September 2012
TOWPATH TELEGRAPH
Journal of the IWA’s Milton Keynes Branch
The Royal barge Gloriana, that took part in the Thames Jubilee Pageant in June and conveyed David Beckham and the Olympic flame to the opening ceremony on 27 July, seen moored on the River Lea in the Olympic Park. At our Branch meeting on 24 September, you can hear Richard Thomas talk about the River Lea or Lee from Source to Olympics. Picture: Les Franklin.
The Inland Waterways Association
The IWA (registered charity no. 212342) campaigns for the restoration, conservation and sensitive development of the waterways, and for their fullest commercial and recreational use consistent with safeguarding their historic and natural environment. If you are not a member and would like to find out more: contact any of the Branch Committee members listed on Page 16; contact IWAHead Office on 01494 783453, or visit the web site: https://www.waterways.org.uk
Welcome to September 2012 Towpath Telegraph . . . The restrictions occasioned by the water shortages were an inconvenience at best, and caused real hardship to some boaters. BW is now a memory too, but in its last months will have learned a lot abou t managing future shortages. The prolonged wet spell was sorely needed, but it made for a lousy summer! Let’s hope for some good settled spells this autumn before the days get too short. We look forward to seeing you for our new season of meetings, and hope you enjoy this edition.
Chairman's column Canal Ministries New members Ian Pickup, 1943 - 2012 IWA electronic membership Work Parties begin at Fenny Lock Holiday boat re-fit appeal MK Branch out and about . . . Bedford-Milton Keynes Waterway news The Branch still needs your help! Diary Pages Buckingham Canal Society news Wendover Arm Trust news Crossness Cathedral Canal & River Trust takes over from British Waterways Ilkeston passes through The Editor’s Page Raising funds for IWA - the easy way Getting in touch with MK Branch
2-3 3 3 4 4 5 5 6 7 7 8-9 10 11 12 13 14 15 15 16
Chairman’s Column
When I wrote this column in May, commenting on the drought conditions that threatened water supplies, it was raining and had been for a few days. This was followed by torrential rain until very recently. Indeed as I write this there are still reports of flooding up North. I know some of our members set off on their boats concerned about low pounds and lock restrictions, and finished up having to deal with floods. Some had to take refuge from extremely strong flows on rivers. The rain was desperately needed to fill our reservoirs and aquifers, and fill them it did. So if the position for Minister of Rain becomes available again, can I count on your vote? At last we have the Canal & River Trust looking after the canals and rivers, which were previously managed by British Waterways. It was officially launched on 12 July. Unfortunately I was unable to attend the local launch at Stoke Bruerne, as I had to spend that week in Harefield Hospital. Our Branch has had its first official meeting with C&RT; this was in connection with the Branch adopting Fenny Lock. We will be carrying out varied tasks to maintain the lock and surroundings. Rodney Evans offered to be the co-ordinator for this ongoing project, and I thank him for doing so. Read more about this on Page 5. Sadly our much loved and active branch member Ian Pickup passed away in July. Ian was always ready to muck in - literally for the Clean-ups with his presence on the hopper - and kept us entertained at our Christmas socials. Ian will be very much missed, and I am sure you will join me in sending condolences to his wife Pat and their family. See the tribute on Page 4. Just a few days before our scheduled Lock Ransom at Three Locks it was uncertain whether we would have enough volunteers to cover all the locks, and there was a possibility I would have to cancel it. But Page 2
Chairman’s Column - continued.
all's well that ends well - we finished with more volunteers than there were tasks. These included Branch members, volunteers from Lionhearts Cruising Club, and the official volunteer lock keepers. It was a beautiful three days. What a pleasure to be able to enjoy a barbecue on Saturday evening without having to wear an overcoat or rain mac. A record sum for the weekend was collected for waterway good causes and thanks to all those who eventually turned up. See Page 6. I visited the Buckingham Canal Society’s gathering in July at Cosgrove which coincided with one of the events in celebration of the Iron Trunk's mini-refurbishment. It does look rather splendid now, particularly from the eastern side, now that the gas pipe has been removed. You may recall our branch made a donation towards the costs. The gathering was well attended, and again they hit on lovely weather for the weekend – where did all that rain go? A C&RT representative was plying his trade to get folk to become a “Friend of the Canal & River Trust” - this undoubtedly will be competition for IWAand the likes of BCS. Unfortunately I was unable to attend the Linslade Canal Festival as planned. The plan was that we would share a stall with Buckingham Canal Society. Thanks go to Athina Beckett (wearing both BCS and IWA hats), Les and Sheila Franklin, and Pete Bickers who turned up by bike and train to assist. The Linslade Festival is a great day out with many craft stalls and demonstrations, but we have always been short on the ground for volunteers to promote our Branch of the IWA. So let's have some more help next year - you do not need to be a committee member, just prepared to talk to people. And just a polite reminder that we are still in need of a Branch Education Officer and a Branch Secretary. We’re managing to bump along without them, but for how much longer? Please see Page 7. A few weeks ago I did not think I would be having much input to the Branch (again) as I had been advised to go into Harefield Hospital and undergo treatment to improve my kidney function to enable me to be put on the urgent transplant list and stay at Harefield until a donor heart became available. I have now been told that my kidney function has improved to an extent that I do not have to stay in hospital, and will now be put on the active transplant list instead, as I am no longer considered to be in urgent need of a donor heart. Things change quickly at Harefield so you will have to put up with me being around for the time being! Wishing you well for the coming season and I hope I will be able to enjoy it with you. Peter Caswell, Branch Chairman.
