Shrewsbury District & North Wales Branch Newsletter Spring 2019
SHROPPIE FLY PAPER
Cover photo : Audlem Lock Flight March 2019 courtesy of Alison Smith If you have a picture of the canals in our area which you would like to see on one of our front covers, email it to andrew.smith@waterways.org.uk
THE BRANCH COMMITTEE
President
Michael Limbrey 01691 654081
michael.limbrey@waterways.org.uk
Chairman
Michael Haig 07801 415573
michael.haig@waterways.org.uk
Secretary
VACANT
shrewsandnwales@waterways.org.uk
Membership Sec.
Dawn Aylwin 01691 830403
dawn.aylwin@waterways.org.uk
Treasurer & Welsh Liaison Officer
Alan Platt
alan.platt@waterways.org.uk
Webmaster
Alan Wilding
alan.wilding@waterways.org.uk
Publicity
Phil Pickin
phil.pickin@waterways.org.uk
Newsletter Editor
Andrew Smith
andrew.smith@waterways.org.uk
Committee Members
Susan Wilding
alan.wilding@waterways.org.uk
NW Region Chairman
Sir Robert Atkins robert.atkins@waterways.org.uk 01995 602225 or 07770 254444
Heritage & Planning
Peter Brown
iwa@peterquita.co.uk
Branch Web pages www.waterways.org.uk/shrewsbury www.facebook.com/pages/IWA-Shrewsbury-Branch/388651831206061 If you would prefer to communicate with the branch in the traditional way, please write to the chairman c/o IWA Chesham address at foot of page Shroppie Fly Paper is the newsletter of the Shrewsbury District & North Wales Branch of The Inland Waterways Association (IWA). IWA is a membership charity that works to protect and restore the country's 6,500 miles of canals and rivers. For further information contact any committee member. Copy for Shroppie Fly Paper is very welcome, preferably by email. Photographs may be in any common computer format or as prints. Please supply a stamped addressed envelope if you require photographs to be returned. ‘Letters to the Editor’ intended for publication are invited, as are comments for the Editor’s private guidance. Copy and letters submitted for publication may be edited. The Inland Waterways Association may not agree with the opinions expressed in this branch newsletter but encourages publicity as a matter of interest. Nothing printed may be construed as official policy unless stated otherwise. The Association accepts no liability for any matter in this newsletter. Any reproduction must be acknowledged. The Inland Waterways Association is a non-profit distributing company limited by guarantee. Registered in England no. 612245. Registered as a charity no. 212342 Registered Office: Island House, Moor Road, Chesham HP5 1WA Tel: 01494 783 453 Web: www.waterways.org.uk
THE EDITOR'S CUT... I have commented in previous issues about how lucky we are to have so many enthusiastic groups in our area working to protect our waterways. A couple of weeks ago I was able to see some of the results first hand during a short cruise from Nantwich Basin down to the winding hole at Henhull then heading back up to Audlem. The CRT Volunteer Lockkeepers at Hurleston Locks have been doing some great work over the winter period to clear offside vegetation around the Acton area. The visibility had been getting very bad there with the width of the cut much restricted. I can confirm that cruising is very much easier now and the canal feels positively spacious! The group have a Facebook page with plenty more pictures of what they have been doing and you can find a link on page 21. On the way back to Audlem, wanting to stretch my legs, I was walking from Nantwich towards the Hack Green locks when I came across a work party laying a new stretch of tow path. They turned out to be the Small Tasks Team Volunteers. The “Small” in their name certainly doesn’t refer to the size of the team as there were hordes of them and, to be honest, the stretch of towpath they were working on wasn’t that small either. Apparently they had also been working there the previous day despite heavy rain all day. Real dedication! You can see further news about all that they have been upto over the Winter on Page 10. It was strange to see Audlem Wharf minus crane but we are assured that it will be back soon once replacement timbers have been made. It was certainly good to get out on the canal again after the long winter. We are particularly looking forward to cruising over the re-opened stretch of the Middlewich branch after having to change our summer cruising plans last year. The branch has a busy schedule of events planned for the Spring and into the Summer so do please come along and support as many of the events as you can. The next Shroppie Fly Paper will be the Summer 2019 issue. Please send your contributions to me at andrew.smith@waterways.org.uk. Andrew Smith
Next copy date: Friday, June 21, 2019 1
IWA SHREWSBURY DISTRICT & NORTH WALES BRANCH - DIARY 2019 We have an extensive programme of events planned during the Spring / Summer and would be delighted to see members at any of them. The branch will have stalls at many of the festivals and we would welcome any offers of help to staff these. To reduce travelling and cost many of the branch business meetings now take place online. If you would like to join us online, please contact our Chairman at: michael.haig@waterways.org.uk April 6, 2019
IWA NW Region Social, Chorley
April 8, 2019
Branch Business Meeting, Online at 7pm
April 13, 2019
Branch AGM, Wappenshall Wharf, Telford TF6 6DE (See page 23)
4-6 May, 2019
Norbury Canal Festival
May 18, 2019
Montgomery Canal Triathlon
May 21, 2019
Montgomery Canal Forum, Memorial Hall, Smithfield Street, Oswestry SY112EG
June 2, 2019
Shrewsbury River Festival
June 8, 2019
Summer Social, Lion Salt Works, Northwich CW9 6ES (See page 14)
June 10, 2019
Branch Business Meeting, Online at 7pm
June 21, 2019
Copy deadline for Summer edition
June 22-23, 2019
Welshpool Transport Festival
July 19-21, 2019
Gnosall Canal Festival
August 9-10-11, 2019
Branch Lock Wind—Hurleston. Helpers and produce welcome
August 19, 2019
Branch Business Meeting, Online at 7pm
Aug 31—Sept 1, 2019
Whitchurch Canal Festival
Sept 8, 2019
Audlem RNLI event, Overwater Marina
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FROM THE STEERER Since I last put finger to keyboard for Shroppie Fly Paper we have had a busy time, with plenty going on all around our branch area. I reckon the most important event for our members – certainly our boating members – is likely to be the reopening of the Middlewich Branch just before Christmas, after completion of major repairs following the breach at the aqueduct over the River Wheelock. I had the opportunity of boating the Middlewich Branch last month, and it was great to see that section of canal, closed off for nine months, open again and busy with boats in the water and pedestrians on the towpath. It’s dispiriting to think that a boater might have committed the wilful act of vandalism that Canal & River Trust believes caused the breach, but it was at least heartening that Middlewich residents and others in the waterways community rallied round to support the complex effort to repair the canal and restore it to full working order. Staying with the Middlewich Branch, in November HS2 Limited organised a community drop-in event in the town as part of the ‘consultation’ process for its Working Draft Environmental Statement. (I can sense your eyes glazing over, so I’ll be brief!) We’re grateful to the branch members who attended to