Endeavour

Northampton Branch

Newsletter - August 2014

1 to attempt (eg the fulfilment of an obligation) by exertion of effort; 2 archaic

to strive to achieve or reach ~ vi to make an effort to do something n

a serious determined effort

The IWA was founded in 1946 to campaign for the retention, restoration and development of Britain’s navigable waterways and for their fullest commercial and recreational use.

The IWA is a registered Charity (no. 212342) , whose work is supported by members’ subscriptions.

Local waterway enthusiast, life-long campaigner and IWA Northampton Branch

member David Blagrove was appointed an MBE in The Queen’s Birthday Honours

List in June. The brief citation reads: “For services to Restoration of the UK Water-

ways”

Lynda Payton writes: For over 60 years David’s life has been dedicated to the resto-

ration and promotion of the waterways, starting in the 50s when, still at school, as a

member of the Kennet & Avon Canal Association, he helped set up the Reading

Branch and began campaigning

for its restoration and eventual

re-opening which took place in

1990. In 1961 he became joint

owner of the Enterprise, an old

working boat converted to run

as a passenger boat operating

on the remaining navigable

section of the River Kennet at

Reading and commercial carry-

ing at the same time. The fol-

lowing year he assisted with the

setting up of the Kennet &

Avon Canal Trust, formed out

of the previous Association,

and was an early Council Mem-

ber of that Trust.

Continued on page 8

David Blagrove, MBE

David Blagrove (left) is congratulated by Richard Parry

(CEO CRT) at the Stoke Bruerne Family Festival

Photo: Katherine Dodington

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EDITORIAL

MUSINGS

3

IWA Northampton Branch now has a Facebook page. It’s at https://www.facebook.com/IWANorthamptonBranch Members will find posts there

about our talks, work party dates and much more, as well as being able to use it for discussion purposes. We’d like to hear your views. We also have a Twitter

account @northamptoniwa where you can leave us a message or engage in

First, apologies for the late appearance of this Endeavour, dated August but actually dis-

tributed in early September. I am afraid holidays got in the way, as they do at this time of

the year.

A lot has been going on this summer on our patch. Notable has been our success with

CRT regarding maintenance issues on the Northampton Arm, particularly in view of the

“mini national rally” being held at Becket’s Park next August (that’s only 12 months

away, folks!).

Our Boat Gathering at Braunston Marina in early May, now only a distant memory, saw

the summer off to a flying start and was followed by several successful high profile

events, among them Crick Boat Show, the Historic Narrowboat Rally at Braunston and

then the Family Festival at Stoke Bruerne organised by The Friends of The Canal Muse-

um when numerous Branch members were seen beavering away for the general water-

ways cause. Now imminent at Stoke Bruerne is the Village at War Weekend, again with a

considerable representation from the Branch membership (see page 23) — and to top it

all, Branch stalwart and waterways polymath David Blagrove was awarded the MBE in

The Queen’s Birthday Honours in June.

My plea for “Letters to the Editor” has, I hope, only temporarily fallen on stony ground,

but I like to think it did prompt the submission of articles by members (pages 16 and 24).

This is a healthy indication of people becoming actively involved — please keep up the

good work.

Remember my tongue–in–cheek comments in February’s Endeavour about roofing over

various sections of the network. Well, it seems it will all come to nought. The starting

point for my fantasy was the plan to erect a glazed canopy over the canal at Banbury as

part of a canalside development scheme. Objections (almost inevitably, I would say) were

lodged by a number of waterway interests, including the IWA Oxfordshire Branch. Now I

understand a revised planning application for the development will be submitted in due

course, sans the canopy. It did seem at the time to be a rather weird and wonderful vision

– even my follow-up idea to roof over The Tunnel at Fenny Compton!

Finally, I have recently been from Stoke Bruerne to Oxford and back. Slow work at

times, especially south of Banbury. The reason? Yes, you’ve guessed it: the interminable

line of moored boats. What is to be done about it?

DIARY DATES 4

IWA Northampton Branch web site www.waterways.org.uk/northampton

Please visit it regularly to see any updates

September

9th 8pm IWA Northampton Branch Meeting at The Walnut Tree Inn,

Blisworth. Speaker John Pomfret — Freight on the Waterways 13th –14th Stoke Bruerne Village at War (see page 23 or contact

www.friendsofcanalmuseum.org.uk)