Canal Ministries
Canal Ministries is a charity of Christian ministry to the waterways. The work, shared currently among eight boat-dwelling couples, is mainly among those who live, work or fish on the waterways, or who simply visit them. The charity offers a chaplaincy to waterway staff (a listening ear or practical help when possible), especially in cases where staff are traumatised following waterway accidents or deaths. Boats are insured to entertain Church groups (pastoral or congregational) for retreats or awaydays, and also serve as bases for missions to schools. More information at: www.canalministries.org.uk
New members Welcome to the following members who have recently joined MK Branch. We hope to see you at our meetings or other activities - please introduce yourselves to a Committee member. Mr D & Mrs J Allen, Slapton Mr T & Mrs V Cumberland, Flitwick Mr J & Mrs M Griffin, Hanslope Mr G & Mrs P Jones, Houghton Regis Mr A MacFarlan, Leighton Buzzard Mr P Massey, Luton Mr P & Mrs Z Smith, Two Mile Ash Mr G & Mrs J Stanley, Biggleswade
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Ian Pickup, 1943 - 2012
We are very saddened to report the death of much-loved Branch member Ian Pickup on 16 July. The Branch was well represented at his funeral at Stevington on 30 July. The following is based upon the tributes given during the service by Kheder Hanna (a long-standing friend) and by Branch member Joseph Cresswell. Ian was born an only child in 1943 at Bury, Lancashire. Following grammar school, he studied physics at Newcastle University, progressing to a Master's degree in geophysics at Birmingham in 1967. In 1969, Ian married Pat, the secretary who had typed his dissertation. His employment as a geophysicist in the gas and oil industry took them to Surrey, where their daughtersAnne and Lynn were born. In 1985 his job brought him to Bedford and they moved to Stevington, where they made many friends and produced the village magazine for many years. Ian moved on to work in IT before retiring in 2000. They bought a narrow boat and spent happy summers navigating the canals countrywide; Ian kept a meticulous captain's log. Other interests included ballroom dancing, playing the organ, and looking after his grandchildren.
Pat Pickup writes: I would like to thank everyone for their kind messages and phone calls over the past very difficult seven months. My thanks also to those who Ian took an active part in MK Branch's Canal Clean-ups, often working attended Ian's funeral. Unfortunately, the strain of mesothelioma which Ian had was very aggressive and he experienced a great deal of pain. It was during a planned visit to St John's Hospice, Moggerhanger, for pain relief that the end came - rather sooner than we had expected.
with Joseph on the hopper, the banter enlivened by Ian's dry humour. When safety boots were issued, Ian's pair were modern trainer-type ones, in contrast to everyone else's clumpy leather ones, but by the end of that Clean-up, Ian was suffering from Trench Foot. He had the only pair of non-waterproof waterproof safety boots for a water-based activity!
At our Christmas Socials, Ian was the “Monologue Man”. With his Lancashire accent, he recounted the adventures of Mr and Mrs Ramsbottom and Albert their son, such as their visit to the Zoo complete with the “stick wi’ an ’orse’s ’ead ’andle”. At the December 2010 social, Ian played a modern-day politically-correct Hardy to your Editor’s Ian and I really enjoyed our fiercely jingoistic Nelson. time on the canals and at the various IWA meetings and events, and I hope that we will Ian was a dedicated husband, father and grandfather. keep in touch.
My thanks to Pat Pickup, Kheder Hanna and Joseph Cresswell. - Ed.
