Endeavour - November 2020

Endeavour Northampton Branch Newsletter — November 2020

Charity’s New Trip Boat Launched by HRH The Princess Royal

By Colin Neal, Chair of the Trustees, Crusader Community Boating During a visit to the County on Wednesday, 14th October 2020, HRH The Princess Royal visited Blisworth Marina in Northamptonshire to launch our new passenger trip boat.

Continued on page 18

HRH The Princess Royal talking to crew members at a safe distance

waterways.org.uk/northampton Printed by Colour Image. Phone 07821 894521 email colourimage@aol.com

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Since retiring in October 2019, Linda and I were hoping to do more boating in 2020.

However, along came Covid and all plans were scuppered. We had planned to go on the Llangollen Canal in June with friends - hopefully we will be able to do that in 2021. Instead, we decided to go up the Caldon Canal after other routes seemed unsuitable.

We started our cruise in late August and on the Tuesday strong winds were forecast.

Wednesday morning whilst cruising along the Coventry Canal we were told by a fisherman that there was a tree across the canal about half a mile on. And it was a big one as you can see from the picture! CRT came to clear the towpath early that afternoon and said contractors would be out the following day to clear the canal.

They arrived mid morning and got half of the canal cleared by early afternoon. Good work considering the size of the tree!

We turned at Stone as we was running out of time so will go back and finish it another time.

The tree across the canal just before bridge 18A

After contractors cleared enough of the canal for boats to pass The IWA may not agree with opinions expressed in this magazine, but encourages publication as a matter of interest. Nothing printed may be construed as policy or an official announcement unless so stated, otherwise the Association accepts no liability for any matter in the magazine.

Neither the editor nor IWA can accept responsibility for any errors or omissions in the magazine, and opinions stated are those of individual contributors. We will, however, gladly publish corrections if notified. The editor reserves the right to shorten or modify articles published in the interests of clarity or space.

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DIARY DATES

DUE TO COVID 19 THERE ARE NO FACE TO FACE MEETINGS. BRANCH MEETINGS WILL BE ON WEBINAR DETAILS WILL BE ON WEBSITE AND FACEBOOK NORTHAMPTON ARM TASK PARTIES DATES December 6th, 15th. January 3rd, 19th.

February 7th, 23rd March 7th, 23rd.

Contact: geoff.wood@waterways.org.uk or phone 01604 453932 BUCKINGHAM CANAL SOCIETY WORK PARTY DATES December 3rd, 10th, 13th, 17th, 24th, 31st.

January 7th, 10th, 14th, 21st, 28th.

February 4th, 11th, 14th, 18th, 25th.

March 4th, 11th, 14th, 18th, 25th.

Contact athinabec@aol.com or phone 01908 661217/07721 319404 STOKE BRUERNE CANAL PARTNERSHIP WORK PARTY DATES December 9th. January 13th. February 10th. March 10th.

Contact: stokebruernecanalpartnership.org.uk BRAUNSTON CANAL SOCIETY TASK PARTY DATES December 10th, January 14th, 30th.

February 11th, 27th. March 11th, 27th.

Contact Clive at braunstoncanalsociety@gmail.com or phone/text Clive on 07817 435911.

Due to Covid19 please check before attending that the task/work parties IWA Northampton Branch has a Facebook page. It is at https://www.facebook.com/IWANorthamptonBranch Members will find posts there about our talks, Task Party dates and much more, as well as being able to use it for discussion purposes. We’d like to hear your views. We also have a Twitter account @northamptoniwa where you can leave us a message or engage in discussion on what’s happening.

IWA Northampton Branch web site www.waterways.org.uk/northampton Please visit it regularly to see any updates

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GRAND JUNCTION BOAT COMPANY GAYTON JUNCTION BLISWORTH ARM NORTHAMPTON NN7 3EF

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Branch Chairman’s Jottings

by Bernard Morton As I write this, Autumn is well and truly upon us and we are surrounded by nature’s glorious display in hues of yellow, orange, red and brown. Surely this beauty goes some way to ameliorate the shortening days and longer nights?

COVID 19. When I wr ote my J ottings for the August issue of Endeavour I, along with most of you, were hoping we had left “lockdown” behind us and that life would slowly return to something like “normal”. Alas, the virus is still with us, affecting different parts of the country in varying degrees. Where I live (Northamptonshire) we have Tier 1 restrictions … but with warnings that infection rates are rising so we could be moving up a Tier or two soon! At the moment, our local waterways are quite busy with boats of all shapes and sizes and it is good to see lots of hire boats out and about bringing some financial relief to hire companies who suffered during the March-July lockdown. We can only plan to use our waterways for boating, walking, cycling, fishing etc whilst we are able. Who knows where we will be by Christmas/New Year?

JOHN FAULKNER LEGACY. Whilst on our r ecent boating expedition to the fenland waterways (see article on page 20), we were pleased to view the new Thrapston public footbridge from the water for the first time since it was installed.

