Knobsticks - Summer 2023

North Staffordshire & South Cheshire Branch

KNOBSTICKS

Summer 2023

Editorial

I must apologise for the late arrival of this issue. This is almost entirely due to my decision to take a 3-week holiday in Quebec during May (and to refuse to put Knobsticks together in the evenings!) How selfish can you get …

Anyway, here are 2 photos for you:

1. Right: The Lachine Canal in Montreal (bypassed by St Lawrence Seaway).

2. Page 20: The Rideau Canal in Ottawa (still closed for winter works on 18th May, but reopened the next day).

Anne Chetwyn’s Teaser— Answer bottom page 19

Dear Branch Members,

It was good to see the Caldon Canal finally fully open recently after so long, once the long-awaited completion of the rebuilding of Bridge 37 finally happened slightly later than originally planned.

As you will be aware from reading “Waterways” and other IWA publications, a new campaign has been launched to “Protect our Waterways” –calling for better government funding for the publicly funded navigations, and in particular for sufficient funding for Canal & River Trust after their current 15 year funding contract runs out in 2027.

While boating on the Cheshire Locks recently I was shocked at the state of Lock 48. This duplicate lock was fully operational 20 years ago, but British Waterways took it out of use as Lock 47 above had been un-operational for many

years. This shows just how derelict a structure can become after 20 years of no use and no maintenance. See the photograph on the next page for what happens after 20 years of abandonment!

The campaigns team at head office is appealing for photos to demonstrate the effects that even the current level of funding is having on CRT’s ability to maintain the waterways – so if you have any good photos of paddles out of use, broken structures or anything else that you think might be suitable, please send them to protect@waterways.org.uk.

Unfortunately, my appeals in recent Knobsticks (repeated again in this issue), and at the AGM, for new volunteers to come forward to get involved with the branch have come to nothing. We find ourselves extremely thin on the ground and unable to do all the good work that an IWA branch ought to be doing to fully protect and promote the waterways in our area. If you have any time at all to spare and would be interested in getting involved, in however small a way, do let me know.

Alison Smedley Branch Chair

APPEAL FOR BRANCH VOLUNTEERS

Your committee needs you! We still have vacancies for several positions:

Sales Officer

To help co-ordinate the sales stand’ s presence at local events, as well as arranging the purchasing and monitoring of our sales stock.

Chair’s Report + Appeal for Volunteers

Secretary

To take minutes of branch committee meetings, only 4 times a year, along with occasional formal correspondence from the branch to external bodies.

Planning Officers

To respond on behalf of the branch to any planning applications adversely affecting the local waterways across several local planning authorities (with support available from other branch committee members and also from members of the Potteries Heritage Society).

Work party volunteers/leader

Please check out the back page of this issue for details of our regular work parties on the Burslem Arm and Cheshire Locks. Work parties on the Uttoxeter Canal need a new leader in order for them to take place on any more than an ad hoc basis.

Alison Smedley

Thank you for looking at the list of roles needed. We really do need help to make our committee more effective, so please consider at least talking to another committee member about how you can help Ed

Lock 48 on the Cheshire Locks showing what happens after 20 years of abandonment. The derelict offside-Lock 47 is just visible above.

Photo: Rupert Smedley

While attending the Historic Boat Gathering at Ellesmere Port at Easter, visitors had the opportunity to visit Canal & River Trust’s Rossfield Road shed, a couple of miles away. This is where a good number of boats previously in the water at the museum, or from other museums or from around CRT’ s network, are being stored. As well as about 20 boats in varying states of decay (including 3 or so that were outside)

there was also some racking with artefacts on.

I expected the visit to be a negative experience, with little hope that any of the boats will ever be fully restored, but actually the two CRT staff who showed us around were really enthusiastic, and described it as a “library of boats”, preserving boats and artefacts for future researchers and historians. The main reason I wanted to go was to see

“Beeston”, sister boat to my LMS tug “Sandbach”, which had been moved there from Northwich in recent years. There are also a number of other significant boats there, preserved for the time being at least for future research. CRT are intending to open up the store on other occasions, such as for Heritage Open Days events, so I’d encourage anyone interested in old boats to keep an eye open for opportunities to visit.

Article & Photos: Alison Smedley

Progress ???

In my last report I announced our nervous anticipation of the results of the BRIC survey arranged by our consultants MNY along the full length of our infilled canal.

First the Good News

We now have some great aerial photos of our site, and a LIDAR survey of the wharf building.

