: IWA Shrewsbury District & North Wales Branch newsletter – Shroppie Fly Paper – Spring 2024

SHROPPIE FLY PAPER

Front

President

Chairman

Michael Limbrey

Michael Haig

michael.limbrey@waterways.org.uk 01691 654081

michael.haig@waterways.org.uk 07801 415573

Secretary Philippa Bursey philippa.bursey@waterways.org.uk

Membership Secretary

Treasurer & Welsh Liaison Officer

Webmaster

Newsletter Editor

Committee Members

NW Region Chairman

Heritage & Planning

Dawn Aylwin dawn.aylwin@waterways.org.uk

Alan Platt alan.platt@waterways.org.uk

Alan Wilding alan.wilding@waterways.org.uk

Position Vacant

Susan Wilding Graham Russell susan.wilding@waterways.org.uk graham.russell@waterways.org.uk

Sir Robert Atkins robert.atkins@waterways.org.uk 01995 602225 or 07770 254444

Peter Brown

Branch Web pages

iwa@peterquita.co.uk

https://waterways.org.uk/shrewsburynorthwales

https://www.facebook.com/shrewsburynorthwales

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 nonprofit distributing company limited by guarantee. Registered in England no. 612245. Registered as a charity no. 212342

Registered Office: IWA Head Office, Unit 16B, First Floor, Chiltern Court, Asheridge Road, Chesham, Buckinghamshire, HP5 2PX

Tel: 01494 783 453 Web: www.waterways.org.uk

cover : Councillor Vince Hunt opening Schoolhouse Bridge

IWA SHREWSBURY DISTRICT & NORTH WALES Dates for your diary

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

Starting March 22 SNCT Exhibition at the Flaxmill Shrewsbury Page 30

March 28April 2 WRG working at Schoolhouse Bridge site

April 8 Branch Committee Meeting Online

April 20

April 22

Branch AGM at Shrewsbury Flaxmill Page 3

Montgomery Canal Forum, Royal Oak Hotel, Welshpool

May 4 - 6 Norbury Festival

May 18

Montgomery Canal Triathlon Page 15

June 10 Branch Committee Meeting Online

June 28 Schoolhouse Bridge Reopening Ceremony

July 20 - 21

July 27 - 28

August 2 - 3 Lock Wind, Cholmondeston

August 31Srptember 1 Whitchurch Festival Page 26

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This magazine is available in a range of different forms:

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The Editor’s Cut.

You will notice that there is no Chairman’s report in this edition. Mike Haig is taking a short break.

A big THANK YOU to Andrew Smith who has edited the Shroppie Fly Paper for the past 6 years. He has done a splendid job but is now moving on to other interests so I have agreed to produce this edition while we search for a volunteer to take over.

Why don’t YOU try? It is not difficult and you will get lots of help.

All you need is a computer program such as MS Publisher or PagePlus. Alternatively there are several open-source programs such as Scribus which are free to down-load.

The procedure is as follows:-

ü First collect all the articles and pictures from contributors.

ü Edit and arrange them to fit on the available pages.

ü Send the first draft to our eagle eyed proof readers.

ü Correct the errors. No matter how careful you are there will be some!

ü Send the final document in PDF form to IWA Headquarters who will arrange printing and distribution.

There are only three editions each year so it won’t take up too much of your time but you would be making a valuable contribution to our branch by helping to keep members informed. It could even be a team effort with several people sharing tasks.

There are other ways that you can get involved. Last year some of our members very successfully operated the trip boat at the Whitchurch Festival (page 26) and the organisers have asked us to do it again. One person to help guests on the boat and one to steer it in two-hour shifts. However, the steerer MUST have an RYA helmsperson certificate.

Or why not help on our stall at the Gnosall Festival (back page)?

You could buy, or better still sell, raffle tickets (page 23) to raise funds for the Montgomery Canal Restoration. But most importantly of all, don’t forget the :-

BRANCH ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

TO BE HELD ON SATURDAY, 20th APRIL 2024

COMMENCING AT 11:00am

AT THE DYE HOUSE, SHREWSBURY FLAXMILL MALTINGS SPRING GARDENS, SHREWSBURY, SY1 2SZ

1. Apologies

Annual General Meeting Agenda

2. Minutes of the previous meeting and matters arising

3. Treasurer’s report

4. Chairman’s report

5. Election of committee members

ꞏ Members completing three years in post and eligible for re­election: Dawn Aylwin, Philippa Bursey, Michael Haig, Michael Limbrey, Alan Platt, Susan Wilding

ꞏ Any other candidates

6. Any other business

Unfortunately we have had to amend both the date and the venue for our 2024 AGM. However our chosen alternative gives us access to a very spectacular historic restoration that we hope you will enjoy. The new venue is on the site of Shrewsbury’s Flaxmill Maltings, the world’s first, multi-floored, iron-framed building and, famously, the forerunner to the modern skyscraper. The Dye House itself is a Grade II* listed building providing a large, if not fully refurbished, space that, under the leadership of the Shrewsbury and Newport Canals Trust (SNCT), will be housing a canal-focused exhibition in the weeks leading up to our meeting (Wednesdays to Sundays from 23rd March to 19th April 2024).

On the day of the AGM itself, we will be gathering from 10:30am so the formal business can start promptly at 11:00am. After the formalities, we will be joined by Cllr Lezley Picton, the leader of Shropshire Council and a true canal enthusiast, together with Bernie Jones, Chairman of SNCT, who will bring us up to speed with the latest news on their restoration projects.

And, as if that is not enough, you could also visit the Mill’s own fascinating exhibition. Tickets can be purchased on the day.

For refreshments, there is a café on-site that provides a range of teas, coffees, cakes and meals (including breakfasts) all of which are vegetarian or vegan. Like the Mill itself, it opens at 10:00am. For other types of lunchtime refreshment, there are pubs within a few minutes’ walk.

Our speakers,combined with the hugely important, historical site,should make for a fascinating day,and we do encourage you to join us.