quiz HS2 representatives and pick up copies of the Community Area report and map book, which enabled the branch to make informed comment for IWA’s response to the consultation. The route of the railway appears now to be largely fixed, so it’s all down to campaigning for mitigation measures where the track will interface with the canals. In the last edition of Shroppie Fly Paper I mentioned some of the other issues on which the branch is engaged with CRT, and I’m pleased to report positive progress on at least one of them. The Audlem wharf crane was finally dismantled on 25th February (photos on page 18) and has been moved to CRT’s yard at Northwich, where it will wait for carpenters from one of CRT’s lock gate workshops to measure up and make replacement timbers to replace the rotten and damaged originals. We hope the familiar landmark will be back in its rightful home by late spring. The replacement of the boaters’ sanitary facilities above Hurleston locks, which you may recall have been closed since early 2017, has generated a good number of comments to IWA’s national Gaptracker survey (link on page 15) of boaters’ facilities – the most, in fact, of any specific location. If any of our readers made comments as individuals to the Gaptracker survey, then thank you. Your observations have joined those made by the branch and have been passed to CRT, with whom they will be followed up.
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In the locks themselves, the much-needed repairs to Lock 4 this past winter have not gone as well as all had hoped. Work has had to be suspended – it could not be completed, apparently, before leisure boating resumes in earnest in the spring – and will now recommence next winter. Let us hope we don’t have too many moments of unusual interest during our annual lock wind at Hurleston, which this year will take place on August 9-11. If you can help with donations of home-made produce for the branch to sell to an appreciative public during the event, please don’t leave it too late to start your gardening or cooking! And if you think you won’t be able to bring your produce to the lock wind in person, please contact any member of our committee and we’ll do our level best to sort something out with you. The lock wind is just one element of a particularly busy events programme this year, starting at Norbury Junction on the early May Bank Holiday weekend and including old favourites such as Whitchurch and OverWater Marina later in the summer. There is also the new festival at Gnosall in July, which I hope members will be able to attend.
Our stand at Norbury Junction in 2018
The full details are in the Branch Diary on page 2, and as you will see on page 8, we would love it if some of our readers would like to help out on our stand for all or part of a day. Don’t worry, guidance will be given and you won’t be left on your own! Due to this newsletter’s production and print schedule, you probably won’t receive it much before our Branch Social and Annual Meeting at Wappenshall Wharf on April 13. I hope you will have responded to our email alerts in March and booked your places for the event. We’ll look forward to meeting you there.
I can give you much better notice in these pages of our Summer Social Outing on Saturday, June 8, when we have booked a tour of Lion Salt Works near Northwich for our members and friends. Go straight to page 14 to find out more and sign up now! Michael Haig
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REGION CHAIRMAN WRITES
I am writing this in summer weather in February(!) and am about to take a day’s cruise on “RATTY”. This time last year we were confronted by the “Beast from the East”. The vagaries of our British weather make boating such unpredictable fun! I have now established a good working relationship with the new NW Director of CRT, Daniel Greenhalgh, and although I realise that only part of your Branch catchment area is now in CRT’s NW Region, he has proved helpful and cooperative on issues within his purview. For example, his intervention to help speed the removal for repair of the Audlem Wharf crane was very useful. I actually drove to Rugby earlier this month for an IWA Trustees meeting rather than appearing online - I was asked to chair an informal meeting of Trustees to consider the control, governance & delivery of our responsibilities . A small sub-group will report back with proposals at our next meeting. I am pressing Trustees - and, through them, Branches - to pursue my continuing objective of improving contact and co-operation with all levels of government - from Town & Parish to Ministers. I know that your Branch Committee is well aware of the importance of this and has already asked for members’ help if they have any useful contacts with local councillors or MPs. Please assist your Committee if you can. Also at the Trustees’ meeting, we had cause to discuss a major planning application affecting the Lichfield Canal and it reminded me how important it is to keep a regular check on planning applications that could affect the Cut in your district. So I was delighted to learn that Peter Brown has agreed to resume his invaluable work to help out across the Shrewsbury & North Wales Branch area. We were also presented with a fascinating study about users’ views on the waterways, called the Gaptracker Survey. The vast majority concerned CRT, of course, but other navigation authorities were covered - such as the Environment Agency, the Broads Authority etc. For example, there were 135 critical responses about portable toilet-emptying facilities, 72 about rubbish disposal, 54 about water points and so on. All this information is an excellent snapshot of boaters’ concerns and we are pressing the various authorities to act on the various issues. Please feel free to contact me with any queries, complaints, suggestions etc., especially if they require action on a national or regional front. In the meantime, real Spring is nearly upon us, so enjoy yourselves on the Cut! Sir Robert Atkins - Chairman, North West Region
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WINTER WALK—WHIXALL MOSS
On a fine but chilly day on 5th January 2019, a large group of walkers plus some dogs, met at the new café at Whixall Marina, near Wem, for a hot drink before moving on to Morris' lift bridge, No 45, on the Llangollen Canal. We were led by Steve and Kath Bristow, IWA members from Shrewsbury, who had mapped out a circular walk around Whixall Moss. On the way Steve pointed out points of interest and explained some of the history of the Mosses including peat cutting for winter fuel and commercially for garden use - now ceased. Because of the ever-sinking mosses alongside the canal the embankments were frequently in need of heightening to retain the water. He also told us an interesting story with a WW2 connection about fires being lit to fool enemy planes. Our tour took us past Roundthorn Bridge, beside the Marl Allotment and followed Walk 10 of one of several trails. We eventually reached the canal again via some steps, walking under Roving Bridge at the Prees Branch Junction, past the Toll House and back to our starting point at Morris' Bridge. Needing refreshment we then returned to the Marina café for Susan Wilding lunch where we looked out onto moored boats in the basin.