We also have a 3D mesh model of the whole site which may be useful for any future modelling of a new canal route within the existing landscape. We are, of course, aware that the existing canal edging is somewhat lower than that of the Trent & Mersey (to which we wish to

join) so that any new proposal may involve raising our new canal.

Remaining Uncertainties

The soil investigation carried out, being taken at the surface, will give only a flavour of what may lie beneath. Deeper investigations required I fear.

The Land Ownerships I believe are still to be ascertained and company contacts established. More work required here.

Challenges Ahead

Too many to contemplate!! But for the moment we are looking backwards to help our progress forwards by delving deep into our recently acquired mountainous paper archives together with a memory stick left by our forebears

Interpretation Board 4 of 5: The Branch Canal Breach © Burslem Port Trust

with all the wealth of knowledge therein. We hope this will give us a good platform from which to move forward.

Work Party News

Up until recently my recall of this year has been one of rain, rain rain! But in between the showers our small but willing band of volunteers have battled hard against the invading brambles and I'm pleased to report that we are at last winning!

The major achievement has again been made by Beth and her CRT 'Red Hand Gang' when they exposed, for possibly the first time, a row of stone setts that followed the kerb line along the west side of the revised narrow section of the infilled canal.

This discovery has encouraged the BPT volunteer army to start clearing the brambles right back from the Trent & Mersey to the point of the stone setts. Despite the enemy fighting back and inflicting many scratches we believe we are just one session away from reaching out target. When complete this should give a clear view down the whole length of the revised line of the infilled canal looking towards Burslem.

Future Work Party Dates

June 9th + 23rd, July 7th + 21st, August 4th + 18th, September 1st + 15th + 29th.

Cheers.

Article & Photo: Dave Broome

At the beginning of March the Uttoxeter Canal had a visit from the WRG North West regional group. It was the first time that CUCT had hosted a WRG visit since pre-Covid, and we were pleased to be able to return to using the excellent Greatwood Hall community centre in Tean for the accommodation. On site, lots of useful vegetation clearance was carried out by a small band of keen and enthusiastic volunteers who had travelled from across the country for the weekend.

On the Saturday the volunteers worked around Carringtons Lock – completely clearing all the brambles that had grown

up around the lock and the pumping station core stones, and removing a number of the very large tree stumps that had been left after WRG Forestry did the tree clearance around the lock a good number of years ago now.

The wooden posts between the lock and the roadway were given a further coat of paint (by our very own Knobsticks editor, Roger, and proof-reader, Margaret, no less!). We were fortunate enough to have a WRG Forestry chain saw operator with us for the weekend, Paul, who usefully tidied up a number of fallen trees over the weekend.

WRG North West volunteers clearing vegetation and also painting posts at Carrington Lock

wrg/nw visit the Uttoxeter Canal

On the Sunday work moved to around Bridge 70, which was cleared of weeds on and around the bridge, some fallen trees were removed from the line of the canal above the bridge, and some vegetation removed from along the line of the footpath.

Our thanks to all the WRG North West volunteers, who seem keen to return so we hope that this will be the first of a regular visit from them once or twice a year.

Article & Photos: Alison Smedley

Volunteers removing dead and fallen trees from the bed of the canal above Bridge 70.

Cheshire Locks

March 16th

Work-party cancelled due to forecast heavy rain.

April 20th

Dry weather at long last and work resumed on Lock 59. 6 volunteers.

We continued preparation and then painting of railings and paddle-gear. Lock Numbers completed. Some work remained on the balance beams and gate tops due to shortage of Sadolin paint.

Cheshire Locks

tion of paint to the top and bottom gate beams and bridge rails. Mooring posts top and bottom of the locks also painted.

returned to Lock 59 with Sadolin paint to complete all remaining work (at last! ).

Article & Photos: John Lawson

North Staffordshire & South Cheshire Branch

This will be a short report because the planning for the 2023/24 social calendar is yet to be done! However, I have asked the Stoke-on-Trent Boat Club to book us in for our usual meeting on the second Friday evening of the month from October to December, and February to April, at 7.45pm for an 8pm start.

This coming season I will endeavour to mix the topics up a little more, rather than end up with a cluster of restoration project reports over successive months!

We’re hoping to hold our January Annual Dinner at the Rose & Crown in Stanley, quite a central location for our branch and highly recommended following the Boat Club’s successful annual dinner there.

I plan to steal an idea from the Trent and Mersey Canal Society and have a quiz night at one of our socials – probably the December meeting, which can be tricky for speakers at the mercy of wintery weather. And we may well take up Bernard Lovatt’s offer of a private visit to the Etruria Industrial Museum when preparing for a steaming day, with a buffet, as this seemed to be well-received – dates and prices to be confirmed. If you use Social Media, follow our Facebook page for all the branch news between Knobsticks editions.