You may remember that the Branch donated £10,000 from the legacy towards a joint project (along with the local council and EA) to replace a very low footbridge that restricted boat movements in all but low water levels. As this photo shows, there is now plenty of headroom available.

We were also very pleased to be able to donate £10,000 to Crusader Community Boating (CCB) who were fundraising to build a new bigger boat mention of which appeared in February 2020’s issue of Endeavour. The new boat named “Community Spirit” was officially named by HRH Princess Anne who visited Blisworth Marina (its home mooring) in mid October. Sadly, Covid restrictions have meant that all operations (apart from crew training) have been put on hold for 2020. For more details, please see front page for an interesting article by Colin Neal from CCB.

8 We do still have some funds left from the legacy which we would like to see bringing benefit to local waterways organisations rather than sitting in a bank account. So, please let us know if you have any ideas of who could use some financial assistance.

BRANCH SOCIAL MEETINGS. Following guidance fr om IWA Head Office we have had to alter our plans to recommence our monthly Branch talks at The Walnut Tree. Although the venue was confident that they could offer a COVID secure environment with socially distanced tables and table service, we were advised to move our talks to Zoom.

John Pomfret was happy to give his talk on Northern W aterways and Canals via Zoom but sadly only 7 people logged in. I would be really interested to know why more of you didn’t join us. Was it too short notice? Were you unsure of how to access the Zoom talk? How can we assist you to join in? (Please use my contact details on page 30) I can recommend John’s talk which was very professional, interesting and informative about waterways I haven’t yet reached.

For the November 10th talk, we have been persuaded to use the Webinar format that Head Office have used successfully for other Branches. And John has been persuaded to repeat his talk – thanks John! By the time this issue of Endeavour is published, this talk will probably already have taken place. Head Office will undertake to publicise this, and any future webinar talks to our members and can open it up to other Branches if we wish. This would hopefully ensure a larger audience and would create a permanent record of the talk.

At the moment, our plan is to ask Neil Owen (CRT) to take over the December 8th slot and to abandon the Christmas Quiz for this year. As things stand at present, it would seem unlikely that we could restart our face-to-face meetings in the New Year so please do think about embracing the internet and joining in our webinars.

ANNUAL BRANCH DINNER. Covid has also caused us pr oblems with our annual Branch Dinner planned for 14th November. We had to make arrangements back in early August so that details could be included in that issue of Endeavour. We were, of course, hoping that life would have returned to near normal when we did so.

Sadly, we only had two paid for bookings by the cut off date of 26 th October but knew of a further 5-6 people who said they would attend. Obviously, this was too few to proceed and so we have reluctantly had to cancel.

The annual Branch Dinner has traditionally hosted the second draw of the year for the 100 Club. Rest assured that this will still go ahead in November – this year at one of our Task Party gatherings so there are witnesses to ensure fair play!

By the way, if you feel you have been missing out on the 100 Club or would like more details, please contact Paul Lynam (our Treasurer) who can give you any information you need. And remember, you have until the end of February 2021 to register for next year’s two draws. Best of luck everyone!

I guess all that remains for me to do is to wish you “All the Best” for the coming Festive Season … yes, I know its early but, whilst we are in our Covid bubbles, I doubt if I will get to meet any of you in person! So, take great care and stay safe everyone. Fingers crossed that our festive celebrations can be as “normal” as possible and can include all our nearest and dearest.

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100 CLUB —Join Now for 2021 The 100 Club was set up to raise funds for Northampton Branch of the Inland Waterways Association which are then used within the Branch or can be distributed to worthwhile waterways charities and organisations within our Branch area. It is one of the main ways that we raise funds for our Branch.

You need to be an IWA member over the age of 18 to join but not necessarily a member of Northampton Branch. Each member may hold up to four separate stakes at the rate of £15 per stake per year (payments due before end of February each year).

There are two draws each year – one at the Branch AGM in March and the other at the Branch Dinner in November. Prizes are adjusted in proportion to actual membership. The Branch retains 45% of the income, the other 55% is split into 3 prizes at each draw. The first prize in each draw is currently £80.

Application forms are available at Branch meetings or from paul.lynam@waterways.org.uk or via our web page waterways.org.uk/ Northampton Please join up and support your Branch ...you’ve got to be in it to win it!

Winners of the 100 Club November Draw Due to Covid 19 the Annual Dinner had to be cancelled, so the 100 Club Draw took place at the Task Party and was done by Laura Clarke with volunteers to witness 1st prize Bernard and Sandie Morton (no 34) £80 2nd Prize Geoff Wood (no 16) £30 3rd Prize Drs Ian and Jane Appleyard (no 8) £15 Congratulations to the winners and thank you for all your support.