October

14th 8pm IWA Northampton Branch Meeting at The Walnut Tree Inn,

Blisworth. Speaker Tony Conder — Canals in the 20s and 30s

25th 7.30 IWA Northampton Branch Annual Dinner at The Heart of

England, Weedon. See page 22

sandie.morton@waterways.org.uk 01604 858294

November

11th 8pm IWA Northampton Branch Meeting at The Walnut Tree Inn,

Blisworth. Speaker Kathyrn Dodington —

Diamond Jubilee Regatta – The Taking Part

December 6th 5pm Christmas Carols and Illuminated Boats at Stoke Bruerne by the

Museum (contact www.friendsofcanalmuseum.org.uk)

9th 8pm IWA Northampton Branch Meeting at The Walnut Tree Inn,

Blisworth. Christmas Quiz with Mick and Catriona Butler

January

13th 8pm IWA Northampton Branch Meeting at The Walnut Tree Inn,

Blisworth. Speaker Richard Thomas — The River Lee - Luton to

Leyton

Branch Task Party dates on the Northampton Arm September 7th, 23rd. October 12th 28th.

November 9th, 25th. December 7th 16th.

For details see web site or contact geoff.wood@waterways.org.uk

Buckingham Canal Society and Braunston Canal Society

work party dates are on page 11

5

6

Stowe Hill Wharf, Heyford Lane,

Weedon, Northants NN7 4SF

Tel: 01327 341365

Proprietor Robert Gudgeon

welcomes you to Stowe Hill Workshop

Full Repaints

Hull Blacking/Stern Gear

Inspection and Repairs

Engine Repairs and Maintenance

Complete Fit-Out and Woodwork Alterations

Plumbing Installations and Repairs

Electrical Installations and Repairs

NEW — Fuel Polishing Service

Stockists of Morris Oils and Grease

Full range of Batteries always available

(please let us know your requirements)

By road we are easily found, a few yards off the A5 at Stowe Hill

towards Nether Heyford. By boat close to Bridge 26

ALL WORK UNDERTAKEN, FROM SIMPLE

TASKS TO COMPLETE FIT-OUTS

Branch Chairman’s Jottings

by Bernard Morton

7

ENJOYABLE CRUISING. Well, until August what a glorious summer it’s been. Early

on I reckon you would have to have been very unlucky to have hit a wet and cool spell

— actually the only complaints around seemed to be “it’s too dared hot…!”

I’ve taken the opportunity this summer to go serious canal boating again as opposed to

river cruising. For several years now I have been based on the Nene at Titchmarsh Mill,

downstream from Thrapston. Naturally, I wanted to attend our Branch Boat Gathering at

Braunston by boat — incidentally, what a success this was and congratulations and

thanks again to the organising team — and recently I returned from an extended cruise as

far as Llangollen. All round, a really enjoyable and rewarding trip.

WELL DESERVED MBE. Meanwhile things have been very busy on our patch. First,I

must heartily congratulate David Blagrove on his well deserved MBE. Read all about it

elsewhere in Endeavour. David has certainly played a key role in the promotion of wa-

terways generally as well as locally, with his name indelibly linked with Stoke Bruerne.

Then there has been the well-publicised achievement by the Branch in persuading CRT to

take a more positive and practical approach over maintenance issues on the Northampton

Arm, our particular “baby”. Clearly, this is a sensible attitude by CRT, bearing in mind

the major rally at Becket’s Park next August (now officially known as Northampton Fes-

tival of Water) when it would help no-one if boaters had to indulge in a spot of advanced

ditch-crawling to get there and back. My personal thanks to Nick Wolfe, with his work-

ing boat Aldgate, for his ready assistance over this exercise.

FESTIVAL PREPERATIONS. The Branch now needs to strengthen its organising

committee for the 2015 Festival of Water from 29th — 31st August, the Bank Holiday

weekend. There are two aspects to this : the main committee with overall responsibility

for the event which, as well as IWA, will include representation from Northampton Bor-

ough Council, the Environment Agency and CRT. Then there is a sub-committee to or-

ganise boaters’ activities based on the Lock Island as an integral part of the Festival. At

the moment, this latter committee is down on numbers as two long-standing members,

Sam Samuells and Roger Hasdell, have decided to retire as both reach birthdays with an

“8” prefix! Sincere thanks to them both for their loyal and hard work over many years. I

am sure they will still be around in some shape and form next August but their retiral

does open up the way for fresh blood on the committee. There are several new faces

around that I would love to see get more involved — please come forward.

TIME TO SOCIALISE AGAIN. With darker evenings already here, it is time for our

social meetings to start again (details on page 42). Attendances at these were up last sea-

son; please come along whenever possible and swell the numbers. They are friendly, so-

ciable get-togethers with first class illustrated talks on a variety of waterway topics.

Then, of course, there is the Branch’s Annual Dinner at The Heart of England at

Weedon on Saturday 25th October. This is always a well-supported and enjoyable

evening. Please see page 22 for details — and book early.

