avvies N No 183 Oct-Nov 2000
Celebrating 30 years of canal restoration by Waterway Recovery Group volunteers
Contents Contributions... ...are always welcome, whether hand-written, typed, on 3½" disk (please include hard-copy) or by e-mail. Photos also welcome: slides or colour or b/w prints. Please state whether you want your prints back; I assume that you want slides returned. Computer scanned photos also acceptable, either on disk or as e-mail attachments, preferably JPG format. Send them to the editor Martin Ludgate, 35, Silvester Road, London SE22 9PB, or e-mail to editor@navvies.demon.co.uk. Press date for No 184: November1st.
Subscriptions
In this issue:
Camp report Let's get it Over with! WRGWear Buy your WRG Tshirts & vests Camp reports Waltham Abbey, Mont, Wilts
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6-13 & Berks... and moreOver... KESCRG the 'Navvy who came to dinner' 14-16 Logistics sent your trailer-packing pics? 17 Diary camps and working parties 18-20 WRG Works! reporting from Pant, Over and Lichfield plus 4 pages of colour photos 21-28 Letters to the editor 29-31 Past present and future of WRH 32-37 BITM at Lichfield 38-39 Bookshop auction of canal books 40-41 BITM again on the Stover Canal 42-43 Bits & Pieces including the Boat Club 44 Noticeboard Infill more bad jokes about pants
45 46-47
And next time...
...reports from those Canal Camps that didn't quite make it into this issue. Plus progress reA year's subscription (6 issues) is available for a ports on the Dig Deep scheme including brandminimum of ÂŁ1.50 (please add a donation if pos- new work-sites on the Cotswold and Wilts & sible) to Sue Watts, 15 Eleanor Road, Chorlton- Berks canals, the new Camps Booklet for 2001, cum-Hardy, Manchester M21 9FZ. Cheques to the return of 'Bankside', a full-page 'Last Ditch cartoon... and the first ever WRG Opera! "Waterway Recovery Group" please. Visit our web site: http://www.wrg.org.uk/index.htm for all the latest news Cover photo: WRG Works! (1): the first boat is craned into the completed Over Basin ready for the reopening. (Martin Ludgate) Inset left: WRG Works! (2): installing the bentonite lining in the Lichfield Canal at Darnford Lane. (Martin Ludgate) Inset right: WRG Works! (3): scrub-bashing on Reunion weekend on the Pant Dry Section of the Montgomery Canal (Martin Ludgate) Back cover left: Camp 0014 on the Mont: rebuilding the storm-water overflow tail-race at Maesbury. (Lou Kellett) Back cover right: Camp 008 on the Basingstoke: reinstating the lockside path at Lock 3 after reconstruction of the bywash. (Martin Ludgate) Back cover bottom: Camp 20 at Waltham Abbey: some of the WRG and IWA/NWF volunteers who made the National Waterways Festival such a success. (Martin Ludgate) Below: Camp 17 on the Wilts & Berks: the abutments for the second liftbridge at Foxham have been built and work is about to begin on the main task for the camp - shuttering up and pouring the wing walls. If the shuttering looks a slightly familiar, that's because it came second-hand from Over! (Luke Walker)
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WRG Works! Our 30th anniversary celebration "WRG Works!" went very well despite a somewhat hesitant start: as the rest of the country gasped for petrol we managed to turn out over 60 volunteers to give yet another bit of the Montgomery Canal a serious bashing. We can only hope that this will give a further push to the Monty as it has been badly hit recently by the sudden removal of major funding for works below our beloved Aston locks. We shall return next February to complete the works we could not do as so many volunteers were forced to sit at home staring at their cars parked on the drive. Then it was onto Lichfield where a very different job was waiting for us. Lining the canal with clay matting, this was a new technique to us and much was learnt by an eager team led by Izzy. Our thanks to John and Jan for their excellent preparation (and for those who enjoyed it we might be doing quite a bit of it next year). Yours truly was stupid enough to try and squeeze a committee meeting into the end of the Lichfield Camp - I won’t be doing that again. After that it was off to Over where it was business as usual i.e. “yes, you can enjoy yourself in a minute chaps but before you do can you just shovel these stables clear” (quick cultural reference there). And I have to admit that the time I spent at Over was very, very strange. I felt distinctly uncomfortable to be on the site without a hard hat, let alone in a suit. Even more strange was to be able to go up to Adrian Fry and say “Are there any jobs need doing” and get the reply “Er, no I don’t think so, just relax for a while”. The actual opening was very much the Herefordshire and Gloucestershire Canal Trust’s event but make no mistake we got all the recognition we deserved. Certainly during the reception everyone I spoke to was very impressed and some good contacts were made. In particular we should thank our good friends Swan Hill and CJL for all the help and co-operation they have shown, especially towards the end as the deadline approached. A very special mention must go to our “man on the ground”* Adrian Fry who managed to inspire us all to give up what seemed like every free weekend to work till the light gave out. His ability to deal with a big site problem is legendary. The man has a very rare talent and I for one am quite sure that all that pomp and circumstance on that splendid Friday afternoon would not have been possible with Adrian’s unstinting efforts. Our sincere thanks to him.
Chairman
Project officers
So to return to one of the themes of my speech at Over. Currently waterway projects are facing a mountain of work and I genuinely believe that to make real progress on this they are going to need some paid help. Yes the “new BW” are being very helpful on a lot of schemes, and once a project gets its huge lottery grant then it will have plenty of support. But how many restoration societies do you know who are trying to run multi-million pound projects on the proceeds of coffee mornings and jumble sales whilst their volunteers meet in evenings and weekends? This is not a cheap attempt to create “jobs for the boys” as I am pretty sure that most volunteers would be lousy project officers. But someone has to represent the local societies at meetings, do the donkey work, raise the funds, check out the facts and figures and look after the seemingly endless paperwork that volunteers naturally shy away from. It is true that the appointment of Project Officers is an area that has in the past been fraught with problems but we need to learn from our mistakes and make progress. Accommodation And while I am on the subject of problems that do need to be addressed one thing that WRG Works! did show up was that getting good accommodation is getting harder and harder. We hope to set up a group to wrestle with this tricky problem: if the Hall is decent then it will be well used by the community and so they are unlikely to want to rearrange their schedules for us; if is not decent then we don’t want to stay there either. A top-flight accommodation can be up to £750 a week so you can understand the local societies hesitation in spending their hard earned money on such things. I hope to write more on this in the next issue. So what has this year proved ? Well it has proved we can still meet a challenge. And with a lot of effort from the 'little people' in the background we managed to run a whole batch of successful camps in spite of Over and WRG Works taking so much of our resources. My thanks to you all. The pressure we have been under this year has been very great and I thank you all for not cracking. Mike Palmer
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Camps Couldthis'Navvies'bethelastone reporting from Over for a while? Camp 0011 - Derby... Over: "The writing is on the wall for Over" This note is a plea for help as we have all been captured and sold into slavery. We were not aware of what was to happen to us. The site, a canal basin, was some distance south of Derby but we were prepared for a little work and the Duke of Edinburgh volunteers needed to do a residential project. In fact it was not until the camp had started that we began to realise the full extent of our problem. I am convinced that our slave-masters have taken false names - ‘Fry and Penny’. They cannot be real names: they sound like a music hall act; however they are true professional slave drivers. Each day we are taken to work in a minibus. It is escorted by a black staff car (now red). The site itself is surrounded by a high wire fence and our accommodation miles from any civilisation.
We are forced to lay bricks, over 10,000 a week! We have to dig out huge amounts of clay and create patches of garden. Will these gardens be our final resting-place? Today we discovered another secret. Hidden on the flood plain are teams of ‘locals’ who are forced to clean bricks. They work so hard that they have a mountain of bricks for us to use. Sam has decided to eat his way to freedom, but has had no success yet. Ed tried to make a few mistakes in the hope of early release but by Tuesday he had given up and is now supporting the team. Peter and John began to build an escape to the river, but this was stopped. The slave-masters produced stop-planks. We are now quite desperate: only one of the girls in our party has been allowed to stay. The slavemasters insist on us getting a good breakfast and she is co-operating with this. What has happened to the other girls? Are they being held for a harvest festival somewhere? Is someone doing harm to them? The food is excellent but the 12-hour days are beginning to affect morale. Most of us are beginning to enjoy ourselves. A real sense of achievement and pride in a job well done is being felt. This is being fully exploited by the slave-masters. If you know where we are please send help, but be very careful - the slave-masters are always on the lookout for new blood and you could be trapped in their web. Fred Towey
Slaves on Camp 0011 plot their escape - while keeping up a pretence that they are laying a woodchip towpath surface at Over Basin. (Martin Ludgate)
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WRGwear moves south... Helen 'Bushbaby' Gardner has taken over from Jim & Liz Lamen as the person you send off to for your WRG T-shirts and other WRG clothing. To order the latest in WRG fashions, simply fill in the form (or copy it, if you don't want to cut up your super-duper special issue of 'Navvies') and send it to her at the address below....
WRGwear ...moves from Stockport to Middlesex... and to Sussex...
Note: these are plain 'WRG logo' items; Canal Camps T-shirts should still be ordered from IWA head office at Rickmansworth. Please send me the following item(s) of WRG clothing: (tick the appropriate box, or write the number of items wanted if more than one) T-shirts at £7.00 each (including postage and packing): Small
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Red, large logo Red, small logo Black, large logo Black, small logo Vests at £6.50 each (including postage and packing): Small
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Send your form and money to: Helen Gardner, n.b. 'Sussex', The Boatyard, Rowdell Road, Northolt, Middlesex UB5 6AG. Any enquiries phone 07785 925164 (after 18:00) or e-mail helen.gardner@suk.sas.com Coming soon: sweatshirts and embroidered Rugby shirts. See next 'Navvies' for details.
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Camps Waltham Abbey: "The Bank Holiday arrived and with it the rain." Waltham Abbey Festival Camp In the beginning there was a field, a river & some volunteers; by the end, a very successful National Waterways Festival at Waltham Abbey. If site wanted something doing, WRG were either about to do it, in the process of doing it or had finished doing it. If Mitch or Jude wanted something doing the Volunteers were either about to do it, in the process of doing...well you get the picture. A week prior to the camp starting, muscle-bound volunteers were requested for the heavy lifting work of putting up fencing & laying down tracking. It soon became apparent that weather forecasters often get the forecast wrong... well the first few days just confirmed the myth. The day the tracking went down it was supposed to rain, so an early start was needed to get the job done before the heavens opened. However by 8am most people had stripped off due to the fact it was about 80 degrees and getting hotter. This trend followed for the rest of the National (almost). Saturday and Sunday was spent setting up our home for the next couple of weeks: this year the accommodation was slightly different, we had two marquees - one for eating in and one for sleeping in. The reason being the problem of the ‘smooth-tailed squirrels’; this species of mammal frequents the area, scavenging in bins for any scraps of food they can find. The Latin name for this type of creature is ‘RAT’, and there were plenty of them.
Another of our jobs was from Campsite: a request was received for 2 people at 10am on the Tuesday morning to do a bit of raking, and that the job would only take half a day or so... well being good WRG people we supplied 4 people at 9am. By lunchtime, in a field resembling Dr Who’s Tardis, at temperatures of 28 degrees, the majority of the camp could be found... if campsite ever ask for a job to be done again, beware! Tuesday night saw a group take a trip to the cinema... well they attempted to... however the main road we needed to take was closed due to an accident and not knowing where we were really going anyway, it was decided that the cinema was a no-go. Imagine the picture: large traffic queues, Mitch driving and Sam ‘I’ve had a drink’ Dent navigating from the back.... “Turn here”, said Sam, so we did, finding ourselves in another housing estate. It was only then that we realised that we obviously looked like we knew where we were going, as we’d formed a convoy of vehicles behind us! Other jobs during the week included tables and chairs, banners, arena set-up, a bit of fencing, hole-filling, strimming and sign making. Harriet and her team did a grand job of making the signs for the event, although the number of signs needed increased as everyone suddenly needed a sign doing. Thursday night arrived, and with thoughts turning to previous Nationals where WRG work until early Friday morning, everyone was prepared for a long night.... however, something went wrong and most people made it into the beer tent by 9pm in time for the Boaters Quiz; we then wondered what we’d forgotten!
The camp started with the usual jobs of water-pipe and cable burying, marking out marquees and carpeting the pontoon for the floating exhibits, and carpeting some grass! The pontoon was about 100m in length (I’m sure the team who carpeted it will tell you differently), was put up way behind schedule, and wasn’t long enough. It was in fact about 10m too short so that EA who had sponsored the pontoon couldn’t moor their boat. A patch of scrubland was cleared and carpeted especially for them ,only for the pontoon to be extended. Just how did Womble and Sam explain their carpet burns when they got home? 'Wheelie-bin Bob' keeps the site tidy. (Martin Ludgate)
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Friday saw the site open, people queued at the gate, and the weather was good - visitors were enjoying themselves. The Festival was opened by Dr George Greener the Chairman of BW, who during his time at the Show insisted on seeing the WRG accommodation; with lack of notice we were unable to hoover or tidy, so he saw it as it was! (we think he was impressed). Friday night happened and with it a fantastic firework display there were plenty of ooohs and ahhhs, the display was certainly better than the Millennium festivities in London. The Bank Holiday weekend arrived and with it the rain (no change there, then!) "I'm the leader of the Camp I am!" (Martin Ludgate) Saturday evening WRG were in the entertainment tent doing what they do best - going Tuesday night was theme night WRG style, this on stage and performing, having not learnt their years theme was Australia, and a good old Aussie lines and making it up as they go on. This year BBQ. Various people dressed up in some unuwas the “Leon Stort Memorial Lecture” otherwise sual costumes, and with a back drop of palm known as “Canals 2000 - the history of the world trees, sand and rubber paddling pool the award re-told by WRG”. Daddy Cool gave a superb lec- ceremony began. We were joined by all the variture on the history of the canals through the ages. ous departments who had helped put the event Fred Flintstone & Barney Rubble (aka Ralph & together, Brian did a good job of cooking the food Toby) started us off, followed by the Roman Era. for all of us, and a good evening was had by all. Bungle excelled himself (having spent the week Martin put together an excellent slide show and fixing things, breaking things then fixing them Bungle again serenaded us this time with a renagain) as Glitter Bungle with a brilliant version of dition of ‘Jude’s Way’. ‘Leader of the Camp’. The finale saw a futuristic canal camp with Jude attempting to communi- And so the site was taken down, it was done in cate with Martin played by a Martian. double quick time, so quick in fact that we were able to pack all our equipment away and leave a Sunday saw more visitors on site and lots of jobs day early. With no fencing to be taken down our for the volunteers. Car parks began to fill up, job was made a lot easier, the tracking only had and most people managed a stint directing cars, to be stacked, and with Bob and his crew having and running around trying to find spaces to put done such a good job at bin clearing there wasn’t them; it was suggested that once the car parks much litter to be picked. were full we use the forklift to stack the cars. Wheelie bin Bob did a great job of keeping site There are one or two people who need our clean and tidy: bins filled up, were emptied and thanks... filled up again. Marcus and Tunji kept the arena running, sorting out the different events in there. Firstly Ali and her team. Ali provided us with lots If anyone wants any s**t, they did enough shov- of scrummy food, working at times in conditions elling to last a lifetime. hotter than the ovens she was using, at one time the kitchen Portakabin needed to be hosed down Records were broken, 9000 people attended and to cool it off as the eggs were cooking in their the weather improved, extra car parking was shells! needed for the Monday as it was believed more people would attend. In fact on the Monday 11,000 Secondly all the sandwich ladies who provided people attended, the weather was back to 25C and our lunch and the people who got up early to everyone was tired. The site closed to a marching cook breakfast. band and everyone involved parading into the arena - an excellent finale to a great event. Thirdly all the volunteers who worked so hard in temperatures of 25-33 degrees, it was worth it, Monday night saw a tired Jude & Mitch sat hav- this is one of the best ‘Nationals’ for a long time ing a foot spa in the beer tent, well a bowl of hot and you were part of it. THANKS water to put their feet in - it was much needed, who knows the number of miles we’d walked. Mitch Parsons
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Camps ...and no-one's even calling it the 'last ever Mont Camp' any more! Montgomery Canal Camps - Summer 2000. Yet another of those occasions when I can’t read what I wrote in my diary ‘cos I wrote it in the pub, and I’m trying to write this much later when I can’t remember a damn thing..... The first week of the Mont camps this year was run by myself and Andy ‘3’ Burrows, and we’d like to start with a huge ‘thank you’ to almost all of the weeks campers. The job was making a start on demolishing the tail-race for the storm-water overspill weir at Maesbury, together with replacing missing and cracked bricks in the weir, finding a couple of leaks, and sorting out the overflow pan at the other end. Much of the stuff from which the tailrace is built is coping-stone-sized rocks, and so there was a lot of rotating people around on the job, trying to wear them all out equally. Some wore out quicker than others, and of course, it wouldn’t be a camp without a trip to the local hospital. That’s my one visit a year now, please don’t anyone injure themselves in my presence again until January.