We extend a warm welcome to the following who have joined Northampton Branch since the last issue of Endeavour NEW MEMBERS Miss K Corrie Mr P & Mrs J G Williams

MEMBERS MOVED TO BRANCH Mr P & Mrs R Watkinson

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Tim Coghlan visited an old haunt, The New Inn at Buckby Top Lock on the Grand Union Canal as it reopened at noon on 14th July - Bastille Day - under the new social distancing rules…..

In 2019, at the age of 52, when most people are perhaps thinking it’s a bit late to embark on a completely new career challenge, Craig Allen bought the freehold of the canalside New Inn at Buckby Top Lock, and became its owner-landlord. He opened for customers on 1st July of that year. Having worked on narrowboats in various capacities for over thirty years, running a pub was completely new to him, and he would be on a steep and challenging learning curve.

But he felt the urge to have a go when The New Inn came up for sale. The previous owners, both in their 70s, had decided to retire after running it for some six years as they were beginning to tire of it all.

There was now every prospect that this inn, which had links going back to the very earliest days of the Grand Junction Canal, might suffer the same fate as that of so many other pubs. Canal pubs were not exempt from such a thing, as seen by the recent closure of the Napton Bridge Inn and its conversion to a bijou canalside house: And now the Rock of Gibraltar on the South Oxford near Thrupp is boarded up.

In fairly recent years, but prior to those retiring owners, The New Inn had been closed for a year or more after the previous owner was alleged to have had an unwelcome visit from Customs & Excise over the non-payment of VAT. His assets, including the pub freehold, were seized, and the pub left empty, whilst matters were resolved under the long slow process of the law. The building was boarded up, the electricity turned off and the cellar simply left to fill with water.

Prior to that the man had run a very cheapskate outfit in every way, and the view was that he had deserved his comeuppance. On one occasion I had met up with a delivery crew of mine, who were bringing a boat up from the River Nene to go on our brokerage. The crew had had a rough time coping with floods, and I wanted to thank them for their endurance. I also wanted see the boat for myself, before it reached Braunston Marina, so I could ring the concerned owner and report all was well. The drinks were on me, but none of us finished our tired-tasting beer; and after looking at the food being served around us, I just bought three packets of crisps, which tasted stale and were quickly discarded. I left the pub vowing never to return.

Craig had been very aware of all of these goings on, for the simple reason that he lived in the house next door overlooking the canal – Top Lock Cottage . With rear and side extensions, it is now a largish house which he and his wife had bought together with his parents. The house came with an acre of Victorian orchard, the produce from which used to be sold to the passing working boatmen.

In former times the house, which had been rebuilt in 1911, was the boatmen’s shop, latterly run by Shirley Ginger, who wrote an account of her life there in two books,

11 “Lock, Stock and Barrel” and “A Little More Boasting”. In particular, the shop sold large tin water cans, made in Birmingham, that were painted here in bright colours for the working boatmen – hence the name ‘Buckby cans’. The hooks where the cans were hung, are still in the ceiling of the room that had once been the shop.

Craig had felt that the New Inn had great potential, if run properly – with a good makeover, and serving well-cellared ales and ciders. And for meals, they would offer popular simple food, which could be locally sourced where possible, and quickly and freshly cooked – with himself very much at the helm. Everything would be offered at very reasonable prices to encourage frequent return visits.

Whilst it wasn’t close to any village and a few miles from the nearest town of Daventry, it had a wonderful destination-potential. It was right beside Buckby Top Lock. Drinkers could sit outside and watch the spectacle of boats, sometimes in pairs, going up and down the deep lock - one of the most well-used in the country. There were ample moorings above and below it for visiting boaters, tempted to call by after completing the seven heavy double locks in the flight, or choosing to stay the night, and enjoying a meal there. It could also be a popular place with canal walkers now the towpath to Daventry and Braunston was in reasonable order, making the inn only an hour away.

Craig’s hunch proved correct, and within only weeks of re-opening, the pub had served over 150 meals in one weekend. His new venture was already proving a great success, going from strength to strength.

Then suddenly it all came to a juddering halt with the coronavirus outbreak. At the end of March this year, the inn was shut and the staff furloughed. And no one knew what the future held.

Craig is very much a local boy with strong canal connections. He was born in 1967 in the village of Barby, on the ridge to the north of the Oxford Canal. His mother recalled that the ‘number-one’ she heard on the radio when she was giving birth in Northampton General Hospital was Scott McKenzie’s ‘If you’re going to San Francisco’ – so Craig is a true child of the sixties – though he has yet to wear flowers in his hair.

There is something of a pub-running tradition in his family His grandparents Ted and Amy Allen were publicans, and during the late 1940s ran The Ship Inn at Braunston, in which village Amy was born. The Ship was an old coaching inn on the London to Birmingham road, which stood at what is today the entrance to Braunston Marina. It was then Barlow’s Yard, a working canal yard. The inn had a large dance-room at the back on the first floor, which was very popular with the boating community for weddings and funeral wakes – or those well-remembered Saturday night sing-alongs to piano and accordion accompaniment.