IWA ELECTRONIC MEMBERSHIP
The new reduced rate for electronic IWA membership, under which members receive all communications via the internet, is 80% of the standard rates - for Single and Joint Membership categories only. (No additional discount is offered to induce over-65s to go electronic. - Ed.). IWA very much hopes that members changing to this new category will continue to keep their payments the same, and make the difference into a donation! All rates are due to increase, but current rates are on the IWA web site at https://www.waterways.org.uk/support_us/join_now_/membership_rates Page 4
Work Parties begin at Fenny Lock HOLIDAY BOAT As reported in May TPT, IWA MK Branch agreed with British RE-FIT APPEAL Waterways to adopt Fenny Stratford Lock, in response to the general call for more volunteer input to our waterways with the establishment of the Canal & River Trust. A set-up meeting was held at the lock on 15August. C&RT was represented by Martha Holdom and Miriam Tedder (Volunteer Leader for the South East). The Branch was represented by Rodney Evans, Branch organiser for the project, Peter Caswell, Branch Chairman, and three other member volunteers of the fifteen who have signed up to participate. C&RT and its contractors will remain responsible for the lock paddle gear and bridge operating gear maintenance and non-slip surfaces, grass cutting and sanitary station care/operation, and refuse disposal. It was agreed that the Branch would be responsible for the general tidiness and vegetation control of the area from the Pump House to the railway bridge, and flower beds and hanging baskets at the Pump House. We will also undertake painting, as required, of the Lock, Bridge, towpath side fencing and Pump House doors. Supply of materials and equipment is being organised with C&RT. The first working party, to generally clear up the site, is to be held on Wednesday 29 August.
QEF, the Queen Elizabeth Foundation for Disabled People, is completing a re-fit of its wide-beam holiday boat. Based at Hemel Hempstead, it was one of the first in the UK to be adapted for disabled use, accommodating eight people including three wheelchair users. The aft deck is specially adapted so that a wheelchair user can steer. Holidays on board provide a way for disabled children and young adults to achieve new goals, boost skills and gain independence.
Having been in use for some years, the boat was in need of a complete re-fit. Tasks include fitting a new fridge and cooker, overhaul of heating, plumbing, engine and transFuture work is being planned, and working party dates will be arranged in mission, new internal woodconjunction with the Project Volunteers. Any other members who would work, a new walk-in shower, like to volunteer will be very welcome and should contact Rodney Evans and a universal sling.
(see back page). The more we have, the lighter the load!
Rodney Evans. QEF welcomes your donations to help complete the re-
A reminder that the next Branch Clean-up takes place on 20-21 October. fit. You can donate online at http://qef.org.uk/donate/ More info from David King (contact details on back page).
or telephone 01732 841132.
Our base at Linslade is within weekend reach of the Waterways Museum at Stoke Bruerne, or the Chiltern Hills and Aylesbury. Choice of exciting one or two week cruises including the Thames. 28 luxury boats, 2-8 berth. Boat builders. Repairs. Dry dock. Waterside holiday cottage.
Rothschild Road, Linslade, Leighton Buzzard, Beds, LU7 2TF Tel: 01525 372355 Fax: 01525 852308 Web site: www.canalholidays.co.uk
Email: james@canalholidays.co.uk
Members of IWA, Blue Riband, BMF and B&MK Waterway Trust
Page 5
MK Branch out and about . . .
Throughout the summer (does it deserve the name?), MK Branch has been out meeting people, raising funds and blowing the IWA trumpet. The last weekend in May stayed fine for our Lock Ransom. We helped many Wyvern boats through, both outgoing and returning to base. One unusual sight (left) was Kingfisher, a splendid 1928 Grand Union inspection launch, on her way to take part in the Thames Jubilee Pageant. The Saturday was enlivened by a troupe of Morris men who performed on the towing path outside the Grand Union for a couple of hours. During one dance, they advanced mockmenacingly upon their accordionist (below) and appeared to commit GBH!
Both boaters and pub customers gave generously, just capping our 2011 total of ÂŁ609.27 with a haul of ÂŁ611.53 (plus two buttons and five South African cents! Well done to all who worked the locks or collected contributions, including Branch members, Roger Burnip (Lionhearts Cruising Club) and volunteer lock-keepers Tony Dawe and David Tucker. On 4 June (Jubilee Bank Holiday), Peter Caswell, Sheila and I took our information stand to a Fun Day at the Milton Keynes Village Pavilion, sharing a pitch with Buckingham Canal Society. It was a disappointing day, both for the weather and for the degree of interest shown by the punters, but we did have the pleasure of meeting a gentleman who had worked with Richard Bird, after whom the IWA's medals are named. At the Linslade Canal Festival on 28 July (left), we again shared a pitch with BCS. The Festival gets bigger every year, and the throngs of visitors kept Pete Bickers, Sheila and me busy answering waterway questions and handing out membership forms, TPTs and brochures. It was another day for co-incidences: one visitor to the stand was an IWA member now living in Southend, who turned out to have been the first owner of my house! Pictures and text: Les Franklin. Page 6
BEDFORD-MILTON KEYNES WATERWAY NEWS
The B&MK Waterway was showcased at the Queen's Jubilee Pageant on the Thames in June, when narrowboat Ernest represented Bedfordshire and the B&MK. Ernest, owned by John and Sally Gwalter, carried the Deputy Lieutenant of Bedfordshire, Cynthia Gresham, Marilyn Leask, a director of the B&MK Trust and Professor in the Faculty of Education, Sport and Tourism at the University of Bedfordshire, and B&MK photographer, Keith Malone.