8

DAVID BLAGROVE — from front page

On leaving a job in London, David went to work for the Willow Wren Canal Carry-

ing Company, initially as a sub-contractor and later with a pair of boats. During the

big freeze of 1962-63 he fetched up in Stoke Bruerne, where he lives now. In the

spring of 1963 he joined the Thames Conservancy as a Relief Lock Keeper, finally

leaving full time employment on the waterways after marrying Jean in 1964 in order

to train as a history teacher. He moved to Stoke Bruerne in 1966 and took up a post

at the local secondary school. He continued to carry freight part-time until retirement.

Having joined the Inland Waterways Association in 1960, he helped set up the North-

ampton Branch in 1971-2, serving as its Chairman from 1972-78 during which time

the Branch campaigned for the retention of grain traffic to Whitworth’s Mill at Wel-

lingborough, organised a series of boat rallies (including the 1971 “National” in

Northampton which saw over 600 boats attending) and gave evidence at a public in-

quiry into the diversion of the A5 which bisected the line of the Old Stratford Canal

making the restoration of the Buckingham Arm more difficult. In 1983 he both gave

evidence on behalf of IWA and represented the Association at a public inquiry at

Blisworth over the routing of the Blisworth Bypass and its effect on the Northampton

Arm.

David has held a number of posts, serving as an IWA Council member between 1981-

90 and being appointed as a Vice-President in 1991. In 1990 he was a founding com-

mittee member of what is now the Commercial Boat Owners Association, serving as

Vice-Chairman until 2006 and frequently represented CBOA at meetings of the Par-

liamentary Waterways Group at the House of Commons. He is a Vice-President of

this Association. He is also an Honorary Life Member of the Narrowboat Trust (set

up in 1970) and contributes to a website chat forum for the SMJ Society (Stratford

upon Avon Midland Junction Railway) — another interest he champions alongside

waterways!

More recently, in 2005/6, David co-founded a new volunteer group, The Friends of

The Canal Museum, set up to help support the then ailing Canal Museum in Stoke

Bruerne, and still serves as its Chairman. At the same time he joined a re-invigorated

Stoke Bruerne Canal Partnership working on a number of projects including the pro-

duction of an award winning Conservation Plan in 2008, and currently a Develop-

ment Plan. He is also responsible for the setting up and operation of the Stoke

Bruerne Canal Adoption Group under the auspices of the Partnership.

You might well think that all this is enough to be going on with – but any spare time

David has left over has enabled him to support a secondary career as an accomplished

historian, author of many books about the railways and canals, and as a musician and

songwriter keeping the traditions and oral history of the waterways alive. He is also a

regular contributor of numerous articles and columns for magazines and newsletters

directed at the waterway and railway communities, as well as delivering interesting

talks in his own inimitable witty style.

I’m sure many of you will agree with me that David’s honour is overdue and a well

deserved recognition of 60 years of a life dedicated to our waterways. Well done

David!

9

Happy 1st Anniversary

Northampton Arm Adoption

It is a year since the Branch adopted the Arm and the work is getting on at a pace

with the following highlights achieved:-

We have run 19 Task Parties with 50 different volunteers totaling approximately 780

volunteer hours.

The Sanitary Station at Gayton Junction has been painted along with the hand rails

and bollards, the vegetation around it cleared and generally tidied up.

Locks 2,3,4,5,14 and 17 have been painted and the Hut at lock 1 started to be painted.

With CRT having painted locks 1,7 and 8, over half the locks have now been done.

The Arm has been litter picked from top to bottom with the area from lock 17 up to

bridge 13 being done several times. Needless to say that the amount of litter and rub-

bish collected was considerable.

A lot of effort was put into vegetation clearance around lock 17 and the area has now

been vastly improved.

We hosted a corporate volunteer day for Santander with 11 volunteers attending and

they also made a donation to the Branch of £250.

We have been well supported by CRT with materials and training (strimmer, petrol

mower and first aid) with special thanks to John Highmore, Miriam Tedder and Gra-

ham Newman.

Going forward:-

Complete the lock painting.

We have been asked to help with some hedge laying, sapling planting and coir mat-

ting installation in conjunction with the towpath improvements that are planned.

Graffiti is a problem and we may get involved in tackling that. The only positive re-

plies we have had are from CRT and Network Rail. All the other agencies are plead-

ing poverty.

More vegetation work around lock 17 and lift bridge 5.

More litter picking at the bottom end of the Arm.

So if you have not tried one of our Task Parties, please come along and give it a go.

Geoff Wood

SAVE THE BRANCH MONEY! Stop receiving Endeavour by post and instead get it electronically.