When Craig was growing up in Barby in the mid-eighties, his father bought the V ulcan for family boating. It was converted 70’ former FMC steamer, built in 1906, which still had its original elm bottom. This experience gave Craig the bug for the canals.

After leaving school he trained as a TIG welder, and went on to make stainless steel kitchens for the catering trade, including McDonald’s. He found this a very useful experience for him when he moved onto working on narrowboats, and from the

12 1990s fitting out them out as well. His kitchen building experience also gave him an invaluable knowledge when giving his pub’s kitchen a makeover to modern standards and for supplying food quickly.

In 1999 Craig started his own business – Evolution Narrowboats – first based at Whilton Marina and then moved to the Pro Build Narrowboats’ premises near the canal at Stockton. They built the hulls, which he then fitted out and painted – completing fourteen in all. He then continued working on the canals in various capacities.

Craig knew very little about the history of The New Inn when he acquired it. Around the walls, there are a half dozen framed copies of old photographs of the inn, which had been left by previous owners, and which Craig has kept on display.

The inn is something of a literary Cinderella in the various accounts of the Grand Union Canal, and its antecedent the Grand Junction Canal. J. Hassell’s 1818 “Tour of the Grand Junction Canal” - which is so full in its descriptions of the likes of Blisworth, Weedon and Braunston - does not mention Buckby, as Hassell turned left at Weedon to visit the ancient market town of Daventry and its great canal reservoir, before rejoining the canal at Braunston.

If the Idle Women of WWII visited the inn, none of them wrote about it, where the likes of The Boat at Stoke Bruerne and the Greyhound at Sutton Stop are given pride of place. Maybe it was because The New Inn landlord would not allow them to use his bath – which the girls were able to use elsewhere!

David Blagrove’s 1962 great canal journey “Bread Upon The Water” does not even mention the inn’s existence, perhaps because he came past it in the morning before opening time. But by lunchtime he is at the Admiral Nelson at Braunston, giving possibly the very best description of that pub by anyone. However as cautionary tale, he mentions that on the long Blisworth Pound, ‘we were to see more than ever, the melancholy spectacle of de-licensed pubs. I counted nine between Blisworth Bridge and the bottom lock of Buckby.’

There is only one full description I know of the New Inn, which occurs in Roger Allsop and Graham Dodkin’s “Working Boats”, when Roger revisits the inn in 1985.

‘At last I found myself at Buckby Wharf, sitting in the very corner of the New Inn where my original adventure had begun twenty one years before. The pub had been gutted! The succession of little adjoining rooms had made way for a long bar which stood at the centre of an open plan interior amid a plethora of counterfeit beams and stud-work. There were carpet tiles covering the flag stones and chintzy curtains at the windows. The old plastered walls were camouflaged with heavy Artex…. Outside of the old pub was a low, ugly extension, complete with bottle-glass windows, running the length of the once flat and unfussy façade.’

Because of this lack of literary references, I put my super-sleuth Jenny on the case of find out what she could through the internet. Her response was robust: ‘Though the pub website says it goes back to 1600, I think that might be poetic license. The article I found from 1817 is the earliest there seems to be.’ The Grand Junction Canal was formally opened from Braunston to Weedon in 1796, so the inn could well have dated from around that time, being built next to both the Top Lock on the Buckby Flight and Watling Street, and at a pivotal point in the Watford Gap.

13 The article from 1817 was an advertisement for sale or rent of a newly built ‘brick and slated’ pub called the Duke of Wellington, ‘adjoining the Grand Junction Canal, the Norton Locks, and the Old Watling Street Road…with a Range of Buildings used for Stabling, hay and straw Barns; together with a Pump and Well of excellent Water.’ Was this name later changed to The New Inn? Because Jenny only found one 19th century reference to ‘The New Inn’, and this was in a press notice on 31st December, 1841 concerning the Will of Edward Much the same scene in 1956. The pub struc- Bunting: ‘…the deceased carried on ture is much as it is today but with a few chang- the several Trades or Businesses of Farmers, Innkeepers, Butchers, and es at first floor level. The Corn and General Dealers, at the New original Watling Street brick bridge over the canal still there, but the wharf buildings Inn, at Long Buckby Locks…’ And on the other side of the road have gone.

(HNBC Weaver Collection)

that was all she could find, except one other thing – a copy of Bunting’s wedding certificate. He was married in 1809 to one Anne Leeson, who was born in Braunston, and they were married in its church.

Maybe other gems of past history will come to light in times to come.

However, I should mention in passing the alleged suicide of a young girl Matilda – surname unknown and likewise when it happened – sometime in the olden days. But the pub, under successive owners, has always claimed she was kept as a slave worker by her cruel uncle who owned the pub. She was locked in one of those small rooms, painting Buckby cans, until she could take more. She hung herself from one of the hooks on the ceiling beams, used for hanging Buckby cans. It was all said to have happened on a hook above what is today Table 11… And this is advertised on the board by the canal-side enup and ready serve his customtrance….. So don’t hang around. Book that table Masked ers. Landlord Craig Allen displaying the now!