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SUCCESSFUL QUIZ EVENING Once again there was a record number of participants crammed into the Narrowboat Inn at Whittington for our annual branch quiz on 11th March. There were 11 teams of quizzers who came from far and wide, including the Shropshire and Newport Canals Trust, as well as a team from a visiting boat.
Most of us had arrived early to enjoy Martin’s excellent food and ale. This year the picture round featured lesser-known works by (mostly) wellknown artists, which proved to be quite a teaser. Other rounds tested people on famous people and places within the branch area, music, events of last year (it’s surprising how quickly one forgets), a watery round, and True or False. Who knew that the chimes of Big Ben at Legoland have been silenced to match those of the real one during its renovation, or even that in professional tennis men’s balls are fluffier in order to slow them down? Last year’s winners, Mandarin, set the questions; the winners were team Milo - Eileen and Michael Limbrey and Veronica and Chris Bryan-Smith. They have been charged with setting next year’s questions. Although this is social rather than a fund raising event, the IWA benefited by £75 raised by the raffle, so our thanks the people who donated prizes. Fiona Pearson
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ARE YOU BUSY AT THE WEEKEND? Over the summer weekends, our branch stand will be visiting lots of local festivals and rallies, and we would very much welcome some additional volunteers!
We have a lovely 3m x 3m gazebo, so we get to stay dry (usually) as we meet lots of friendly people and talk to them about our local waterways and the work of IWA and the branch. Don’t worry if you’ve not done this before – there will always be someone around who has! Volunteering is sociable and fun, and we all learn from each other as we go along. Here’s the schedule:
Saturday, Sunday and Bank Holiday Monday, 4-6 May
Norbury Canal Festival at Norbury Junction. We’ll be on the towpath near the Junction Inn.
Sunday, 2 June
Shrewsbury River Festival in Quarry Park, Shrewsbury.
Saturday and Sunday, 22-23 June Welshpool Transport Festival
Saturday and Sunday, 20-21 July
Gnosall C-Fest – this is a new canal festival. Our stand will be in the garden of the Navigation Inn.
Saturday and Sunday, 31 August-1 September Whitchurch Canal Festival
Sunday, 8 September
Autumn Boat Share Show and RNLI Festival at OverWater Marina, Audlem
Friday, Saturday and Sunday, 9-11 August. Annual lock wind at Hurleston Lock 4 (see opposite page)
Could you help us for a day or part of a day? Please contact Michael Haig or Dawn Aylwin to find out more. Our contact details are on the inside front cover.
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MEMBERSHIP NEWS
We are delighted to welcome the following members who have either transferred to the branch or joined as a new member since the Autumn/Winter edition of the Shroppie Fly Paper. Some of you have already joined in with our New Year's walk and annual quiz and we look forward to meeting the rest of you at one of the events advertised in this edition of the magazine.
Mr Bryan-Smith from Oswestry
Mr & Mrs Koring from St Martins
Mr Eldridge from Montford Bridge
Mr & Mrs McGoldrick from Llanrhaeadr
ANNUAL BRANCH LOCK-WIND 9 / 10 / 11 AUGUST
Yes it's that time of year when the branch starts planning for one of the major fund raising events of the year. The annual lock wind at Hurleston. So please support your Branch and put the date in your diaries and if possible start making marmalade, jams and pickles; three very popular items which get sold out very quickly. Many thanks to all those who have supported us in the past; we hope you will continue to do so this year. The event would not be such a success without you all. Full details in the next edition of the Shroppie Fly Paper. But in the meantime if you have any spare jam jars please get in touch. Dawn Aylwin
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SMALL TASKS TEAM VOLUNTEERS December 2018
As the year drew towards its end, the group tackled the rotting landing stage above Swanley No. 2 lock. It was not clear immediately just how bad it was, but demolition soon revealed all! It became apparent that the planking would not be adequate, so a further day was planned to finish the job CRT had been unable to muster enough planking to match so on December 6th five volunteers along with Dave & Will (C&RT) boarded the work boat at Nantwich and cruised down to Marsh Lane cutting back overhanging vegetation on the off side as well as clearing the bridge hole and exposing and clearing the surrounding stone work. After a brief stop for lunch the intrepid crew then made their way back to Acton to continue vegetation clearing.
January 2019
A bleak scene greeted us as we arrived for the January work party! The task – completion of the towpath; partly done previously by another group. The site was south of Bridge 90 on the Shroppie, at the edge of Nantwich.
STTV are always prepared to welcome new members. Contact: John Riley 01352 741322 / 07518 040632 john.riley295@btinternet.com
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However, work was soon under way. We laid stone and prepared the join to the brickwork under the bridge.
By the end of the second day, we felt we had made some progress!
February 2019
Two weeks later, the weather was much better! We laid more stone. The stone had to be brought from Northwich and transported from Nantwich by boat. There was still not enough! We finished the steps and made a start on back-filling. The grass between the towpath and the canal was terribly uneven.