You will be notified by email when it’s published on-line. This will

save in postage and printing costs. The printed version will be

available at Branch meetings. Contact Geoff Wood at

geoff.wood@waterways.org.uk and he will organise it. Editor

10

CONCERNS ABOUT ARM

NAVIGATION ARE EASED Our Branch, in conjunction with the Canal & River Trust, has carried out a navigation conditions survey on the Northampton Arm of the Grand Union Canal between Gayton Junction and Far Cotton, Northampton, where the ca-nal joins the River Nene. There has been growing concern about conditions on the Arm for some time and the Branch asked for boaters’ feedback through its members and the waterways press so that a database could be built and passed on to the Trust.

As part of this process the Branch arranged for Nick Wolfe to take his working boat NB Aldgate down and back up the canal arm on Wednesday 9

th July,

with engineers from the CRT in attendance to record all issues regarding de-fects, vegetation works and dredging. The operation was well supported with seven IWA volunteers acting as locking crew. The weather was sunny and dry and the round trip took 7.5 hours

The information gathered will now be included in CRT’s work plan for action, mainly during its winter stoppage programme. Branch Chairman Bernard Mor-ton says: ”We are grateful to the Canal & River Trust for taking such a positive stance and agreeing to look at the remedial action needed. We will now have to wait and see what sort of improvements this will make for boaters navi-gating the Northampton Arm.”

From left:

Nick Wolfe, Ian

Lindsay, Will

Swinburne (CRT),

Robert Parkin,

Geoff Taylor and

Bob and Karin

Cotter.

Photo:

Geoff Wood

11

GRAND JUNCTION BOAT COMPANY

Boat Building and Fitting,

Marine Engineers, Electricians,

Agents for Yanmar Diesel Engines

CANAL MAINTENANCE YARD,

BLISWORTH ARM, boatrepairs.uk.com

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Tel: 01604-858043 narrowboatrepairsnorthampton.co.uk

NEW BRANCH MEMBERS ARE WELCOMED

We extend a warm welcome to the following who have joined Northampton Branch since the last issue of Endeavour

NEW MEMBERS Mr P Lynam & Miss G Anscombe Northampton

Mr & Mrs S & J Tuckwell Daventry

Mr R Beadsmore & Ms J Tebbutt Northampton

Mr M De Monti Wellingborough

Mr G & Mrs S Brass Litchborough, Towcester

MEMBERS WHO HAVE MOVED TO THE BRANCH Revd E Gray-King & Mr P Gray Welton Hythe

Mr R & Mrs A Williams Alcester, Warwickshire

We look forward to meeting you all at Branch events

BUCKINGHAM AND BRAUNSTON WORK PARTY DATES

Buckingham Canal Society September 4th, 14th, 18th. October 2nd, 12th, 16th, 30th.

November 9th, 13th, 27th. December 4th, 11th.

Further details contact Athina Beckett on 01908 662127

Braunston Canal Society

September 7th, 18th. October 12th, 19th.

Other dates to be arranged contact chris.burton7@btinternet.com

Further details contact Chris Burton on 01788 891546

12

Rampaging Vikings, historic and model boats, clog and Morris Dancing, displays of traditional canal crafts, music, theatre, a bustling market and much more. June’s Family Festival held in Stoke Bruerne, organ-ised by The Friends of The Ca-nal Museum, raised a record sum of over £4k to help their work in supporting the Canal Museum. Despite rain showers, the Festival had a real celebratory feel this year and there was even more reason to party when the festivities kicked off with the announcement that Chairman of the Friends, David Blagrove, had been awarded a much de-served MBE for services to restoration of the UK Waterways.

This year’s Festival was more family orientated than usual featuring a circus workshop with tuition in juggling, clowning and walking a low wire trapeze

as well as popular games such as hook-a-duck and a colour-ing competition. There was huge community involvement also with village gardens open to the public as well as all the usual activities on the water. Over the weekend quite a few visitors dropped by including Canal & River Trust CEO Rich-ard Parry, who was on hand to congratulate David on his award, together with acting SE Waterway Manager Neil Owen and two judges from the Living Waterways Awards

Stoke Bruerne’s Family Festival

raises a record sum

13

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2014. Following on from this, we are pleased to be able to report that the Friends have been nominated as final-ists in the Tourism and Recreation category for eight years of “Events” staged in Stoke Bruerne since their founding in 2006 as a direct result of which they have raised over £66,000. The winners will be announced at a ceremony at the Royal Armouries, Clarence Dock, Leeds on 24th September 2014.

BOAT GATHERING DONATIONS MADE

The accounts of the Branch Boat Gathering in May have now been finalised and as a

result the following donations are being made:

£750 to Braunston Canal Society;

£650 to Northampton Branch, which will be “ring-fenced” for expenses in-

curred with the Northampton Arm adoption.