Buckby can, which he had painted in the 1990s by the legendary Ron Hough for With the easing of the Lock-Down, Craig told the narrowboat Newcastle on which he me that he would be reopening on a date of his was then living at Newbold, near Rugby. choosing, when he was ready, which would be It is now on prominent display behind the bar. (Tim Coghlan )

14 14th July, Bastille Day. This was ten days after another historic date that was offered to pubs to re-open under guidance restrictions – the 4th July, American Independence Day. I went along for the opening, arriving half an hour before it to allow Craig to show me how he had used his time during Lockdown. Largely on his own, he had made wonderful improvements. He had removed all that heavy Artex, and washed every surface down before repainting Pull the other one. The young them with several coats of paint.

The New team at your service.

That long bar was sanded down Mine host Craig Allen second from left and re-varnished with the proverbial seven coats for the seven seas. The kitchen and toilets were likewise largely refitted.

Craig was quite sanguine about it all, ‘When I started to run this pub, I had to get on with it, and I could only make token improvements. Lockdown has given me three and a half months to get this place to where I had always wanted it to be. And now it is just that. And the staff were furloughed and paid for by the government. Funny really.’

Craig now offered personally to draw and serve me the very first post-Lockdown pint, only minutes before opening. And it was on the House. He complained that he was having difficulty in getting supplies with the breweries only just getting back to work. But he recommended the Wainwrights pale ale, which he was very pleased with. I toasted ‘Every success to you all!’ before taking my first post-lockdown sip in this now excellent inn. It seemed actually worth waiting for.

Outside I could already see a queue of loyal customers waiting to come in. They included a retired couple from Long Buckby who had always come for lunch every Friday – he to eat fish & chips, and she for anything else but. Soon Craig and his young team of three were flat out serving drinks, and it was time for me to leave. The weather was warmish and people were sitting outside, beside the ‘Niagarously roaring The re-opened canalside New Inn, in its lock’, as a CRT volunteer wound the unique Buckby Top Lock setting. paddles. Some of summer was still On a warm sunny summer’s evening, the ahead, and people now wanted to customers are already coming back in droves. enjoy themselves again.

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BRANCH COMMITTEE MEMBER WINS AWARD. At the IWA National virtual AGM in September, the Cyril Styring Trophy was awarded to John Pomfret, longstanding member and Committee member of our Branch This trophy is IWA's premier award which is given to an IWA member that the trustees feel has made an outstanding contribution to furthering the Association's campaigns. John joined IWA in 1969 and was elected to the Board of Trustees in 2000. He has contributed to a wide range of committees such as the Inland Shipping Group, IWA's Conservation Committee, and IWA's Navigation Committee. John has an in depth knowledge of a very wide range of inland waterways and he has become an important resource for the Association with his Waterway's Directory.

We, of course, know John best for his regular talks at The Walnut Tree, for running our Christmas Quiz and for his input at our Branch Committee meetings.

Many congratulations, John, on winning the Cyril Styring Trophy - you are a very worthwhile recipient.

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VISIT STOWE HILL WHARF FOR ALL Y

Proprietor Robert Gudgeon welcomes you to Stowe Hill Workshop

Full Repaints Hull Blacking/Stern Gear Inspection and Repairs Engine Repairs and Maintenance Complete Fit-Out and Woodwork Alterations Plumbing Installations and Repairs Electrical Installations and Repairs NEW — Fuel Polishing Service Stockists of Morris Oils and Grease Full range of Batteries always available (please let us know your requirements) By road we are easily found, a few yards off the A5 at Stowe Hill towards Nether Heyford. By boat close to Bridge 26          

ALL WORK UNDERTAKEN, FROM SIMPLE TASKS TO COMPLETE FIT-OUTS

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YOUR ESSENTIAL BOATING SERVICES

18 Continued from Front Page

Charity’s New Trip Boat Launched by HRH The Princess Royal The idea of having our new boat launched by a senior royal was first floated about two years ago during a conversation I had with our Patron, David Laing, the then Lord-Lieutenant of Northamptonshire. About 12 months ago, I was invited to submit an application form for a visit by HRH The Princess Royal which I duly completed and returned.

Of course, this year is not working out the way any of us had expected due to the Coronavirus pandemic. All our boat trips for the disabled and elderly people from care homes have had to be cancelled, as have our private charter trips, which bring in much needed funds. The lack of income this year and the impact on our charity’s future viability has been a major concern but this is nothing compared to loss and hardship faced by many many people around the world. Fortunately, we have been able to access some emergency funding to help cover our operating costs. Hopefully, we will be able to resume operations in one form or another next season.