March 2019
We again returned two weeks later, for two days. We had the use of two boats and at last we finished the work on the towpath, although the whacker plate didn’t work too well in the rain! Another load of soil was brought from Northwich and time was spent levelling the grass. It was unrewarding work and it stretched all the way to bridge 89. A lengthy stretch remains fenced off for the safety of boaters. John Banister
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MIDDLEWICH ARM OPEN AGAIN! Regular readers will know that we have been closely following developments following the breach on the Middlewich Branch on 15th March 2018 when a section of the 200-year-old embankment washed away into the River Wheelock It was extremely pleasing to receive the press release from Canal & River Trust confirming that the branch reopened on Friday 21 December. More than 4,000 tonnes of stones have been needed to rebuild the canal embankment. The work cost nearly £3 million and was funded by the Trust as well as players of People’s Postcode Lottery. Donations from the local community also raised over £30, 000 for the emergency appeal. Contractors, Kier and CPC Civils rebuilt the 12m high embankment prior to constructing new concrete canal walls, a PVC lining membrane and concrete protection slab as well as reinstating the towpath. Volunteers worked closely with the Trust, removing debris from the canal bed, carrying out towpath improvements, recovering bricks for reuse, painting lock gates and clearing vegetation. Andy Johnson, senior project manager at the Canal & River Trust said: “We faced some complex challenges like removing stranded boats and access along the canal bed to reach the breach but we’re pleased that we can reopen the canal before Christmas. I would like to appeal to the public not to deviate from the towpath over the next few weeks as the topsoil on the verges
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PHOTOGRAPHERS - SHOW YOUR 2020 VISION! As you probably know, we are always on the lookout for fresh photographs for our branch calendar, which is our main fundraising project each year. This year is no exception, and very soon we will start selecting images for our 2020 calendar, which we hope to have on sale from July onwards.
But you'll have to hurry - we need your entries by May 1. Here's what you should do: Photographs should have been taken within the branch area, which is from Droveway Bridge, Pendeford, (No 3A near the southern end of the Shropshire Union) to Barbridge Junction, the Middlewich Branch, the Llangollen and Montgomery canals, the Shrewsbury & Newport canals and the Shropshire Canal. We will try to choose a selection from as many of these waterways as possible so don't feel you have to restrict your entries to one area.
We hope to create another exciting and interesting calendar which will appeal to everyone, not just boaters. People who buy the calendar like to see places they have visited, particularly evocative scenes and wildlife. We need photographs showing waterways in all seasons and preferably at a location we have not used before. This year's calendar can be seen on the Branch website. Images must be in landscape format and at a sufficient resolution to be printed crisply at A4 size. The photos will not necessarily be chosen on their technical merit. All photographers whose images are selected will receive a complimentary copy of the calendar. Please send your photos by May 1st to phil.pickin@waterways.org.uk
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VISIT TO THE LION SALT WORKS, MARSTON, NORTHWICH SATURDAY, JUNE 8 2019 FOR 10.30AM TOUR Bookings are now open for our Summer Social Outing, which this year invites members and friends to join us exploring the Lion Salt Works, a restored historic open-pan salt making site, in the village of Marston, close to Northwich. This £10.23 million project opened in June 2015 offering a fascinating journey through the life of the country’s last open-pan salt making site. We have arranged a group tour, accompanied by an expert guide, which will begin at 10.30am and last for about 1½ hours. Exploring the site and its restored buildings will show us how the salt works operated and the impact of salt on mid-Cheshire’s people, economy and landscape.
Lion Salt Works is right next to the Trent & Mersey Canal, close to Weaver Hall Museum and Workhouse, and the historic Anderton Boat Lift, which the branch visited in 2015. The footpaths, waterways and attractions of the adjacent Northwich Woodlands (a 350 hectare area of vibrant and accessible parkland) and the wider Weaver Valley including the Anderton Boat Lift could also make up a part of a day’s outing. A guide book available from the Salt Works shop illustrates three walks to nearby destinations. PDF format extracts from the booklet are available from the West Cheshire Museums website at http://tinyurl.com/y54bl7gh
Places must be pre-booked for the visit, and we have to provide numbers to the museum by Friday, May 17. So please, don’t delay, book your places today. The cost, including admission and the guided tour, is £8 per person. To book, please send a cheque for £8 per person made payable to The Inland Waterways Association to 7 Barnton Edge, Stone ST15 8ZR to arrive at the latest by Friday, May 17. We’re also happy to accept electronic payments. Please contact Michael Haig (see inside front cover) for details if you would like to pay this way.
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How to get there
The Salt Works is situated on the B5075 (Ollershaw Lane) about a mile from Northwich town centre. It is well signposted (follow the brown signs). Chester is approximately a 30 minute drive, Liverpool and Manchester are 40 minutes. It has a large car park which is free for visitors. Use postcode CW9 6ES for satnav. Canal boats can be moored alongside the Salt Works with visitor access from the towpath. Foodie note The Salt Works has a café on site serving hot and cold drinks, sandwiches, cakes, snacks and ice creams. However, the venue advises that it only stocks a small quantity of sandwiches each day so, to avoid disappointment, sandwiches should be pre-ordered with them for visitors on a group tour. For a pub lunch nearby, The Salt Barge (4-stars on TripAdvisor) is also on Ollershaw Lane. It would probably be prudent to make a reservation if you wish to lunch there. The pub’s phone number is 01606 212525 and its website is thesaltbargemarston.co.uk. We look forward to seeing you. Please reserve your places today.