Two raffles were also held. The Saturday evening raffle raised £148 for the War-

wickshire and Northamptonshire Air Ambulance and the Sunday evening raffle £166

for the Friends of Raymond.

Sincere thanks to all those who contributed.

14

BRANCH COMMITTEE MEETING REVIEW

May Urgent Business It was agreed to donate £100 to the Akeman Challenge organised by

IWA Head Office staff.

Northampton Arm

Mick Butler reported that the sanitary station at Gayton Junction had

been painted along with railings and bollards around the slipway. Next

project would be the Lock Keepers Hut and Lock 1 with repainting of

locks starting at Lock 1 and working down the flight.

Membership

There are currently 299 memberships equalling 476 members.

Boat Gathering 2014

Only four questionnaires had been handed in but all of them expressed

fulsome praise for the organisation of the event and activities on offer.

It was thought more publicity at key points (pubs water points refuse/

loo disposal), rather than just at marinas, was required. Better use of

Facebook/Twitter should also be used. Tim Coghlan had been very

pleased with the way the Gathering had gone and would be pleased to

host the event again. A provisional surplus of £1,200 has been raised.

2015 Festival

The Branch is proposing that everything raised on the Island goes to

Branch funds to enable the Branch to make its usual donations to local

waterway causes. The question of a licence fee discount to cover the

event had been raised with EA. The Agency is keen to attract more

boaters to the river, so are considering what discount can be offerd. Nene Task Group

EA would like to improve the facilities at Thrapston with the possibility

of a pump-out/Elsan disposable unit. The major stumbling block is funding

— the Agency has had its funding from Central Government cut back

quite severely.

Planning Matters

Canal Museum at Stoke Bruerne — a retrospective listed building applica-

tion covering aspects of recent work has been carried out. Aluminium

drain pipes look wrong and should be painted black to be more in keeping.

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16

Karin Cotter asks:

“WILL YOU BE OUR BOATING BUDDY?”

In the depths of last winter, one chilly, dark night, Bob and I sat down and planned out our cruising year for 2014. “The Leicester Ring – let’s do the Leicester Ring,” I said, my voice full of excitement and enthusiasm. “Everyone says how lovely the Soar is, although I know it can go up and down a bit. We just need a good run of fine, dry weather....” A couple of weeks clear of football (except for a little tournament going on some-where else in the world) appeared in June and we began to make plans. I devised an itinerary which covered about 14-15 days and, after some thought and research, we decided to go anticlockwise, in order that we could navigate the river sections first in case the weather didn’t hold. I searched through some old copies of waterways magazines looking for cruising guides. Waterways World June 2013 issue had one and, imagine my surprise when I identified our boat in one of the photographs, with us both at the helm! I watched a cruising guide DVD a couple of times, although the journey was undertaken clockwise, and our overnight mooring stops were selected. Plan B was to cruise the Warwickshire Ring, if the early part of June proved wet, but as D-day approached, the forecast looked good, the higher river levels of early June subsided and we made the decision to head northwards for the rivers Soar and Trent. We checked our anchor, chain and ropes, did a small service on the engine and stocked the cupboards with enough provisions to last us most of the trip. With Nicholson’s and Pearson’s guides opened at the correct pages for the start of our cruise and the helpful little GU Leicester Line guide produced by the IWA Leics Branch covered in highlighter pen marks, we left our moorings and headed north.

We moored above Foxton Locks on the first night and, early the next morning, we locked down the pretty pair of staircase locks. We were the second boat down that day and it took us just 50 minutes. At the bottom, we passed a boat that was just leaving its mooring outside the Bridge 61 pub. It was the boat that had gone down the locks just before us and had stopped for a few gro-ceries. “Good morning!” we shouted, and

smiled. Mile straight in Leicester’s twilight

17

“Good morning,” came the reply, as the boat was eased out into the canal behind us. It had made me smile, as I noticed the roof was covered in artifi-cial grass. We travel quite slowly – our old Lister engine is no match for more powerful modern engines – and often wave other boats on. However, the boat now travelling quite closely behind us made no attempt to pass. We travelled together through Saddington Tunnel, pulled over in limited space to allow Mikron’s Tyseley to pass us heading south, a couple of this year’s troupe enjoying the journey from the bows, and then our companions drew alongside us in Kibworth Top Lock. “I love your roof!” I shouted. “It stops the paintwork getting scratched. How far are you going? Can we share the locks?” asked the other steerer. “We are planning to stop tonight at Kilby Bridge,” I replied. “Sounds ok to us,” came the reply. Over the next few days, the wide locks and heavy gates, many with poorly main-tained paddle gear, made for hard work and slow progress. How glad we all were to have each other’s company and that feeling continued when we finally reached the Soar, and then the Trent. How wide the Trent seemed after the narrow waterways! Altogether, we spent four days boating together, sharing a few pints in the evenings and lots of boating stories. We finally parted company at Sawley Cut. We had ar-ranged visitor moorings at the marina for a couple of nights so that Bob could get a