In light of the pandemic, any thoughts of holding a Launch event had been put on hold. Then, quite unexpectedly, we were invited to a meeting with staff from the Lieutenancy office and the Police for an initial briefing about the roy-

Colin Neal giving an opening speech, and thanking all the sponsors including IWA Northampton Branch.

Her Royal Highness unveiled a plaque commemorating the visit

19 al visit. Apparently, these things are normally all sorted about two months in advance but we had just over 5 weeks notice before ‘the big day’.

For me personally it was the beginning of a very busy period and quite an eye-opener in terms of the amount of planning and detail involved in organising a royal visit. After I had put together my initial detailed programme for the visit, together with a guest list and various background material, we had a Zoom conference call run by someone from the Princess Royal’s office.

We then had several site visits which involved the Lord-Lieutenant and his staff plus various police officers from the local force and the Met. Throughout the whole process, people’s safety and adherence to the prevailing regulations and guidelines around the pandemic were of paramount importance. The number of attendees at the launch was to be much smaller than had been originally envisaged due to the need for socially distancing at all times.

Her Royal Highness was welcomed by Her Majesty’s Vice Lord-Lieutenant of Northamptonshire, James Lowther and introduced to myself as Chairman of the Trustees and one of the charity’s Boatmasters.

During the visit, The Princess Royal spoke to the charity’s Patrons David Laing and James Mackaness, and some of the crew volunteers. The Princess Royal was then shown around the boat, named ‘Community Spirit’, and heard about its design (see article in the Feb 2020 edition of Endeavour).

After a short speech by myself in which I thanked the boat’s sponsors, including IWA Northampton Branch, and acknowledged the lead role in fundraising

by James Mackaness, Her Royal Highness unveiled a plaque commemorating the visit.

It was an honour and a privilege to have Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal visit us to launch our new trip boat, especially in these difficult times.

The Princess Royal giving a speech inside the cabin of Community Sprit

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A FENLAND ADVENTURE Like so many, our 2020 boating plans were greatly affected by Covid. Normally, we like to head off around the middle of May when the weather is warming up and the days are getting longer. This year it was not to be! We had planned to head up North with our trusty boating companions, Ian and Linda Bekusch, and head to Liverpool and then up the Lancaster Canal. With lockdown, we were unable to make any firm plans … and, by the time we could, there were warnings of lack of water and lock closures up North.

So, we discussed alternative routes and decided to head East to the Fenland Waterways where we were confident of finding plenty of water. We had boated these waters twice before but some time ago. Unusually for us, we had no tight time schedule to stick to (the joy of retirement) and we agreed to go where the fancy took us and stop when we were tired or the weather was bad – such a novelty for us!

We left our home moorings around midday on a ridiculously hot sunny day and worked down the Northampton Arm in 33-degree heat – not our best idea. By the time we reached Lock 12 (M1 motorway bridge) we were so glad to find some shade to cool off in that we sat in the lock for half hour or so. Fortunately, no other boaters were mad enough to be out in the heat, so we didn’t obstruct anyone. It was good to see the Arm looking neat and tidy apart from some newly acquired graffiti which had been liberally sprayed all along the Arm’s length. Exiting the Arm at Lock 17, we headed for Northampton Marina for the night – always a good stopover with full facilities available for a reasonable fee.

Our next 3 or 4 days were spent in cooler weather enjoying the tranquil River Nene with its beautiful scenery, well-spaced locks and now, thanks to Friends of the River Nene, plentiful moorings. On the way through Titchmarsh we caught up the Bekuschs on Kooshie Number, who had been patiently waiting for us. Nene locks are always much easier with two boats in them and we had come across very few boats on our trip downstream.

Approaching Peterborough, we booked our passage through Stanground for the next day. Once through the manned Stanground lock, you are on the Middle Levels which are a series of drainage channels, some navigable some not. Traditionally, boats did not need a licence to moor/use the Middle Levels, but this has recently changed. Our Gold Licence allowed us to pass through without further charge but the imposition of a new licence is causing upset for a lot of boaters based here, evidenced by stickers and posters on boats and by some disgruntled boaters that we met.

I have to say that, after the picturesque Nene, the Middle Levels come as bit of a shock. They are wide in most parts but have high banks so, unless you stand on the roof of your boat, you can see very little – unless you like looking at wind farms!

One’s boredom is broken by the towns of Whittlesey and March which are practically the only mooring opportunities unless you wish to deploy an anchor or mud weight. There is a tight right-angled bend in Whittlesey, interesting in a 58’ boat,

21 and the unmanned Ashline Lock as you leave the town. Our overnight stop was in March, a small market town with boat facilities and moorings – and a Wetherspoons Pub housed in the old cinema which Bernie was keen to visit!

The next day we headed off, having booked our passage through Salter’s Lode Lock late that afternoon. There was one more lock, Marmont Priory Lock, to negotiate.

On our previous visits this lock had been manned but it is no longer. It had quite a derelict appearance with broken paddles and poor lock landing stages with nothing to tie ropes to! I cannot help but think that, with the imposition of a boat licence fee, the Middle Level Commissioners are going to have to put more investment into boater facilities and moorings.