Thank you for all your support in 2022/23 and I will aim to ensure there will be something for all to enjoy this coming season. Also, thanks to Alison for managing the last-minute issues regarding one speaker's ill-health in my absence at the April social.

Sarah Honeysett

Dates for your Diary

Friday 13th October – 7:45 for 8pm Talk

Friday 10th November – 7:45 for 8pm Talk

Friday 8th December – 7:45 for 8pm Probable Quiz

Friday ??? January – 7:30 for 8pm Branch Annual Dinner at The Rose & Crown in Stanley (provisionally)

Friday 9th February 2024 – 7:45 for 8pm Talk

Friday 8th March 2024 – 7:45 for 8pm Talk

Friday 12th April 2024 – 7:45 for 8pm Talk

Admission to AGM/talks is FREE Donations to waterway causes welcome! Refreshments available.

Non-IWA members are very welcome

Venue (unless otherwise stated): Stoke on Trent Boat Club Endon Wharf, Post Lane, Endon STOKE-ON-TRENT, ST9 9DU

For further information contact: Sarah Honeysett (01782 772295)

socialsec.nssc@waterways.org.uk or visit the branch webpages at: www.waterways.org.uk

Waterways for Today : Environmental Benefits

mitigation and water transfer amongst other possible solutions to the impact of climate change.

Why these blue-green corridors are so vital for the environment

Our waterways, including those in our branch area, accommodate many protected species including water voles, otters, native crayfish and rare aquatic plants. The offside banks of canals and rivers offer largely undisturbed homes for wildlife to flourish. There are currently many different strategies being developed across the country to enhance and restore habitats located on and near waterways, these will vastly improve ecological connectivity between them.

Part two of the series of articles looking in detail at IWA’ s new “Waterways for Today” report, which highlights 12 major benefits of Britain’s inland waterways network. This issue looks at the key environmental benefits of the waterways.

Waterways benefit both the natural and the built environment, and the report highlights how waterways reconnect disparate habitats and provide opportunities for biodiversity net gain. Heritage forms a large part of the environmental benefits of the waterways. With historic buildings and structures linked to their industrial past, waterways form a vast open-air heritage network, accessible to everyone and helping to bring history to life both now and in the future. The waterways can also play a vital role in sustainability through flood and drought

Waterways heritage is holistic; it is not only the buildings and structures but also the landscape, traditions and culture that make the waterways such an important record of our industrial past. This built environment needs protecting. Most of the structures were built in the 18th and 19th centuries and without sufficient funding and sensitive restoration, they run the risk of falling into disrepair and disappearing forever. We have seen how important this is on the Caldon and Macclesfield canals in recent years, with historic structures such as embankments or bridges failing and requiring huge amounts of money to repair.

Opportunities for funding and Improvement

With the Environment Act 2021 now requiring most development schemes in England to deliver a biodiversity net gain of at least 10% and maintain it for at least 30 years, there is an opportunity for the waterways to become the recipients of offsite biodiversity credits

Waterways for

where a developer cannot achieve the targets on their own site. For this to come about, local authorities and developers need to be made aware of just how important the waterways are to the improvement of the local environment. This is a key focus of activity for the IWA’s local branches.

Today : Environmental Benefits intrinsically more energy efficient than road or rail but more investment and incentives are required if this is ever going to become a viable option.

IWA is also campaigning for the improvement of water quality across the inland waterways network. It is all very well encouraging biodiversity, but in order for it to be maintained, there needs to be a significant improvement in water quality, especially in urban areas and those areas where there are high levels of run off from cultivated fields.

IWA is campaigning for the use of open waterways for water transfer as opposed to costly pipeline schemes. Using the open channels will help preserve heritage, improve biodiversity, attract wildlife and boost social and amenity values through recreational use.

Some statistics in the report include:

• 80% of people think local heritage makes their area a better place to live.

• Hundreds of Conservation Areas include canals, which are then afforded greater protection from insensitive development.

• Navigable inland waterways are home to over 100 Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs).

• More than 1,000 waterway-based county wildlife sites are an integral part of the UK’s Nature Recovery Network.

• The waterways network has a huge capacity to carry freight. One 500tonne capacity barge can replace 25 lorries, which has a significant impact on keeping CO2 emissions down.