GAPTRACKER SURVEY REPORT
IWA’s Gaptracker survey was launched in May 2018 and up to January 19th 2019, 461 comments were received relating to 9 different navigation authorities. Some 87% of the comments related to Canal & River Trust waterways. An overwhelming number of responses were about the 3 basic facilities; water, rubbish and portable toilet emptying, with very few people commenting on other types of facility such as showers, toilets and electric charging points. Overflowing bins dominated the responses relating to rubbish facilities. Both the Shropshire Union and Llangollen canals featured in the top third of waterways in terms of comments per mile of navigation. Two specific locations in our branch area featured prominently in the responses.
The facilities at the top of Hurleston locks which have been closed since May 2017 received a total of 10 comments.
There were 6 requests for water and toilet emptying facilities at Barbridge Junction.
Our branch has raised these issues with CRT on a number of occasions and will continue to do so. The full survey results can be found at: https://www.waterways.org.uk/news_campaigns/campaigns/pdfs/ gaptracker_report_february2019
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THE WHITCHURCH GATEWAY
The first phase of the proposed Whitchurch Gateway Scheme at Chemistry is nearing completion. The Whitchurch Arm is unusual in that unlike other canals maintained & funded by the Canal & River Trust, this waterway is totally reliant on the efforts of the volunteers and members that make up the Whitchurch Waterway Trust (WWT) and receives no regular funding from any source. The WWT was formed in 1988 in response to plans by the Town Council to re establish the canal back in the town centre. Whilst the original extension into the town was opened in 1808, funded entirely by local businessmen who could see the benefits of being connected to the whole canal system, by 1939 it had fallen into disuse and was abandoned in 1944. In 2012 the Trust revealed plans to extend the canal under Chemistry and Meadowcroft Bridges and to create a basin and moorings closer to the town centre. The Trust continues to seek funding for this work but in the interim the decision was taken in 2018 to upgrade the existing waterway, with the creation of a "Whitchurch Gateway" through the bridges.
In this first phase, over 200 tons of material has been removed from the canal bed and replaced behind new environmentally friendly bank protection, thus re establishing a 26 foot navigable channel with an average depth of around 4.5 feet. Work is expected to start on the Chemistry Gateway and footpath upgrade in the next few weeks, in time for the Canal Festival. WWT chair Chris Chambers commented “It is essential that we make an overnight stay in Whitchurch as welcoming and secure as possible, which is what we are doing, but our real aim is to get the canal back as close to the town centre as possible, beyond the proposed basin and to the foot of the old gas works site. The Llangollen Canal is one of the busiest in the country with over 16,000 boat movements a year at the New Mills lift bridge on the end of the arm. It really is frustrating to see so many boats glancing up the arm and deciding to carry on up to Ellesmere and beyond, having already made a decision that a walk up to the town was a bit too far.” “The current work costing tens of thousands of pounds is being financed entirely from our own funds and is an indication of our commitment to the town. The next phase will be focussed on improving the footpath, enjoyed by walkers, cyclists, joggers, dogs and of course boaters, and we are grateful to the Town Council for their financial support for this aspect of the scheme.“ Chris Chambers, Chair ,The Whitchurch Waterway Trust
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WHITCHURCH WATERWAY TRUST 26TH ANNUAL CANAL FESTIVAL Whitchurch Arm, Llangollen Canal 31st August / 1st September 2019 For many years the annual WWT boating event has had various names such as boat gathering, rally etc. This year it has been decided to refer to the event as the Whitchurch Canal Festival to mark the importance that the builders of the Llangollen Canal attached to Whitchurch as the largest conurbation on the waterway and to this day the town hosts many visitors enjoying the delights of this fabulous waterway. Apart from the cafĂŠ, Chemistry Farm will not be available for the events this year, so alternative arrangements have been made to cater for visitors both waterborne and land based. To this end, it is hoped to extend the festival site into the adjacent country park and discussions with Shropshire Council to facilitate this are in hand.
The Festival supper on the Saturday evening will be accommodated at a new venue a short walk from the canal at the North Shropshire Masonic Rooms where a buffet will be provided together with a licensed bar. Transport to and from the canal arm will be provided on the night if required. July this year will be the 50th anniversary of the first moon landing so our theme will be 'Man on the Moon'. There will be a prize for the best decorated boat. Festival enquiries: paulradcliffe866@btinternet.com Mooring enquiries: There is now a waiting list of boaters waiting for a cancellation or two!
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AUDLEM WHARF CRANE REMOVED
We reported in the last issue that the crane at Audlem Wharf had been fenced off by Canal & River Trust for safety reasons. Branch member Graham Russell was at Audlem on 25th February to witness and record its removal The complex operation, necessitated by the fragile condition of the structure, saw the top stays detached and the crane jib swung by mobile crane onto the waiting trailer, to be followed by the crane’s pillar and eventually the base and winding gear. We understand that the crane has been taken to Northwich for a rebuild by CRT’s lock gate carpenters. As we go to press in mid-March, the latest update from CRT states that the reconstruction process is well underway. And that it won’t be long until the crane is back in situ. You can be sure that we will be monitoring this closely and will report any developments. Hopefully we will be able to include pictures of the new crane in the Summer issue! Michael Haig / Andrew Smith This detail of one of the crane timbers clearly shows its poor condition. All photos on this page are courtesy of Graham Russell.
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HISTORY OF THE AUDLEM WHARF CRANE Audlem wharf crane (right) photographed together with an ice-breaker about 1900, from the CRT's collection.
A picture from the collection of the Railway & Canal Historical Society (left) shows a very different, much simpler crane. Unfortunately neither the date nor the photographer were recorded, but it looks as if it were taken in the early 1960s. Edwin Shearing took many photographs of canal features at Audlem in 1959 but none specifically of a crane - possibly because there wasn't one. When Edwin Shearing photographed the wharf in June 1973 (below right), no cranes were present. The present crane (pictured below in 2013) did not, as is sometimes said, come from the goods yard at Audlem station.