The Bedford Community Boat project was given a very welcome boost recently with two separate generous donations of £5,000. The first was from The Duke of Bedford, a long standing supporter of the B&MK. The second was from the Trust’s new Patron, Sir Samuel Whitbread. The specification for the boat (to carry 50-70 passengers depending on final agreement with the Marine & Coastguard Agency) has been completed, and the Trust has had responses from three potential builders. Unfortunately the MCA requirements have added £20k to the cost, but the Trust hopes soon to place an order for the design work, followed by an order to build it in September or October.
The Branch still needs your help!
B&MK News, July 2012.
We are still looking to fill the following two vacancies to ease the load on existing committee members:
Branch Secretary - Role includes issuing agendas, taking and circulating minutes, and dealing with correspondence. You must have email, and word-processing software. The Committee meets once a month, September to May, in Milton Keynes or Leighton Buzzard. Must be an IWA member. Please see: https://www.waterways.org.uk/support_us/volunteer/vacancies/milton_keynes_branch_secretary Branch Education Officer - To manage all aspects of our outreach and education work at local events, with a special emphasis on young people. Resources are available from IWA Head Office, but we need special material to use at our Clean-ups, for example. Also, as C&RT seeks increased voluntary support, we want to recruit, retain and involve members. All this material needs to be sourced or generated, approved and kept up-to-date. This role can be shaped to suit the talents of the person taking it on. IWA membership an advantage but not essential. Please see: https://www.waterways.org.uk/support_us/volunteer/vacancies/milton_keynes_branch_education_officer If you would like to discuss either vacancy, please contact Peter Caswell or Les Franklin (see back page).
A warm welcome from Gregg, Angela and the team at Grove Lock. Pop in for a drink of one of our outstanding cask conditioned ales or wines from around the world, or perhaps stay a little longer and enjoy some of our excellent home-cooked food.
We look forward to seeing you soon. Grove Lock: Grove, nr Leighton Buzzard, LU7 0QU Tel: 01525 380940. Email: grovelock@fullers.co.uk Page 7
Diary Pages Our season of meetings begins again at the Pavilion (see map) on Monday 24 September. The Committee looks forward to seeing you there, whether you are a regular or a new member. Our own events are in bold type; selected events held by others are in regular type. For more information on our own events, please contact Rodney Evans unless other Committee members are named (contact details on back page). For other events, contact details or other sources of information are given where known. Sunday 9 September 10.30am - 3pm
B&MKWT Canal History Talks - a series of free talks about the local canals, plus an exhibition of the project plans. Barbecue 12 noon on. The Old Rectory, London Road, Broughton, MK10 9AA www.b-mkwaterway.co.uk/talkswalks.html
Sunday 9 September 2pm
2-hour Guided Walk along the Buckingham Arm, led by Athina Beckett, Chairman and Work Party Organiser, Buckingham Canal Society. Meet at Cosgrove Lock, MK19 7JR. Info: 01908 661217.
Saturday 15 September 10.30am
Ridgmont Ramble - walk a 3 - 4-mile section of the B&MK route. Meet at Ridgmont Station, Beds, MK43 0XP Refreshments at Salford Ford and return minibus. www.b-mkwaterway.co.uk/talkswalks.html
22-23 September 10am - 4pm
Introduction to Traditional Canal Painting: 2-day couse led by Terence Edgar. ÂŁ85 per person, max 10 people, lunches not included. Bookings 01604 862229.
Monday 24 September 8pm
MK Branch meeting: The River Lea or Lee, from Source to Olympics, with Richard Thomas, renowned IWA speaker. MK Village Pavilion, Worelle Avenue, Middleton, MK.
Getting to the Pavilion Fox Milne Rbt.
Central MK
A4146, M1 (Junc.14) Total Petrol Stn.
Pavilion Community Sports Club MK10 9AD Tanfield Lane
P
From H6 Childs Way (M1 or Central MK), turn south at Fox Milne roundabout into V11Tongwell Street. Pass under a bridge, then turn right into Griffith Gate, signed Middleton and Milton Keynes Village. At next roundabout turn right into Worrelle Avenue. The Pavilion is clearly marked, on left after about 1/4 mile. Going north along V11 Tongwell Street, cross Monkston Roundabout at H7 Chaffron Way, then take first left turn into Griffith Gate, and then as above.
WO RELLE AVENUE GR IFFITH GATE Monkston Rbt.
A4146 Bletchley, (A5)
Page 8
Mercedes Benz
Arriva bus service No. 8 leaves from Central Milton Keynes Station (stopY2) at 1922, calls at The Point (stop L3) at 1930, and arrives at Tongwell Street (stop just north of Tanfieild Lane bridge) at 1946. Return services leave at 2155 and 2225. Footpath leads from stop (northbound) to Tanfield Lane, for access to WorelleAvenue.