Canals mitigating the impact of climate change

Waterways have the potential to address many impacts of climate change through mitigating flooding and droughts, transferring drinking water supplies and generating hydropower. They can also provide active travel and low-carbon transport routes. Sustainable fuel, increased numbers of electric charging points and other associated infrastructure will also help keep emissions from boats down. Moving goods by water is

• Research by the University of Manchester for the Canal & River Trust shows the presence of canal water in urban areas can cool Britain’s overheating cities by up to 1.6°C.

To read the full IWA Waterways for Today report or to read the case studies related to the Environmental benefits of the waterways please visit: https:// waterways.org.uk/waterwaysfortoday

Alison Smedley

Rubbish in the Canal

The Boating Adventures of Sonning Bear

To London and Beyond a Boating Bears Adventure: Part 1

At the time of writing, we bears are in the middle of a super boating adventure, which makes it tricky to write Knobsticks articles. But here is the first part for you.

Our adventure began with Grizzly and Polar taking our narrowboat, Uplander II, through the Harecastle Tunnel to Longport Boatyard, where the hull was going to be cleaned and blacked. Hanley Bear volunteered to go too, so he could look after Grizzly while they were going through the Harecastle Tunnel.

With Hanley's help, Grizzly steered "Uppie" through the tunnel in record time and soon they were moored safely at the boatyard.

A few days later, Uppie's hull was repainted and we were ready to set off on our journey. Four of us Bears were going with our human guardians on a very long trip, all the way to London for a boat festival called Canalway Cavalcade, which is held at Little Venice near Paddington over the May Day weekend.

The Boating Adventures of Sonning Bear

We were going to start our journey at quite a brisk pace, so we could travel part of the way with another boat, but Hanley Bear insisted on going to the Good Friday game at Stoke City, as he would be missing the end of the season. We moored near the stadium and Polar took him to the match, but Stoke lost.

The next morning, we got off to an early start and cruised right through Stone, down to Great Haywood and on to the outskirts of Rugeley, mooring near the aqueduct over the River Trent.

spaced well apart from each other, so Polar and Grizzly could take it in turn to steer the boat.

At Great Haywood, a floating market was taking place, with lots of trading boats including the Oatcake Boat, which had travelled down through the evening after the football game. We couldn't stop to look around, because we were on a long journey, but maybe another year we will make a special visit.

We had hot-cross buns for Easter the next morning, and cruised from Rugeley to Fradley Junction, and then onto the Coventry Canal. Huddlesford sat on the roof for this part of the journey, as we were approaching a very special place.

When it wasn't too breezy, we took it in turn to sit on the roof in Polar's painted watering can (which leaks, luckily, so it isn't full of water!).

This is a very pretty section of the Trent and Mersey Canal, with a few locks

The Boating Adventures of Sonning Bear

A little way down this canal we came to Huddlesford Junction which is, of course, where we found Huddlesford Bear! It’s also where the Lichfield Canal used to join the Coventry - and will again, when Huddlesford's friends at the Lichfield and Hatherton Canals Restoration Trust have completed their project.

moored for the night after going through two locks at Tamworth and, because we had been good bears, Polar gave us an Easter egg to share. It was full of chocolate buttons! We gave our human guardians the egg to eat, and we ate the buttons.

Huddlesford gave us all hugs when he remembered what a sad and muddy bear he was when we found him and what a lucky bear he had been to be rescued. Then we all went for Sunday Lunch at the pub with Polar and Grizzly.

The next day we had many more locks to work up, at the town of Atherstone in Warwickshire. Hanley Bear was grumpy about leaving Staffordshire and kept saying that the scenery was not as nice here, but eventually he settled down.

When we got to Fazeley Junction, we didn't take the turning for Birmingham, but went north-east with the Coventry Canal. This was exciting, as none of us bears had been that way before. We

Atherstone has quite a pretty flight of locks, with primroses in the banks beside them, although our human guardians got rather soggy working through them in the heavy April showers. But there was a long section with no locks after that, so

The Boating Adventures of Sonning Bear

after lunch we cruised on through Warwickshire, eventually mooring near Hawkesbury Junction.

It was my turn to sit in the watering can the following morning, and I stayed there even when we went through a short tunnel at Newbold on the outskirts of Rugby.

After another long, lock-free section, we then had our last locks before Braunston to work through at Hilmorton. There are a great team of volunteers here who we follow on Twitter, so I made sure I was on the roof in the watering can to wave to them, at least at the first lock. But then Grizzly decided the rain was too heavy and my fur would get too wet if I stayed out, so I went back into the boat to warm up.

All of us stayed inside the rest of the afternoon as Polar and Grizzly steered us along the last part of the journey to meet our friends at Braunston and we made it!