So, if you are planning to attend:-

It would be very helpful to know how many are coming so we can arrange the room, and it will give us a chance to circulate the financial statements and other meeting information in advance, so please register by emailing the branch at shrewsandnwales@waterways.org.uk

We hope that, by April, the weather will have got rather warmer, but the Dye House is old and not heated so it might be wise to have a warm jacket or coat to hand. Free parking is available on site.

Membership Matters

Yes membership really does matter; the more members the IWA has the more influence it has on national issues. Why did you join and stay members of the Association? Was it for the fascinating history, rambling along the towpath, fishing, cycling or cruising? Me? I just enjoy standing and staring at the fantastic countryside - watching the aerial displays of the fly catcher, the streak of metallic blue, the wagtails as they build nests in lock gates, grass snakes swimming in the canal (and yes I had to look it up when I got home; grass snakes really do enjoy a swim). Whatever the reason we all have one thing in common - the waterways. So we are delighted to welcome the following new members to the branch and hope to meet you all at various waterways events:

ü Phil & Wendy Rusting from Newtown

ü Mel & Phil Wood C/o Overwater Marina

ü Andrew & Linda Mills from Meole Brace

ü Jason Rowland from Telford

ü Mary Williams from Newtown

The Branch now has members from Shropshire, Cheshire, Staffordshire, Merseyside and the welsh counties of Powys, Clwyd, Gwynedd, Dyfed, Denbighshire, Flintshire, Mid Glamorgan and Ceredigion. Plus there are members who live even further afield (perhaps because they have an interest in our local canals or have a boat in a local marina) from Berkshire, County Antrim, Devon, Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Kent, Lincolnshire, London, Midlothian, Northumberland, Oxfordshire, Suffolk and West Midlands. A wide geographic area with 336 members, with a wide variety of expertise, knowledge and interest amongst you all.

So there must be one or two of you willing to join the current hard working committee members, two of whom are planning to wind down as their 9th decade looms. It's vitally important that new members join and keep the branch moving with energy and ideas.

It has already been mentioned that a new editor is needed but there are other roles which might suit you better, for example a social secretary to organise trips, someone to organise walks, help with producing the branch calendar (our biggest fund raiser) and with the branch stall.

The future of the branch depends on you all so please get in touch with any committee member if you can spare time to help.

Dawn Aylwin

Region Chairman Writes

As predicted and promised late last year, your National Trustees have begun to make significant progress on the review of IWA activities.

Our accounts were submitted and accepted by the Charity Commission but the problems still remain. Membership is in decline and the concomitant effect on our funds is increasingly noticeable. We receive many legacies but, by their very nature, they are unpredictable and often tied to specific projects. We are investigating whether these restrictions could be lifted. However, we must find alternative sources of income. For example, is business sponsorship an answer?

Can we maintain the service to members that has been the case for many years? Again, for example, our Waterways magazine and those of the branches cost a great deal. Are they worth it?

Is a professionally-staffed Headquarters at Chesham viable? Could we reduce staff and substitute volunteers?

The recent Members’ Survey has been completed and the contents are being digested. There was a reasonable response but most of the comments were predictable, as was the age of most of the respondents!

We have taken the preliminary view that WRG should have a higher profile and more attention. So, too, there must be more active interest in environmental sustainability and heritage protection.

I have asked pertinent questions as to the true worth of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Waterways. We need to be lobbying National and Local Government more effectively and a precursor to that will be a Manifesto for the Waterways which will be compiled and sent to as many Candidates as possible in the forthcoming General Election.

Finally, we have elected/appointed new National Officers and they are:

Mike Wills - Chairman

Nick Dybeck - Deputy Chairman, Restoration

Sue O’Hare - Deputy Chairman, Navigation & Campaigns

Peter Marlow - Deputy Chairman, Membership & Environment

Paul Lynam - Deputy Chairman, Finance

As always, your contributions are very welcome.

Sir Robert Atkins

Wardle Lock, Middlewich, photographed on 2 June 1957. The lock is historically interesting because it was never part of the Shropshire Union. The Act which authorised the Middlewich Branch allowed the Trent & Mersey Canal to build this lock and the short section below it, and to impose compensation tolls of between 9 and 10½ pence a ton. These tolls were not removed until 1888.

What has totally changed since 1957 is the skyline. The chimneys were part of the Mid-Cheshire Works, latterly part of the Alkali Division of ICI. It produced soda ash (sodium carbonate) used in the dyeing industry, in the manufacture of glass, soap and paper, and for a wide range of other purposes. The works closed in late 1962 or early 1963, the reason given being technological change: the increased production of electrolytic caustic soda.

'Malvern' is moored on the left. It was completed by Yarwoods of Northwich in September 1949 for Fellows Morton & Clayton. As FMC had gone into voluntary liquidation in November 1948, the boat went straight into the carrying fleet of the North Western Division of the Docks & Inland Waterways Executive.

Peter Brown

How well do you know the Branch’s canals?

Unfortunately there are no prizes but this quiz by the Branch Heritage and Planning Officer Peter Brown, will certainly test your knowledge of our local canals.

Good Luck (answers page 21)

The Branch area for the purposes of this quiz comprises the Shropshire Union Main Line from the Wolverhampton boundary to Barbridge, the Middlewich Branch to the Trent & Mersey Canal, the Llangollen Canal, the Montgomery Canal to Newtown, and the Newport Branch and former Shrewsbury Canal.

The River Severn and the tub-boat canals in the Telford area though within the Branch area have been excluded from the quiz.

1. What was the first section of canal to be opened?

2. What was the last section to be opened?

3. Did any section of the Branch’s canals not become part of the Shropshire Union? If ‘Yes’, which section?

4. Which is or was the longest tunnel?

5. Which is or was the longest aqueduct in England?

6. Which is or was the longest straight?

7. Which is or was the deepest lock?

8. How many times does the towpath of the Shropshire Union Main Line change sides?

9. How many times does the towpath of the Llangollen Canal change sides between Hurleston Junction and Trevor?

10. How many reservoirs are CRT responsible for in our area? (If you don’t know, prepare to be surprised!)

Peter Brown

Progress at Wappenshall Wharf

Things are really moving on with the Shrewsbury & Newport Canal’s flagship project at Wappenshall Wharf. Phase 1 of 3 phases, to re-water the East Basin and open a quality café in the restored smaller transhipment warehouse, is nearing completion.