It does however seem to be a Great Western Railway crane and is thought to have been brought from an interchange basin in the Birmingham or Black Country area. It certainly came from somewhere where it would have been supported by the roof structure. At the top of the post one can see a spigot which would have located the top bearing to allow it to slew possibly as much as 360 degrees. The present ties to the ground must have been added when it was installed on the canal wharf. Peter Brown
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HURLESTON LOCK 4 REPAIRS DEFERRED
Boaters using the Hurleston Locks to access the Llangollen Canal will probably be aware of problems with the bottom lock with increasing numbers of boats having difficulties passing through. A survey was carried out during the winter stoppages in Winter 17/18 in preparation for the lock walls to be rebuilt in the Winter 18 /19 stoppages. Things have not gone smoothly… According to the Canal & River Trust stoppage notice: “Our planned works to rebuild the lock walls at Hurleston Lock 4 have been problematic and we have not made the progress on site that we had expected; it has also become clear that the work programme would need to be significantly longer than anticipated, with works likely to run until the end of May at least. Given the impact this would have on customers wishing to use the locks in the spring and early summer, we have suspended works and are cancelling the project this winter.” The locks were re-opened from 22nd February. The works will be deferred to next winter’s stoppage season and will restart in November 2019. CRT will use the time until then to review and re-plan the works. CRT goes on to say: “We understand the concern regarding this lock, and the number of boats which have had difficulties in passing through it over recent years. We have not taken the decision to defer the work lightly. We have consulted a range of users including hire-boat operators and other key customers and have concluded that an extended closure would cause significant disruption which we could not justify. We do not believe that the lock shows any signs of worsening significantly but will continue to monitor it through 2019, with our lock-keepers available to assist any boats that get into difficulties using it. We are committed to completing the repairs to Hurleston Lock 4 and apologise to those customers who are unable to use the Llangollen this year because of the deferral.” You can read the whole notice at: https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/notice/12881/ locks-4-and-1-hurleston-locks-llangollen-canal
TYRLEY SERVICE STATION FACILITIES CLOSED
The water supply for Tyrley is supplied by a bore hole owned by a local farmer. The borehole has been running low for some time and it has now all but dried up so there’s no water. CRT is in discussions with the local farmer who owns the bore hole with regards to connecting the building up to mains water. The discussions are on going. The nearest facilities are at Market Drayton Sanitary Station.
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CRT VOLUNTEERS HURLESTON LOCKS
In more positive news, the CRT Volunteers at Hurleston Locks together with the Small Tasks Team Volunteers have been doing some sterling work clearing offside vegetation between Nantwich and Acton.
Before
After!
They have also cleared the severely overgrown winding hole between Bridges 90 and 91 at the southern end of the Nantwich Embankment. The state of this winding hole was raised by this branch at a CRT User Forum last year and branch member Graham Russell has regularly followed this up (and was on hand to take these pictures). It is pleasing to see these efforts bearing fruit.
Work in progress
Work complete!
Cruising there in early March, we found the area greatly improved with more space and much better visibility on the bends. Mike Butler sent us details of the Hurleston Volunteer Lock keepers Facebook page where you can find plenty of photos like those at the top of the page of work that they have been doing and news related to the area. You can find the Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/655795918126822/ Or just search for “CRT Volunteers Hurleston Locks� on Facebook Andrew Smith
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BRANCH GIVES £3000 DONATION TOWARDS THE RESTORATION OF WAPPENSHALL WHARF. Our chairman paid a visit to Wappenshall Wharf recently to meet Shrewsbury & Newport Canals Trust volunteers, see how the restoration work was progressing and how the money donated to the project is being spent. The branch gave £3000 towards the ongoing work to restore the historically significant site which is owned by Telford and Wrekin Council and leased to SNCT. Its role is to maintain and restore the buildings and the £3000 donation allowed it to buy a much-needed scaffolding tower to help with this vital work. As Bernie Jones, Chairman of SNCT said "This grant was great news to the SNCT Project Team because obtaining funding in the present climate was extremely challenging. The scaffold tower had already been incredibly useful as without it the timber work on the restored roof could not have been completed. It will also be vital when the team move on to re-point the external brickwork." The restoration work being carried out by SNCT will result in the opening of the smaller of the two wharf buildings as a coffee shop in the autumn of 2019, but before then the branch’s Annual General Meeting will be held at in this very building. This will give those attending an opportunity to see the work being undertaken on this fascinating and important site. Both buildings at Wappenshall are grade II listed and date back to 1835 and 1838, when Wappenshall Junction became an important and busy interchange between the Shrewsbury Canal and the Newport Branch of the Birmingham & Liverpool Junction Canal, now known as a part of the Shropshire Union. Since the closure of the Shrewsbury and Newport canals, the site has been used as a coal yard and by a truck repair business before it was taken over by SNCT, who applied for planning permission to restore the site in 2008. The warehouses are significant heritage structures, and IWA fully supports their restoration for the education and benefit of future generations. The branch is looking forward to the time when the site is once again a busy local hub, albeit with a different purpose than in its original heyday. Phil Pickin
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IWA SHREWSBURY DISTRICT & NORTH WALES BRANCH
Notice is hereby given for the 2019 Annual General Meeting of the Shrewsbury District & North Wales Branch of the Inland Waterways Association to be held at Wappenshall Wharf, Wappenshall, Telford, TF6 6DE Saturday 13th April 2019 at 10:00
AGENDA •
Apologies for absence
•
Approval of the minutes of the 2018 AGM
•
Matters arising from the minutes
•
Chairman's Report
•
Treasurer’s Report
• Election of Committee Members Any resolutions requested by members of the branch should be notified to the branch chairman at least six weeks prior to the AGM. After the AGM, there is the opportunity for two very interesting presentations, a tour of Wappenshall Wharf and a buffet lunch. The provisional programme is as follows:
Arrival with coffee/tea & biscuits in the Romney Building
AGM
Presentation - The birth of a waterways radio station (“Captain Phil”, Waterwaves Radio)
Presentation – SNCT progress (Bernie Jones, Chairman SNCT)
“Hard Hat” tour of Wappenshall Wharf (including small warehouse)
Buffet Lunch – cost £5/head payable on the day
In order to arrange the venue and catering we would ask members to let us know if they wish to attend, by email to shrewsandnwales@waterways.org.uk.