There were a lot of nicknames throughout the week, with Helen from IWA Head Office earning the distinction of two, moving quickly from the fairly offensive ‘IWA-spy’, to the more obscure ‘Helen Cornish Pasty Head’. Meanwhile Katherine was ‘Breast Parter Woman’, Nick was ‘Sick Boy’, Veronica’s Mate was ‘surely those can’t be real’, Jon was cutting the plants into comedy hairstyles, and Craig took every possible opportunity to get up early and tidy things. For those of you that have met Craig, you’ll be glad to know that he has a twin brother and so a Craig will be featuring in each Canal Camps Kit for next year’s season. Various people learnt to play with power tools, Andy and I both went swimming (much to amusement of most people), and we discovered that GCW’s immobiliser is also quite happy in the water. Meanwhile Peter was an absolute star and demonstrated the use of almost every power tool that Meredith and I could hire from the flirty man at Griffiths, Al did her usual fantastic range of cooking, ‘BW Wynn’ turned up when the Burco was boiling, Jon went into the showers fully dressed, and ‘Normal Helen’ leant an occasional air of sanity to the general proceedings. Friday night saw the traditional end-of-camp barbecue, ‘Normal Helen’ demonstrating the gentle art of a slightly surreal form of stroppiness, Craig proving that he could use swearwords other than ‘Sugerlumps’, me, Harri T, ‘Meths’ and Al fighting over Haloumi, and a general winding down of proceedings, while fresh and enthusiastic people turned up for the weekend. Thanks again to everyone who helped, you were all a bunch of stars, and it was great to see so many of you back at the Reunion. Cheers to Al for the cooking, to Craig for stopping on for the weekend, to ‘Helen CPH’ for putting up with so much abuse, to AJ for random technical support by phone, and to Jon for his comedy shirt. Although we took down a fair section of wall, we’ve still got a way to go, and we’ll be back at it again next year, so please keep in touch. Cheers again,
"I'd like to hire an electric teaspoon", said Lou. And the hire-firm actually knew what she meant! (Lou Kellett)
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Lou and Andy.
The next week...... This was the week that saw the laying of the concrete base, and the putting back up of the walls that the previous week had taken down. Blessed this week by a real brickie, we aimed him at the spill weir with Jim and Rusty for assistants, and they promptly demonstrated the difference between amateurs and professionals. Chris - you have to come back - you promised to show me how to carry bricks on my shoulder. Less ‘D of E-ers’ this week, but of a particularly outstanding quality, ranging from the silent dry stone wall expert to the ballroom dancing one who called me ‘Miss’. Marvellous! The addition of Lichfield’s very own Liz Horton, Marple’s very own Mr. Asquith (plus car) and Harri T’s cooking set us off to a fine start. Clive turned up and brought his ‘shy’ mate Ian, so quiet that when he couldn’t remember my name on site he shouted “Oi - Bird!!!” at the top of his voice, Bex turned up and brought her tippy-top portfolio of work, and AJ made it from the Land of Working Too Hard, only to discover a former almost-student of his on the camp. While the brickwork went on apace, the stone wall putting back together went slowly but surely. JP demonstrated the art of playing with a very small comedy digger to Eleanor, and the art of trying to get the beavertail into gear to me. Malcolm demonstrated the art of bodging bricks back together so noone would notice we’d taken them out to Claire and Kate, and Chris and Jim cleaned everything and put it back up as fast as I could knock it down.
This week, it was the turn of Andy to provide telephone technical support, and almost everyone else to provide telephone moral support. Rachel arrived for a stray day, and said the same thing as Becky “You look so much like my sister it’s frightening”. I would like to state categorically that I am not a member of the Parr family (or am I, Sam?) Standard Mont entertainments over the fortnight included the tour of Mont canal heritage (much heckling included), the trip to the cinema to see the men in leather skirts, and the odd half of bitter in the ‘Punch Bowl’, while I painted zebrastripes on a fridge. By the end of the second week, most of what we’d taken down was back up, and true to the plan (written half way through the second week, as is standard) you couldn’t tell where we’d been for the most part. Again, huge thank yous to everyone who helped to make the week a success, Harri for cooking, Malcolm for the trip in his car, everyone who sorted out the slight ‘oops’ when we sent the kit off phone- and radio-free, Jim for not making a weekend at home before turning up at Over, Chris for the speedy brickieing, Mark for the comment about the Dark Side when I was cooking breakfast, Laura for quietly getting on with being a fantastic waller, Clive for sorting the concreting, Liz for not minding being taken to the camp via JP at the launderette, JP for the digger/truck training, and everyone else for their hard work and willingness to learn, usually in a suitably random way. Big Fat Cheers from myself and AJ, we look forward to seeing you all next year. Lou Kellett
The tail-race: sides demolished and concrete floor laid... ...and with sides rebuilt and water flowing (Lou Kellett)
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Camps Wilts&Berks:"Weweredelighted attheamountthatwasachieved" Wilts & Berks Canal 12th - 19th August, 2000 Only four old-timers (no offence meant, Luke) arrived at Foxham at the start of the camp, together with five bright shiny new navvies, including one from Germany, to learn how to build a bascule (lift) bridge for a local Foxham farmer. Katy did a quick round of inspection of the new arrivals, finishing with tail wagging furiously, which was a good start. Phill joined us on Sunday evening after putting in the finishing touches at Over. The local volunteers, under Luke Walker’s supervision, actually started the construction two or three months earlier. A cofferdam had been made at either end of the bridge, and the U-shaped invert, with concrete backfill and brickwork top, had been completed. The first task on the camp was to start on digging the trenches for the wing walls. To a large extent, a start could be made using the digger bucket, but each had to be shaped using hand tools, i.e. mattocks and shovels, which with heavy Wiltshire clay was no easy task. However, everyone (which included two or three local volunteers nearly every day of the camp) set to with surprisingly few grumbles, and the newcomers quickly discovered muscles which they didn’t know were part of their anatomy. The first two concrete deliveries were ordered for Tuesday, and by then we were well ready with the blinding layers in the first two trenches, the re-bar was set in place, followed quickly in subsequent pours by the ‘kickers’. By Tuesday or Wednesday, the shuttering, some of which had been donated from the H & G site at Over, was erected for three of the wing walls; by the end of Thursday the concrete inside the shuttering was almost up to height - after much creaking and groaning when the concrete was poured into the narrow space, which scared Luke to death - and a pour on Friday would have seen all three walls finished, and the shuttering could have been removed by the end of the camp. However, “the best laid schemes of mice and navvies...” as they say, and after a sunny dry start to the week, the weather gradually deteriorated. Wednesday and Thursday saw some very heavy showers, sending everyone scurrying into the van and kittrailer, and Katy turned tail and fled all the way back to the accommodation, where Di (the cook) was well showered by the vigorous shaking of a wet dog.
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It was amazing how when the worst showers came, Luke and Ben always seemed to be out collecting something in the LandRover - there were dire threats that Ben would have to be thrown in before the end of the week.... Friday was the worst of all - at least on Wednesday and Thursday we had still managed to find gaps in the weather for further concrete pours, but Friday was horrendous - the final pour had to be cancelled, and everyone had to pack up work at lunchtime. To some people’s satisfaction, Ben finally got a soaking, but it was very disappointing, as the volunteers could have got more of a sense of achievement by seeing three completed wing walls. Luke and I were still delighted at the amount that was achieved, and saved weeks of work - at one concrete pour per week - by the local volunteers. The trench was dug for the fourth wing wall, and the blinding, base and kickers in, so hopefully all four walls will shortly be in place. We are still waiting for the final design for the actual bridge, but with the base finished, this should be a minor consideration! Tom, one of our new navvies, was a recent civil engineering graduate, and his knowledge proved useful. For an inexperienced bunch of navvies, all showed good understanding of what was needed at each stage. We also got a few hundred yards of towpath cleared and the cuttings burnt, and the plan is to dredge the section within the next 12 months (it is partially in water). The Foxham Inn at least trebled their normal clientele over the week (as tends to happen in country pubs where we have camps), where Gem (Bath Ales) was quite acceptable, with good old 6X to fall back on. We had several swimming/shower runs to Chippenham, plus a visit to a two screen cinema the party being divided between those who hadn’t yet seen ‘Chicken Run’, and those who had and watched the alternative! On the Friday afternoon after we’d had to stop work, we all trooped off to Gloucester to the National Waterways Museum, where one could spend several hours seeing everything. They had an arrangement whereby Over navvies had a concession, but agreed to make an exception for us also, particularly as some of us had made some contribution to THAT SITE! It is nice to know that WRG’s efforts are appreciated. My thanks to everyone who worked so hard to make the camp a success, and to all the local volunteers who put in extra days to work with us. Thank you also to Di for keeping us well fed - her cakes particularly disappeared remarkably fast! On a final point, we’ve had quite a lot of newcomers on the three camps I’ve led this year (Stover, Sleaford and Foxham), and all have said that they enjoyed themselves and would like to come on another camp. If any of you are reading this, I hope you do so - you were all excellent, and WRG needs people like you! Remember, every camp is different, not only in location and people but in the work involved. You might even learn skills you didn’t know you were capable of, and it looks good on a c.v. Rachael Banyard
Here’s how we (Over) did it July and August saw an almost continuous WRG presence at Over, as the legal deadline of the 24th August approached. The enormous quantity of work achieved is obvious, but what was just as satisfying was the incredible atmosphere on site that made it all possible, and the quality of the work produced, which often was better than professional. Over has not only shown what volunteers are capable of, but also what contractors aren’t!
Camps Hereford & Gloucester: the final six weeks work at Over
July 1-2
July 8-9
This was actually an official London WRG dig, though it was hard to tell the difference, given the enormous support they have leant to virtually every dig during the last nine months!
The following weekend saw WRG North-West return, supplemented in the usual Over style. For once we were glad of a fairly small weekend though, as, with no road access on to the site because of the construction of the sewer across the lock entrance, organising work was a bit more tricky. Still, we managed to get Blue on to site using the velcro-arse handling technique, as well as another three pallets of bullnose bricks.
The main job for the weekend was topsoiling and grass-seeding the huge plateau that stretches from the slipway round to the old sewage works. Subsidiary jobs were to chase the rabbits off every time they tried to eat the grass-seed, and pushing out the dumper every time Tim got it stuck. The second delivery of bullnose coping bricks was laid on the main wharf wall, completing all of the long limb. This included laying the special special bricks for the right-angle at the end of the wall – the first bricks ever to arrive individually bubble-wrapped! Phill’s brick shit-house / diesel bund continued to develop – though the suggestions of castellations or a thatched roof weren’t taken up, it does now have a tiled roof. And because it wouldn’t be a proper Over weekend without a birthday, we all bought Adrian a lot of drinks, wearing out the old landlord in the process. Al created a fab JCB cake: in true H&G style, the welds had fatigued and the boom had collapsed on to the cake board!
Yet more topsoil, grass seed and bullnoses were laid, despite some very poor weather. I think it is the first time topsoil has been spread using the dumpy level and bricklines (well actually, before Martin points it out, we used rakes as well). Our temporary compound was also finally cleared, moving all the stockpiled / hoarded materials down to the floodplain – entered on the jobs list in Fry Management Speak as “consolidation of resources”. July 15-22: Camp 9 Originally, this was meant to be a week at Worcester, carrying on with last year’s installation of moorings. Last minute problems led to cancellation of the work, so Over gained another camp. Once again, we were lucky to have a very small camp, as the only accommodation available at such short notice was the diminutive Oxenhall Church Hall, which proved to be very cosy. Roger and Jen led this week, taking on one of the most technical and vast concrete pours we have ever done. The upstream entrance to the entrance lock originally passed over the diverted River Leadon on an aqueduct. Now with the river back on its original course, the aqueduct was used by the housing developers as a conduit for their services. The remains of the aqueduct had then been filled with crushed brick, and it was between the remaining original brick piers that we had to span with a huge concrete slab. The first four days of the camp went preparing the reinforcing and shuttering, following Roy Sutton’s design, in really hot weather.
Laying bullnose coping bricks - it's hard work... really!
Everything was going fine until we lowered in the reinforcing, and watched all the plastic spacers collapse under the weight. Roger made a rush trip to Cardiff, returning with bags of stronger spacers, and we were just about ready for the four lorry loads of concrete.
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The wall makes a huge visual difference to the basin, and was to be the focus to the opening ceremony. It also marked something new for the brickies to complain about: the colour of their mortar! The lock wing-walls also started to take shape, building on the previous week’s work quite literally. By the end of the week, the shorter brick layers had done themselves out of work. Backfilling of these walls also started by hand (o.k., so we gave them a mixer).
Camp 9 volunteers laying the concrete base for the lock entrance.... In our spare time, we also put in a new access road round the head of the lock, installed the stop plank, poured the extensions to the feature wall foundation, and watered the grass! Yet another very productive camp, with huge amounts of work being achieved despite only having about 10 people on site. Many thanks are due to Liz “Cake Fairy” Bailey and Sharon Bowden for making up huge meals for us each day, and to Adrian for remembering to collect them on most days! Or, as the Camp Leader describes it... "Thanks to everyone on the Not-Worcester camp at Over – you were all very entertaining and put up with very long hours on site and being starved (well, OK, not fed until much later on in the evening than you should have been!) without complaint. Thank you all. As for the midnight Tesco’s trip to get breakfast, it has to be one of the more bizarre things I’ve witnessed on camps and it will always stick in my mind. "Far too many hours spent on site, weather incredibly hot (perfect weather for large concrete pours – NOT!), a bad Penny causing trouble despite its absence and would have been used to bring the concrete to the correct level if it had been present (!), and an accommodation that was packed out! But the guys (that does include you, Aimee!) all kept going and we got the necessary work done ready for the following brickwork week. And just think … you were all part of the team that constructed a huge pair of concrete Y-fronts!!" [See p47 if you don't understand. ...Ed] Just Jen July 22-29: Camp 11 The following day, Camp 11 started. Luckily we were staying back at Hartpury, as Fred and Tess had, as ever, managed to draw large numbers of volunteers to the Derby Canal, and then bring them on when the work there had had to be cancelled. John Park, along with his apprentice, Barry, spent the week building the retaining wall and putting up with all the jokes about spelling mistakes.
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...ready for Camp 11 to start the wing-walls. The canal between the slipway and the old sewage works was finally excavated down to bed level, and the banks were profilled, using a biggish excavator. Finally, late one evening, we finally took out the dam that had been keeping water back in the wooded section. This meant the entire basin now had a covering of water in it, making a huge visual difference. With the Keyway excavator working in the bed of the canal, Blue was kept working flat out to landscape the excavated material, creating another huge plateau, when not already hard at work removing the ruts wherever Ed had last reversed the dumper. July 30 – August 3 Just for a bit of variety, a whole five days went past without WRG being on site. For the record, this time was mainly spent in front of the washing machine. Work, however, continued on site. The Canal Trust’s volunteers worked flat out every evening cleaning bricks to complete the lock entrance with, placing topsoil down either side of the towpath in the wooded section of the canal, and building the breeze-block shuttering for the back of the lock approach walls.
August 4 You didn’t think we wouldn’t work on site did you? Worried by the size of the plateau we had created the previous week, we came down early to start excavating topsoil from the floodplain in preparation for the next day. August 5-12: Camp 15 Adrian’s camp – but we all know that! This was the official camp of the year on the H&G, and it coincided with visits from Essex WRG and WRG North West again for the first weekend, leading to a very cramped hall at Hartpury, with almost 60 people staying on the Saturday night. The weekend’s main job was spreading topsoil over the plateau – well over 100 dumper loads of it. Work also continued on the lock entrance, including creating the “pizza oven” arches through which the housing development surface water will drain in to the basin. We spent most of the week mixing concrete to go behind the lock approach walls and the feature wall. For the former (which just so happened to include two formers), the concrete had to be placed by bucket, while for the feature wall, we placed it using the bucket of an 803 attached upside down. Although we were mixing concrete on site, we still had it delivered on site by a ready-mix concrete company, but in kit form!
river banks, having first scrub bashed them and felled the dead trees. This opened up views of the river from the whole site, making a huge improvement. The real excitement of the week, however, was the arrival of an eight inch “research and development” pump. It can be safely said Mr J. Palmer researched and developed it. The start of the filling of the basin was filmed by Carlton Television for the next series of Waterworld, or rather, the start, stop, can we do that again, start, stop, oh why won’t it start, oh no Mr Palmer has problems with his pipework, oh there it goes, oh can we do it again but be more enthusiastic / coordinated / naff… LWRG and loads of other people arrived for the last weekend. The water rising in the basin caused a couple of problems, with some small leaks developing which needed puddling, and with Viv managing to become the first person to fall in. Viv was closely followed Clive, who didn’t fall in, but rather went in to rescue Al’s rubber ducks. On Saturday night, we had an barbecue on site, sitting on the grass, watching the water rise up the final few inches. It all sounds very romantic, but this was actually all just so we could work on longer in to the evening, leaving site only when it got really really dark!
The base of the slipway was cast in concrete, again mixed by hand – allegedly to guarantee the correct slump, more likely because the budget was getting a bit tight! Once the shuttering had been struck, the granite sets were laid on a sharp sand base, producing a much more attractive finish than the concrete originally proposed.
Sunday saw the last concrete being poured behind the feature wall. Thomas was put to good use powering the electric flymo being used to cut the grass we had put down only a few weeks before. Hasty placing of the slackboards along the back edge of the wharf wall meant that we just had time to put down the final surface on the wharf wall, before it was time to leave site for the last time – 11 days ahead of the legal deadline.
As a break from concreting, we also landscaped the
The Conclusion “We know that there were those who doubted that we would succeed – we cannot miss another opportunity to thank all the WRGies; our equally appreciated H&G Canal Trust volunteers; and all the businesses who have made this all possible and proved the cynics wrong. Our sincere thanks to each and every one who has ensured the success at Over”: Cliff Penny, H&GCT Council of Management, writing in 'The Wharfinger'. So we did it. All the work required in the Section 106 Agreement was completed, as well as quite a lot more besides. Everything we did was to a much higher standard than was thought possible. And I’ve just had a phonecall inviting me to come and view a certain housing development near Gloucester called Staunton’s Hill, where, apparently, there is a model in the showhouse of a canal basin. A model of a model?
Camp 15 volunteers laying granite sets to form the slipway. surface (All photos by Martin Ludgate)
Thanks.
Marcus Jones
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KESCRG ...and 'the Navvy who came to dinner'... WRG isn't the only organisation that has been restoring canals since the 1970s. Our friends in KESCRG have been organising visiting working parties carrying out volunteer work on waterway restoration for almost as long as WRG. And just like WRG, some aspects of KESCRG working parties have changed... and some have stayed the same. As is apparent from this description of KESCRG at work in the 1970s... The Navvy Who Came to Dinner (Being an absolutely true account of an American’s first experience with canal restoration.) 1. Invitation Declined After two narrowboat holidays I realized that not all canal restoration and maintenance was carried out by British Waterways Board. I learned that volunteers did much of the best restoration. The Kent and East Sussex Canal Restoration Group was having a weekend working party on the Basingstoke Canal. I wrote one Ken Parish and received information where to meet. The Managing Director of our English company invited me to spend the weekend in Richmond, but I refused, saying vaguely that I was going to be in the country, “on a canal.” His wife then invited me to a dinner party on Sunday to meet some of their friends, and told me to be there by 6 o’clock.