After digging out the East Basin spoil and then laying a thick polythene liner over what was left of the original puddle clay, a 150mm covering of reinforced concrete was added. The basin’s three entrances/exits were built up with soil and polythene liner laid over the 30 degree slope to make a water retaining beam. Concrete building blocks were then added to hold the polythene in place.

Sundown at the East Basin (by

A. Carr)

A reinforced retaining wall was built on the basin’s northern edge to bolster the original earth bank, and a new towpath was added with 11 mooring rings. Safety ladders were installed and water pumped in from the adjacent Telford Northern Storm Interceptor to fill the basin to a 1.2m depth.

The Completed Toilet Block

The warehouse has been completely re-roofed, the ceilings and walls have been insulated, new and restored windows have been added and a new toilet block has been built on its northern gable. A large underground sewage treatment plant has been put in. There is also a 2,000 litre underground LPG gas tank that has been fixed in place. Underfloor heating has been installed under a 75mm screed, and quarry tiles will shortly be laid over this. All new electrics have been installed and a new 3-phase supply added.

A smart new timber staircase to be used as a fire escape has replaced the original rotten one. Our fantastic team of volunteers has done almost all this work and now have just the finishing touches to complete before we can open the café to visitors in the late spring/early summer. In readiness for the second phase of the project we have got part way through dismantling the Romney Building as I write this (19 February).

This will enable work to complete the rebuilding of the stable block that was demolished in order to erect the Romney Building, which will become a workshop and vintage machinery store at Blists Hill Victorian Museum in Ironbridge. A very large Meccano set to put back together!

BernieJones

Timber Staircase

Aerial view of the partly dismantled Romney Building

Mary and Derrick Awcock: an appreciation.

You may remember my note in last summer’s SFP about the bilingual ‘Highwaymen’ flyer we used at early Montgomery Canal Dinghy Dawdles. The contact address was that of Mary and Derrick Awcock who both died recently. Mary and Derrick were chairman and secretary of the branch for many years, in fact longer than any others in those posts (– so far, Mike!) before retiring to Devon twenty-five years ago.

The ‘80s and ‘90s were busy days for the branch and the Montgomery, when the millions of Levelling-Up Fund were but a dream ( – actually the cost of restoring the whole canal then was less than today’s Levelling-Up grant!).

In the earliest days of the branch IWA had looked at restoration of the ‘Four Miles’ – so called – from Frankton Junction. Consultants were engaged and came up with improbable – and certainly not used – ideas of piling through the peat. The start was the restoration of Frankton Locks by WRG between 1979 and 1987.

1987 was a momentous year when the Act of Parliament – the only Act of Parliament for a canal restoration – reversed abandonment under the infamous 1944 Act. Years of planning by British Waterways, the County Councils, water authorities and many other bodies were all lost when funding was refused. Somewhere there is a picture of Mary Awock with Montgomeryshire MP Alex Carlile – still a supporter – on the steps of Downing Street with a substantial petition. It did no good of course.

Despite the setback, IWA’s commitment to the Four Miles continued when WRG moved to Aston. Contractors would restore the channel to Aston with funding arranged by Shropshire County Council from Derelict Land Grant and other sources. After restoring the locks, WRG started on the reserve by the top lock, then the largest project they had undertaken beyond a canal itself. Work was funded from a £200,000 legacy from a former secretary of the branch supported by an appeal which strikingly emphasised why the reserve was essential.

In Wales bridges were opened to extend the canal from Welshpool, but not before the first Dinghy Dawdle which Mary and Derrick initiated. It always seemed to rain!

Restoration was driven forward by councillors and officials from the County Councils and other statutory bodies who met volunteers at regular meetings of the Montgomery Waterway Restoration Trust, chaired by Charles Quant and later John Cotterill. As well as being branch chairman, Mary was a Trustee of MWRT and regularly attended these meetings.

When the IWA celebrated its Fiftieth Anniversary in 1996 the National Trailboat Festival at Welshpool received one of the branch’s two pieces of a large jigsaw that went on to Birmingham by boat – you may remember the story: the finished jigsaw was over twenty feet high.

Beyond the Montgomery Canal, the branch had an active sales stand which was taken to events round our area and was a regular feature at Shrewsbury Flower Show. Mary and Derrick were valued members of the branch team at all these events.

From the left Derrick Awcock, Barbara Reid, John Ward (branch sales officer),

As if all this was not enough, both were key members of the Council of the Shropshire Union Canal Society which at that time restored locks at Carreghofa (opened by Baroness White in 1986) and then Burgedin: I remember concrete pours cropping up in many discussions.

Mary and Derrick contributed so much to our branch and to the canals of our area, especially the Montgomery. Thank you both.

Michael Limbrey

Significant Lottery Boost for Ellesmere Yard

Canal & River Trust has been awarded £409,933 development funding – a Stage 1 grant – from the National Lottery Heritage Fund to develop plans to secure the future of the historic canal maintenance yard at Ellesmere. The yard has been in continuous operation since it was built in 1806, however, as we saw on our two members’ visits in 2021 and 2022, there is now a pressing need to refurbish many of the buildings to make them weatherproof, watertight and fit for purpose.

The development funding will mean the Trust can work on its plans to create an accessible heritage visitor destination at Ellesmere Yard, connecting residents to over 250 years of their rural heritage. CRT says that this funding will help to develop plans to conserve the buildings as well as opening up new opportunities to introduce creative and maker workshops in unoccupied buildings,so improving both the visitor experience and CRT’s canal operations base.

The IWA branch sales stand in 1986.

Never to old to work?

The end of January saw the historic working boat Berkhampstead, at a sprightly eighty-eight years old, back at work as it left its mooring at Norbury Wharf with a cargo of stone and gravel destined for the towpath improvement works at Gnosall.