Optional visit to the SNCT volunteers working at the Berwick Tunnel at Attingham. The tunnel is a short drive from Wappenshall and directions will be given after the AGM. Strong footwear is advised. To give us an idea of numbers wishing to visit the tunnel, please contact Susan or Alan Wilding on 01743 359650
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ANGLING 2019 CANAL PAIRS CHAMPIONSHIP Details of Britain’s biggest canal angling competition have been announced, and several of the qualifiers plus the finals will take place in our branch area. Competitors score points based on the weight of fish each pair catch, with up to six pairs in each heat going through to the Grand Final on Saturday 19 October 2019. The rules have been tweaked so that a minimum of three pairs now go through to the final from each qualifier. The Grand Final will take place on Saturday 19 October on the Shropshire Union Canal – one section at Little Onn and another at Norbury Junction. Applications for tickets are open via the Angling Trust’s online booking system (www.anglingtrustevents.net/coarse) at a cost of £40 per pair per qualifier. The dates and venues for events in our area are listed below:
Sunday 19 May – Soudley, Shropshire Union Canal
Saturday 10 August – Coalyard Betton Wood, Shropshire Union Canal
Sunday 1 September – Shebdon, Shropshire Union Canal
Saturday 28 September – Whixall, Llangollen Canal
Saturday 19 October—Little Onn & Norbury Jct, Shropshire Union Canal
CARRY ON CAMPING! The IWA’s Waterway Recovery Group (WRG) has released its programme of weeklong residential working holidays for 2019. This year WRG are running 23 Canal Camps across 13 different waterways that all need the support of up to 20 volunteers each week. Of particular interest for members of this branch, the Shrewsbury & Newport Canal Camp runs from 3 – 10 August 2019. During this camp, volunteers will be working at Berwick Tunnel North Portal to construct an all-ability towpath which will improve access for everyone to this part of the canal. This towpath will eventually run the length of the whole canal from Norbury Junction to Shrewsbury. (Branch member s can visit the Berwick Tunnel North Portal after our AGM—See page 23 for details) If you would like to book up a Camp in this area or further afield, please visit WRG’s website www.wrg.org.uk. Alternatively, you can call IWA/WRG office on 01494 783453 ext 610, or email enquiries@wrg.org.uk.
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HURDLES
It can’t have been like counting sheep: sheep come thick and fast – leaping over hurdles, I always like to think – but the traffic over Schoolhouse Bridge is neither thick nor fast. Still, we had to arrange a traffic count to satisfy the highway authority. And to show the figures were trustworthy, that involved professionals or – as I have been heard to say (often!) – “a lot of coffee mornings”! They told us that in the ‘morning rush hour’ a vehicle was crossing the bridge nearly every six minutes and that the average speed of all that traffic was just over 20mph. So we were over one more hurdle. There had been others, and there are more to come. Before the traffic count more coffee mornings had been invested in a ground survey with contractors drilling boreholes in the roadway – they had to close the road for Contractors drill a borehole at days for this. There had been ecological Schoolhouse Bridge, 10 December 2018 consultants too: they had given the ‘all-clear’ on everything except bats, which will be hunted in May. Our volunteer engineer had to visit the bridge deck manufacturers to work through technical details. The proposal then has to be approved by Shropshire’s highway engineers, with a detailed analysis of design standards and an explanation of how our bridge can meet their requirements. Then we can apply for planning permission …. In the meantime, we have to have enough money for the bridge. Put simply, we don’t think we have … yet. Though we shall not have final costings until this detailed preparation is finished, the appeal is going very well and, thanks to so many supporters near and far, we have three-quarters of what we think we need. To ‘Bridge the Gap’ the Restore the Montgomery Canal! appeal will be out this summer at events like the Welshpool Transport Festival, Braunston Festival of Historic Boats and Shrewsbury Steam Rally. There we meet a lot of people who are really interested in our project and who contribute in our collecting buckets or through regular monthly giving – we especially love that! If you are at any of these events, come and see us. We think we are on course to rebuild Schoolhouse Bridge next year. Up to now, most major Montgomery restoration has been funded through the Lottery, Derelict Land Grant, European Regional Development Fund, etc. This must be the biggest project generated, funded and managed by volunteers.
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The only comparison I can think of is the nature reserve by Aston Top Lock, then Waterway Recovery Group’s biggest project, paid for by a legacy to IWA from a member of our branch committee. It is of course another IWA legacy, from Tony Harrison, which is making a significant contribution to the Schoolhouse Bridge appeal. If we are on course to rebuild Schoolhouse Bridge next year, then we have to look at what comes next. Some preparation is already under way. Recently the press reported our appeal for help to survey the derelict canal to see what has to be done to reconstruct the dry channel: we had an offer of help within days. With another engineer examining the Arddleen crossing we have quite a team of skilled volunteers using their professional Preparations for survey of the condition of Vyrnwy Aqueduct experience to carry the restoration forward. The hurdles are nothing that canal restorers have not faced before: to restore the dry canal through Pant, to look at other minor and major road crossings, to plan more nature reserves, to encourage sympathetic canalside development, and to bring the canal back to Newtown. Do you know anyone who would join our team to help? There is little new in these notes: more progress in our plans for the bridge, planning for what comes after, the need to raise more funds and to bring more volunteers into the team. It’s the preparation that takes the time. For a long time Schoolhouse Bridge was one of those hurdles we knew we would have to deal with one day. After a long period when the Montgomery was not attracting the level of funding we enjoyed twenty years ago, things are now moving – and it is very exciting! The Heritage Lottery Fund project is going well: the contractors are finishing at Crickheath and SUCS work parties are on the way there. The bridge is in our sights and planning is under way for what comes next. We are leaping hurdles.