Diary Pages - continued. Wednesday 26 September Waterways of France and Belgium - talk by Roger Squires. 8pm Chiltern Branch: Amersham & Chiltern Rugby Club, Ash Grove, Weedon Lane, Amersham, HP6 5QU Saturday 29 September 2pm
IWA Annual General Meeting, King Edward VI Grammar School, 63 Broomfield Rd, Chelmsford, CM1 3SX. Pre-AGM meeting at 10am open to members. Activities weekend includes trips on Chelmer & Blackwater Navigation. Details: IWA Waterways Autumn.
29 - 30 September
Stoke Bruerne Village at War Weekend - World War II characters in costume, vintage vehicles, entertainments. www.stokebruernecanalmuseum.org.uk
20-21 October
Branch Clean-up: Fenny Stratford to Grove Lock. Sat: start 12 noon, Fenny Stratford to Globe Inn (book your evening meal via James Griffin - see back page); Sun: start 9.30am, Globe Inn to Grove Lock. General enquiries: David King (see back page).
Monday 22 October 8pm
MK Branch meeting: A Danube Delta Adventure, with Chris Ward, acclaimed wildlife photographer. MK Village Pavilion, Worelle Avenue, Middleton, MK.
Monday 26 November 8pm
MK Branch meeting: The Panama Canal - History and Today, with James Griffin, Wyvern Shipping Co. Ltd. MK Village Pavilion, Worelle Avenue, Middleton, MK.
Saturday 8 December 5pm on
Carols and Illuminated Boats at Stoke Bruerne. Join the children of Stoke Bruerne for this festive evening: roast chestnuts and hot soup to keep out the cold. Organised by Friends of the Canal Museum. www.friendsofcanalmuseum.org.uk
Monday 10 December 8pm
MK Branch Christmas Social - pre-booked ticket event; details to be announced. MK Village Pavilion, Worelle Avenue, Middleton, MK.
Monday 28 January 8pm
MK Branch meeting: Historic Waterway Films. MK Village Pavilion, Worelle Avenue, Middleton, MK.
Monday 25 February 8pm
MK Branch AGM (full Agenda in January edition), and TV Visit to GU in MK area - UK Boating TV films. MK Village Pavilion, Worelle Avenue, Middleton, MK. Page 9
BUCKINGHAM CANAL SOCIETY NEWS Our Annual Festival took place over the weekend of 21-22 July, and this year on the Sunday we held a combined day with the Iron Trunk celebrations. Unfortunately, as some of you may already know, my partner Jonathan Brown and I were in a car crash a week before the festival, so I was unable to spend as much time there as I had hoped. I was there on Sunday lunchtime though, and the towpath was packed with people walking from both sites. We were very fortunate with the weather, and we reckoned that we had about 3,000 attending the festival. The funds raised exceeded last year with over ÂŁ1,500 collected. Like other outside events this year, our tasks have been made that much harder because of the amount of rain this summer. The work parties at the Nature Reserve have spent half the time removing water from the lock chamber so that re-pointing the lock can begin. This is rather ironic as at two of our other sites we are desperate to have water in them! Work has been continuing to remove the very thick, dense mud from the bottom of the lock chamber. Remains of the old lock gates have been found at the bottom of the lock. Discussions are taking place as to the best way to remove them, so that they can be replaced with the gates donated by BW from the Northampton Arm. If it proves impossible to remove the gates by hand, the plan is to wait until we have an excavator on site in September, and to remove the old gates and install the new ones on the same day. The re-pointing work has gone well with the lock chamber wing walls completed, and work continuing on the rest of the lock. Two of our volunteers attended a WRG training weekend, and are now qualified to drive dumper trucks and excavators. The plan is to hire in a 20 tonne tracked excavator for the weekend of 29-30 September to install the lock gates. To make access to the site easier, a farm gate needs to be installed at the west end of the canal bed so that the excavator installing the larger of the gates can be brought along the canal bed. We hope to carry out this work on Sunday 9 September. The two smaller lock gates will be brought across the Poor Law land and through the gap in the hedge, then lifted in to position. Preparation work needs to be carried out by our volunteers in August before this can happen. Hopefully by the beginning of October the lock gates will be in place and will give a real boost to the nature reserve's appearance. In September we have two groups from Santander joining us on site at Cosgrove. They will be helping our volunteers install two gates along the towpath at Cosgrove. Once installed, these gates will allow access to the far end of the canal by Bridge No. 1 for dumper trucks and excavators, allowing the work to build the earth dams to take place from October onwards. The first trials to re-water this section of canal will hopefully be carried out before Christmas. Once the work at Cosgrove is completed, we plan to move the work parties to Bourton Meadow from about January 2013. They will then start to carry out the smaller tasks involved with re-watering this section of canal. Once funding for the major part of this project is secured, an access point across the River Ouse will be built to allow contractors' vehicles to carry out the re-lining of this section of canal hopefully in the summer of 2013. As part of the National Heritage Weekend, I am leading a five-mile heritage walk starting at Cosgrove Lock at 2pm on Sunday 9 September, and Northampton IWA members will join us. All Milton Keynes IWA members are very welcome too. Athina Beckett, Buckingham Canal Society. Page 10
WENDOVER ARM TRUST NEWS The wet weather this spring and summer has had an impact upon restoration progress, with work sites becoming waterlogged and Les Walks an having to be pumped dry. Lining work on the Phase 2 stretch of Arm’s Length. the canal bed has continued, though. Work continues too at the Whitehouses site, where the layout of the demolished buidings is becoming much more visible and understandable. Waterway Recovery Group held a work camp at the site in July, repairing the wharf wall ready for coping stones to be replaced. Much remains to be done to investigate and preserve the site, to refurbish a settling tank, and to put a new weir in place. The Trust's Annual General Meeting takes place on 23 October; members will have received full details. Membership now stands at 674 members at 447 households. With the cancellation this year of the Wendover Festival, the Trust is hoping for good results from its "Walk an Arm's Length" sponsored walk event (see right). Whilst the walk cannot be expected to raise the same level of funds as the Festival, every little helps to keep the restoration work going. Paraphrased from Wendover Arm News, Autumn 2012.