I get on the train and go to Richmond? I checked the number and dialed once more. The phone rang and rang. A woman answered finally. Was Ken Parish there? “Oh, he won’t be here until pub closes,” was the cheery assurance. I called the pub and eventually Ken was brought to the phone. Over the uproar in the background, he said he’d be right down to pick me up. A dilapidated, mud-covered van rolled into the station with a clashing of metal and squeal of brakes. The three occupants looked at me. I looked at them. Then the van drove on around the station forecourt. On its second pass, it stopped in front of me. Ken, Liz, and Taffy jumped out. We looked at each other. Taffy barked at me. Ken asked if I was the American planning to work on the canals. When I said yes, he asked if I had brought any work clothes, as the work was “a bit dirty.” We set off to the pub. The ancient van didn’t seem very safe, but it was certainly full of tools and gear. At the pub I met the navvies on the working party. They all seemed to be named Dave. If they weren’t, I called them Dave anyway. One of the Daves, judging by his enthusiasm for real ale, seemed to be a not-so-secret agent for CAMRA. It wasn’t clear that Saturday would be a very productive day, based on the quantities of beer being consumed.
"Was Ken Parish there?
“Oh, he won’t be here until pub closes,” was the cheery assurance."
3. Hydraulic and Other Hammers After a restless night on the floor of Victoria Hall, we navvies were awakened early for a massive breakfast prepared by Ken. The principal feature of the meal was bacon grease, clearly to give us plenty of energy. Ken’s confidence in his cooking was so high that he ate absolutely nothing.
2. To Ash Vale
Since a jumble sale was scheduled for the hall, most navvies were quickly bundled into the van and hauled to Lock 19. The three new members of the KESCRG working party - two young girls and I degreased the breakfast dishes, then we were taken to the work site.
On Friday evening, dressed in my business suit, I took British Rail to Ash Vale and called the number Ken had given me. It was for a place called Victoria Hall. No answer. I called again. No answer. Had I gotten the date wrong? Was the number wrong? It was a dark night and raining lightly. Was the work party cancelled? Shouldn’t
A large group, aged 7 to 70, was beavering away in the rain. It appeared that a drier weekend could have been selected for the working party. The three new members were handed a hydraulic jackhammer, told to squeeze the trigger to operate it, and set to work battering down a lock wall.
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At first we took turns operating the hammer. By 11 o’clock, it took two of us to handle it. After lunch, we had a brainstorm. All three of us would handle the jackhammer together. At 3 o’clock, we switched to a lighter Kango hammer. By 5 o’clock, the three new members were hammering at bricks with a hand hammer. The endurance of the two young girls astounded me.
I had planned to get to Richmond by train and bus. Ken assured me it would be faster if the KESCRG van dropped me off on its way back to Canterbury. At 5 o’clock I began to worry about being late for dinner. I wondered why we couldn’t leave. Mixer Dave told me we had to work a full 16 hours to get the sponsorship benefits.
"It was good that all the navvies were named Dave because it was impossible to tell them apart under all the dirt..."
After another full evening at the pub, the hall floor seemed much softer. I slept soundly and missed all the nocturnal excitement. Taffy had taken a few exercise runs around the hall on top of the sleepers, a cot had collapsed, depositing its (female) occupant on top of a (male) sleeper, and one unfortunate individual had fallen down the three steps into the hall from the loo. Ken pronounced it “a quiet night.” 4. 16 Hours Minimum On Sunday it was raining harder than ever. One of the Daves assured me cheerfully, “it’s really bucketing!” It was good all the navvies were named Dave because it was impossible to tell them apart under all the dirt and mud. I began to understand that the worse the weather, the more the navvies liked it. If you were crazy enough to restore canals in your spare time, foul working conditions made you certifiable. I couldn’t move my arms above my waist on Sunday. Ken considered this problem carefully and decided I could push a wheelbarrow, since that kept my arms straight at my side. The two hydraulic hammer girls were set to loading bricks into barrows because their arms also didn’t seem to work very well.
The rain continued, we worked faster and sloppier building the bypass in the dark, and we got wetter and dirtier. About 6 o’clock when it was too dark to see, we dumped all remaining mortar behind the bypass walls. Mike said we had constructed the thickest bypass channel walls in England. Before we could leave, a last long conference seemed to be necessary. Liz said, “Not to worry, we’ll be in Richmond by seven." 5. Van Problems
We set off rattling down the road. We hadn’t gone far when CAMRA Dave started shouting “Real ale! Real ale!” in the gloom at the back of the van. Other impressionable people in the back took up Dave’s chant. The van took a sudden lurch to the left and rolled into a real ale pub. I decided to call my hostess. Kate seemed irritated at hearing that I wouldn’t arrive until 7:30, especially as I think she knew I was in a pub because of the background sounds. She told me that drinks had been planned for 6 to 7, then dinner at 7, but said she would extend the cocktail hour.
"CAMRA Dave started shouting “Real ale! Real ale!” in the gloom at the back of the van"
At the pub for lunch I met one Mike Fellows. He seemed to appreciate the Guinesses I bought for him. He told me the canal would be open in five years. Later a Dave told me that Mike always made the same forecast, no matter how much work was accomplished.
Late in the afternoon it became obvious that Dave on the mixer had mixed enough mortar for the next two days at least. A large gang was put to work laying brick in the bypass channel. To use up the mortar as quickly as possible, we adopted a policy of putting mortar on everything in sight, including ourselves.
We set off in the rain. After ten miles, the chant “Real ale! Real ale!” was again resounding through the van.
It seemed that CAMRA Dave’s and the other navvies’ thirst hadn’t been slaked at the first pub. The van again lurched to the left. When the publican saw the wet, dirty, steaming gang that poured into his pub, his first reaction was to beg for mercy and his second to call the police. Now I was in a quandary. On one hand, I should call my hostess to explain this new delay. On the other hand, I couldn’t think of anything at all to say and moreover the phone was right in the pub. I concluded the best thing to do was to join Dave and Dave and Dave and ponder this problem over another pint or two.
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We stuffed ourselves into the van and set off once more. Liz said, “Not to worry, we won’t stop anymore.” Unfortunately, as we approached Richmond, CAMRA Dave spotted a Brakspear pub. Agreement to stop was overwhelming. The van again took a mighty lurch to the left. Now I had to call my hostess. Kate asked where I was, this time in a somewhat frigid tone. I explained cheerfully that I was nearing Richmond, but that I was going to be slightly later, perhaps just an hour, than my last forecast. I had the inspiration to tell her we had been having problems with the van; that it kept lurching to the left. I said I thought it was fixed now, and quoting Liz, announced “not to worry". Realizing that I was in dangerous and unreliable company, Kate was determined to send her husband to get me. I managed to dissuade her because she would learn how right she was, and convinced her to keep the cocktail hour going. We left the pub and drove to Richmond without further delay because Dave et al were sleeping soundly in the back of the van, happily dreaming no doubt of real ale. 6. Arrival at Richmond
“Just look at you. You’re covered with mud and dripping wet. You can’t come in my house like that. Take those clothes off right here,” she said, stamping her foot in the entry. “Then you go in the shower and get all that dirt off.” Howls of laughter, unstoppable this time, came from the van. Taffy barked happily. I stepped into the entry and managed a weak wave to my new mates from the KESCRG group as they rattled away into the gloom. Obeying my hostess’ strict orders, I stripped to my underwear, picked up my suitcase, and walked through the kitchen into the hall. 7. Dressing for Dinner
"Realizing that I was in dangerous and unreliable company, Kate was determined to send her husband to get me. I managed to dissuade her because she would learn how right she was..."
We arrived shortly after 8:30. I stumbled out of the van with my suitcase and pushed the doorbell. Behind me, Ken, Liz, all the Daves, the two jackhammer girls, the other navvies, even Taffy, were eagerly awaiting the denouement. The door opened suddenly. The look on Kate’ s face took me a little aback. Her gaze changed from one of complete exasperation to one of total amazement as she first scanned me up and down, then eyed the occupants of the van. “Sandy, what have you been doing?” “Oh, restoring canals,” I replied blithely. Gales of badly muffled laughter came from behind me in the direction of the van. A fierce glance from my hostess put an end to the levity.
The lounge door was closed, but after three hours of cocktails, voices came clearly through the door. I walked fast. “I say, the American chap has finally arrived.” “Kate said he’s been on a canal.” “Darling, nobody goes on the canals in March.” I walked faster to get to the safety of upstairs. “What do you mean, he’s been pub crawling for three hours?” I walked as fast as I could. “Let’s go find this chap and see what he looks like.”
To my dismay, the lounge door burst open. The party came pouring into the hail. They stared at me in silence. Despite all the real ale, I had retained enough presence of mind to position my suitcase between me and the lounge door. It was difficult to hold it high enough because of my sore arms. “Good evening,” I said amiably. Turning to go up the stairs, I deftly switched my suitcase to the side facing the party. Thankfully the silence continued as I reached the safety of the first floor. But then I heard “I must say, Americans do dress interestingly for dinner.” Sandy Campbell
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LOGISTICS & Co "Once upon a time, not so long ago, there was a kit and it had a home. It was rather an unusual home because nobody lived there (although there were times when it felt like I did!!). You see everything in that home was a thing that had been used and abused by wrg volunteers and was brought home to Logistics – 'restoring the kit that restores canals' (M. Beattie)…" But this year has been very different as the ‘home’ has been essentially non-existent and things have been a tad loose at the seams and happened a little more ‘on the fly’ than usual. Seaside visits are a thing of the past and we’re moving on. And now that our main project at Over has finished (for the time being) we’re looking forward to possibly getting back to some form of normality (for us at least!). That said, we have another upheaval in the Logistics camp with Lou getting a new job – HUGE congratulations to you, Ma’am! We hope that you enjoy every minute. I suspect that a shed of purest green may feel a slight conversion in the near future! So now the split will be a little less on the northern side but certainly an increased East-West one. That divide was reinforced in my mind when we were driving home from Gloucester on Sunday as we parted company on the M42. [Tip for drivers: Your long journey appears to take less time when you play the same tape single all the way home!] Still, it seems to be working and I feel that considering the circumstances it’s really not been too bad on the kit front this last year. If you think otherwise please let us know and we’ll arrange to have Logistics in its entirety delivered to your door within twenty-four hours … We’re nice like that! Now the main camp season is over (not that damn word again!), with only the October camp and a couple of Christmas ones to go, we can get to work on restoring the kits to their former glory. Kit C has long been due a complete overhaul (there it is again!!) so that has wended its way in a North-easterly direction to be worked on. Thanks to Spence at Barnsley for generously agreeing to the use of ‘19’ for the trailer’s muchneeded revamp. The other kits meanwhile will bimble along whilst the remaining camps happen after which hopefully all will be, to quote a diminutive (only in appearance!!) person at Head Office, tickety-boo.
Logistics Have you applied for the kit trailer packing award yet? I would like to take a little time to thank those people who have helped us this year, particularly Dr. Liz and Ian for doing van movements and offering a ‘hand’ wherever they could, Floodgates for numerous van movements, Bungle for repairing RFB’s trailer socket (after many people said they would but didn’t!), Al Moore for catering stuff and generally offering to help with anything, and of course Mike and Jude for being there and sorting lots of things! If there is anyone else who has helped but been omitted thank you as well. And a huge THANKYOU to everyone that took our stuff away from Gloucester after WRG WORKS, (and what a lot of ‘stuff’ to get rid of!! … How many fridges/freezers can we get our hands on?!!) namely Lou, Jude, Ian Hands, and Floodgates. I t a l l h a p p e n e d ! Wi l l w o n d e r s n e v e r cease?! All I have left to say really is that I’m still awaiting those photos of trailer packing\ for that award – as yet I have received only one, so if you do have one even if it’s not been developed yet could you please let me know - thanks. The winner will hopefully be announced next time, photos dependent, so don’t delay! Logistics gave a big yawn and settled down to work. And of course when Logistics goes to work, all their tools go to work, and they work until another day comes when wrg finds another thing and puts it in front of Logistics and says the magic words again … (F.E.C.) Just Jen logistics.jen@cwcom.net 203, Abbeyfield Road, SHEFFIELD. S4 7AW Logistics – “We will mend it, we will fix it, we will make it bright and new.” [Credits to Oliver Postgate for inspiration.]
page 17
Diary Canal Camp and weekend working party dates Nov 1 Wed Navvies
Canal Camps cost £35 per week unless otherwise stated. Bookings for WRG Canal Camps (those identified by a camp number e.g. 'Camp 0002') should go to WRG Canal Camps, PO Box 114, Rickmansworth WD3 1ZY. Tel: 01923 711114 e-mail: wrg@waterways.org.uk
Press date for issue 184 Martin Ludgate including Canal Societies Directory
020-8693-3266
Nov 4/5
London WRG ‘Droitwich Bonfire Bash’ Tim Lewis 020-8367-6227 Joint dig and bonfire/fireworks party with KESCRG and wrgNA, and volunteers from Camp 0007 - and any other Canal Camps!
Nov 4/5
Essex WRG
Lichfield & Hatherton Canals Joint dig with wrgNW.
John Gale
01277-654683
Nov 4/5
wrgNW
Lichfield Canal Joint dig with Essex WRG.
David McCarthy
0161-740-2179
Nov 4/5
wrgNA
‘Droitwich Bonfire Bash’ Ian Nelson with London WRG and KESCRG.
07973 640611
Nov 4/5
KESCRG
‘Droitwich Bonfire Bash’ with London WRG and wrgNA.
01622-858329
Nov 4/5
NWPG
Thames & Severn Canal Graham Hawkes Dig Deep project at Golden Valley
Answerphone
0118-941-0586
Nov 11/12 KESCRG
DATE CHANGED TO Nov 4/5
Nov 11/12 wrgNW
‘Paper Chase’ waste paper David McCarthy collection (Sat) & Plant maintenance (Sun)
0161-740-2179
Nov 18/19 wrgBITM
To be arranged (Probably Sleaford) Dave Wedd
01252-874437
Nov 19 Sun wrg
Committee & Board Meetings
Dec 2/3
KESCRG
Wilts & Berks: Answerphone 01622-858329 Joint Christmas dig with London WRG and Saturday night party with a gypsy theme Scrub clearance & stump pulling at Foxham & Dauntsey in preparation for the Christmas WRG Camp. See p44.
Dec 2/3
London WRG Wilts & Berks: Tim Lewis Joint Christmas party dig with KESCRG (see p44)
020-8367-6227
Dec 2/3
Essex WRG
Foxton Inclined Plane John Gale Hedge maintenance & Christmas Dinner
01277-654683
Dec 2/3
wrgNW
Lichfield Canal Christmas Dinner & Dig
0161-740-2179
Dec 9/10
wrgBITM
Buckingham Arm Dave Wedd Cosgrove: Xmas Dig-without-a-party. Lots of winching. [Should that be ‘whinging’? ...Ed]
01252-874437
Dec 9/10
NWPG
Wilts & Berks Canal Graham Hawkes Dig Deep project at Summit Lock
0118-941-0586
Dec 16/17 wrgNW
‘Paper Chase’ waste paper David McCarthy collection (Sat) & Plant maintenance (Sun)
0161-740-2179
Dec 19 Tue Navvies
Issue 184 Assembly John Hawkins 01923-448559 including Canal Camps 2001 booklet. Provisional date 19th or 20th.
page 18
David McCarthy
Dec 22-Jan 1 Xmas Camp Basingstoke Canal Clive Alderman 07973 877380 The "Alderman Brothers Christmas Camp": Scrub-bashing on the Basingstoke Canal, led by Gary & Clive Alderman, with cooking by Karen Alderman and Maureen 'I'm not called Alderman' Amos. Dec 26-Jan1 Camp 0022
Christmas Canal Camp on the Wilts & Berks Canal at Foxham and Dauntsey Work: scrub-bashing, hedge-laying, towpath clearance, work on the new liftbridge at Foxham and lots of bonfires! Accommodation at Foxham Reading Rooms. Cost £35. Camp leaders Rachael Banyard (01249-892289) and Di Smurthwaite but book via WRG Canal Camps please.