The bridge advertising Burton-on-Trent’s famous brewery

The River Trent is much wider than the canal

18

train to a meeting. We felt a little sad, waving goodbye as the electrically-operated locks gates closed behind their boat. We had exchanged mobile numbers and email addresses and have been in contact since. Boating with another boat was a great experience, especially to help each other with the locks and when boating somewhere new – safety in numbers! We had nev-er boated any great distance on rivers, but our companions were a lot wiser than us and followed behind in case we had a problem. We continued our journey around the Ring alone, spending some time and effort trying to open the top gates of Stenson Lock, dodging the large number of boats manoeuvring round Fradley Junction, and mooring up in front of Phyllis May II at Polesworth. As we chatted on the towpath, Terry Darlington said that the cruise down the Eastern Seaboard had been the biggest adventure of his life, and by com-parison I felt the Coventry Canal must have seemed very tame. Ironically, “Narrow Dog to Indian River” was my bedtime reading for this trip. The weather had broken and that evening we had a heavy downpour with thunder and lightning. Jim would have to wait a little longer for his pork scratchings. As our adventure neared its end, Bob and I started talking about taking the boat down the River Nene sometime soon. Bob had always wanted to navigate the Nene, having been born and bred not a mile from its northern bank. I know he would love to take our boat down to Peterborough and back, but we lack experience and infor-mation. A quick search on the internet brings up only general notes or information that is four or five years old. So, after my long preamble, here is the point of my writing. I have two requests to make. First, is there someone out there who is prepared to be our boating buddy and help us discover this lovely river, either to take us out for an hour or two in their boat and allow us to pick their brains with regard to boating on the Nene, or to accompany us for a day or two, or even a week, to share locks and moorings, when we finally plan our cruise? This would probably be next year to coincide with the Gathering at the end of August 2015 (weather and water levels permitting) at Becket’s Park. Secondly, and not unrelated, I think it would be nice to produce a cruis-ing guide to the Nene as far as Pe-terborough, updated each year, downloadable from the IWA North-ampton site along the lines of the one produced by IWA Leics for the GU Leicester Line. I’m happy to com-pile this but I would need lots of help from those who cruise the Ne-ne regularly, unless, of course, such a guide exists already. If you can help, please contact me karin.cotter@tiscali.co.uk

Approaching Fradley Junction

19

Braunston Historic Narrowboat Rally

continues to attract the

historic narrowboats

Tim Coghlan of Braunston Marina looks back on another

successful Rally. All pictures by the author

A total of 63 historic narrowboats attended the recent 12th Braunston Historic Nar-

rowboat Rally, attracting some five thousand visitors, some coming from as far afield

as Canada. The boat numbers were somewhat down on the 87 that had attended the

previous year, and the record 104 in 2011.

The lower attendance of boats and people was in part due to the poor weather fore-

cast for the Saturday of weekend, which proved extremely correct. There were tor-

rents of rain from shortly after the official opening at 11 am, and these continued off

and on for the rest of the day.

Also there are an increasing number of canal festivals around the network, perhaps

inspired by the success of our rallies. In particular, there was a rally at Foxton the

previous weekend and at both Stratford and Audlem the following one – all seeking

to attract historic narrowboats. As one owner told me, ‘We are now spoilt for choice.’

This is good for the canals and the preservation of their working-boat heritage, and

we can take comfort from the fact that the Braunston Historic Narrowboat Rally re-

mains by far and away the largest gathering of historic narrowboats anywhere. As

David Daines, owner of the 1935 Yarwoods Cyprus told me, ‘Braunston remains the

premier event.’ We have come a long way since our first Rally in 2003, when 29

boats attended – which seemed a lot at the time.

We have now established a tradition of rotating the theme of the Rally between the

surviving Fellow, Morton & Clayton (FMC) fleet and what we have termed the

other Braunston Boats – Bar-

lows, Blue Line and Nursers,

plus the GUCCC boats, all with

Braunston connections. This

year it was again the turn of

those other boats.