Berkhampstead, an unpowered butty, together with its accompanying motor, Bainton, were built in 1936 by Harland & Wolff at Woolwich as a pair of Town Class or Large Woolwich boats. They were designed to work together and are one of just 24 such pairs built. They spent their original working lives in the service of the Grand Union Canal Carrying Company (GUCCC). The boats were gifted to Shrewsbury & Newport Canals Trust in 2020 by their former owner, Roger White, and later that year they were brought back from Northamptonshire to Norbury Wharf for restoration by SNCT volunteers.

Our IWA branch has recently awarded a grant towards the restoration of the historic working pair, which will provide a set of covers for the 60ft-long cargo hold of Berkhampstead. The grant complements a similar award from the National Transport Trust to provide hold covers for Bainton

David Ray, the director of Norbury Wharf Ltd who is providing technical oversight of the boats’ restoration, told Shroppie Fly Paper that he hopes to place orders for the sets of covers this summer. The material selected is a mix of polyester and cotton that looks like canvas but has much improved durability. It is intended that the boats will once again carry their GUCCC livery.

When the project is complete, the plan is to move the boats by road to Wappenshall Wharf, where they will take pride of place in the basin as a heritage attraction and potential education resource, open to the public. However, at a recent winter walk organised by the branch, Sue Blake, one of the dedicated group of volunteers on the weekly restoration work parties, disclosed her hopes that before moving to Wappenshall, Bainton might have the ability to attend historic narrow boat gatherings in our region. We will keep you informed!

Volunteer Sue Blake explains her hopes for Bainton

Berkhampstead and Bainton

Audlem Gathering of Historic Boats

27th/28th July 2024

The Audlem Gathering of Historic Boats will take place over the weekend of 27th and 28th July.

In previous years this event was run by Peter and Chris Silvester from Audlem Mill. They have built up this event since the first gathering in 2009. They are retiring and moving to pastures new but are keen to see this popular event continue, so the Historic Narrow Boat Club has now taken it on.

For insurance purposes this means that it will be a Club members’ gathering of boats. All entrants need to be HNBC members and all members’ boats are welcome. The HNBC cannot promote it as a public event, although obviously, the canal and towpath are open to the public. Moorings will be between locks 12 and 15 in the Audlem flight. There should be a fine display of historic boats over the weekend.

Other moorings for visiting boats not taking part in this event will be available between locks 11 and 12 and also below the bottom lock.

On the Sunday the Audlem Festival of Transport takes place with around 200 vehicles parading through the village and assembling on the playing field behind the Shroppie Fly Inn for the afternoon – always a great spectacle.

Nick Grundy

Audlem Historic Boat Gathering (Bob Jervis)

Bookings open for the Montgomery Canal Triathlon

18 May 2024

For its twelfth year the Montgomery Canal Triathlon will bring entries from across Britain – sometimes from further afield too – to see sections of the canal that have been restored, others where restoration work continues, as well as the remaining sections which still have to be brought back to life.

As usual the event will start in Newtown with a cycling route along the attractive towpath towards Welshpool followed by the canoe section on the navigable canal through Welshpool which always attracts a lot of attention from passersby. After the final changeover, participants will jog or hike along a section with a lot of restoration activity to cross into Shropshire at Llanymynech. The final two miles on foot is part of the Shropshire Gap, a derelict section where funds are still needed for restoration.

A great deal is happening on the canal this year with channel and towpath improvements in Powys under the UK government Levelling-Up Fund. There will be new nature reserves to safeguard the canal’s special flora and fauna and safe towpath routes at some of the remaining road crossings. In Shropshire volunteer working parties supported by our Restore the Montgomery Canal! appeal are working to restore the canal north of the Triathlon finish which has been dry and derelict for eighty years. The proceeds of the Triathlon will support the appeal to provide them with equipment and materials.

Organisers say the Triathlon is not a race and entrants can choose to do the whole course or only one or two sections, making it a great day out for families with children, groups of friends, experienced triathletes and those who enjoy just a communal bike ride, paddle or walk. All entrants who complete a section receive a commemorative medallion made from local slate.

Entries should to be booked by 18th April by visiting the web-site:www.TheMontgomeryCanal.org.uk/friends/montgomery-canal-triathlon/ which will give details of this year’s arrangements which are different from 2023.

Restoring the Montgomery Canal

It is nearly seven years since our Region Chairman and the High Sheriffs of Shropshire and Powys launched the Restore the Montgomery Canal! appeal. We thought it would cost £250,000 to build the bridge, and it turned out that this was not a bad estimate for the cost of the bridge itself. We hoped we could use volunteer work parties for much of the basic work and bring in specialists when they were needed: well, that didn’t work.

If you have read my earlier reports, you will remember how the project has been affected by the pandemic, regulations, utility requirements, construction inflation and even difficulties with qualified supervision …

As we emerged from lockdowns there was a start on site by our volunteers – the Waterway Recovery Group, TRAMPS (the Welshpool maintenance team) and others keen to help. In the autumn of 2020 they fenced off areas that local landowners were kind enough to let us use. The Tudor Griffiths group supplied material on helpful terms and a by-pass track was laid for users of large vehicles which would otherwise find access difficult during the road closure. Contractors came to divert the water main past the site, away from the area to be excavated and down below the canal bed. None of this work involved the highway.

Though the Council had by then signed off the ‘Approval in Principle’ for the project – a document which itself ran into several hundred pages of detail and drawings – much of the legal documentation still had to be resolved. This was an unusual project for Shropshire Council and it was not until early 2021 that serious discussions started with lawyers for the Council and CRT and then it took about a year before we had some dozen agreements in place. Then we could close the road as soon as we were ready and start work on the highway.

For

Eventually, with extra assistance from a doughty but anonymous supporter, we were able to bring in local contractors Beaver Bridges. They started in April 2023, after Shropshire Council Chairman Cllr Vince Hunt - whose area boundary runs down the middle of the bridge - wielded a silver shovel that had been used to start an earlier Montgomery restoration in 2006.