Crickheath Wharf, 9 March 2019: CRT contractors have nearly finished – they need to finish lining, then they can rewater.
Michael Limbrey PS: The next Montgomery Canal Forum takes place 21 May 2019, Memorial Hall, Smithfield Street, Oswestry SY112EG. This is a public meeting open to all, with news of latest developments and plans for future restoration. Parking nearby in Central Car Park (easy access from A5/A483 junction at Mile End).
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‘LIFE ON THE MONTY’ – NEW FILM RELEASED BY CANAL & RIVER TRUST
Montgomery Canal’s special people and places are celebrated in a new 20 minute film ‘Life on the Monty’, which has just been released on the Canal & River Trust website. Funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund as part of a wider £4 million Montgomery Canal restoration project, it was commissioned by the Canal & River Trust.
Filmed during the glorious heatwave summer of 2018, the film follows the Montgomery Canal from its junction with the Llangollen Canal at Frankton Locks in Shropshire to Berriew in Powys, recording the waterway’s fascinating characters and stories along the route. A young Prince of Wales, opening a canal section after the 1969 Welshpool Big Dig, is just one of the archive gems captured in a unique portrait, which also includes a final interview with long-term waterway activist and photographer Harry Arnold, who sadly died in November.
Other highlights include Canal & River Trust ecologist Sara Hill explaining the inspirational project to protect the waterway’s wildlife during restoration, action shots of historic horse drawn fly boat Saturn, and stunning aerial photography. Sylvia Edwards, the Trust’s Montgomery Canal community development officer, said: “The film is introduced by young supporter Alisha Patel-Smith and features several generations of canal enthusiasts who want to share their passion for this waterway with the wider world. At the heart is a celebration of the canal’s unique environment and the amazing work done by past and current volunteers. “We know from research that people feel happier and healthier by water, so this film gives people ideas about how they can get active outdoors and enjoy the beautiful countryside along this rural waterway. And we would love for viewers to spread the message by sharing it on social media.” To watch a short trailer or the full 20-minute film ‘Life on the Monty’, go to https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/montgomery.
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MONTGOMERY CANAL PHOTOGRAPHY CALL Following the successful growth of this exhibition, we are inviting people to submit 2 photographs (in electronic JPEG format) showing the range of built heritage, wildlife, scenery and recreation on the Montgomery canal. Amateur, professional, in fact people of all ages and abilities can submit a photograph. Be as creative as you can, swans are lovely, but an exhibition of standard swan and duck photographs is a bit limiting! Photos will be then be chosen from the entries submitted for a travelling exhibition. We cannot guarantee to exhibit all photographs due to the number of entries, so we aim to choose an interesting variety which represents the huge range of the canal’s heritage, wildlife, and fun/sporting activities. ALL the photographs must be submitted by the end of July 2019 to steve@nearlywild.org Please note, only good quality photographs e.g. 1 MB, in .jpeg format, with the name of the photographer, and ideally the location, can be accepted. This exhibition is being organised by the Canal & River Trust for members of the public to enjoy. The last two years, the exhibition has been immensely popular, and the press coverage has helped raise the awareness of the wider restoration effort of this beautiful canal. The exhibition is funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund as part of the restoration of the Montgomery canal in Shropshire.
Please note: by entering, you are aware that there are no prizes or payment, and you are agreeing to the photographs you submit being used by Canal & River Trust for both the exhibition, merchandise to support the wider restoration effort, and publicity as appropriate. Full credit will be given to the photographer where possible. Sylvia Edwards Photo credits: Top right –Croft Mill Lift Bridge by Peter Carr Bottom left—Heulwent Trust boat Welshpool Wharf by Chris Smith
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HEDGE-LAYING HELPS MONTGOMERY CANAL WILDLIFE
Dormice, squirrels, birds, and other wildlife along the Montgomery Canal are being given a major habitat boost thanks to a hedgerowlaying project organised by the Canal & River Trust. Trust staff, volunteers and a volunteer group from Montgomeryshire Wildlife Trust spent a weekend in February on the Guilsfield Arm of the canal, near Arddleen in Powys, learning the ancient art of hedge-laying. This training will now equip them with the knowledge and skills to re-invigorate hundreds of yards of overgrown vegetation boundaries between canal towpaths and farmers’ fields which are in need of some TLC. The Guilsfield Arm of the canal has not been used for boating for many decades and is now designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and Special Area of Conservation (SAC) due to the number of rare species of flora and fauna which have colonised it. Trust ecologist Stuart Moodie explained: “Hedges are great for linking habitats, providing a sheltered, protective corridor through the landscape. Nesting birds, butterflies, small mammals and amphibians all rely on hedges for food and shelter. With many natural wildlife species in decline, it has never been more important to take positive steps to protect our wonderful national wild flora and fauna. For people too, our beautiful waterways provide the perfect opportunity to get outdoors and enjoy the natural environment and beautiful scenery.”
MONTGOMERY CANAL TRIATHLON
For an adventurous way to explore the Montgomery Canal, what better than the Montgomery Canal Triathlon? This year’s event takes place on Saturday May 18th. You can undertake one or more of the following: CYCLE 17 miles from Newtown to Pool Quay WALK 11 miles from Pool Quay to Morton CANOE 7 miles from Morton to the Weston Arm, Lower Frankton It’s fun for the helpers as well as the entrants! Last year over 70 volunteered to help and at least this number will be needed this year. Please let Chris Palin know if you can help in any way on 01938 590039 or email christinepalin@btinternet.com. Further details on the back cover
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