On arrival at Salter’s Lode, it was just a case of hanging around until the tide was just on the turn before we were let out, one boat at a time, onto the tidal section. Our passage to Denver Sluice lock was uneventful passing a large, newly installed, very impressive landing stage built by EA. We moored up overnight near the Jenyns Arms pub, a frequent Saturday night haunt in my youth – sadly, it was still closed due to Covid restrictions.

To be continued ...

New EA moorings on tidal section near Denver Sluice

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CHRISTOPHER POWER PRIZE This prize is awarded to a person, society or trust who has made the most significant contribution to the restoration of an inland waterway.

The winner – Athina Beckett – was nominated by Chris Durham of IWA Milton Keynes Branch for her dedicated and enthusiastic contribution to the ongoing restoration of the Grand Union’s Buckingham Branch.

Athina joined Buckingham Canal Society in 1993 as a volunteer and as is so often the way, further roles soon followed. In 1997 she took on the job of work party leader, a role she continues to hold today, and has been particularly successful at encouraging corporate volunteering involvement with the restoration project. Athina is a Trustee of the Society and an ex–Chair of Trustees and through the years has been a volunteer with Waterway Recovery Group’s BITM group, getting hands-on involved across the country at a large number of restoration sites. Audrey Smith, Chair of IWA Volunteer Awards Panel said “I am delighted we have been able to recognise the work and success of such an extraordinary woman.” Athina receives the Christopher Power Prize and Buckingham Canal Society receives a cheque in the sum of £1000.

Athina is a regular supporter and visitor to our Branch meetings and was a regular attendee on her boat, Brown Trout, when we had our Boat Gatherings. Congratulations Athina - you are a very worthy winner!

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SUPPLIES We are a family run, customer friendly business based adjacent to Bridge 32 at Nether Heyford. Our service point is clear of moored boats making your stop quick and easy. We offer the following services:

        

DIESEL – always competively priced PUMP OUT – no meter clock here BLUE TOILET FLUID ODORLOS – organic waste tank treatment CALOR GAS – all sizes of bottled gas including Camping Gaz. SOLID FUELS – all types of smokeless fuel or coal. Plus firelighters, sticks and logs.

CHARNWOOD STOVES – all sizes of multi-fuel stoves with or without boilers MORRIS OILS – popular grades of engine oil plus water resistant grease FUEL SET FUEL CONDITIONER

Most Major Credit Cards Accepted.

Open: 8.00am to 5.30pm Monday to Friday, 8.00am to 1.00pm on Saturdays

Fred Tarry

Bridge Cottage Furnace Lane Nether Heyford Northampton, NN7 3JY

Telephone/Fax: 01327-341202 Email : rhigginbottom@btconnect.com

Northamptonshire RESTAURANT º BARS º TRIP BOAT DINE IN STYLE IN WOODWARD’S CANALSIDE RESTAURANT 01604 862428 www.boatinn.co.uk SAVE THE BRANCH MONEY! Stop receiving Endeavour by post and instead get it electronically. You will be notified by email when it’s published on-line. This will save in postage and printing costs. The printed version will be available at Branch meetings. Contact Geoff Wood at geoff.wood@waterways.org.uk and he will organise it.

Editor

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AN UNUSUAL FUNDRAISER Some time ago, a David Blagrove painting was donated anonymously to the Branch to be used as a fundraiser. Exactly how this could be done has been discussed and the Committee have decided to hold a Sealed Bid Auction for the painting, with proceeds going into Branch funds.

David’s daughters have confirmed its authenticity and thought the setting was probably Stoke Bruerne locks, but with some artistic licence! It has the initials DRB and 76 (date created?) in one corner. It measures 65 cm in width and 42 cm in height and has a simple gilt frame.

As you can see in the photo, there are two working boats, named Dunlin and Tern, about to exit a double lock. The painting was displayed at the Branch AGM in March and aroused quite a bit of interest amongst those present, including Paul Rodgers (IWA National Chairman). The consensus was that it depicts a Grand Union lock and that the boats, Dunlin and Tern, were once operated by Willow Wren Canal Carrying Company. If you can throw any further light on the subject matter, we would be delighted to find out more.

If you would like to own this painting, we are inviting sealed bids to be submitted to Branch Treasurer, Paul Lynam, before 1st November 2021. We originally intended this to happen on 1st November 2020 but have decided to postpone the deadline because our plans for publicity of the auction were curtailed by Covid 19. Paul’s email address is paul.lynam@waterways.org.uk and his postal address is 2 Dalestones, Northampton, NN4 9UU. The bids will be opened at the annual Branch Dinner later in November 2021 and the winner announced on the night.