Jan 1 Mon Navvies
Press date for issue 185
Martin Ludgate
020-8693-3266
Jan 6/7
To be arranged
David McCarthy
0161-740-2179
Jan 13/14 NWPG
Basingstoke Canal Dig Deep project at Woodham
Graham Hawkes
0118-941-0586
Jan 13/14 KESCRG
TBA (T&S again?) Answerphone Dig Deep project at Summit Lock
wrgNW
01622-858329
Jan 20/21 London WRG To be arranged
Tim Lewis
020-8367-6227
Jan 20/21 wrgBITM
To be arranged
Dave Wedd
01252-874437
Jan 20/21 wrgNW
‘Paper Chase’ waste paper David McCarthy collection (Sat) & Plant maintenance (Sun)
0161-740-2179
Feb 10/11 NWPG
Thames & Severn Canal Graham Hawkes Dig Deep project at Golden Valley
0118-941-0586
Feb 10/11 London WRG To be arranged
Tim Lewis
020-8367-6227
Feb 10/11 KESCRG
Basingstoke Canal Dig Deep project at Woodham
Answerphone
01622-858329
Feb 17-24 Camp 0101
Winter Canal Camp: venue to be decided
Mar 1 Thu Navvies
Press date for issue 186
Mar 3/4
London WRG To be arranged
Martin Ludgate
020-8693-3266
Tim Lewis
020-8367-6227
Mar 10/11 NWPG
Wilts & Berks Canal Graham Hawkes Dig Deep project at Summit Lock
0118-941-0586
Mar 10/11 KESCRG
To be arranged
01622-858329
Mar 24-25 IWA/WRG
National Cleanup Weekend: date and venue to be confirmed
Apr 7/8
NWPG
Basingstoke Canal Dig Deep project at Woodham
Apr 7/8
KESCRG
Wilts & Berks Canal Answerphone Dig Deep project at Summit Lock
01622-858329
May 1 Tue Navvies
Press date for issue 187
Martin Ludgate
020-8693-3266
May 5/6/7
To be arranged
Graham Hawkes
0118-941-0586
May 12/13? KESCRG
To be arranged
Answerphone
01622-858329
Jun 9/10
NWPG
Thames & Severn Canal Graham Hawkes Dig Deep project at Golden Valley
0118-941-0586
Jun 9/10
KESCRG
To be arranged
01622-858329
NWPG
Answerphone Graham Hawkes
Answerphone
0118-941-0586
Please send updates to Diary compiler: Dave Wedd, 7 Ringwood Rd, Blackwater, Camberley, Surrey GU17 0EY. Tel 01252 874437. e-mail: Dave@BITM.freeserve.co.uk. Fax: 0870-063-3713 page 19
Diary Canal society regular working parties These working parties take place regularly on a weekly/monthly basis
Mobile groups' social evenings (please phone to confirm before turning up) London WRG: 7:30pm on Wed 10 days before each dig at The Mad Hatter pub, in Stamford Street, London SE1. Tim Lewis 020-8367 6227. Venue subject to alteration at short notice - please check. NWPG: 9:00pm on 3rd Tue of month at the Hope Tap, West end of Friar St. Reading. Graham Hawkes 0118 941 0586
1st & 3rd Sunday of month BCG Elsecar Spencer Collins 3rd Sunday of month BCNS Jeff Barley 2nd Sunday & following Wed. BCS Cosgrove Athina Beckett Anytime inc. weekdays BCT Aqueduct section Gerald Fry Every Sunday CCS Dixon's Lock Mick Hodgetts 2nd & 4th Saturdays CCT Thames End George Smith 4th Mon of month, 6pm CMT London Canal Mus. Martin Sach Every Saturday DCT Droitwich Canal Jon Axe 1st weekend of month D&SCS Various sites Doug Flack 1st & 3rd Sundays GCRS Grantham Canal Colin Bryan 2nd Sat of month GWCT Nynehead Lift Denis Dodd Tuesdays H&GCT Oxenhall Brian Fox Wed/Thu/Fri H&GCT Over Paul Brown 2nd & 4th Sundays H&GCT Over Paul Brown Every Sunday if required IWPS Bugsworth Basin Ian Edgar 1st Saturday & 3rd Wed. IWA Ipswich Stowmarket Navigtn. Colin Turner 2nd weekend of month IWA SBC Maesbury, Mont. Barry Tuffin 2nd weekend of month K&ACT John Rolls 1st Sunday of month LHCRT Lichfield John Horton 3rd Sunday of month LHCRT Hatherton Denis Cooper 2nd & last Sundays PCAS Paul Waddington 2nd Sunday of Month SCARS Sankey Canal Colin Greenall 1st Sunday of Month SCCS Combe Hay Locks Bob Parnell Most weekends SHCS Basingstoke Peter Redway 3rd Sunday of month TMCA David Rouse Approx 15th of month WACT Mid-Week group Colin Gibbs Every Sunday & Thursday WACT Devils Hole Lock Eric Walker Thursdays fortnightly WACT Maintenance Unit Peter Wilding or for general information on Wey & Arun contact their office on 01403-752403 1st weekend of month WAT Little Tring Roger Leishman Every weekend W&BCAG Peter Smith Every Sunday W&BCC Dauntsey Lock Rachael Banyard
0114-285-3044 01543-373284 01908-661217 01288-353273 01246-454163 01285-861639 020-7625-7376 0121-608 0296 01332-874239 0115-989-2248 01823-661653 01432-358628 01386-443826 01386-443826 01663-732493 01473-730586 01691-670826/49 01189-666316 01543 262466 01543-374370 01757-638027 01744-731746 01225-428055 01483-721710 01474-362861 020-82417736 023-9246-3025 01483-422519 01442-874536 01793-852883 01249-892289
Please send any amendments, additions and deletions to Dave Wedd (address on previous page)
Abbreviations used in Diary BCG BCNS BCS BCT CCS CCT CMT DCT D&SCS GCRS GWCT H&GCT IWA SBC IWPS
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Barnsley Canal Group Birmingham Canal Navigations Soc. Buckingham Canal Society Bude Canal Trust Chesterfield Canal Society Cotswolds Canals Trust Canal Museum Trust (London) Droitwich Canals Trust Derby & Sandiacre Canal Society Grantham Canal Restoration Society Grand Western Canal Trust Hereford & Gloucester Canal Trust IWA Shrewsbury & Border Counties Inland Waterways Protection Society
K&ACT Kennet & Avon Canal Trust KESCRG Kent & E Sussex Canal Rest. Group LHCRT Lichfield & Hatherton Canals Restoration Trust LWRG London Waterway Recovery Group NWPG Newbury Working Party Group PCAS Pocklington Canal Amenity Society SCARS Sankey Canal Restoration Society SCCS Somersetshire Coal Canal Society SHCS Surrey & Hants Canal Society TMCA Thames & Medway Canal Association W&BCAG Wilts & Berks Canal Amenity Group W&BCC Wilts & Berks Canal Company WACT Wey & Arun Canal Trust WAT Wendover Arm Trust
A continuous series of events from September 16th to 30th marked WRG's 30th anniversary. Starting with a Reunion Weekend scrub-bash at Pant on the Montgomery Canal, then proceeding to Lichfield for a week spent waterproofing the canal at Darnford Lane, and culminating in an Official Reopening and party at Over, the events were collectively known as 'WRG Works!" Here's how it went..... Pant Reunion weekend, Montgomery Canal While the rest of the country panicked over the lack of fuel, I sat at home feeling smug about the fact that I had a full van and two weeks off work, and the knowledge that I’d have almost as much fun with ten people there as one hundred. In the end, (well, almost, very late harvest festival auction night, anyway) about 55 people turned up - a touching number of them without fuel to get home again, but who decided to risk it anyway. We all crammed somehow into West Felton Village Hall for the night, even with the inordinate amount of beetroot we’d purchased at the Auction. Next morning, everyone packed their stuff up, then went to site to start hacking things down, obviously in an environmentally friendly way, being careful not to chainsaw the badgers. Those of us that weren’t at site were frantically transferring kit to the cheery and colourful Marches School, who didn’t seem to mind being buggered about at all. The first thing the blessed caretaker said when we turned up was “I’ve got the kettle on”. Later, down on site, I ran like a headless chicken from one end of site to another, covering about 7 miles during the day, and talking to a random selection of VIPs about what we were trying to achieve. You’ll be glad to know that our efforts on the canal are much appreciated by the local vippery, and I could tell them truthfully that we’d made it from as far away as Glasgow and Portsmouth. The site was divided into sections and allocated to groups who then reallocated themselves as is standard, and did an astonishing amount of work throughout the day.
Ralph’s gang, on a section next to a taped off area, where instructed not to go past the end of the hazard tape. The resulting line across the bed of the canal was one of the straightest I have ever seen in my life, and instantly recognisable as the work of Mr. Bateman, right down to the half-removed tree! Saturday night saw an outstanding meal, and a practice WRG birthday cake. I apologise to Bungle for shooting him, especially after he’d rescued my dress from the back of the trailer like that..... (also apologies to the people of West Felton, who have probably never before been confronted with that particular combination of LandRover, Beach Boys, dress and panic at that time of day). Sunday: lots more hacking and slashing went on on site, while I sat in various vehicles trying to string together a job application form on an hour and a half’s sleep. Everyone disappeared Sunday evening, leaving me, Harry, Toby, Chris and Jim to move back to the village hall, and check on all the bonfires in the morning, before dispersing our separate ways. (mostly to Lichfield). Huge thank-yous to everyone who managed to overcome the fuel crisis to get there, and for those of you that didn’t we’re planning a further weekend probably in February, to finish of the other half of the job. Special thanks to those of you that brought your chainsaws and put up with me trying to remember what we could and couldn’t cut down, to everyone who turned up without enough fuel to get home because I’d told them it would all be OK, to everyone who helped with the catering, to my four campers from the first week of summer, to everyone who turned up early and stayed late, and to everyone who was nice to me on Sunday. We did a fantastic amount of work in difficult and complicated circumstances, and I think we made a damn good start to proving for WRG’s 30th birthday that we are still an outstandingly effective bunch of people in the face of random adversity. Big Fat Cheers, Lou Kellett
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As soon as the Mont Reunion weekend was over, the 'WRG Flying Circus' packed away its Big Top, re-caged its performing animals, bumpstarted its Transits, mixed its metaphors and headed for the Midlands.... The Lichfield "WRG Works!" week The fuel crisis of the previous week that had reduced the numbers at the Reunion also cast doubts on the Lichfield week, and at one point we even considered cancelling it due to a possible lack of volunteers. But we didn't - and with hindsight, we certainly made the right decision. After the traditional 'slash and burn' style conservation work of the Pant weekend, the Lichfield week was a complete contrast....
. . .
We didn't destroy anything all week (well hardly!) We actually spent the time doing constructive work. (Not that Pant was unconstructive - it was constructive in a destructive sort of way, if you see what I mean.... Oh never mind!) We moved from very traditional WRG volunteer work on the Mont to the latest materials and methods on the Lichfield. A high-intensity weekend's work for a large number of volunteers was followed by a much smaller group carrying out a week-long project - but no less effectively.
But the eventual result will - we hope - be exactly the same: a dry section of canal re-watered, and re-connected to the national waterways system. Those of you who were on the 1997 training weekend at Darnford Lane will no doubt remember the dust-bowl conditions there, with sand blowing everywhere, ruining the editor's photos and making the sandwiches crunchy. Well suffice it to say that that sort of material doesn't make for a terribly watertight canal bed, so before the canal can be re-watered it needs to be re-lined.
Now butyl rubber has its advantages... including the ability to make mini-skirts from the offcuts (ask Jude) or (so it is rumoured) that when it's laid on top of nice squishy mud like at Aston, amorous but impoverished couples find it an adequate substitute for a water-bed. But it also has its disadvantages: it comes in rolls that are so heavy you need a large excavator or crane to lift them; it's easy to damage it, and not so easy to repair the damage (I won't repeat what a certain member of IWA Finance Committee said when I mentioned that I'd accidentally stuck a Stanley-knife through it!) And welding the sections together is a job that proceeds at a snail's pace... quite literally. (Welding speed: 2 minutes welding time plus 15 seconds setup = 2m 15s per 300mm length of join, or approx. 0.00497 mph [source - ML working at Aston, 1993]. Snail speed: 2m 20s to cover 330mm or approx. 0.00527 mph [source - Guinness Book of Records 1998* p36 World Snail Racing Championships at Congham, Norfolk: alltime record by 'Archie' the snail] So the Lichfield project used a different lining material: bentonite. This is a type of clay that swells up to several times its size when it comes into contact with water. So if the bentonite can be laid in the canal bed in such a way that it is constrained so that it can only expand laterally, it will not only form a watertight seal; it will actually self-heal if any damage occurs, as the clay will expand to fill the hole. It can also be joined together simply by sandwiching a layer of powdered bentonite between the overlapping edges of the sections. Far quicker than welding: Archie will have to put in some hours at the local gym if he's going to keep up with the pace. So much for the theory - what about the practice? First the bottom of the canal was excavated to about 300mm (1ft) below finished bed level. Then each roll of bentonite liner was lifted into place using the same 5-tonne excavator, and unrolled across the canal.
The traditional method for lining canals is a layer of puddled clay, but it's bulky stuff, a pain to transport, and if you let it dry out it will crack, and the canal will leak. So various modern lining materials have been developed as a lightweight alternative.
Incidentally, if you're wondering what excactly a bentonite liner looks like: it comes covered in synthetic fibre fabric on both sides to constrain it, and it looks for all the world like... carpet! This led to inevitable suggestions that if we were carpeting the floor of the canal, we might like to wallpaper the steel piling sides, and while we're at it, how about a ceiling rose under the liftbridge?
Many WRGies who have been around since 1993 will remember using such materials on the Mont, where a butyl rubber liner was used to line the five ponds that form the Aston Nature Reserve.
Anyway if Mr Mac tries to sell you any carpet squares on the WRG NorthWest sales stand, just check if they have a squishy clay-like interior before you part with any money... [continued on p27]
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...in pictures
Above and left: "Destructive in a constructive sort of way" - the Pant dry section of the Mont emerges from the undergrowth. Below left: Lunchtime at the Mont Reunion, with Mr Mac's ever-popular tea van. Below right: the first of a series of birthday cakes makes its appearance at the Mont Reunion. Bottom left: Lichfield: unrolling the Bentonite liner... Bottom right: ...and joining the sections together with bentonite powder. Overleaf: The finishing touches are applied to Over Basin ready for reopening. Inset: the same scene six months earlier. (Photos by Marrin Ludgate)
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Top: Lichfield: covering the liner. Above: Over: prettifying the site cabin. Right: erecting marquees. Below: Timothy West and Prunella Scales perform the Official Opening. Below right: The WRG Waiters at the VIP lunch. Photos by Martin Ludgate.
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On the steel-piled towpath side, a layer of clay was puddled-in at the base of the piles, then the liner was laid on top of it and cut off with a few inches to spare, then this was turned up against the piles and bentonite powder was poured down between liner and piles. On the traditional-profile sloping earth non-towpath side, the liner was run all the way up the bank, then the end was cut off with a few feet to spare and this was buried in an anchor trench dug along the top of the bank. The 300mm of earth that had been excavated from the bed was then replaced as a covering layer on top of the liner - apart from the short section where a stream culvert passes under the canal with inadequate clearance for it to be excavated to 300mm below bed level; here the liner was covered with a shallower layer of Readymix concrete. Finally, the non-towpath bank was protected with a honeycomb-mesh material with the hexagons of the honeycomb filled with soil in the parts that will be above the intended water line, and with dry-mix concrete in the parts below water level. And so it proceeded. By the end of the week, a 50 metre length of the canal had been dealt with, and an earth-and-polythene dam had been built at the end of it, so that once the stop-planks have been put in under the liftbridge it can be re-watered. And now - like the canal - I'd like to make this report a little less dry. So at this point I'll mention some various not-strictly-work things about the week... skip this if your more interested in bentonite than party-nite...
. . .
.
The accommodation for the week - 'Cruck House', a building that was already 400 years old when the canal was built! The Thursday night quiz in a nearby pub - my team (which would have been called 'DIM' short for Dan, Izzy, Martin - but Elizabeth Horton came to the rescue and turned us into 'DIME') were narrowly pipped at the post by a team of 'Big Scary Monsters' led by Nina. The Saturday night quiz - I was only told about it about 3 hours earlier. "So what?" I hear you ask. Well, it turned out I was the quizmaster and had 3 hours to invent a quiz! Anyway, congratulations to the winners 'The Slave Monkeys' for knowing that Montgomery Burns is a character in 'The Simpsons' and nothing to do with waterbeds and canal-linings. And thank you to 'TT', 'Elvis Lives', 'Aardvark' and 'The Sodding Bollocks Team' (I wonder if you can guess who was in their team?) for taking part. Also the bizarre game of 'Pictionary' afterwards. The amazing curryathon, also on Saturday night - thanks to Jude and Al for the cooking.
. . . . .
John, Jan and the locals: thanks for support and cake! Toby's cooking during the week - a sort of WRGmeets-Ready Steady Cook, turning out delicious grub from whatever ingredients were to hand. Dan & Izzy: thanks for planning and leading it. The girlies' attempt to spend even longer in the showers than Stevie B. (They failed) My introduction to Tequila. ('nuff said)
OK, that's enough of that - back to the plot... Originally it had been hoped that we would be able to finish the week on a high point, by rewatering the section of canal; unfortunatelythe Environment Agency couldn't be persuaded to let us have any of their jealously-guarded supplies of the wet stuff until an 'abstraction licence' can be granted - maybe in November. Given that on the Sunday it was chucking down rain hard enough for us to have to abandon work (when it was infuriatingly close to completion), one might almost suggest that (a) the EA are being a little tight-fisted about it and (b) if it carries on, by November we'll probably be able to tell the EA what they can do with their precious water as we'll have filled the canal with rain! Anyway, 50 metres may not seem a great length of canal - even of a relatively short canal like the Lichfield. And at this rate it will take about 200 Canal Camps to re-water the entire canal! But to a large extent the point of the exercise is to test out a somewhat experimental method of lining on a trial length of the canal. Those who remember Aston Nature Reserve will probably also remember the controversy concerning the new methods used by contractors to line the nearby Frankton-Aston length of the Mont, and the suggestions in some quarters that it might not be a terribly clever idea to commit oneself to using an untested restoration technique over too long a length of canal. (Although there have not in fact been problems with this length) The L&HCRT aren't taking any risks - once watered, the 50 metres will be given time to show up any problems before the next section is lined. And as for the 200 Canal Camps - well, hopefully (a) with practice, the rate of progress will speed up and (b) contractors will do most of it anyway. But I'm sure enough WRGies like working on the Lichfield enough to give them 200 Canal Camps if that's what it takes! Martin Ludgate
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The Swan Hill boss not only credited the volunters but got a plug for his houses in as well... and Timothy West and Prunella Scales declared that it was open, and toured the basin by boat, just to prove it. As Lenny Kravitz would no doubt have said (if he'd been taking part in WRG Works)"It ain't over till it's Over", and so the WRG Works Caravan set sail once more (if you were at Lichfield on the Sunday you'd realise that wasn't much of a mixed metaphor at all!), this time for its final destination in Gloucestershire.... WRG Works at Over It is difficult to adequately describe the transformation that has taken place at Over Basin on the Hereford & Gloucester Canal over the last few months thanks to our volunteers (not forgetting the H&GCT volunteers) - so I won't try to. Just look at the photos on the previous pages, and if you don't agree that it's pretty amazing... well your copy of 'Navvies' is probably missing a few pages and you're wondering what I'm on about.... Anyway, despite all this, there were still a few bits and pieces that needed to be dealt with before it could be opened - and just like the 'old days' (ie Spring 2000) Adrian had a list as long as your arm of jobs that needed to be done before Friday. Only this time the deadline wasn't a Readymix concrete pour at 10am; it was an influx of members of the public, followed by a party of dignatories to declare it Officially Open. So I found myself digging a hole in the ground for a man-hole while elsewhere people erected marquees, tidied up the towpath surfacing, worked on installing and painting the Bailey Bridge that now gives access over the lock-head onto the site, launched BOATS, installed water and electric services, floored marquees, negotiated the purchase of hogs (roasting for the use of), prepared the WRG catering for the VIPs, erected publicity displays, made signs, built seats for the trip-boat, put up Jackson Security Fencing (see - just like a real canal festival!) and generally tidied up the site to get everything looking good for the opening. And just like the 'old days' London WRG got stuck in a traffic jam on the way out of London, Ali baked a commemorative cake (to commemorate WRG Works, not London WRG getting in a jam!), the accommodation was full to overflowing, we had to move all our kit out of the hall one evening to make way for the line-dancing... all the bricks I had to use to build the manhole were different shapes and sizes and needed cleaning... and we finished everything just in time for the deadline. And so Reopening Day dawned... Once the formalities of the opening speeches were over and done with, we got onto the real business of getting stuck into the WRG-prepared-and-served VIP Buffet Lunch.... (in case you hadn't guessed, the author was one of the VIP guests!) ...but seriously folks... ...the speeches from HGCT, WRG and IWA representatives gave full credit to the volunteers who'd turned a muddy hole into a canal basin...
