.

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above Left: The same view in 1974, following dredging and with Jannel Cruisers ready to start business.

Claymills Pumping Station

Related Burton attractions

A 2003 aerial view of Shobnall Marina, on the line of the Bond End Canal, with the Trent & Mersey in foreground.the

The BreweryNationalCentre

The Bond End Canal Summer 2022 IWA Waterways | 23

An 1816 map showing Shobnall Basin, with the Bond End Canal labelled ‘Burton Canal’. The Mount Pleasant Inn is shown as a ‘public house’ and the Shobnall Brook can be seen culverted under the canal between the basin and the road-bridge by an aqueduct of two arches, each 5ft 6in. Canal boat children at Horninglow Wharf on the Trent & Mersey at Burton.

We’ve looked at how the Bond End Canal assisted with Burton’s sewage removal system and a much deeper insight into how the town tackled this unpleasant issue is provided at its Victorian pumping station. The pumping plant comprised four huge beam engines and over the Sunday and Monday of the late August bank holiday, some of these engines will be in steam, fired by huge Lancashire boilers. claymillsorg.uk. of a railway, which, in turn, had been constructed along the line of the canal. Off it, you’ll also find the short Canal Street. After clearing the basin, which was overgrown and littered with railway clutter, Jannel Cruisers opened for business in early 1974. As the company’s hire fleet expanded, so did the excavation of the canal and basin to accommodate it. Today, the hire fleet is gone but the site continues to serve as a marina, providing accommodation for up to 52 boats, while also offering chandlery, dry-docking and boat-surveying services. If you’re visiting the Festival of Water over the late August bank holiday, do take time to go to the site and see for yourself the remains of the Bond End Canal.

To get a full understanding of Burton’s rich brewing history, be sure to visit this excellent museum near the centre of the town. As well as offering insights into the development of brewing techniques over the centuries, the facility also includes historic vehicles, shire horses, a micro-brewery, bar and café. nationalbrewerycentre.co.uk.

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WITHCAMPAIGNINGYOU

2011ACOTTANGELA

One of the issues we are looking out for is the sale of listed and historic buildings. Our preference is for navigation authorities – and other organisations that are owners of heritage waterways buildings – to continue as their custodians and to do this in a responsible way. Sale of such buildings into private hands should only take place a er careful consideration and provided that every e ort has been made to retain them. In this case, the sale must include adequate conditions to ensure that features of heritage interest are retained. If buildings are sold, every e ort should be made to do this to another organisation with waterways or heritage a liation which can assure a viable and appropriate future, wherever possible retaining it within the public realm.

Establishing a network of heritage champions and consultations on water-transport projects are among the issues we’ve been campaigning on with your help. Here’s how we’ve been doing on these and other affairs...

2022 sees a series of consultations on dra water resource management plans om the ﬁve regional water resource planning groups. As the APPG for the Waterways last year highlighted, there are opportunities for water transfer projects to include canal restorations and new waterways, with existing canals potentially used to transfer drinking water. We are contributing our responses to these plans, drawing a ention to the beneﬁts of using navigations for water transfer. These include greater biodiversi net gain and lower capital costs as well as leisure and economic advantages. This is just one of the ways our waterways can contribute to future climate change adaptation. Following up on this, members of the Heritage Advisory Panel had a meeting with Canal & River Trust in early April about their planned proper sales over the coming year, where we raised these issues.

Tame Valley Canal, Bottom Lock Cottage.

Heritage Ma ers Water Transfer

Focus on...

Our Gaptracker campaign of 2018 gathered data from boaters’ experiences of using facilities and their opinions about what was needed for the future. This work continues to have a positive impact –the Canal & River Trust is currently carrying out a facilities review and asked us to share the evidence and findings from our survey. We will keep on working with CRT on this, drawing in new ideas such as the need to support the growing number of electric boats on the waterways.