In pride of place was the

Braunston Marina based pair of

historic narrowboats, Nutfield

and Raymond – lovingly

looked after by the enthusiastic

Friends of Raymond. At the end

of the boats’ working lives,

they were part of the small

20

Blue Line fleet that took part in

what transpired to be the last run

under regular contract, carrying

coal from Atherstone to the ‘Jam

‘Ole’ factory in west London,

until the trade collapsed in October

1970.

The Rally was officially opened by

former working boatmen Alice

Lapworth and her brother-in-law

Tom Lapworth – the boatmen al-

ways called themselves boatmen

or boaties, regardless of sex. The

couple helmed Raymond and Nutfield respectively as a husband and wife team

would have steered a working pair in former times. Both now in their seventies, they

have memories of the canals in WWII when, as young children, they travelled them

with their parents. Tom has dramatic recall of air raids in London and Birmingham.

Joining them in the opening parade were veteran actors and canal enthusiasts Timo-

thy West (currently in EastEnders) on Vulcan and his actress wife Prunella Scales

(of Fawlty Towers fame) on Monarch, who both donned traditional working boat-

men and women’s costumes. Timothy West quipped, ‘We usually charge to dress

up. But to support this unique and wonderful canal event, we will waive our fee in

this case!’

The opening parade was fanfared by Daventry Brass, playing popular WWI tunes.

There was also be a fine peal of bells from All Saints Church, Braunston, considered

to be the Cathedral of the Canals.

To encourage the preservation of historic narrowboats, we introduced in 2013 the

Nurser Award for the best historic narrowboat in show – as voted for by the boaters.

The award was named after the Nurser family who built wooden narrowboats for

about seventy years until 1952 in what is

today Braunston Marina. In 2014 the award

was generously sponsored for the first time

by Midland Chandlers, who have a major

presence in Braunston. Midland Chandlers

presented their gift vouchers of £500 to the

winner William and £200 to Southern Cross

which came second.

To manage the event at its present size, we

have made a number of changes in recent

years, including having now eleven volun-

teer harbourmasters to manage the moorings

and parades. One of them, John Boswell,

21

was a working boatman in his boy-

hood in the 1950s and knew some

of these boats in their working

days. The stewards have much

reduced the good-humoured chaos

traditionally associated with those

parades.

We also had invaluable help from

the Canal & River Trust in many

ways, including closing the visitor

moorings on the parade route and

making them available for historic

narrowboats. We were honoured to

have the CRT Chairman Tony Hales joining us on Raymond for the opening parade.

On the Sunday, the Chief Executive Richard Parry visited, joining the parade of boats

on the Stoke Bruerne Museum’s Sculptor

We also had great support from the recently formed Braunston Canal Society - both

during the event and in the previous winter when they helped with cutting back the

overgrown canalside vegetation along the parade route. This considerably widened

the canal for the parades. Its hands-on secretary Chris Burton was full of unqualified

praise for the Rally, ‘It is the best canal event anywhere, in my humble opinion!’

Shore-side attractions included a trade marquee and also a number of outside exhibi-

tors and canal societies. There was also the now well established canal artists’ mar-

quee. Entertainments included Morris Dancers, the famous beer tent, with music pro-

vided by a number of groups. There were also theatre performance by Mikron and

Day Star.

All profits were donated as usual to canal causes. The main recipient was the Friends

of Raymond which received £2,000. Donations were made to canal societies attend-

ing the Rally, including £1,000 to The Friends of The Canal Museum at Stoke

Bruerne for the ongoing restoration of its narrowboat Sculptor. It was seen in the

parades steered by the Friends’

Chairman, David Blagrove, newly

appointed an MBE for his years of

service to the canals.

The annual Braunston Historic Nar-

rowboat Rally is sponsored by

Braunston Marina, Towpath Talk,

and the Canal & River Trust.

Braunston Marina will be hosting

the event again next year on the

same last weekend in June, 27th –

28th.

22

IWA Northampton Branch

ANNUAL DINNER

will be held at

THE HEART OF ENGLAND,

WEEDON,

on Saturday, 25th October 2014

7.00 for 7.30pm

Please support this popular annual get–together

Full details, including

menu options and prices,

are available from Sandie Morton by

emailing

sandie.morton@waterways.org.uk

or phone 01604 858294

Seating is limited and so early booking is advised

23

For the seventh successive year Stoke Bruerne is all set to return to the 1940s. The Village at War Weekend on Saturday 13th and Sunday 14th September kicks off early on Friday even-ing (12th) for boaters with the fabulous Lola Lamour singing nostalgic songs of the 40s in The Navigation pub (table booking advised on 01604 864988) and continues with village hall tea dances, firepower demonstrations and battles, vintage and military vehicle displays, a Black Market (get your nylons here), re-enactments from living history groups such as the Pitsford Home Guard, Women’s Land Army, Dogs Army, Allied Assortment, UK Tank Club, Trucks, Troops and Stores and the Tommy At-kins Society and in the skies, the Battle of Brit-ain Memorial Flight. As usual the canal will be full of working nar-rowboats many of them decorated in full 1940s style. During the war the canal played an important role in transporting essential supplies from the Midlands to the London area and, story has it, that part of our Gold Reserves were shipped from the Bank of England to Liverpool during the invasion scare of 1940. Stoke Bruerne’s own NB Sculptor moored outside the Canal Museum was even called into service as a fire