Good luck! Sandie Morton

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Now fully open

WHILTON MARINA CHANDLERY 

Diesel 



Pump out

Well stocked chandlery  Groceries

Pay us a visit, just browse and see what we have to offer Open daily 9am –6pm ALL YEAR ROUND Tel 01327 844639 E-mail: marinachandlery@gmail.com

The Branch is collecting old printer, toner and/or inkjet cartridges for recycling. I would be most willing to take them off your hands.

Also, we can get money for old mobile phones through the same company.

This form of recycling may not generate large amounts of funds but, as they say, every little helps.

Due to Covid 19 and no meetings at the moment please email me on sandie.morton@waterways.org.uk

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RICHARD GILL

BSc, MABSE

TIME TO HANG UP THE MANOMETER! With grateful thanks to all my past customers for their business and loyalty on my retirement. Enjoy boating but stay safe.

RICHARD GILL B.Sc M.A.B.S.E

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BUCKINGHAM CANAL SOCIETY On the 12th and 13th September we were fortunate to have the extra help at Cosgrove with a large group of people from London WRG who helped us catch up with a backlog of work at Cosgrove.

The main task for our BCS volunteers over the next few months will be the dredging of the canal from the dam at bridge one to the start of the Grand Union canal. CRT have loaned us a very large 'hopper' which is now moored at the end of the Buckingham Arm which is in water and will work alongside Louise our workboat. Dredgings will be placed in the hopper until they can be safely moved to the bank. Very muddy conditions have slowed this work but we continue to travel hopefully and hope the weather will improve‌ Stop planks are now in place under Bridge One at Cosgrove Our volunteers are continuing the work to restore a large dry stone wall which ran both sides of the bridge. The northern side of the wall is now finished and on the south side, which has a much larger section of wall work is coming on well The second Sunday of each month our volunteers are continuing to tackle the backlog of work at Bourton Meadow to remove the excess of reeds growing in the canal bed which, if not contained, would end up blocking the whole area.

Wearing waders and life jackets and working in the canal bed has proved to be very popular and the best method of clearing the reeds, and I been surprised about how many of the volunteers from outside companies have volunteered to try this method and enjoyed themselves.

On Thursday 24th September we had a group from the 'Church of the Latter-Day Saints' join us. Some were from USA and others from Australia all spending 18 months in England before returning to their own country. As well as being very hard working and interesting to talk to this group sang as they worked!

Then on Thursday 8th October I had a group from Hallam Land Management.

This company is based in Northampton and Bristol and some of the Bristol people had had to leave home at 7am to join the work party - with a very bad weather forecast for the day showing how keen they all were. In fact, the weather wasn't as bad as predicted and a very enjoyable time was had.

The stone wall at Bridge one before and after

Athina Beckett Trustee & Work Party Leader

29 All advertisements must comply with the requirements of the Trades Descriptions Act and avoid misrepresentation of goods offered for sale. The Business Advertisements (Disclosure) Order 1977 requires that businesses seeking to sell goods must clearly indicate this in an advertisement.

COMMERCIAL RATES 1/4 Page (box) £12.00 +VAT 1/2 Page (box) £25.00 +VAT Full Page £40.00 +VAT Other sizes by arrangement 10% discount for 4 issues paid yearly in advance 5% discount for 4 issues paid quarterly

CLASSIFIEDS (suggested donations) £1.50 for 22 words, 15p each additional word £3.50 for box around classified advertisement (nb. telephone numbers count as one word) £3.50 for photographs

Regular Branch Social Meetings are held on the second Tuesday of each month from October to May inclusive

DUE TO COVID 19 ALL MEETINGS ARE WILL BE ON

WEBINAR UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE Details will be on our website and Facebook (See page 4 for details) The next edition of Endeavour will be published in February 2021

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Branch Chairman Bernard Morton

07785 375787/ 01604 858294 E-mail: bernard.morton @waterways.org.uk

Vice Chairman, Joint Task Party Organiser & Membership Secretary Geoff Wood

E-mail: geoff.wood @waterways.org.uk

Branch Secretary Sandie Morton 01604 858294

E-mail: sandie.morton @waterways.org.uk

Joint Task Party Organiser Michael Butler E-mail: michael.butler @waterways.org.uk

Planning Officer Helen Westlake

E-mail: helen.westlake @waterways.org.uk

Branch Meetings

Catriona Butler E-mail: catriona butler @waterways.org.uk

Treasurer

Paul Lynam

E-mail: paul.lynam @waterways.org.uk

Newsletter & Archivist Tony Clarke

07305 893924

E-mail: tony.clarke @waterways.org.uk

Committee Member John Pomfret

E-mail: john.pomfret @waterways.org.uk

Non-Committee posts Website and Media Officers

Gail Anscombe Email: gail.anscombe@waterways.org.uk Lynda Payton Email: Lynda.payton@waterways.org.uk

Vacancies Publicity and Grants Officers

The Inland Waterways Association is a membership charity that works to protect and restore the country's 6,500 miles of canals and rivers .

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