We still had a long journey ahead of us, but I will tell you all about that in future editions of Knobsticks.

Photos: Sarah Honeysett

Answer to Anne Chetwyn’s Teaser (see page 2)

IWA Move and Corporate Members

IWA Head Office’s new address is:

The Inland Waterways Association

Unit 16B

Chiltern Court

Asheridge Road Industrial Estate

Asheridge Road

CHESHAM

HP5 2PX

They have also asked us to encourage members to support companies who are corporate members of IWA. In our area the list is :

Andersen Boats, Middlewich www.andersenboats.com

Burslem Port Trust www.burslemport.org.uk

Caldon & Uttoxeter Canals Trust www.cuct.org.uk

Canal Cruising Co Ltd, Stone www.canalcruising.co.uk

Carefree Cruising (Boatshare) Limited, Middlewich www.carefreecruising.com

Robert Wynn and Sons Ltd, Eccleshall www.robertwynnandsons.co

Stoke-On-Trent Boat Building Co Ltd www.stokeboats.co.uk

Stoke-On-Trent Boat Club, Endon www.stokeboatclub.co.uk

The Commercial Boat Operators Association, Eccleshall email: d.lowe@cboa.org.uk

The Shelby Narrowboat Company Ltd, Sandbach email: tsncltd@gmail.com

North Staffordshire & South Cheshire contacts

President: Chris Skelhorne

Vice President Roger Savage roger.st21@gmail.com

Chair Alison Smedley MBE 01538 385388 alison.smedley@waterways.org.uk

Newsletter Editor

Roger Evans 01606 834471 newsletter.nssc@waterways.org.uk 10 Long Lane, Middlewich, Cheshire, CW10 0BL

Planning VACANT Contact Alison Smedley

Treasurer

Alan Chetwyn 01782 279277

(No Email)

Secretary

VACANT

Contact Alison Smedley

Sales Officer

VACANT Contact Alison Smedley

Social Secretary

Sarah Honeysett 01782 772295 socialsec.nssc@waterways.org.uk

Publicity Officer

Sarah Honeysett 01782 772295 publicity.nssc@waterways.org.uk

Web and Social Media Officer:

VACANT

Contact Alison Smedley

Membership Officer Mary Smith membership.nssc@waterways.org.uk

Navigation Officer

Jon Honeysett 01782 772295 navigation.nssc@waterways.org.uk

Burslem Port Work Party

Dave Broome 07974 966253 dave.broome45@gmail.com

Caldon + Uttoxeter Work Parties

Alison Smedley 01538 385388 alison.smedley@waterways.org.uk

Cheshire Locks Work Party

John Lawson 07940 878923 john.lawson@waterways.org.uk

Other committee members: Julie Arnold

West Midlands Region Chairman

Helen Whitehouse 01543 491161 westmidlands@waterways.org.uk

The Branch committee meets at 7:30 p.m. on the 2nd Tuesday of March, June, September & December at Stoke Boat Club, Endon Wharf, Post Lane, Endon, Stoke-on-Trent, ST9 9DU. All Branch members are invited to attend.

The views expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the Inland Waterways Association, the West Midlands Region, or our Branch. They are, however, published as being of interest to our members and readers. © The Inland Waterways Association - Registered as a charity no. 212342 www.waterways.org.uk/staffscheshire

Summer 2023 Page 23

Our Branch runs 3 work parties each month, helping to maintain and restore our local canals :-

• Cheshire Locks (Trent & Mersey Canal, Kidsgrove to Wheelock) (jointly organised with the Trent and Mersey Canal Society)

3rd Thursday of each month (except December), 10am to 3pm.

Contact: John Lawson Phone: 07940 878923

Email: john.lawson@waterways.org.uk

• Uttoxeter Canal (Bridge 70, near Denstone or near Alton)

(working in partnership with Caldon & Uttoxeter Canals Trust)

usually 3rd Monday of each month (except August & December)

Contact: Alison Smedley Phone: 01538 385388

Email: alison.smedley@waterways.org.uk

• Burslem Port, Stoke-on-Trent (working in partnership with Burslem Port Project)

Alternate Fridays: June 9th + 23rd, July 7th + 21st, August 4th + 18th, September 1st + 15th + 29th

Contact: Dave Broome before attending Phone: 07974 966253

Email: dave.broome45@gmail.com

——————————–————-—————————-—————

See the IWA website www.waterways.org.uk under “Events” for dates. Volunteers are advised to wear stout shoes and old clothes, and to bring waterproofs (and a packed lunch and drink if staying all day).