By the time you read this, I will have taken part in WAT’s Walk an Arm’s Length event, by walking the 6 3/4 miles from Wendover to Bulbourne on 2 September. As I prepare this edition of TPT in late August (between serious t r ai n i n g se s s i on s ), my donations already total £475! My sincere thanks to those who have already donated.
If you haven’t yet sponsored me and would like to, you can do so on-line until 31 October by visiting my web page at: https://mydonate.bt.com/ fundraisers/lesfranklin1
Willowbridge Marina 01908 643242
office@willowbridgemarina.co.uk
www.willowbridgemarina.co.uk
Willowbridge Marina is a working boatyard specialising in lifting boats in and out of the water, as well as on and off transport. We are a family-run business, working hard to provide services to canal boat owners and users in the Milton Keynes area. We offer the following services: - Well-stocked Chandlery, including stainless steel fastenings and Calor Gas fittings; - Red Diesel; - All boat services, including coal, LPG and pump-out; - All mooring services, including limited linear moorings, wireless internet and power, toilets, showers, laundry and extensive storage ashore. We offer a 10% discount on chandlery purchases and services in the yard to IWA members. Page 11
Crossness Cathedral
A former sewage pumping station may not be top of your list of "must sees", but if you have visited Crofton on the K&A, or the Newcomen engine at the Black Country Museum, you might like to add the Crossness Engines at Abbey Wood, S E London, to your collection. Three friends and I visited them inAugust.
In the 1850s, most of London's sewage flowed untreated into the Thames. Water companies drew their supplies from the polluted river, and cholera was rife. Sir Joseph Bazalgette's sewerage scheme, completed in 1865, was a miracle cure. Vast sewers each side of the river intercepted the effluent and carried it to twin sites on each side of the estuary, where it was held until the ebb tide could carry it out to sea. The scheme ended the cholera epidemics almost immediately, and the river was never to be so polluted again. At Crossness, the southern site, four huge beam engines (named Victoria, Prince Consort, Alexandra and Albert Edward) each drove twin pumps to lift effluent into reservoirs prior to release into the river, and went on doing their job until the 1950s when they and their building were abandoned and supplanted by the modern treatment works nearby. These, the largest surviving rotative beam engines in the world, lay derelict and vandalised until 1985, when the Crossness Beam Engines The octagon from above. Preservation Group (now the Crossness Engines Trust) began restoration work. Twenty-seven years on, the building and its neighbours are safe, and one of the engines, Prince Consort, has been brought back to life. Take the mini-bus from Abbey Wood Station. You enter via the former Boiler House, now a light and airy open space where displays tell the history of the place, and inform you what people used before toilet paper was invented! But nothing prepares you for what you see when you put on the mandatory hard hat and pass into the engine house. It's as if you have strayed into a cathedral - a polychrome, Puginesque riot of a place! You stand in a dim galleried central octagonal space, with filigreed screens between massive columns, and colour everywhere. The sound of Prince Consort in motion draws you to one side into the larger space around the octagon. Descend to the basement to see the pump cylinders that go down 40 feet below ground. Ascend to the beam floor, big enough for a banquet, where Prince Consort's brightly-painted beam rocks ponderously. The other three engines lie motionless and silent, like mounted dinosaurs. It’s a memorable experience.
Prince Consort at work. Page 12
Crossness is open on occasional Sundays; ÂŁ5 adults, under 16s free. On Sunday 23 September, admission is free to all under the London Open House scheme. For more details, visit the Trust's web site at www.crossness.org.uk Text and pictures: Les Franklin.