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In the afternoon another tradition going back to the earliest days of the WRGOver Project was observed: we packed everything in the accommodation into vans, moved it several miles and unloaded it again in the new accommodation at a school the other side of Gloucester. Then we returned to Over for an evening involving a hog-roast (plus vegetarian hog), the drinking-dry of the bar tent's supplies of Old Hooky and a disco that went on into the small hours and featured various DJs including Gav and Spencer (complete with sideways baseball cap) and WRG NorthWest performing to the strains of 'The Stripper'... (did that really happen or had I just drunk too much Old Hooky?) Following yet another tradition, the drinking hours were as flexible as a certain pub in Hartpury used to be under the previous management, and my last memory is of a bunch of us sitting outside the school at about 4am congratulating Lou on her new job with a bottle of champagne and a poetry-reading session! Saturday featured the Restoration Games, in which teams of volunteers (one from HGCT and 6 from WRG London, NA, NW, WRGski, a whole team of Ians and a whole team ofAls) competed at some even dafter events than the Boaters' Games at the 'National, with the same levels of bribery, corruption and cheating. All in all, it made the Sydney Olympics look squeaky-clean. WRGNA were the stars of the games - they cheered loudly when the judges penalised them, booed when they wereawardedpoints,cheatedevenafterthey'dbeeneliminated, and part-way through they took up synchronised swimming in the basin instead... but WRG NW were the final winners. It was all conducted in a spirit of good sportsmanship, as is obvious from these comments overheard from some of the losing team members... "Why did they give the prize to the oldies then?" "Because most of them won't be around for the 40th." Saturday - and the whole of WRG Works - came to an end with another evening bash, this time at the accommodation, featuring more good food, a couple of speeches (and a deserved standing ovation for Adrian for his part in the Over project) and finally a slide show of Over from me that went on so long that we didn't have time for a disco. (sorry!) The night ended outside the school again, but this time with beer and cheese instead of champagne and poetry. Well done and thanks to those who made it a success, including Jude and Al and all who helped with the catering, AJ for giving me a boat ride (and for masterminding WRG Works!, by the way), Ian & Liz for the games, Harry for flying in from Sydney to be there, and then flying back again, Adrian & Liz for organising us, Gav for the disco, Pete & Co for the hogroast, the WRG Waiters team for the VIP lunch, to those who stayed sober to ferry the rest of us around in minibuses on Friday evening, and to all the people I've forgotten. As Adrian put it "the list of people who we need to thank for helping is the list of people who were there." Martin Ludgate
Dear Martin Though a Navvies subscriber for over 20 years, I have to confess to never having attended a work camp or otherwise physically assisted the cause, apart from letters to newspapers putting the canal restoration case and sending my magazine copy to various friends to publicise WRG’s work. Today I visited the canal basin at Over with my wife and we were highly impressed by the sight of the basin in water and by the high quality of the brickwork and the finish of the moorings. It is all a great credit to WRG and to the many volunteers who made it possible. Well done! Robert Spratt, Gloucester Dear Martin, Please may we say a big Thank You to everyone at the National for making Jim’s 60th birthday such a brilliant day for him. Good on yer, mate for the barbie & shivoo on Tuesday evening - especially the slide show. Altogether a smashing weekend. Well done to everyone, particularly Ali, Mitch, Jude and their many helpers. See you WRG Working, Liz and Jim Lamen Letter to Mike Palmer from Richard Drake: Dear Mike, Please pass on my thanks to all who contributed to the success of the ‘National’ at Waltham Abbey. As always the red shirts were much in evidence and the work they did was obvious for all to see. It never ceases to amaze me that there are members of wrg who can turn their hand to any task that may turn up. In particular I wish to express my thanks to those who gave me personally support, helping with the luncheon on the Friday and the National Chairman’s At Home sessions on the Saturday. Well done everyone. Yours sincerely Richard Drake, IWA national chairman
Letters "...the most exhausting £35 spent in my recent history..." Dear Sir, Having read the otherwise accurate report of camp 0007, at which I was a new wrg-ite (is there an official term for such a person?), I felt I had to point out one particular misreport. For after all, the “attention to detail” theme was somewhat hammered in- we had a trade delegation from the United Arab Emirates visiting the site, or someone like that who was important enough to get Mike Palmer into a suit.... The aforementioned error was regarding the more mundane matter of sandwiches on the first day it was not Lisa and Brian creating the trays of identical sandwiches, although they might have been elsewhere on accommodation, doing things you do when not on site and not supervising sandwiches for four inexperienced but enthusiastic blokes were engaging in this task: myself (this isn’t just a lame attempt to get my name printed, honest), Steve C of later mobile phone dilemmas, Simon Babes and Nathan Nelson of whom conversation about is now kept in low whispers. Anyway, I’m sure we asked someone if there was any vegetarians about and they can’t have said there were coz we sort of didn’t do any. Besides, the concept of Mike Palmer being a vegetarian (we had just met, after all) was somewhat akin to imagining a rather angry, hairy, irate and distinctly grizzly bear, thundering into some unsuspecting campfire barbecue scattering campers, tents and all manner of things far and wide with the objective of stealing the tofu burgers. Other than this, I would like to take this opportunity to thank all people concerned for what was possibly the best value and most exhausting £35 spent in my recent history (and thats coming from a student). With particular thanks to Ian & Liz for taking custody of my bag that decided it liked Droitwich soooo much it needed to stay after I left, and I hope my hard hat continues to serve well on whatever camp it eventually ended up in. Yours, Kelvin JR
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Letters ...on the National Festival and National Trailboat festival. Dear Martin, National Waterways Festival WRG BITM Thanks I would like to thank everyone who came and helped on the BITM stall at the National Waterways Festival at Waltham Abbey: Sue Burchett plus NABO members who covered lunch time Friday. Bill Crockett who helped Friday, Saturday, Sunday and gave BITM one of those skill games where you try to pass a metal loop along a bendy metal wire trying not to make an electrical connection that sounds a buzzer. We sold lollies for 20p, with a free go on the game and a second lolly if you made it to the end without sounding the buzzer; this proved very popular.
A big thank you to Ali Moore, Jenny Worthington and Maureen Amos, who slaved away in the WRG Catering hut producing those delicious meals that Jasmine and I ate readily. Thank you to Judith Moore and Michelle Parsons who permitted Jasmine and me to use the WRG camp facilities. Thank you to the WRG campers for providing me with lots of washing up Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday nights and the various people who helped with drying up. And finally thank you to Jasmine, my 5 year old daughter who kept everyone entertained and behaved ever so well considering the very long days, for helping with the washing up by collecting the dirties, also for bringing me pudding to eat at the sink. We turned over approximately £178, less £25 for the lollies, making a profit of £153. All that’s left to do is to hump the remaining stock up the stairs, up a loft ladder and into my loft for storage next year and refill the van with the tonne of equipment ready for the next dig. Yours, Graham Hotham
Ray Bevan, Mattt Wilson, David James and Family who gave assistance Saturday, Sunday and Monday. A special thank you to Mattt and Ray for staying behind late on Monday to help pack some of the leftover stuff into boxes, and to David Paice who help me dismantle the stall in the blazing heat of Tuesday morning.
Dear Martin,
We were visited by various BITM members, to name a few Eddie and Chris Evans, Ian and Anne Smart, Nick and Anna Stainer, Bernard Hughes, Mike and June Paice, Neil Evans and Ann Ridley. Thank you every one who donated items from their lofts for sale.
As some of your readers may have read the rather lack-lustre description of this Festival in a rival magazine may I say how much I enjoyed this event.
Due to a cockup on our behalf regarding not sending in the booking form, we almost did not have a stall. Thank you Jerry for finding us space. Trade was slow on the Friday (normal for the National), it was also slow on the Saturday (Rain). Sunday was much better; however, I was worried that we now had more fresh items of donated stock than we had sold! I needn’t have worried, because Monday was a stonker of a day. Thank you Dave Wedd for assisting me with transferring the catering boxes between my living room and the van.
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Thank you for printing my photo of the National Trailboat Festival at Ashby in your last issue. I’ve no idea what the chap on the viaduct is doing either, I was concentrating on the coracles (noone fell in though).
We were particularly fortunate in being allocated a towpath-side pitch for the BITM publicity stand so every time I looked up there was something going on. The coracle maker opposite us encouraged people to try his craft, local canoeists demonstrated their skills on and in the water, the radio-controlled narrow-boats were amazing, steam-launch “Chantilly” and water-bus “Rosebud” ran regular trips from end to end of the restored section, the “Elizabeth Rose” added her familiar touch of colour and character to the proceedings, the Wilderness Boats gleefully demonstrated their manoeuvrability and at frequent intervals the new swing bridge was opened for boats or closed again to allow people across the cut.
As I wandered round the site I could hear music (folk, jazz, oompah or classical) from different directions yet none of them were so loud as to clash with each other. There were a few clashes of arms on the far side of the Moira Furnace where the Sealed Knot were demonstrating their swordsmanship but this too was very good-humoured. A traction engine and various stationary steam engines added their quota to the festival atmosphere - I was particularly taken with a pumping engine which assisted “Charles” in providing water for a young lady’s shower-bath and wondered if JP could work on this idea to augment the sometimes limited village hall facilities available to Canal Campers. [You obviously don't remember the makeshift shower in the old Gents' urinals in West Felton Village Hall, or you'd be wary of making such suggestions! ...Ed] The local radio & tv stations gave the event excellent coverage, to judge from the steady stream of visitors, and the sun shone all weekend! It was great to see this stretch of the canal back in water (BITM had joined in with several of the work-parties), to paddle our canoes from end to end, and to see a working (and very necessary) swing bridge where I last remembered seeing a rough causeway. Congratulations to the Ashby Canal Association for their achievements so far, I look forward to sharing future re-watering celebrations! Some young Scouts on car-park duty chatted to us enthusiastically about their plans for canoeing from Moira to Snarestone when this isolated stretch is one more connected to the rest of the canal network. I hope to doing the same thing myself though I imagine wrg may be invited to the Ashby for a few more working weekends before that happy time! Meanwhile if any 'Navvies' readers are visiting the Ashby area, do get yourself a copy of “The Locals’ Guide to the Ashby Canal and its Surroundings” by Douglas Maas. Published by Inland Waterways Books (1 Bridge Cottages, Snarestone DE12 7BY) in association with the Ashby Canal Association it is an eclectic collection of facts, history, legend and practical information the like of which no conventional canal guide can quite match - and all proceeds go to canal restoration. Stella Wentworth wrgBITM
Letters "...the professionalism of WRG and SHCS..." Letter to Neil Edwards from Tony Harmsworth: Dear Neil, On behalf of the Joint Management Committee, the Canal Director, and myself, could I ask you to pass on our sincere thanks to the IWA’s Waterway Recovery Group for the sterling work they have carried out during August at the Basingstoke Canal Work Camp. The work, mostly undertaken on the Woodham flight of locks, has been of enormous help in ensuring that the work of installing the pump back scheme, by contractors, later this year will proceed smoothly. The renewal of the collapsed underground by-wash at Lock 3 was essential to the safe operation of the canal and this was completed on time and at reduced cost largely due to the professionalism of the WRG and the Surrey and Hampshire Canal Society. Would you please pass on our thanks to Mike Palmer for his efforts. Yours sincerely Tony Harmsworth Waterway Manager, Basingstoke Canal Dear Martin On behalf of the Lichfield and Hatherton CRT we would like to thank everyone who helped during the WRG Works week at Darnford. The fuel crisis did not prevent 19 or so from coming during the week to waterproof our trial 50 metre section which we almost completed . If the bentonite lining works as intended the knowledge gained whilst installing it will be useful elsewhere. Particular thanks to Izzy who led the camp and to Dan for setting it up. It was a very successful week. We hope you enjoyed the party on Saturday and look forward to seeing you all again. Yours, John and Jan Horton Lichfield & Hatherton Canals Restoration Trust
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WRGpast... 1970: "Canals were being restored, whether 'they' liked it or not." WRG: past, present and future As you may have noticed, this issue marks WRG's 30th birthday. And although we're more interested in showing that WRG is still at the forefront of canal restoration, rather than reminiscing about our long and (sometimes) glorious past, we do feel that a look back at what we were doing and where we were going at roughly ten-year intervals throughout the history of the organisation would demonstrate how WRG has changed, and how it has stayed true to its origins. So here is the first 40 years of WRG. That's right - I said forty!
1970 and all that... By the start of 1970 there were already 23 working party groups across the country, many with a local canal as their project, but several committed to travelling wherever they could be most useful. The restoration movement had achieved startling successes. The Southern Stratford and the Stourbridge had been open for some years. Operation Ashton, and the first mechanised big digs at Marple and Welshpool, had been feats of organisation and publicity. The Upper Avon scored another first, building big new structures on virgin ground. This was supposedly a good time for the waterways. The new commitment by Government to amenity use, shown by the Transport Act 1968, was matched by increasing public recognition of the benefits the waterways could bring. Yet this commitment was not backed by resources, and a long list of waterways (the ‘remainder’) had been placed in the too-difficult pile, their closure retrospectively legitimised. BWB was now forbidden to invest in their repair for navigation, and Local Authorities were not at all sure they wanted them; ‘regeneration’ had scarcely been invented. More public money was actually being spent on filling in urban canals than on restoration. There was just a year left of the three-year period for evaluating the Remainder waterways, and they were deteriorating rapidly.
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BWB was not necessarily against restoration, but thought volunteers of little use. On the Erewash and at Dudley, for example, BWB allowed volunteers to work, but not to use tools more powerful than the bowsaw or the grapnel. The Unions tended to see restoration as a threat rather than an opportunity. Much of the waterways movement itself thought that volunteers were of limited ability. But Graham believed that volunteers could do anything, and that no restoration could happen without them. If a canal needed dredging, you needed not grapnels but diggers; which meant you needed money. The revolution which Graham Palmer led was more of a process than an event, but its outward sign was an astonishing tower of scaffolding at the Guildford National Rally in 1970 announcing the new name ‘waterway recovery group’, beneath it glowering a borrowed lime-green Hy-mac. Photographic displays showed that all over the country, canals were being restored, whether ‘they’ liked it or not; and that more could be done with real tools.The public was impressed as, eventually, were the authorities. We also became ‘poker-faced militants’, but that was a bonus. Some of the projects under way in 1970 have long since been completed; others are still going on: but none has been abandoned. Groups such as the Peak Forest and Bath & Bristol K&A/ SW IWA not only kept up punishing schedules on their own projects, but travelled to help others as well.
WRG Milestones: the 1970s 1970: 1971: 1972: 1973: 1974: 1975:
1976:
1977: 1978: 1979:
WRG founded at Guildford IWA Rally Droitwich Canals restoration starts. First letter moaning about 'humour' in 'Navvies'. First Canal Camp: Stratford Canal. Ashtac Big Dig on Ashton Canal. 600 volunteers at Droitwich Big Dig. First London W.P.G. dig on the Basingstoke. Ashton, Lower Peak Forest, Caldon, Upper Avon all reopen. First Mont Camp. First Xmas Camp: Stratford. 'Navvies' cover shows Steam dredger 'Perseverance' starting work on Basingstoke Canal. London IWA Working party becomes London WRG. "1000ft of Jubilee track and skips acquired for eventual work on Mont." (The monorail?!?) Chris Griffiths leads 1st Huddersfield dig. PFCS Mobile becomes WRG North West Basingstoke Big Dig. Sleaford and Wilts & Berks restorations proposed. Great Ouse Navigation reopened. Navvies song book 'Ancient and Bizarre' published. WRG runs the 'National' at Titford. 'Winter of Discontent' - industrial action by Trade Unions stops volunter work on BW canals. WRG starts work on Frankton-Queens Head length of Mont.