A big deep hole was dug then filled with a concrete base and abutments. In August six precast arches arrived from Northern Ireland as a small crowd gathered to watch them craned into place with millimetre precision. In any project things that happen quickly are followed by others that are slower and more painstaking. The embankments leading to the bridge are a carefullydesigned mix of stone-filled gabion baskets and geotextile supported banks: the baskets had to be assembled manually and filled by hand to ensure strength and integrity – the design was for volunteers after all and the banks are created from layers of compacted soil wrapped with textile (– you can see banks like that to the north of Whitehouse Bridge at Welshpool where they have supported the road for over twenty years).

Unfortunately benign summer conditions changed to wet, sometimes very wet, and the contractors hopes of a finish date moved from September into autumn, into winter, and it was not until January that they finally moved off site.

The bridge was finished! We marked that momentous occasion with a parade of historic vehicles which crossed the bridge after Cllr Hunt had returned to cut the ribbon. Unfortunately last-minute requirements from Council consultants meant we couldn’t actually open the road as planned (they might have told us on one of their earlier inspections that they would want (more) bollards and reflective paraphernalia!). We went ahead with a Not-Quite-Opening anyway!

Now the contractors have left there are still tasks to do. Over coming months the trackway has to be removed so the land we have been using can be returned to the owners, and into next year hedges will be planted and wooden steps installed to give towpath access from the lane. This Easter IWA's Waterway Recovery Group will be returning for one of their Canal Camps, again staying nearby at Porthywaen Silver Band Hall (many many thanks yet again) and their work will be supplemented by a local team based around

In the meantime we are planning a Celebration on Friday 28th June –Keep the Date – to mark the biggest volunteer-led project on the canal.

A fragment of sign found near the bridge site.

There will be recognition of significant grants from a number of sources including the IWA’s Tony Harrison Legacy (I have always been particularly pleased by this grant because Tony played an important part in the negotiations leading to the Conservation Management Strategy which balanced navigation, wildlife, heritage and public benefit).

It will be great in June to celebrate the achievements at Schoolhouse Bridge and the way that IWA, SUCS, Friends and MWRT have worked together for this. At the same time, the bridge will remind us of the challenge of bringing boats from that new terminus at Crickheath through to Llanymynech.

We have more to do, to support volunteers’ work parties by joining them or by raising funds, perhaps buying tickets for our new raffle –https://themontgomerycanal.org.uk/product/grand-raffle-ticket-book-2024/

We also have to continue the campaign for greater funding for the canal in Shropshire to match the Levelling-Up funds in Wales. You will not actually have seen much progress on the Levelling-Up project: but the past months have involved more dredging and a great deal of planning and preparation for the two bridges in the area. There has been planning for new nature reserves too: there should be more to tell in the next SFP.

The canal restoration in Powys has lead directly to a cross-border partnership between Shropshire and Powys and neighbouring councils, coming, we are told, from a discussion about the Montgomery Canal as a cross-border project. Will this help us open the Shropshire Gap, those two dry miles to Llanymynech?

That council partnership, the Levelling-Up funding, canal camps and work parties, celebrity endorsements... these all spring from campaigning over many years by volunteers who could see the benefits of a reopened Montgomery Canal. The IWA has always been good at campaigning: its national support for the Montgomery Canal goes back to the earliest days of the branch; indeed the state of the derelict canal was raised in the early 1960s when Bulletin (the predecessor of Waterways) reported complaints from Welshpool residents in the Montgomeryshire Express: the derelict canal brought 'stench' and 'vermin', they said. However an IWA member had written to Montgomeryshire County Council suggesting that the canal could be used for commercial and pleasure craft, which 'would enhance Welshpool as a pleasure resort, and would have the same effect at Llanymynech'.

Over the years the branch has campaigned alongside other Montgomery organisations, with sponsored walks, Dinghy Dawdles, rallies and more. Each organisation has slightly different areas of interest – the branch covering much of the SU system (but not the extremities) and supporting the Association’s national campaigns, not least on funding, the Shropshire Union Canal Society interested in all SU canals, and the Montgomery Waterway Restoration Trust and its membership section the Friends of the Montgomery Canal both focused just on the Montgomery – and all working together to Restore the Montgomery Canal!

Michael Limbrey

Branch Winter Walk

Despite threats from storm Isha over twenty met for the Branch Winter Walk at Norbury Junction. Many thanks to Norbury Wharf for providing parking and toilet facilities. We met at the Millennium Boulder by the boatyard entrance to start our walk away from the canal. The boulder is one of 5 glacial rocks repositioned in key places in Norbury Parish to mark the year 2000. There is a guidebook published with a walking route.

We proceeded down the lane and crossed the brook which takes the canal overspill under Shelmore embankment across to join the river Meese and hence the rivers Tern, Severn and Bristol channel. It is worth noting that the next overspill southwards (Cowley), feeds Church Eaton brook, the Penk, the Sow, the Trent and the Humber. Essentially Norbury and Gnosall sit on the east/west watershed of England.

At the corner of the lane, we passed the entrance to Bifor, the well known forestry research project and left the lane to go straight up the bridleway and into Shelmore woods. It is well known that Shelmore embankment was only built to avoid lord Anson’s pheasant shoot. Our path through the woods was parallel to the canal and closer to the original planned route at this point. However I have been unable to plot precisely where that original route was.

We left the woods along the farm access drive and then turned sharp right down the lane. Towards the tunnel (aqueduct), there is evidence of stone quarrying. Once under the canal, there are the remains of steps up to the canal towpath. Great care is needed as metal studs protrude 1-2 inches out of the ground where steps used to be which make tremendous trip hazards. We rejoined the canal at the narrows of the stop gate for a simple return to Norbury. Shelmore embankment sweeps round on the border of the historic Anson estate, now belonging to Norbury Park. There are great views of the Wrekin and other points west. The embankment settlement during build caused problems and it continues to settle to this day. In 2003 the sides were built up to give another 50 years life.