Canal & River Trust takes over from British Waterways
In England and Wales, the Canal & River Trust officially took over from British Waterways on 12 July, and has merged with the Waterways Trust. In Scotland, the waterways remain nationalised as Scottish Canals, and the Waterways Trust continues as a separate charity. The launch was celebrated by regional events, such as the floodlighting of Pontcysyllte Aqueduct. To co-incide with the launch, the Trust has unveiled its first appeal, covering fifty projects across the nation that aim to breathe new life into towpaths and riverbanks. Many of these projects have an emphasis on providing habitats for wildlife, but also included are an upgrade for the towpaths at Bath, support for the Shropshire Union Canal Society in relining the Montgomery Canal, clean-ups and education on the Leeds & Liverpool Canal. The public can support these projects by giving their time, making a oneoff donation, or donating regularly by becoming a "Friend" of the Trust. Clive Henderson, IWA National Chairman and a member of C&RT's governing Council, said: “IWA has promoted independence for the waterways since our inception. We then called it a Conservancy and our co-founder Robert Aickman was its first proponent, so of course we now welcome the Canal & River Trust and we look forward to working with you to help bring the wider 'conservancy' concept for all inland waterways a major step closer.” Information from Canal & River Trust web site.
MILTON KEYNES MARINA
These changes are reflected in our list of web addresses on the back page. The Canal & River Trust’s web site at http://canalrivertrust.org.uk/ generally covers what was included in the old britishwaterways and waterscape sites, but see below. The old britishwaterways address still carries details of meetings, consultations and documents relating to British Waterways. The waterscape.com address now directs you to the Canal & River Trust site. For the time being, stoppages are at a temporary microsite: www.waterscape.com/stoppages You have to enter the whole address, or you'll be back at the canalrivertrust site!
tel: 01908 672672
Modern full-service marina in the heart of Milton Keynes
10 & 15 year
Leasehold moorings available at discounts
Relax
15 miles of lock free cruising
Brokerage New and used boats for sale
Onsite facilities Chandlery and full services Brokerage Workshop, slipway Secure carparking Pub with all day carvery Indian and Chinese takeaway
For Moorings Availability and Prices, visit us at www.mkmarina.co.uk Page 13
ILKESTON PASSES THROUGH
Ilkeston is a composite narrow boat, built in 1912 by Braithwaite and Kirk of West Bromwich as one of 24 iron composite craft ordered by Fellows Morton & Clayton Ltd.
Ilkeston on the Grand Union Canal. Photo: www.ilkeston.tumblr.com Restoration to her original condition began at the Nottingham Canal Museum, with the renewal of all the bottom planking and the removal of the forward cabin. The boatman’s cabin was renovated and repainted in Fellows, Morton & Clayton livery. Following closure of the Nottingham Canal Museum in 1998, the boat was transferred to the Boat Museum at Ellesmere Port in 1999. Restoration continued there, with support from the London Canal Museum. Young people learning boat-building skills under the Heritage Lottery Fund's Skills for the Future programme were involved in the restoration work. To celebrate her 100th birthday, her restoration and the partnership between the Museums, Ilkeston travelled from Ellesmere Port to London during June-August. Most of the journey was under tow by powered boats but, on 23 August, she was towed from Regents Park to the Canal Museum by Buddy, a regular boat-horse from the Godalming Packet Boat Company. During her journey, Ilkeston was greeted by civic dignitaries, including the Mayors of Milton Keynes and Leighton Buzzard. Locals had the chance to board her and meet her crew. The journey was made possible by the combined efforts of waterway organisations including the National Waterways Museum, the Boat Museum Society, the Canal Museum Stoke Bruerne, the Rickmansworth Waterways Trust, and the London Canal Museum. Ilkeston will be on display at the London Canal Museum until 23 September, before making her way back to her home in Ellesmere Port. From London Canal Museum press release, June 2012.