At Bath, we had fun clearing out the locks at Widcombe, ready for BWB to fit new gates. On the Upper Avon, work was transferring from George Billington Lock to Pilgrim Lock, which was hand-made from concrete blocks, and by far the biggest structure built by volunteers. At Marple, the locals kept going all the time, with flying visits from afar, tolerated by BW even when they used railway signal posts as temporary balance beams. There was a certain amount of discreet traspassing on the Basingstoke. Groups without much visiting help that year included the Caldon, Montgomery (fighting a bypass as well as to save a canal), Chesterfield, Erewash, Pocklington and Buxworth Basin. The Midlands IWA were clearing the Soho Loop. In September there was a big dig at Park Head by Dudley Tunnel, featuring Stan with his banjo. Regular visits were made by many groups to the Stratford, which was still owned by the National Trust and needed a lot of help. The winter of 1970/1 saw that programme under the direct control of WRG, and a lot was done, including interesting construction jobs as well as lock-clearing. So much work needed a great deal of organising. Local groups had their own excellent leadership, but all regarded Graham Palmer as their chief. He travelled all over, chauffered by Mike Day in his firm’s car and a constant haze of cigarette smoke. Long sessions in the pub were followed by crashing out on someone’s living room floor, a non-stop process which welded navvies everywhere into a national force. Graham’s original idea, from which everything else grew, was 'Navvies Notebook', then as now the liveliest of the waterway magazines. This involved further quantities of smoke, and much patient work with scissors, paste and Letraset and eventually an ancient IBM golfball – before being printed illicitly in the Stock Exchange. Navvies was chronically short of money. Graham was determined to keep the cost as low as possible for those who turned out to do the work, but now it was clear that much more was needed, for equipment and plant hire. It was also time to buy the first vehicle (a decrepit Workobus which I was ashamed to be the first to damage) and to dream of buying diggers. So money-raising got more serious, and more effective, with extraordinary efforts all over the country, including the legendary Mr and Mrs Mac. And so in the few years either side of 1970 the restoration movement made quantum leaps in organisation, mechanisation and effectiveness, and became recognisably a young version of what it is today. Nigel Stevens
WRGpast... 1980: "The Transit: if you were luckythereardoorswouldclose..." The 1980s... The early 80’s started with a similar ‘crew’ of people in the hot seat. Graham Palmer as chairman and editor of ‘Navvies’ with Mike and Meg Day carrying out print duties; all ably assisted by John Felix and Colin Butler - and of course many others. However in the very early 80’s the ‘thud’ of a copy of Navvies falling on the doormat was tending to become fairly irregular because of Graham’s commitment to ‘proper’ work and other problems; he decided to relinquish his position. Alan Rowe then became editor of Navvies and Alan Jervis became chairman. Also at around the same time the decision was made to go forward as a Limited Company, with all of the extra paperwork that this would entail, but it was really necessary to deal with VAT etc. Alan Rowe stayed as editor of Navvies until the 100th edition in December 1985, Bill and Sally Thompson then took on the task for the remainder of the 80’s with the number, and size of the editions varying through out the years. Once ‘Navvies’ was printed it was all collated, stapled and folded by hand, and then put into envelopes during an evening at a factory in Finchley; at least now we have our own machines to do some of this, although these still have to fed the paper etc. Generally in the earlier years there were not many week-long camps, with all of the work being completed during weekend work parties: some times this could involve more time being spent on reestablishing the work site from the previous visit than actually getting more work undertaken. The type and quality of machinery varied considerably. (No change there then!) But at least dumpers now have four wheels all of the same size! Smalley excavators were used where permission could be gained for access, and then in mid ’86 the Case Skid Steer was offered on a ‘Sponsor basis’ to be used for advertising etc, and then handed on to WRG - this machine is still doing good work. Obviously there were pumps in use (and yes, J.P. was there then). Other pieces of plant have gradually been bought into use as time has passed and finances permitted.
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WRGpast... 1990:"theemergenceofLogistics and the efficient supply of tools" During this time the main form of transport was the Transit van - if you were lucky there may have been a bench seat to slide around on, or you could wedge yourself between all of the kit. These vehicles were always kept in tip-top condition with the rust bug gnawing away continually. If you were very lucky then the rear doors would actually close and therefore help to keep the bodywork in place.
WRG Milestones: the 1980s 1980:
1981: 1982:
1983:
1984:
1985:
1986:
1987:
1988:
1989:
Union opposition prevents volunteer work on all BW canals except Mont. 'Not Yet Navvies 79' spoof issue published during lengthy gap between 'Navvies' issues. WRG Stamp bank re-launched by Malcolm Bridge. No 'Navvies' for 11 months due to ill-health of Graham Palmer. Alan Jervis becomes WRG Chairman; Alan Rowebecomes'Navvies'editor. WRGbecomes 'WRG Ltd.' John & Tess take over printing 'Navvies'. Martin joins London WRG! First WACTWey & Arun Camp. First KESCRG Basingstoke Canmp. WRG acts as booking agency but doesn't run any of its own camps for two years. Stratford Blitz over winter 1984-5 attempts to clear backlog of maintenance. JP takes over running WRG Plant. Neil Edwards takes over WRG Camps. Sue Watts takes over Navvies Subs - which gets a computer! 100th issue published: "It is my private hope that we shall not see 'Navvies' 200..." (AJ) . Bill Thomson becomes editor. Mr. and Mrs. Mac receive the IWA Cyril Styring award for tea-brewing and wastepaper collection above and beyond the call of duty. Works starts on Barnsley Canal. WRG acquires Case skid-steer loader. WRG BITM formed. Biggest Canal Camps programme to date: 12 weeks on 7 sites including first National Waterways Festival Camp: Hawkesbury. "Happy 21st birthday MKP" (Navvies 108) Death of WRG founder Graham Palmer. Work starts at Aston Locks on Mont. St Johns Locks (Basingstoke Canal) opened. First WRG Camp on H&G Canal. Lock work on Basingstoke completed. WRG Training launched. First photo by Tim Lewis on 'Navvies' front cover!
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Also during this time there wasn’t any limitation on the age of the people who attended the work parties, nor any such thing as driver authorisation and WRG licences, and bobble hats would always be worn rather than hard-hats; and so as time has progressed there has been considerable progress in all aspects of safety at work. [not to mention sartorial elegance! ...Ed] During the 80’s, Alan Rowe also ran the WRG Sales Stand that was taken around all of the ‘Rallies’ (as festivals were then called), selling painted ware, tea towels and many other items to raise funds for waterway restoration. A look at the names of canals being restored during the 80’s seems fairly similar to those currently under work (Montgomery, Wey & Arun, Droitwich, Thames & Severn...), but there are many others now being mentioned that weren’t even started then (H&G, Lichfield & Hatherton), and of course others (Basingstoke, Kennet & Avon) that are now back in use. John Hawkins
...and so to the 1990s... 1990 will probably be remembered as a year of expanding Canal Camps, centrally booked weekends and the introduction of the driver authorisation scheme for plant and transport. However a more significant milestone for the readers of ‘Navvies’ might be the purchase of what was called in the committee minutes “a desk top publishing system”. Alan Jervis had just taken over as editor of ‘Navvies’ and so WRG was moving to the forefront of technology! The exact sites being worked on today may not be exactly the same as 10 years ago, but most of the canals will be familiar, e.g.: Wey & Arun, Cotswolds, Montgomery, Wilts & Berks, Sleaford and Droitwich. 1990 saw the arrival of a ‘brand new’ (to WRG that is) fleet of vans with the benefit of Countryside Commission grant and support from IWA branches. This was the first time WRG had owned four relatively modern vehicles for carrying volunteers to the expanding programme of Canal Camps. The fleet was on show at the National Waterways Festival at Gloucester - the first of many annual panoramic photos and inaugural dents to the vans. To the Canal Camp, the site was probably better known for the rather large bath at the rugby club that could accommodate a whole Festival sized Canal Camp at once. If nothing else, this shows that Festival Canal Camps have grown a little in recent years.
Whilst welcoming new vans, 1990 was time to bid farewell to old friends who had been regular features in the minutes of WRG meetings - the monorail, the Droitwich dragline and the long reach Smalley, no doubt still mouldering in a mysterious grave near the Wey & Arun. Not unconnected with the growth in volunteers attending Canal Camps was the emergence of WRG Logistics and the efficient supply of tools and catering equipment to a gleaming standard not previously experienced. Other arrivals ten years ago, were the annual IWA canal clean-up (WRG’s contribution being on the Walsall Town Arm), the purchase of the first catering-sized cooker for large camps, WRG North East and Navvies Anonymous (the original name of ‘WRG Flying Squad’ being veteod by the WRG board as promoting the wrong image).
WRG Milestones: the 1990s 1990:
1991: 1992:
1993:
1994: 1995:
1996:
1997:
1998: 1999:
Kennet & Avon Canal reopened. Alan Jervis takes over as 'Navvies' editor. Driver Authorisation Scheme launched. WRG NA and WRG NE formed. 1000 volunteers at biggest ever WRG Big Dig onWilts & Berks. Basingstoke reopened. WRG 'Barnsley Blitz' as part of 1st IWA National Cleanup weekend. WRG rescues the Wakefield 'National' from disappearing in a sea of mud. Dig Deep Initiative launched at the Wey & Arun Reunion. Aston Nature Reserve built - probably WRG's biggest single project to date. Martin becomes 'Navvies' editor. Essex WRG formed by members of IWAChelmsford working party after completeion of Chelmsford basin. First WRG Canal Camp in Ireland. World's first plastic liftbridge installed on Stroudwater. 'Dig 95' 25th anniversary big dig on Thames & Severn. MKP replaces AJ as WRG chairman. Mont Phase 1 opening including new GKP lock and unveiling of GKP memorial. Friends of Alan Thorpe appeal. IWA Golden Jubilee Appeal is launched at the Earls Court Boat Show and buys 'Blue' the excavator (named after BITM's recently deceased canine chairman). Monorail finds retirement home. WRGNA get a web-site. First WRG Panto happens. IWA appeal buys us 4 Transits, including our first ever brand-new van, RFB. First WRG Training Weekend. Aston Locks completed - but not opened yet! First BCN Cleanup dig. Victory (at last) at Latton. The Wey & Arun Loxwood Link opens. The Female Flyboat Run. First WRG Camp in Scotland - Forth & Clyde Canal. Bugsworth Basin reopens. The 'Long Haul' boat-pull. Start of WRG work at Over.
WRGpresent "...The benefits of waterways are now accepted by almost all..." As 1990 drew to a close, the traditional winter camps were taking place on the Wey & Arun and Montgomery Canals and plans were being hatched to celebrate WRG’s 21st anniversary with a Big Dig.... Neil Edwards
Forward from 2000... Looking back on thirty years it seems that we have always had a battle to fight with someone, somewhere. Often it was BW, sometimes government and occasionally the IWA! Things are very different now, but I think I would be wrong to say they are any easier, very different certainly but not any easier. Put simply it is always easy to fight someone in a suit when they say “No”, but a lot harder to put your case when they say “Yes, but….”. The benefits of waterways in general are now accepted by almost all of those we have tried to influence. (You know things have changed when you go to America and hear a property developer quoting Tom Rolt!) However the individual benefits (“you want this canal restoring right here, right now”) are just as difficult to promote. Nigel’s comments on the 70s give us a frightening vision of what happens when impressive words from the government are not backed up with adequate resources. But I am not supposed to be summing up the situation now, Mr Ludgate says I am supposed to be looking forward. Well as a link between the past and the future I can say we will still be very dependent on your support. The previous articles have all highlighted major steps forward as a result of sizeable gifts: the first Smalley, a new computer, the creation of a van fleet. These are certainly memorable and their effect was great - but what about those years when we didn’t buy some new bit of kit? On all those “business as usual” days we were supported by you, the legendary armchair supporter.
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WRGfuture "...a big step forward was an excavator; now it’s a handbook..." It’s not a particularly well-hidden secret that many people who can afford to give more for their ‘Navvies’ subscriptions do so, but what is less well known is the essential contribution that these small amounts make. While it may be the gift of thousands of pounds that buys the pump, it’s the 'Navvies' subs that put the fuel in it (and buy the new starting handle because we left the last one in the shed!!) So for all those that have added a little extra in the envelope every year, my sincere thanks and please do understand that you have played a very real part in every success you read about in navvies.
In a similar way we have to face the fact that it is important that The Waterways Trust will be a success. For those that don’t know about The Waterways Trust (TWT) I hope to get them to write an article for navvies soon. TWT offer a chance to move restoration into a much bigger dimension. By this I don’t mean that they take over WRG or anything like that. Much more that I hope we will complement each other; currently too much of WRG’s time is taken up dealing with “yes we can restore your bridge but no we can’t look after it afterwards” or “in order to make this project a success we have to help raise the funds”. TWT appear to be proposing they occupy that position and as such I look forward to working with them. With regard to WRG itself I can see no great change in the organisation beckoning. The arrangement of having some autonomous regional groups together with some centrally organised events, supported and protected by a legal Board and communicated to by this very magazine seems a remarkably robust structure.
So while I am in the process of thanking our supporters we must thank Waterways World for supporting our Canal Camps programme for so many years and I am pleased to say they will again be sponsoring our Camps brochure. We must always be grateful to the local societies who help us out with storing vans, etc. And we must always remember to thank our (adopted) parent, the Inland Waterways Association, who continue to support our core activities with a very generous grant.
But Nigel’s comments that WRG was much more of a process than an event still applies and I am sure that should change be necessary, then it will occur.
All of that took a lot longer than I expected, which just goes to show that you can (a) never escape the past, (b) never try and hide an appeal for more money and gifts in a “thank you” bit, and (c) never write a short article while listening to a Genesis album.
We have learnt lessons, such as our over-dependence on Duke of Edinburgh's Award volunteers in the 90s. Equally Mick Beattie was correct when he pushed for more training. We have already tried to target more varied groups to improve the mix of volunteers. Training will be stepped up to ensure that our volunteers are best prepared for the jobs that face them.
Into the future... I shall try and get back to the future. I think that the increasing perception amongst the public that waterways are now “in safe hands” will have an adverse effect on our activities, but to complain about that would be churlish. Whilst WRG has always done best when fighting as the underdog we have also done pretty well when working with other organisations. So, while it may be deadly dull to suggest it, I think partnership with others will be increasingly common in the future. This does not mean that, when required, WRG will be afraid to stand alone, deliver passionate Winston Churchill speeches and lead the volunteers into battle, but hopefully these days will be few and far between.
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Rest assured that as Chairman I am very aware that volunteers have no reason to keep coming back other than they agree with what is being done. If we don’t get it right then collapse is certain.
We will continue to push for the highest standards, especially by use of the Practical Restoration Handbook on all the sites that we visit. (It is a sign of the times that in the 70s a big step forward was an excavator, whilst now it’s a handbook! Still - that’s life.) As for the actual nature of the work it is beyond me to predict this. After the immense strain of Over I would love to be able to say that lots of developers are now piling resources into restoring all our favourite sites and next years programme consists entirely of easy lock chamber clearances on rural canals with nice pubs (remember how simple life was on the Stratford Blitz?). But it doesn’t seem very likely does it?
So the work will be a mix of projects big and small. It seems everybody is bringing out their own priority listings at the moment. But for everyone out there with a waterway that needs restoring: rest assured, we will still try and help you no matter where you are in anybody’s list so long as the work, beer and chocolate cake is OK.
WRGfuture "...if we don’t get it right then collapse is certain..."
It would be unforgivable for me not to thank the WRG Board and committee, both official and unofficial, past and present. It is also necessary to remember my predecessors Alan and Graham, both of whom believed that “volunteers can do anything”. They were right then, they still are and I truly believe they will be in the future. Best of all it has been the most tremendous fun. Long may it continue to be so. Mike Palmer
WRG Milestones: the 2000s? The Good... 2001: Last ever Mont camp: Lottery funding package pays for all remaining work. 2002: WRG driver authorisation scheme accepted by CITB as equivalent to professional qualifications. 2003: First Canal Camps on the new Bedford-Grand Union and Broads-Fens canals. 2004: WRG forms professional construction firm WRGPro Ltd. in co-operation with the Wateways Trust to undertake non-volunteer work. 2005: WRG (assisted by IWA) buys its first all-brand-new fleet of Ford Transit vans and minibuses. 2006: 'Navvies' celebrates 40 years with all-colour issue illustrated with holograms and scratch 'n' sniff pictures. 2007: EU harmonisation makes it easier for UK WRGies to work on restoration abroad. WRG forms WRG-Europe overseas arm. 2008: Jude becomes IWA chairman. 2009: Government brings in new rules about trailer-towing. Nobody can understand them. (but nobody cares because every work site has its own fully-equipped on-site tool kit now, thanks to sponsors Boddingtons, JCB and 'Waterways Planet' magazine)
...the Bad... 2001: Last ever Mont camp: nature conservationinterestsprevent any further work. 2002: Health & Safety legislation means WRG volunteers can't operate plant without prohibitively expensive CITB professional qualifications. 2003: Last camp on any canal impossible to obtain insurance cover for sleeping on village hall floors, catering by untrained cooks, unqualified camp leaders etc. 2004: WRG reduced to carrying out labouring jobs for professional construction firms. 2005: Ford stops making Transits as so few drivers have the special licence to drive them. 2006: 'Navvies' subscription increases to £1.60 per year. 2007: EU harmonisation makes it harder for UK WRGies to work in UK - because nobody in Brussels or Strasbourg has heard of volunteer canal restoration. 2008: Marcus becomes WRG Chairman. 2009: Government brings in new rules about trailer-towing. Nobody can understand them. (but nobody cares because nobody's allowed to drive a van any more unless they have a special licence, a medical exam every2weeksandmembership of the Freemasons)
...or the Unlikely? 2001: Last ever Mont camp: Welsh Assembly votes to rebuild it for 1300 tonne Eurobarges. 2002: WRG is appointed by government to help improve CITB training up to WRG standards. 2003: 'Canal Camps' renamed 'WRGforce working Weeks' as the word 'camp' is deemed to imply sleeping in tents (or hanging out with gays.) 2004: WRG PLC floated on the Stock Exchange, taken over by Virgin and sold to Microsoft. 2005: Ford produces a limitededitioncommemorativeWRG 35th anniversary Transit in authentic rust-spotted Woolworths' Poppy Red. 2006: 'Navvies' sued for libel by BW; editor sent down for 10 years with hard labour. (spends it workingonBedford-GUand appliesforsentenceextension so he can finish it) 2007: EU requires all Camps to have at least one volunteer from each member state. 2008: Mick becomes Waterways Ombudsman. 2009: Government brings in new rules about trailer-towing. Nobody can understand them. (but nobody cares because WRG have been exempt from all driver rules since 'Navvies' threatened to go public about John Prescott, the Tirfor winch and the sanitary station.)