On arrival back at the junction, there was a chance to view Bainton and Berkhampsted, the two boats under restoration by SNCT. We also had (courtesy of Norbury Wharf) a chance to view how the top lock had been turned into the dry dock as well as viewing the top of the (currently) derelict flight.

To follow the walk on YouTube visit:- https://youtu.be/Cmm6Vh8FLQc

Free Exhibition to Showcase

Shrewsbury’s Canal Heritage

The Shrewsbury & Newport Canals Trust (SNCT) is holding an exhibition at the Shrewsbury Flaxmill Maltings, to celebrate the county’s and, particularly, Shrewsbury’s canal heritage.

The free exhibition will be open from the 23rd of March 2024 until the 19th of April 2024 inclusive, with opening times from 10:00 to 16:00. Closed Mondays and Tuesdays (except for the school Easter Holiday).

It will showcase the history of the Shrewsbury & Newport Canals, their decline and the work by the SNCT to restore these historically important canals to navigation.

The Trust, a registered charity formed in 2000, aims to return the 25 miles of the Shrewsbury & Newport Canals to navigation and manages and has restored several important sections between Newport and Shrewsbury.

Phil Tarrant, Events Director said: “Several sections of the canal are already rewatered for the benefit of the community and the environment. This includes one and a half miles in Newport which our volunteers help to maintain. At Wappenshall Junction the Newport canal that Thomas Telford built, meets the earlier Shrewsbury Canal. Here volunteers have restored the splendid Grade II Listed small transhipment warehouse and rewatered the East basin. After many years of planning and fundraising the physical restoration of the wharf finally began in 2018. A dedicated team of volunteers is currently converting the small warehouse into a quality café and meeting place. Phase 2 of the project will see the larger Transhipment Warehouse open as a visitor centre that celebrates Thomas Telford’s life and works. The café is planned to be open early in the summer of 2024.”

The canal route continues from Wappenshall via Eyton and Longdon-upon-Tern where the oldest iron aqueduct in the world, designed by Thomas Telford survives. Then on through Long Lane, Rodington, Withington and Upton Magna to Berwick Wharf, where regular work parties are restoring various sections of the canal, Widows Bridges, Berwick tunnel portals and towpaths.

At Ditherington the line of the canal is visible in front of the Shrewsbury Flaxmill Maltings and currently ends at the foot of the old Canal Tavern. Further into the county town the Butter Market was the former terminal warehouse. Other organisations will also be present to highlight the importance of these canals, their history, the environment they create, and the benefits of their restoration.

For further information contact: Phil Tarrant, Events Director, SNCT

Mobile 07484675364 Email ptarrant@sncanal.org.uk

How well do you know the Branch’s canals?

The answers ...

1. The first section of canal to be opened was the part of the former Chester Canal between Barbridge and Nantwich, opened in 1779.

2. Apart from minor variations caused by the construction of railways, the last sections were opened officially on 2 March 1835: Gnosall to Nantwich and Norbury to Newport. (Autherley to Gnosall and Newport to Wappenshall had opened on 22 January 1835 but score a full point nevertheless if you said the SU Main Line and the Newport Branch.)

3. Yes — Wardle Lock and the short section leading to it were a branch of the Trent & Mersey Canal, never part of the Shropshire Union.

4. The longest tunnel was Berwick Tunnel, 970 yards long, on the former Shrewsbury Canal. (Next longest is Chirk Tunnel, 459 yards).

5. The longest aqueduct in England is about half of Chirk Aqueduct. The national boundary follows an old course of the river, not the current course. The aqueduct is 710 feet long — I don’t have an exact measurement for the part in England, but it must be over 300 feet. The longest wholly in England was Longdon Aqueduct on the former Shrewsbury Canal, 186 feet long, and the oldest surviving iron aqueduct.

6. As far as I am aware, there are no official figures for the lengths of straights, so I’ve had to rely on measuring 1:25,000 maps. I think the longest is much of Woodseaves Cutting plus a short stretch to the south, about 1 mile and 150 yards in total. (Next, I think, is the section of the Montgomery Canal north-east from Queen’s Head.)

7. According to ‘Nicholson’, the deepest is Cholmondeston Lock (11 feet 3 inches). Stanthorne and Minshull Locks are only two and three inches respectively less deep; I suspect all three were designed to the same specification but there has been subsidence or remeasurement. Hence any of these are acceptable answers. The Act authorising the branch required these locks to be deep so that there would be an adequate water supply to the Trent & Mersey’s Wardle Lock.

8. The towpath of the Shropshire Union Main Line changes sides just twice: at Park Bridge (27) and Betton Coppice Bridge (67).

9. The towpath of the Llangollen Canal between Hurleston Junction and Trevor changes sides five times: at Marbury Lock, Frankton Junction, Rodenhurst Bridge (3), Polletts Bridge (6) and New Marton Top Lock.

10. CRT is responsible for three reservoirs in our Branch area: Belvide (by the A5 near Stretton Aqueduct), Knighton (half a mile north of the canal, straddling the Shropshire–Staffordshire county boundary) and Trench (near Hadley, in Telford). The latter two haven’t supplied the canal system for over a hundred years, but presumably nobody has been found who would be willing to take responsibility.

Peter Brown

Gnosall Towpath Restoration

In 2023 Gnosall Parish council "adopted" the stretch of towpath in the village (bridge 33 to 36) from CRT. The group of us doing the work are known as GTR, Gnosall Towpath Restoration.

In practice, we do some reactive maintenance and some planned enhancements. We report back to CRT what we are doing and obviously report anything beyond our capacity. They support us with guidance and materials from time to time.

Apart from litter picking, weeding, minor repairs cleaning signs etc which can happen any time, we tend to have a rhythm to the year. Starting in September, we plant new bulbs. October and November are the big leaf rake. The benefits should not be underestimated. I can point to newly restored stone paths which become a quagmire after only 2-3 years leaf fall. Our leaves are mulched for future use on beds.