Boat Safety Certification Alan Stewart
Lloyds Academy Diploma in Small Craft Surveying Ex-Merchant Marine Engineer
Authorised Boat Safety Scheme Examiner Visit my website: www.boat-safetyexaminer.co.uk Contact me by phone on 01234 767156 or mobile 07976 900113 Alternatively e-mail me at: alan_breck_stewart@msn.com Page 14
The Editor’s Page
London’s waterways played a major part in the nation's celebrations this summer. Sheila and I watched the Jubilee Pageant on TV, disappointed like many others with the BBC's coverage. If they had chosen a representative boat from each class taking part and interviewed its skipper to tell the boat's (or the skipper's) story, we could have had all the human interest anyone could want, without resorting to close-ups of the little arrivals at the riverside hospital! One participating boat, Gloriana, later carried the Olympic Flame to the Olympic Park via the River Lea, and we photographed her at her mooring there (see front cover). Soon afterwards, when I visited the Crossness Engines, I learned a little of how 19th century engineers began to clean up London's River - see Page 12. At the Linslade Festival, I found myself explaining to a visitor that the IWA is a waterway charity, part of whose job is to monitor the work of what is now another waterway charity. This was a novelty to my enquirer: whoever heard of an independent watchdog for the National Trust or the RSPB? Charities such as these have had to iron out their problems among themselves, often painfully. The National Trust went through difficult times when a difference arose among its members over deer culling on its land. The IWAitself split down the middle in the early 1950s. The Canal & River Trust has inherited the staff, organisation and many of the values of the former BW, and the change to Trust status does not confer infallibility. The IWA's trustees see its future role as a "critical friend" of the new charity. With political savvy at the top, and a high proportion of well-informed members at the grass-roots, it is well equipped for this role. Many of the C&RT's new "Friends" will have enrolled as a response to its deserving appeals for help with such things as habitats for voles, otters and hedgehogs, but they may not be inclined or informed enough - at first, at any rate - to ask the awkward questions. It has been suggested that the IWA could offer itself as a "bolt-on" membership organisation for the C&RT. Could it then serve as that "critical friend" from the inside? Probably not. Distance will lend the necessary objectivity, and it’s possible that the idea of one charity commenting on the work of another will be imitated elsewhere. The IWA should nonetheless involve itself as fully as possible in helping the C&RT to firm up its policies and its projects for infrastructure, wildlife and education, and in harnessing local volunteer effort (by both Branch members and other groups and individuals) on local projects. For MK Branch, the Clean-ups and the Wolverton Mural refurbishment have paved the way, and we now have the chance to show what we can do at Fenny Lock. It's a great start. Les Franklin, Editor.
RAISING FUNDS FOR IWA - THE EASY WAY More than £500 has been raised for IWA through the Easyfundraising scheme. The scheme is absolutely free to you, and IWA can collect donations from retailers of up to 2.5% or more of the value of your shopping when you use it. Big-name retailers from Amazon through John Lewis and Homebase to Zizzi are participating. Here’s how it works. Go to:
www.easyfundraising.org.uk
1: Click on “Find a cause” and select “Inland Waterways Association”. 2: Fill out the quick form to register your details. 3: Click on “Retailers” and find the retailer you want to shop with. 4: Click to visit the retailer, then shop as you normally would. 5: Your donation will be s hown in y our easyfundraising account within 30 days. IWA Bulletin, August 2012.
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Getting in touch with MK Branch The Branch Committee always welcomes your news and comments on waterway matters. We would also welcome offers of help to run the Branch - we are still without a Vice-Chairman, Secretary or Education Officer. If you can help, please talk to any Committee member. CHAIRMAN: PETER CASWELL Email: peter.caswell@waterways.org.uk VICE-CHAIRMAN: VACANT SECRETARY: VACANT MEMBERSHIP SECRETARY: PETE BICKERS Email: pete.bickers@waterways.org.uk TREASURER: DAVE ROBERTS SOCIAL / PUBLICITY, & B-MKWT REPORTER: RODNEY EVANS Email: rodney.evans@waterways.org.uk BUCKINGHAM C.S. REPRESENTATIVE: ATHINA BECKETT Email: chairman@buckinghamcanal.org.uk A DVE RTIS E MENT S are welcomed to assist Branch funds. Suggested donations as below (payable to IWA Milton Keynes Branch) are requested before copy date above. Whole page Half page Qutr page Back page Inserts
Per issue: £32.50 £20.00 £12.50 £45.00 £15.00
3 issues: £65.00 £40.00 £25.00 £90.00 -
TRADE REPRESENTATIVE: JAMES GRIFFIN Email: james@canalholidays.co.uk MARIE DRAPER Email: marie.draper@waterways.org.uk ROY CLEVERLY Email: roy.cleverly@waterways.org.uk DAVID KING Email: david.king@waterways.org.uk PHILIP STRANGEWAY Email: philip.strangeway@waterways.org.uk EDITOR: LES FRANKLIN Email: les.franklin@waterways.org.uk
DISCLAIMER: The views expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the Inland Waterways Association or of the Milton Keynes Branch. They are however published as being of interest to our members and readers. With the coming of the Canal & River Trust, many web addresses are superseded. See side panel on Page 13. These addresses were checked on 11.8.12.
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PLANNING (non-C’tee): TONY BIRCH Contact via Les Franklin. INSURANCE / RISK ASSESSMENTS (non-C’tee): MICHAEL WEINBERG Contact via David King. WEBMASTER (non-C’tee): VERNON DRAPER Email: vernon.draper@waterways.org.uk IWA homepage: https://www.waterways.org.uk MK Branch central site: at above address, under “IWALocal”, select Milton Keynes MK Branch standalone site: http://mkiwa.users.btopenworld.com Canal and River Trust: http://canalrivertrust.org.uk Bedford-Milton Keynes Waterway Trust: www.b-mkwaterway.co.uk Buckingham Canal Society: www.buckinghamcanal.org.uk WendoverArm Trust: www.wendoverarmtrust.co.uk Friends of the Canal Museum: www.friendsofcanalmuseum.org.uk