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WRG BITM ...playing with Muriel at Lichfield... WRG BITM on the Lichfield Canal: July 2000 6.30 Friday evening: I arrive home with Jasmine, after collecting her from Cathy the child minder, on route from work. Having done a hard days office job, its was time to go into blue-arse-fly mode Cook dinner - Pack Jasmine's weekend kit for a stay at Grannies - Pack my kit for a stay in a village hall - Pack the BITM van with both kits - Check tyres, lights, fluids and sanity - Then eat dinner. Around 9.00 pm: I phoned Sue Burchett from outside Jasmines grandparents' house, to say I was on my way. 45 minutes later, I arrived in Reading to pick up Sue, Mike Paice and Ben. After loading Sue’s kit, Mikes kit and the dogs kit we set off for Lichfield. Mike got the widow seat, Sue got the middle seat and Ben got the top of the catering kit. Ash to Lichfield is about 140 miles, 22 of them knocked off in the trip to Reading, this left 120 miles to go. No Friday night pint, ho-hum. Any way, we got there around midnight. We were greeted at the door by a number of eager, friendly and familiar faces keen to unload the van. As they were gasping for a cup of tea and toast, in a matter of moments, all the catering kit was in the kitchen, our personal kit in the hall and the van shut tight for the night. What followed was the usual tea and toast orgy, back ground music provided by a variety of air bed pumps. Then lights out, into sleeping bag and off to sleep.
Morning came with a cup of tea in bed (Nice), then breakfast prepared by Mike (Sue got a lie-in). After breakfast, I got on with the first and most important job of the day, preparing the site brew kit, making sure it has tea bags, milk, coffee, sugar and water - then making sure it goes into the van along with the cups. The next most important task is to get the van to site at Darnford Road Lock. Darnford Road is an impressive site, with its restored lift bridge and newly excavated canal bed - ready for lining. Assembled on site ready, to go was an array of machinery, Kevin Angus, who is now with us in spirit only, would have been in his element. One JCB, two dumpers, one very new looking excavator, one compressor and piling rig. And there was Muriel, a Murrell dumper. This is an unusual beast, large fat tyres at the back, small thin tyres at the front, large skip on the back that lifts on hydraulics and tips backwards. A cab at the front. The cab is laid out much like any other dumper, steering wheel, seat and pedals in the usual places. However, the engine is mounted below and to your left, therefore the gear selector was slightly behind and to the left. Gear change was by way of three ratios and a forwardreverse selector. This means it has three speeds forwards and the same three speeds backwards. Despite its size and age (NO hydraulics to assist steering), I found later that it was very easy to use. (Steering in tight spaces, the exception, required Neanderthal arms). First job on site - was to cut the vegetation back, thus allowing a clear view of the working area, where we had to drive some piles later. Then we had to cut back the hedge, allowing enough space for the excavator to run along the top of the bank. During hedge cutting, came our first brew. By now the sun was beating down on us and we had worked up a good thirst. Rachael Banyard, Di Smurthwaite, Stella Wentworth, Dave Wedd, Mark Gribble, John Cheesbrough, Jeff Hall, Ian Lockhart, Ray Bevan, Mattt Wilson and Mike Paice - got stuck in with various cutting implements. Once the undergrowth was cleared, we found some very large pieces of cast iron. These were lifted away by excavator. It required several people round each piece in order to attach the chains and lifting strops, with the smaller pieces, lifting and tipping them into the bucket.
'Muriel' at work on the Lichfield. (Graham Hotham)
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By lunch time, a good bonfire was going and the hedge had been trimmed. Despite placing the bonfire down wind, with its very green and smoky fuel, Sod's Law came into action and the wind switched, sending the smoke in every direction, except down wind and down site.
After lunch, some of us continued to feed the bonfire, playing the game ‘guess the direction of the smoke’. One of the dumpers was soon employed as the distance from fuel to fire increased. Two people filled the dumper, John Cheesbrough drove the dumper to and from the fire and operated the tipping mechanism. Mark Gribble and I, using kebs, pulled the hedge trimmings from the dumper skip, onto the fire, as quickly as possible, thus enabling John on the dumper, to retreat rapidly, before becoming a kippered. In the mean time, the piling operation progressed. I was pulled out of the bonfire operation to drive Muriel. I spent the rest of the afternoon pottering from one end of site to the other with 20 tonne loads of soil. Rachael Banyard operated the excavator filling Muriel and another much smaller standard dumper driven by Stella Wentworth. I found one problem with being in an enclosed cab with imaginary glass windows - that bonfire - despite giving it a very wide berth, it still succeeded in filling the cab with dense eye irritating smoke, which refused to leave in a hurry. It certainly made the task of reversing the machine to the excavator all the more interesting. That evening Kevin Angus’s family arrived, Tina, Retha, Matthew and Catherine, also Tony and Barbara Hinsley arrived. About twenty of us tucked into a wonderful dinner prepared by Sue Burchett. After dinner we held a meeting to elect a new Chair Person and accept a sum of money donated in memory of Kevin Angus our late Chair Person. Later a number of people wandered to the pub. The pub was busy due to it being the end of the music festival. A huge fireworks display took place in the meadow east of the cathedral, which we could see from the hall. On Sunday, after breakfast, we continued work on site from where we had left off. We had some equipment problems, the compressor did not want to start. After inspecting various bits to do with fuel delivery to the engine, John Horton contacted one of the locals, who whisked in a replacement. We also had problems starting Muriel. This was due to several gallons of water sitting in the bottom of the diesel tank. The tank was drained of water, the fuel lines, pump and injector system were emptied of mayonnaise and then bled. Dave Wedd’s and John Horton’s cars were used to boost the battery, to start the engine. After a bit of fiddling around John and I eventually managed to get it going. Mike Paice, Ray Bevan, Mattt Wilson, Jeff Hall operated the piling machine, whilst Dave Wedd lifted it up and down into position over the piles, using the JCB.
The BITM piling team at Darnford Lane (Graham Hotham) From the top of the bank, using the excavator, Stella and I pulled the heaps of soil up the bank shaping it into a canal profile. Beyond the lift-bridge Barbara, John Cheesbrough, Tony and Mark continued the task of hedge tidying. After morning tea, I tracked the excavator over to the other side of site, from where I very carefully excavated and filled the dumpers with soil, operating under high voltage electricity lines. John Horton drove Muriel and Stella drove the yellow dumper. Once enough soil had been transferred, the excavator was tracked back to the top of the bank, from where I continued profiling. Later that afternoon, a special ceremony was held. A plaque commemorating Kevin Angus was riveted by Kevin’s family onto the newly driven piles. After the final tea break, people began to drift off. However, our work was not over - when Sue, Mike and I left site, we had to go back to the hall, finish the final cleaning up and load the van with the catering equipment. This was done in double quick time. I then drove back to Reading, delivering Sue, Mike and Ben to Sue’s house. Then onto Ash to collect Jasmine and home for food, a bath and sleep. Graham Hotham
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Bookshop
The 12th WRG Auction of Old Canal Books
Over the past few months we collected more waterway books for fund-raising. As usual, we have decided that the best way to sell them off is to auction them through the pages of Navvies - with all the proceeds going to help fund WRG’s Canal Camps. All the books (except where stated) are in good condition. The reserves suggested are the minimum that we would accept and are approximately half the price you might see from a specialised book dealer. You are invited to make your bids (in multiples of 50p please). Simply list down the Lot number (the number on the left hand side) and the price you are prepared to pay for each book or other item being auctioned. The bidder offering the highest price for each lot gets the goods at the price bid. In the event of two equal bids, the first one received wins. All proceeds go to WRG, so you can afford to be generous. All bids should be sent to Neil Edwards (WRG Auction), WRG/ IWA, P O Box 114, RICKMANSWORTH, WD3 1ZY to be received no later than November 15, 2000. Successful bidders will be notified shortly afterwards. Delivery / Postage and packing is extra, at cost.
Another auction of second-hand canal books for WRG funds
Lot Title / Author (or other description) Pages 1. Royal River Highway – A History of the Passenger Services on the 320 River Thames. Frank L. Dix (Hardback - near new). 2. Race Against Time – How the Waterways were Saved. David Boulton. 270 Story of the campaign to save the Inland Waterways. (Hardback - as new) 3. Navigable Waterways – L.T.C. Rolt. The revised edition of Rolt’s 239 classic study of industrial archaeology. (softback – near new). 4. Through Broadland By Sail and Motor – Arthur. H. Patterson. One man’s 141 thoughts and experiences cruising the Broads. (Hardback – no jacket). 5. Exploring England by Canal – David Owen. (Hardback - near new) 208 Practical information for both the beginner and more experienced boater. 6. Canal Cruising – John Hankinson. (Hardback - near new). A complete 112 guide for the beginner covering all aspects of boating. 7. The Canal Age – Charles Hadfield. History of Britain’s canals and what 233 the canal age meant. Autographed copy. (Hardback – near new). 8. The Somersetshire Coal Canal and Railways – Kenneth R. Clew. A 176 detailed look at the coal trade on this historic canal. (Hardback -near new). 9. The Thames & Severn Canal – Humphrey Household. (Softback) 258 Wide-ranging chronological study of a waterway. 10. London’s Waterways – Martyn Denney. (Hardback – faded cover). 192 Detailed survey of the history and structure of inland navigation in this area. 11. Walking London’s Waterways – Bryan Fairfax. (Hardback – near new) 172 Selection of walks ranging from 1 3/4 to 12 miles, with maps. 12. Canals in Colour – Anthony Burton. History of canals supported by 100 176 photographs by Derek Platt, of which 68 are in colour. (Hardback – near new). 13. Water Highways – David E. Owen. An account of cruises on the canals 139 of Cheshire and its neighbouring counties. (Hardback – no dust jacket). 14. The Ups and Downs of a Lockkeeper – Jake Kavanagh. The hilarious 103 antics of lock users as told by a lockkeeper. (Softback – good as new). 15. How Britains Waterways Are Used – John Merrett. (Hardback–near new) 148 Simple informative story of the need and use of Britain’s waterways. 16. Surrey Waterways – P.A.L. Vine. Chronological story of local waterways 96 up to the present day. Includes many photographs. (Hardback – near new). 17. Waterways Restored – P.J.G. Ransom. A detailed look at restoration 179 projects covering 21 waterways. (Hardback – near new). 18. The Canals of Southern England – Charles Hadfield. Detailed history 383 about every canal in Southern England. (Hardback – no dust jacket). 19. Thirteen Rivers to the Thames – Brian Waters. Fully dimensional 180 survey of the Thames and its tributaries. (Hardback – tatty jacket). 20. The Trent & Mersey Canal – Jean Lindsay. Detailed account of the 182 history and importance of this waterway. (Hardback – faded cover). 21. Canal Books – Mark Baldwin. A guide to waterways literature with 96 advice for collectors, scholars and enthusiasts. (Softback – near new).
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Date Reserve 1985 £7.00 1990
£5.00
1985
£6.00
1930
£6.00
1986
£5.00
1974
£3.00
1969
£5.00
1970
£18.00
1987
£4.00
1977
£4.00
1985
£3.00
1974
£3.00
1967
£3.00
1991
£2.00
1958
£3.00
1987
£4.00
1974
£3.00
1955
£8.00
1964
£4.50
1979
£8.00
1984
£5.00
22. Wandering Wind – B.B. Children’s book about the canal adventures of 122 1957 £3.50 Bill Badger and his friend Izzybizzy, (Hardback – slightly tatty cover). 23. County of the Thames – Annan Dickson. (Hardback – tatty cover). 148 1948 £4.00 Complete guide to the Thames Valley, includes photographs. 24. Canal Architecture in Britain – British Waterways Board Publication. 40 £1.00 Introduction to buildings & structures, Large format. Includes colour photos. 25. Know Your Waterways – Robert Aickman. Guide to England’s navigations 132 1963 £2.00 by one of the founders of the IWA. (No jacket – ex library copy). Temprint Press. 26. Know Your Waterways – Robert Aickman. As above but published by 129 1960’s £4.00 Geoffret Dibb Ltd. (No jacket). 27. Exploring Canals – Geoffrey Whittam. Guide book covering both 96 1968 £3.00 canals of Britain & abroad and their history. (Hardback – near new). 28. Motor Cruising on the Thames – Geoffrey Essenn. Covers all aspects 80 1951 £3.00 of cruising on the Thames. Includes maps. (Hardback – no jacket). 29. Stratford Upon Avon & Warwick Canals – G. Elwin & C. King. Guide to 45 1981 £3.50 the towns and Villages on these waterways. (Softback – A4 Size). 30. Braunston to Brentford - G. Elwin & C. King. Guide to the towns and 56 1980 £3.50 villages, describing historic features on this waterway. (Softback – A4 Size). 31. Black Country Canals. From the archives of the Black Country Museum. 30 1984 £3.50 Many photographs with supporting text. (Softback – A4 size, as new). 32. The B.C.N – Robert May. Collection of photographs with supporting text 40 £3.00 charting the history of the B.C.N. (Softback – A4 size, as new). 33. Through the Dutch and Belgian Canals – Philip Bristow. 39 Dutch and 206 1988 £4.00 20 Belgian routes described, planned and illustrated. (Softback – as new). 34. Through France to the Med – Mike Harper. Comprehensive guide for 224 1983 £4.00 any yachtsman navigating through the med. (Softback – near new). 35. Rickmansworth, Chorleywood & Croxley Green – Edmund Parrott. 128 1996 £4.00 Selection of old photographs including parts of the Grand Union. (Softback). 36. Exploring Britain’s Canals – Paul Atterbury. A journey along some of 190 1994 £5.00 Britain’s famous canals. Many colour photographs. Large format. (Hardback). 37. The Canals Book 1969 – Waterways Series. Scarce copy of the navigator 145 1969 £4.50 guide directory. (Softback – tatty cover). 38. Report on Continental Waterways – A Contemporary Study. Prepared by 77 1975 £2.50 IWA Inland Shipping Group. (Softback – A4 size, good condition). 39. Rivers and Canals – R.W Purton. Introduction for the younger reader 72 1972 £2.00 explaining various aspects of waterways. (Hardback – near new). 40. Navigational Guide to the Shannon – IBRA. Charts 1 & 2. Covers 1991 £3.50 Killaloe to Athlone. Scale 1:50 000. Folds out, glossy finish. 41. Wessex Waterway – Kenneth R. Clew. A guide to the Kennet & Avon 64 1978 £2.50 Canal, lock by lock and includes maps/photos. (1Hardback, 1 Softback). Below are a selection of maps varying in age and format that have been grouped together to be sold as one lot. 42. Three maps: the Upper reaches of the River Medway, Kennet & Avon £3.00 Canal, River Wey Navigation and Godalming Navigation. 43. Three maps: the Upper reaches of the River Medway, Basingstoke Canal, £3.00 River Wey Navigation and Godalming Navigation. 44. Three maps: River Wey Navigation and Godalming Navigation, IMRAY £3.00 Map of Inland Waterways of England & Wales, Basingstoke Canal. The following lots are all original copies of IWA’s early Bulletins – the very small format – each packed with news and information of the day, and nearly all are in excellent condition. 45. Bulletin No 68 – features Civilised Transport & How to Start a Bolinder 99 1963 £2.00 46. Bulletin No 69 – features Four Men in a Boat & The Underwater Telescope 80 1963 £2.00 47. Bulletin No 70 – features ‘The Hawton Interim Report’ & “Imperium” 92 1964 £2.00 48. Bulletin No 71 – features Godalming Rally & Chairman’s Yearly Report 82 1964 £2.00 The next lots are all original copies of British Waterways Inland Cruising Booklets. Most are in excellent condition and contain many maps and photographs. 49. Booklet No 5 – Cruising on the Shropshire Union Canal 52 1960’s £2.00 50. Booklet No 6 – Cruising on the Oxford Canal (1 old 1 date shown) 44 1966 £2.00 51. Booklet No 9 – Cruising on the Grand Union Canal – Part 2 38 1966 £2.00 52. Booklet No 10 – Cruising on the Grand Union Canal – Part 3 2nd Edition 41 1963 £2.00 53. Booklet No 11 – Cruising on the Macclesfield Canal (1 copy 1961) 30 1965 £2.00
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WRG BITM ...struggling with officialdom on the Stover Canal... WRG BITM Dig Stover Canal 4th - 8th August 2000 (or panic stations...) As secretary of the Stover Canal Society, I was wearing two hats when it came to planning this dig. It all seemed relatively straightforward: a) b) c) d) e)
Book accommodation. Decide work programme. Get it agreed with the Stover Canal Society Committee. Get it agreed with Teignbridge District Council and Railtrack (the owners of the canal). Arrange to borrow/hire machinery as necessary.
OK, so there were one or two minor complications, such as how to get machinery to site - Graving Dock Lock is half a mile from the nearest road, the tow path too narrow and overhung with trees to take a digger, and access across the fields from one end necessitated going under a railway bridge too low to take a digger. We also had limited financial resources for hiring equipment. However, Rachael and Jed Smith, our Committee “machinery man”, felt confident all these problems could be overcome. So, I found a relatively comfortable room for sleeping 12, and a nice big kitchen (at that point only 10 had told Dave they were coming, and it was a long way for most of BITM). Rachael’s work programme was approved by the Committee back on 20th June. All right so far. I wrote to the Council with the detailed plans, as they’d arranged the necessary permissions for us before the WRG camp in February. Rachael found that we could borrow two pumps, so that we could pump out the lock prior to removing the silt. Jed said that he could bring a digger in (and operate it) from his employers for £40 a day, and planned to put in two heavy iron skids down into the dry dock, drive the digger down, where it could sit on the edge and scoop the silt out of the lock (we also hoped to borrow a dumper, so that the silt could be carted away for dumping in the field, for which we had obtained permission). We’d obtained two pairs of waders, so that our stalwart BITM navvies could then wade into the lock and shovel s..t into the hole which was the furthest the digger bucket could reach, to repeat the process. When we had cleared the lock, we could then start on clearing silt out of the dry dock, and assess the possibility of removing the tree stumps without disturbing the stone too much.