IWA has joined forces with ADA (the Association for Drainage Authorities) to call for the River Idle in Nottinghamshire to be dredged and made navigable. The river joins the Trent at West Stockwith and is accessible only by paying a fee to the Environment Agency to come and open up a pair of sluices. Despite having a statutory right of navigation there is no navigation authority for the river. We wrote to the Environment Agency to raise IWA’s concerns and together we are calling for action to be taken to restore the river to its former capacity as a navigation and drainage channel through a programme of maintenance and channel reprofiling.

Summer 2022 IWA Waterways | 25 Campaigning With You

In its current state, the River Idle is virtually unnavigable: through a lack of management and maintenance over many years, the river is now heavily silted and overgrown with trees and shrubs. Due to concerns about the navigability of the river, the cruises previously undertaken by the Retford & Worksop Boat Club have ceased, but we have members keen to recommence navigation, beginning with small boats to assess the river for the safety of larger boats. ADA has highlighted the problem faced by their Internal Drainage Board members: that heavy silting and vegetation growth have caused a severe reduction in the river’s capacity to convey water. With more flooding, and drought likely in the future because of climate change, it is crucial for waterways such as this to be maintained to improve their capacity for water conveyance.Wehavealso pointed out the wider benefits of dredging this waterway – not just for drainage and navigation but for all the associated benefits for the local population and economy, recreation, wildlife and fishing. In response to our letter the EA have invited an IWA volunteer to join the Isle of Axholme Strategy Executive Board which will give IWA more of a voice in decisions about this river.

SalterhebbleLockCottage.

IWA’s West Riding Branch heritage champions have, at the last minute, saved this lock cottage near Halifax on the Calder & Hebble from the auctioneer’s hammer.

CRT ReviewFacilities

IWA felt that, in this case, sale into private ownership was not the best future for the property as it is an integral part of the Salterhebble Basin and would compromise planned ambitions for regeneration of the local area. The basin consists of three distinctively different locks and a mooring pound for ten boats. Outside the basin, there is also an underused canal arm that could accommodate ten more boats and an unused dry dock in an area where these facilities are in high demand. It is also the step-off point for the popular Hebble Trail. Access to the cottage is over a footbridge over the top lock and, as there is no road access for a cottage resident, it was felt that the health and safety restrictions that this sale would bring to towpath users and boaters had not been taken into account. Salterhebble discussions are now in progress between IWA, Canal & River Trust and the local council to develop the area and turn the heritage building into a community centre for the local area. The regeneration of the area will now be coordinated with the current and planned road improvements and planned national cycleInitially,routes. the main focus will be on building a team from the local community, with education and practical skills experience at the top of the agenda. Everything will revolve around the canal environment and, for the younger participants, they will work towards bringing their learning to life using canal-related activities such as CRT Explorers. For everyone else, the focus is on boating, history and heritage – telling the story of the basin and looking to the future. If you would like to get involved, please contact westriding@waterways.org.uk.

Salterhebble Lock Cottage

nCADunnAII River Idle

The Herefordshire & Gloucestershire Canal recently got planning permission to reinstate 1,968 of the ﬁlled-in canal at a new site at Malswick. Volunteers will undertake a big ‘muck shi ’ using excavators and dumpers to excavate the new channel using a ‘cut-and-ﬁll’ method. The work will also include extending a culvert under the canal. This is an exciting project for WRG with plen of machine work.

restoration HUB: Reconnecting the Waterway Restoration Sector

Summer Canal Camps Support Local Restorations

Birtley Bridge after summer camps 2019.

26 | IWA Waterways Summer 2022

Herefordshire & Gloucestershire Canal Technical Plant Camp

This camp will spend the week resurfacing a section of the towpath and creating a new path over a bridge, connecting the canal to Selly Oak Park. The Lapal Canal Trust was established in 1990 by a group of environmental and canal enthusiasts to restore the Dudley No 2 Canal om Selly Oak to Halesowen. The trust is now focused on restoring the canal om Selly Oak to California.