December is a good time to deal with unwanted ivy on trees and bridges. Also it is good for cutting back dead wood and unwanted vegetation generally. The

Towpath Repairs

first quarter of the new year will be busy with towpath repairs. This is because the ground is soft enough to work and most vegetation is dormant. This year has been particularly challenging with the amount of groundwater. We cannot do our whole stretch so we tend to work on the worst 2 or 3 places.

Easter marks the scaling back of our work as we drop back to tidying, cleaning and anything required for C-fest as well as work for the Festival itself. August is a holiday and then it all starts again…

CRT appoints new West Midlands director

Canal & River Trust has announced the appointment of Henriette Breukelaar as the new director for the West Midlands region from 1 April 2024.

Although she doesn’t formally join the Trust until April, Henriette will be taking the opportunity over the coming weeks to start spending time with the Trust’s team of staff, volunteers, and partner organisations.

The big leaf rake

WANT A CHANCE TO WIN £250 FOR ONLY £10?

This year there’s a chance to win a cash prize by buying raffle tickets.

The Restore the Montgomery Canal! Appeal group has launched a Grand Draw and a book of ten tickets is enclosed with your magazine. For Members who receive the magazine electronically there is an online version – see below. We would be really grateful if Members could sell tickets to their friends and neighbours. The prizes are in cash – always attractive.

ꞏ First Prize ­ £250

ꞏ Second Prize ­ £100

ꞏ Third prize ­ £50

The tickets will be sold at various events over the summer as well as via Members. As fewer people carry cash nowadays, bank card readers will be available. The net proceeds will be added to the current Appeal for £250,000 towards restoring the dry section of Canal between Crickheath and Llanymynech and to pay for materials and plant hire needed by the valiant volunteers managed by the Shropshire Union Canal Society. Without funding, they might have to stop. Tickets for the Grand Draw are also available online:-

https://themontgomerycanal.org.uk/donate/raffle-2024/

You may wish to buy tickets in this way and save the cost of postage – also saving us bank charges from banking cheques. Counterfoil numbers are allocated to purchasers.

We know that some Members may prefer to send in a donation in lieu of buying tickets. That will be most welcome, especially if 25% can be added through the Gift Aid scheme.

Counterfoils for sold tickets and cheques etc should be sent to Restore the Montgomery Canal!, Tixall Lodge, Tixall, Stafford ST18 0XS by 18 October 2024.

The Grand Draw will take place on Friday 1 November 2024 at the SUCS work party site at Crickheath. It is rumoured the counterfoils will be jumbled up in a concrete mixer before the Draw!

Please note that tickets are not to be sold to anyone under 16.

If you would like more tickets then please write to the Appeal at 26 Bentley Drive, Oswestry, SY11 1QT; or email to appeal@themontgomerycanal.org.uk

The Restore the Montgomery Canal! Appeal group is promoted by the Montgomery Waterways Restoration Trust (and its membership arm The Friends of the Montgomery Canal), supported by the Shropshire Union Canal Society and the Branch. MWRT is the receiving entity and all profits will be committed to restoring the Montgomery Canal.

Branch Lunch and Quiz

After chatting with friends (old and new) the six teams settled down to peruse the question sheets while they ate lunch at the Narrowboat Inn on Saturday 9th March. The teams, in reverse alphabetical order, were: Why Oh Why; Top of the Rocks; Table 2; Shroppie 62; Mandarins and finally the Dimwits. Aptly named? Well they didn't come in the first 3 but neither were they last.

Lunchtime Quiz at the Narrowboat Inn

Questions ranged from 'Current Affairs' and yes one included Trump and another the Post Office discredited computer system, through 'Which is Older' (eg Batman or Superman, McDonalds or Kentucky Fried Chicken) to a picture round. Fifteen photos of various canal sites, the first letter of which formed an anagram of a very well known canal location. Our team guessed the location before we named all the imagesnot too difficult as we had an F and a V. Having decided that it was Bingley Five Rise we needed locations beginning with G Y I I E but failed miserably to come up with an answer. Ten out of fifteen is not too bad.

The event ended with a music round followed by a raffle (thanks to everyone who provided prizes) and finally the answers. Fortunately the rules were:

1. The question setters are right even when wrong.

2. If anyone disputes the answer then refer to rule 1. Because 'Name the canal in Ireland that connects Dublin in the east to Shannon in the west' was disputed. However both names were accepted.

The winning team with a creditable 71 points was the Mandarins (Peter & Quita Brown, Fiona Pearson and Anne Pilsbury) who will be setting the questions for next year.

Many thanks to the 2023 winning team, Dave & Ros Koring and Andrew & Alison Smith who set the questions.

Dawn Aylwin

The Winners with their prizes

Planning a Cruise?

Frankton Locks

Opening Times: 09:00 - 13:00 daily.

Booking is required for passage through the locks and must be made no later than 48 hours before passage. Bookings are not accepted on the day.

A maximum of 12 boats are permitted in each direction through the locks in any one day and booking well in advance is recommended to avoid disappointment. There is a minimum of 1 night and a maximum of 14 nights stay.

Harecastle Tunnel

Summer Opening times from 1st March 2024 to 31st October 2024:

Open passages are available from 8am to 12noon, Monday to Sunday.

Un-booked (Open) passages must arrive at the tunnel portal between 8am and 12 noon. There is no guarantee of passage for arrivals after 12 noon unless pre booked. Passage is only permitted with a working horn and tunnel light.

ü North to South (Kidsgrove to Tunstall) – 09:00 & 11:00

ü South to North (Tunstall to Kidsgrove) – 10:00 & 12:00

To book call CRT on 0303 0404040 48 hours prior to passage.

Anderton Boat Lift

Opening Times for 2024

ü Monday - Wednesday 09:00 - 16:30

ü Thursday Closed

ü Friday - Sunday 09:00 - 16:30

However, due to ongoing maintenance work (see page 28) there may be unscheduled closures so it is important to check by calling CRT on 0303 0404040.