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The sides of both lock and dry dock were huge granite slabs, and it was assumed that the base of the dry dock would also be paved with these slabs. There was also a relatively small task in the work programme of extending and repairing a bridge over a feeder stream near Graving Dock Lock. That was when things started to go slightly pearshaped. Firstly, the Council wrote back to me and said that I would have to write direct to Railtrack to get the necessary permission, and they gave me the name of a man in Bristol. Ten days later, he wrote to me to say that he’d passed my letter to a colleague, who would contact me direct. Over the weeks that followed, our Chairman got increasingly panicky, as we needed something in writing. After four weeks, I rang the colleague, who turned out to be in Swindon, and he hadn’t bothered to even read my letter. I managed to persuade him to give it priority, and after a lot of questions as to our intentions, he faxed through the permission - except that no machinery would be allowed’ Half an hour later, I had a telephone call from the Environment Agency. It had come to their ears that we were intending to restore the canal, and how could we even contemplate such a thing? The canal was part of the River Teign (only in their eyes - it isn’t, and doesn’t touch the river at any stage), and was also part of the flood plain, and if the canal was restored, we would flood the whole of Newton Abbot! I pleaded that if the canal was dredged, and also all the bywashes and feeder streams, the water would be channelled, and reduce the possibility of flooding. However, he insisted that I’d got it all wrong, and said that they would have to insist that we didn’t do any work at all on the actual canal, and could only do path clearance work over the weekend. He also asked whether I had discussed our plans with English Nature, as this was equally important. By now, I was really getting worried. There was no way that there would be enough work to occupy all of BITM for four days with just path clearance (by then 20 had booked - where were they all going to sleep - in my flat?), and this was only five days before they were due to arrive. In addition, Sue couldn’t get there until late Saturday night - very late, as it turned out, due to the train breaking down. Luckily, I’d baked several large cakes in advance for the Wilts & Berks camp on the following week, so they came in handy for this weekend instead! I rang the Countryside Rangers to ask if they’d got any additional work they wanted done, as we only knew of a short stretch of path that needed clearing of low hanging branches (under which walkers were having to limbo dance), but they had no suggestions. I rang English Nature then, and more trouble. Was I aware that great crested newts - a protected species - had been reported in and around the canal, and if we were going to do any work in the area, we would have to have a herpetologist working with us at all times? What was a herpetologist? How does one go about finding one, particularly at short notice? My turn to start panicking.
After many telephone calls, I eventually managed to get in touch with one who worked for an environmental concern in Exeter. Another panic when she explained that they charged £400 per day to come out. I pleaded poverty, and said that we were all volunteers, working for nothing, and she agreed to meet me on the Monday evening after work, in her own time, with no charge, and have a look at Graving Dock Lock with me. Fantastic. Even better, when we couldn’t find any newts, she agreed to contact English Nature and say that it would be all right for us to go ahead and work in the dry dock. It was finally all agreed on Tuesday evening, two days before BITM were arriving. Our Chairman was still not happy, and wanted to cancel it all even at that late date, but Rachael insisted that she would take full responsibility, and we were going ahead anyway... Of course, after all the nervousness, not to mention hysteria, everything went extremely well. We constructed a ramp with a hired scan deck out of the dry dock, the silt was dug out and barrowed up the ramp and spread, and we started on the tree stumps. The bottom of the dock turned out to be cobbled rather than large paving blocks. One stump in particular turned out to be very attached to where it had lived for the past 50-60 years, and took a great deal of persuading, accompanied by many grunts, groans, and curses (Stevie B. was there by then), before it came heaving out of the ground. All of the stumps on the base of the dock were removed, leaving only two growing out of the side wall. Fortunately, I’ve been on a few cobblestoning courses, and I think managed to replace the uprooted cobbles to cover our vandalising.
WRG BITM "Is there a herpetologist in the house?" We found two parallel trenches, about 6” deep, 6” across, and 12 ft. long, which we thought would have had long pieces of timber in to form a cradle for the boats to sit on while being repaired. As the timber had long since rotted away, the stones would have fallen into the trenches without support, and we used some thin bits of timber left over from the bridge to form a shuttering, and filled in between with soil, at least as a temporary measure. The bridge was finished superbly, and the Ranger was delighted at our professionalism! The regular walkers on the path were very relieved that they no longer had to limbo dance, and were very impressed with the dry dock clearance. It is a really beautiful structure. So, no work on the canal itself but still a really good weekend, and the Canal Society have got themselves a showpiece to help persuade the Obstructors to let us at least repair the locks, and the Society are very grateful to BITM for all they achieved. Di Smurthwaite
Stover Canal: the drydock built into the side of Graving Dock Lock, seen atfter intial clearance during February's Canal Camp (Rachael Banyard) and after the August BITM dig. (Di Smurthwaite)
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Bits & Pieces Christmas and New Year work. And another new canal society. Coming soon (1): the Droitwich Bonfire Bash, with London WRG, KESCRG, WRGNA and hopefully lots of this summer's Canal Campers, on November 4-5. If you haven't already booked in, do so now: contact Eddie Jones on 020 8684 7741, mobile phone: 07850 889249, e-mail eddie@jazzfm.com or see the WRG web site http://www.wrg.org.uk for a booking form. If you want transport in London WRG's minibus (depart Friday 7pm from Waterloo) please contact the editor. Coming soon (2): KESCRG and London WRG
Christmas Dig on December 2-3 on the Wilts & Berks Canal, working on scrub-bashing and stumppulling at Foxham and Lyneham and featuring Uncle Ken's Mad Party Games (this time with a Gypsy theme), Real Ale by London WRG and Brian and Maureen Amos's super-duper Christmas food!!! Please book in advance - send a cheque for £12 (pay 'KESCRG') with your name & address and a note of any dietary requirements to: Brian & Maureen Amos, 13 Trosley Avenue, Gravesend, Kent. DA11 7QN.
Coming soon (3): Christmas and New Year Camps. As well as the Alderman Brothers Camp on the Basingstoke (details appeared in issue 182 but see Diary on p19 and note that this camp now runs over Christmas Day for those who really want to avoid the relatives!) , there will be an 'official' WRG Camp on the Wilts & Berks Canal. If you want to go on this one, please book via IWA Head Office as usual. Work will include more scrub-bashing and stumppulling type work plus hedgelaying and hopefully some work carrying on building the lift-bridge that was started on the summer camp. Note the dates are 26 Dec - 1 Jan and the cost is £35 and not as stated elsewhere. Volunteers welcome - especially ones who can cook! (see below)
Apologies that despite this being the biggest ever issue of 'Navvies' we still haven't quite got room for everything. So you'll have to wait till next time for another episode of the (n)ever-popular serial 'Bankside', a whole-page WRG 30th birthday commemorative 'Last Ditch' cartoon, a Dig Deep update and a report of what London WRG and KESCRG have been up to lately. New on the WRG Web Site by the time you
receive this we should have lots more pictures of all the WRG Works! events and all of the summer's canal camps.
Cook wanted for the Wilts & Berks Xmas / New Year camp: contact Rachael Banyard (01249 892289) if you can help. page 44
WRG Boat Club News: The social gathering at
Waltham Abbey went well, and I hear that a good time was had by all the members and prospective members there, I will try not to sulk but thanks to a big coc... piece of mismanagement by a member of BW staff we didn’t get to bring their working boat to the 'National', as was planned. I didn’t get along to help much at all, only managing to be there one day travelling by trainl! Still we got three new club members over the weekend. We’ve won a few - a further three have contacted me by post to join during the last few weeks. We’ve lost a few - one couple sadly giving up their boat another two not renewed for last year. Don’t let this happen to you - Subscriptions are now due so give us yer money! How do you spot a fellow WRG Boat Club member when travelling around? If you look closely you should spot the burgee on the window but as I usually only send one it may be hard to find. How about treating yourself to a flag type burgee. Only a few of the original ones left. A new batch has been ordered or you could buy another sticker. Now to the busy social calender Coming up soon will be the Easter Tour, The Commode Doors Cruise, Guest Entertainment Evening and ofcourse the Laying Up Supper (or it can take the form of laying bricks or hedge laying who’s going to be picky about WHAT gets laid) The Bring-a-Boat weekend may have been and gone along with these other activities by the time you get to read this. The AGM will be held at that weekend too so I hope as many members as possible are able to attend. See you all soon XXX Sadie
Lou Kellett would like to thank everyone who helped her in her quest for applying for a job recently: "you were all thoroughly fab, helpful and generous with brain power, time, clothes, brooches, alcohol, Uncle Joe’s Mint Balls and congratulations. You’ll all be welcome to come and visit when I know where it is I’ll be living." ...and congratulations from the Editor to Lou for getting a job that will bring her into contact with the Montgomery Canal in a professional capacity (as opposed to this summer’s camps, which brought her into contact with it in a rather more physical way!) I’m sure we’ll get it reopened soon now! Shrewsbury and Where? A new society is being set up with the aim of restoring as much as possible of the "Shrewsbury & Newport Canal" i.e. the Shrewsbury Canal from Shrewsbury to its junction with the Shropshire Union Newport Branch and the Newport Branch from there to the Shroppie main line. Full details as soon as we have them; meanwhile e-mail shrews.newport@shropshireunion.co.uk for info.
And finally the government have just announced another £19.75M for BW to carry on reducing the canals' maintenance backlog. Good news - it makes it more worthwhile restoring more canals if someone can stop the existing ones from falling apart.
Stamps wanted The WRG Canal Camps mobile phones: 07850 422156 (A) and 07850 422157 (B)
Send all your used postage stamps, cigarette and petrol coupons and old phone cards to IWA/ WRG Stamp Bank, 33, Hambleton Grove, Emerson Valley, Milton Keynes MK4 2JS. All proceeds to canal restoration.
Directory update.... The Wooden Canal Craft Trust is now the "Wooden Canal Boat Society" at 5 Oaken Clough Terrace, Limehurst, Ashton-underLyne, OL7 9NY. Tel.no. 0161 3302315. Full directory in the next 'Navvies'.
MAGAZINES Collection of Waterways World - almost complete from 1978 - available for a donation to canal restoration. Contact Tim Boddington on phone 01625573376 or email webmaster@macc-cs.org.uk. For individual back-issues of all canal magazines (all proceeds to WRG) contact Sheelah Lockwood: phone 01908 675255. For up-to-date information by e-mail about canal restoration matters, subscribe to the:
Canal Restoration Mailing List To subscribe, simply send a blank e-mail to: restoration-join@ukwaterways.net. Once you've subscribed, any message you send to restoration@ukwaterways.net gets sent to all the other subscribers.
Navvies Production
Editor : Martin Ludgate 35 Silvester Road East Dulwich London SE22 9PB 020-8693 3266 Subscriptions / circulation Sue Watts 15 Eleanor Road Chorlton-cum-Hardy Manchester M21 9FZ Printing and assembly: John & Tess Hawkins 4 Links Way, Croxley Grn Rickmansworth, Herts WD3 3RQ Watford (01923) 448559
Navvies is published by Waterway Recovery Group Ltd, PO Box 114, Rickmansworth WD3 1ZY and is available to all interested in promoting the restoration and conservation of inland waterways by voluntary effort in Great Britain. Articles may be reproduced in allied magazines provided that the source is acknowledged. WRG may not agree with opinions expressed in this magazine, but encourages publication as a matter of in-
Noticeboard Alan Jervis has a new mobile phone: 07968 586326 Unfortunately we don't have a 'WRGometer' figure in this issue for days of volunteer work done so far in this our WR ER 30th birthday year - as I don't have the figures for person-days work by most of this WRG so far this year summer's camps yet. But I'll carry on chasing you camp leaders for numbers and get a proper total next time.
GOMET
? ? ? ?
New on the 'net... Chris Spencer's new e-mail address: chris@taskmaster10.fsnet.co.uk A web site for a canal that hasn't been built: http://www.bedford-mkwaterway.freeserve.co.uk/ A new web site for the Melton & Oakham: http://www.waterways-society.co.uk Leeds & Liverpool Canal Society site: http://townsleyb.members.beeb.net/llcs/index.htm Lapal Canal Trust site: http://www.lapal.org.uk terest. Nothing printed may be construed as policy or an official announcement unless so stated - otherwise WRG and IWA accept no liability for any matter in this magazine.
Registered in England no 1599204 Directors :
John Baylis, Malcolm Bridge, Roger Burchett, Ray Carter, Christopher Davey, Helen Davey, Š 2000 WRG ltd Roger Day, Richard ISSN 0953-6655 Drake, Neil Edwards, Waterway Recovery Group John Hawkins, Judith Ltd is a subsidiary of the InMoore, Michael Palmer, land WaterwaysAssociation Jonathan Smith. (a registered charity). Secretary: Registered office: 3 Norfolk Court, Norfolk Rd. Christopher Davey Rickmansworth WD3 1LT VAT reg. no : 285 1387 37 tel : 01923 711114
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Infill British Waterways 'under fire' again? Seen at the 'National' at Waltham Abbey...
Mrs. Smeaton’s Guidance for Correct Comportment of Ladies and Gentlemen attending Voluntary Working Parties on the Inland Waterways of these Islands of Ours As I mentioned when I penned the last of these notes for our little journal, I am always happy to do my best to answer such queries as you the readers might ask from time to time.... Dear Mrs Smeaton, I wonder if you could assist me with a somewhat delicate and difficult situation encountered on a recent canal camp?
...a fire engine, on display and on standby in case of emergency. "So what?" I hear you ask, "Is this going to be another tortured pun about quantities of heat emanating from National Waterways Festivals?" No, sorry, no NWF mickey-taking this time (Oh all right, if you insist - see opposite.) Instead, may I draw your attention to the small paper disc in the bottom right hand corner of the window. What is it? It looks almost like... it couldn't be, could it...
Whilst appreciating, and indeed enjoying, the convivial “après-dig” which occurs at the accommodation, I would like some advice as to the correct method of obtaining an acceptable level of noise on such occasions as those where one has retired to early, often to cook breakfast for these self-same noise-makers! Many thanks in anticipation, Yours faithfully ‘Sleepless in South Cerney’ My reply to you, dear ‘sleepless’, is that you should reward the virtuous and punish the excessive by serving up a traditional Country House / Empire breakfast consisting of curried kedgeree, bloody kidneys, etc. The hearty, healthy sleepers will thank you for this, whilst the others will give due consideration to mending their ways. This would not, of course deter any vegetarian rowdies - if such can be imagined!
It is! It's a BW licence - for an Avon Inflatable boat! But why? Are the Fire Brigade experimenting with inflatable fire-engines? Or maybe they figured the cheapest way to get the fire engine into the 'National' was to register it as an unpowered boat? Or maybe it carries an inflatable boat for use at waterside fires - and it has to be properly licensed in case it's on a BW waterway? I can just imagine it: flames ripping through Gloucester Waterways Museum, members of the public diving from the upstairs windows into the docks, and a chap in green overalls demanding to see a boat safety certificate, details of home mooring and a certificate of insurance for the rescue boat.....
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Failing the deterrent solution, you could give ear-plugs a wee try. Alternatively next time, simply wait up until the right level of inebriation has been reached amongst the assembled throng, ask for a volunteer to make breakfast (you will often find that such volunteers are surprisingly easy to come by at this point in the proceedings) pack them off smartly to bed, and take over the seat next to the Glenfiddich. Yours ever,
Mrs.E.Smeaton
Overheard at Waltham Abbey...
Infill
"Don't you mind spending all day shovelling horse-dung from the Cavalry Display out of the entertainments arena?" "No, not at all. After all, it makes a nice change for WRG to be digging the shit out of National Waterways Festivals..."
Having trouble with our WRG-water-Works...? Shurely Shome Mishtake...
PANTs JOCKEY Y-FRONT JOCKEY Y-FRONT JOCKEY Y-
waterway recovery group
Over Lichfield One of the many rejected designs for a WRG Works logo. And still on the subject of Pant(s)...
To save time re-typing those 'Navvies' contributions that are sent in on printed paper rather than by e-mail or on computer disk, the Editor uses a computer scanner, and OCR ('Optical Character Recognition') software which can recognise the printed words in the scanned image, and turn it back into a text file.... Or at least that's the theory. Usually it's fine. Sometimes if the print isn't very clear, it makes the odd mistake. Very occasionally it comes out with something really inventive in the case of a fax received a few months ago from Cotswold Canals Trust I reckon it's some major improvements on the original...
. . . . . . .
The Cotswold Canals are being restored as a "Waterway for Oil". "Bovid Fletcher" has been to talk to the locals about it. It did well in the report by the "Inclined Waterways Amenity Advisory Council" - indeed, it is listed as being of "Notional importance". The Waterways Trust may be interested in backing the project, following their success with the "Undertone Lift".... ...not to mention that great provider of jobs for the unemployed: the "Rochdole Canal"... ...that's the one where all the funders have pledged to work together on the project with the local "Carol Society". You'll be able to read all about it in future in the "Notional Press"
Seen in the back window...
One can't help noticing that as mentioned by camp leader Jen (see p12), the end-product product of Camp 11 at Over did look remarkably like a huge pair of concrete Y-fronts.
...of a Reliant Robin in East Dulwich.
And finally, still on the subject of Pant... following my comments last time about the Pant dry section and the possibility of some future Pant-wetting... it would appear that given that the Number One problem of this bit of canal is water-retention (it's had a leak, so to speak) this is unlikely unless some way of waterproofing can be installed... maybe what it needs is a Pant-liner... page 47