Volunteers on this year’s camps will work towards building the second of the two new li -bridges needed to bring the Birtley section of the canal back into working order. The work will involve preparing the site for future projects and to begin the construction of the bridge.

The Wey & Arun Canal opened in 1816 as a safe route om London to ports such as Portsmouth. It was abandoned in 1871 but signiﬁcant restoration work has been done since the 1970s.

On Saturday 26th March over 120 delegates and volunteers descended on Stroud for the Annual Waterway Restoration Conference. The conference was jointly hosted by the Inland Waterways Association and Canal & River Trust. The last time the waterway restoration sector gathered for a national networking event was in March 2019. While the conference moved successfully online for two years, there was a demand for a face-to-face event. This year, the focus was on ‘Overcoming obstacles and seizing opportunities’. The Cotswold Canals Trust and partners showcased the signiﬁcant progress made over the past two years, speciﬁcally major in astructure projects such as the A38 Whitminster Roundabout and the Ocean Rail Bridge. Delegates also had the chance to a end workshops: ‘Relining the canal’ by the Canal & River Trust and ‘Diversi ing your volunteer base and board’ by the Young Trustee Movement. Jenny Morris, IWA’s Restoration Hub Coordinator, said, “It was fantastic to catch up with many iends and familiar faces across the restoration sector. The networking over co ee and lunch at these events is just as important as the keynote sessions, all of which provided delegates with the opportuni for problem-solving, inspiration and sharing of ideas.”

Wey & Arun Canal Civil engineering

Lapal Canal improvementTowpath work

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This summer, our volunteers will work on two projects at Berwick Tunnel, rebuilding the stone lengthman’s hut next to the entrance of Berwick Tunnel and undertaking repairs to the tunnel portal.

28 | IWA Waterways Summer 2022

Workparty at portal of Berwick Tunnel 2020.

Volunteers will work with the Essex Waterways team to make significant brickwork repairs. Both wingwalls of Stonham’s Weir have decayed and need repairing. Due to the technical nature of this project, volunteers will need to register their interest before making payment, to ensure the right mix of on-site skills and experience for a fun and successful camp. This is ‘our own’ working waterway – the Inland Waterways Association took over the running of the Chelmer & Blackwater over 10 years ago through its subsidiary Essex Waterways.

Our team of volunteers will repair an overflow bywash weir on the Ty Coch flight of locks. The weir will need to be carefully dismantled and rebuilt using stone and traditional lime mortar. The team will also repaint the lock gates.

Chelmer & Blackwater Navigation Brickwork and towpath repairs

Heritage repairs and construction

Monmouthshire Canal Heritage stonework and painting

Family Canal Camps return for a fourth year!

Swansea Canal Heritage construction

Wendover Canal Family Camp 28th-30th October 2022

Volunteers will be returning to Trebanos Lower Lock to continue rebuilding and repointing the lock chamber wall. There may also be the option to work at Ynysmeudwy Lock, digging out a buried length of the canal, or at Coed Gwilym Park, helping build the walls of a new slipway.

Shrewsbury & Newport Canals

The goal of the Shrewsbury & Newport Canals Trust is to form a continuous navigable waterway linking Norbury Junction with Shrewsbury.

HUB:

The Swansea Canal originally ran for 16½ miles and was steeply graded, needing 36 locks to enable it to rise 373ft over its length. Subsequently, parts of it were closed and filled in but around 6 miles of it remains in water.

Above: Work at Ty Coch 2015.

restoration Summer Canal Camps Support Local Restorations

Join us for a weekend of fun environmental activities at Whitehouses Pocket Park on the Wendover Arm of the Grand Union Canal. Activities will help enhance waterways for wildlife and to teach children what it is like to ‘live like a Navvy’! We will be working with the Wendover Canal Trust. Our family camps are open to families with children aged between six and 14. Each family camp costs £15 per person for the weekend. Email jonathan.green@waterways.org.uk to book a place.

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Waterways - Summer 2022

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