All bookings must be made in advance and cannot be made onsite. Bookings can be made online or next available slot on the day is free of charge, However this passage is subject to availability, otherwise, charges for passage do apply. You will be charged the full amount should you fail to turn up for your booked passage.

It is important that all boats travelling through the Lift have the correct license, a valid Boat Safety Certificate and insurance. Please make sure your details are up to date prior to booking as these will be checked during the booking sequence.

Please ensure that you arrive at the holding area 30 minutes before the scheduled passage for visual boat check and safety briefing.

Whitchurch Canal Festival

Whitchurch Canal Festival at the Whitchurch Arm of the Llangollen Canal on 31st August – 1st September 2024, between 10.00 and 16.00

This year the festival site will start at Chemistry Bridge and will include the towpath and parts of Chemistry Farm.

Stalls - Music - Licensed Bar - Food - Trading Boats - Boat Trips

If you will be visiting the Festival, please walk to the site if you can, as parking is limited. If you have to come by car, please respect our neighbours by parking considerately. The nearest postcode is SY13 1BZ.

Moorings and Stall spaces will be reserved so please contact us at canalfestival@whitchurchwaterway.uk for booking forms.

A Supper will be held at Chemistry Farm from 6.30 pm on Saturday 31st August. The bar will remain open during the evening. You will be able to pay for your food and drinks on the night, but you need to book for the supper so that catering requirements can be assessed.

The free Trip Boat operated by IWA volunteers.

Your Legacy Could Make a Big Difference

Statistics show that charities are increasingly reliant on legacies as a source of funding – as the increasing amount of legacy-seeking advertising on certain TV channels shows. The IWA is no different – and yes, we are a charity!

Many canal restoration projects have benefited from Wills. In one case, a person with no dependants left over £500K to a canal restoration trust. That was exceptional but thirty years ago a legacy of over £150k from an IWA Branch member made a significant contribution to the Montgomery Canal restoration at Aston. More recently, the restoration has received sums such as £70,000; £40,000; £30,000; £10,000 from supporters’ Wills. Of the Schoolhouse Bridge funding, £120,000 came from legacies, including £70,000 from an IWA member. These sums can really make a difference. Today, many public funding sources need match funding, so legacies can help to fill that matching need. Indeed, there can be a multiplier effect – e.g. if a funding bid needs 10% match funds and that 10% comes from legacies, the value of work done becomes as much as 10 times the amount of the legacy.

Making a Will enables people to decide how their money should be allocated after their demise.

The Government encourages us to leave money to charities. The value of legacies is exempt from Inheritance Tax – which is at 40% after the usual tax relief. And if you give 10% or more of your money to charities, then the tax rate on the rest falls to 36%. (If you have a relative who has recently died, it is possible within two years to make a Deed of Variation, with the other beneficiaries, to put a legacy into the Will).

When making a Will, there are different types of gift you can make:

ü A specific sum of money – a lump sum

ü The whole – or a percentage – of your assets, after other gifts and expenses have been paid

ü A particular item, such as jewellery, shares or a piece of land. So, when making a Will, please consider leaving a legacy to :-

The Inland Waterways Association (Charity No. 212342).

You can either specify a particular project or make it clear that you leave the Association’s Trustees to decide how to make best use of your money, perhaps in consultation with the Chairman of the Shrewsbury District & North Wales Branch

Or if you’ve already made your Will, you can add a new clause by making what is known as a Codicil.

Naturally, this article is not proper professional advice. If you consider making a gift in your Will, we recommend you speak to your solicitor or other adviser to ensure the wording is right so that your gift is used as you intend.

For more information visit our website at www.waterways.org.uk/support/ways-to-give/gifts-in-wills and get a free information pack.

Please see the list of Frequently Asked Questions or contact IWA at:Unit 16B First Floor, Chiltern Court, Asheridge Road, CHESHAM, HP5 2PX

Where there’s a Will, there’s a Way!

Anderton Boat Lift to Stay Open as Long as Possible

From a conversation between Les Green (Inland Waterways Publicity Officer, Chester & Merseyside Branch) and the project team the latest information was attained regarding current and future works to maintain the operation of the lift. Project engineers and contractors, who have now started work on the first stage of refurbishment on the Anderton Boat lift, are doing their utmost to keep the lift open as long as possible for boaters to navigate between the Trent and Mersey Canal and the Weaver Navigation.

The lift, now almost 150 years old, is a major tourist attraction in the Weaver Valley and has potential to further expand its appeal to visitors

Currently a team of ten, including an apprentice, cease work on Friday, Saturday and Sunday to allow traffic on the lift and whilst in winter traffic is light, the team expect an increase as Easter approaches. At the moment it is the West caisson that remains open for boaters.

The first phased programme of the work will see the twenty-five-year-old control system, now out of date with spare parts increasingly scarce, updated. The caisson seals on the East caisson will be being replaced to prevent leaks thus maintaining water depth in the caissons.

The second phase of refurbishment, requiring up to sixty people to be employed, will unfortunately require the lift to close to all navigation as the structure will be covered in scaffolding. The main problem to be tackled is that the protective coating over all the steel and Iron work is life expired and once that coating fails to protect the metal beneath, oxidation will start to occur and the structure will eventually be back to the unsound structural condition it was in prior to restoration some 25 years ago.

The process will be highly labour intensive as the coating will be removed by a grit blasting method whilst at the same time the massive rams that raise and lower the caissons have to have their specialist coating protected. The exact process and funding options are currently under discussion at board level so definite dates are yet to be announced.

Jim Forkin, Chairman, (IWA Chester and Merseyside Branch) said “At nearly 150 years old the lift has stood the test of time but, like much of Britain`s waterway network, it does need periodic restoration and it is good to see that CRT and their staff are doing their best to keep the navigation open at present”

Wedge Seals Replacement (Photo supplied)

Jim Forkin

Wedge Seals Replacement Work (Photo supplied)

Shrewsbury Castle from the canal basin

Come to our 3 day community festival along Gnosall’s beautiful canal

Learn about local canals and their history View historic working boats

19 - 21 July 2024