boat in London during the latter part of the war. The cost of entry is £5 per person + £3 per car for parking. More information can be found at www.friendsofcanalmuseum.org.uk/village-at-war-2014

Pictures from last year’s Village at War

Grab your gas masks – Stoke Bruerne is

going to war again

24

Following the talk at our May Branch meeting about the Huddersfield Narrows,

Fiona and Roland Rawlings cruised the South Pennine Ring. This is their story.

Leaving Sowerby Bridge with a crew of four adults early on a Saturday morning, we

planned to do the

South Pennine Ring

in a clockwise di-

rection. Although

we knew we could

complete the ring in

two weeks, to take it

at a more leisurely

pace we decided to

take three weeks.

The challenge

would be 197 locks

and 75 miles.

Calder and Hebble

Navigation

Apart from learning

the trick of using

the hand spike at the

locks, as well as

manoeuvring a 56ft

boat through the

locks which can

accommodate 57ft boats maximum, we had a smooth journey through this combina-

tion of canal and river cruising,

Huddersfield Broad and Narrow Canals

The Huddersfield Broad also needed special attention due to the shortness of their

locks whereas the Huddersfield Narrow Canal returned to the longer length single

lock size we are used to. We did however have to start using the handcuff keys to

unlock the paddle mechanisms on some of these locks. When we were taking on wa-

ter at Aspley Basin we discovered that in order to travel through lock 24E the next

day we would need to phone the Canal & River Trust to book a time for their staff to

assist with the guillotine lock which is due for repair this summer. We booked a slot

for the next day. Empire Brewery was unfortunately closed at the time we passed it.

The excitement of the Huddersfield canals was then arriving at Marsden on the Tues-

day afternoon in time to visit the visitor centre by the entrance to the Standedge Tun-

Meeting the challenges of cruising

the South Pennine Ring

Waiting to go through Standedge Tunnel – only three boats

a day in each direction three days a week with an

escort on each boat with booked passage only

25

nel before it closed at 16.00.

The next day we were the first

boat through as boats are tak-

en in order of the date they

were booked to go through the

tunnel. The Canal & River

Trust provided a guide to nav-

igate us through the tunnel as

well as hard hats and life jack-

ets for those steering the boat.

The journey through the tun-

nel took us 2hrs and 10 mins

as the steerers were encour-

aged to steer the boat at the

speed at which they were

comfortable. We all enjoyed

this experience.

The Ashton Canal

This canal starts just before

the junction where the Peak

Forest Canal joins the Ashton

Canal in Ashton under Lyne.

By the time we had visited

Portland Marina for a pump

out (£25 for two tanks to be

pumped out, 0.5 l bloo in

each) and returned to the ba-

sin to fill up with water at the

museum, no charge — the museum had closed. We had already decided that as we

had time we would do a

detour up the Peak Forest

Canal. We moored on

our way up at Marple

Junction where we could

fill up with water and

leave rubbish at a water-

ways site. The next day

we went Bugsworth Ba-

sin where we moored for

the night at no charge

and with a water point

but no place for rubbish.

This venue was an excel-

lent site of historical in-

Above: Standedge Tunnel

Below: New Islington Marina, Central Manchester

26

terest worth exploring at one’s leisure. The next day we returned the way we had

come and moored for the night in the countryside having shopped in Romiley for

provisions.

The next day we were able to visit the Portland Basin Industrial Museum, no charge

and well worth seeing their street of local shops dating from a bygone age.

Moored for the night at Droylsden Marina in Fairfield Junction, cost £6 for a secure

mooring. We paid one of the residents and were given a key which gave us access to

the marina which is surrounded by a moat and use of the rubbish bin. A water tap had

been fitted at the end of each pontoon — this was very easy to use. Having decided

this was an ideal place from which to explore Manchester, we all bought off peak

travel cards for the Metro the next day and buying them after 09.30 enabled us to buy

day travel cards from the ticket machine on the platform at Droylsden for £5 each.

We had a great day in the city and extended and stay in the marina to two nights.

Although the marina was surrounded by a building site in progress and the facilities

were limited we had a comfortable stay there and would recommend it as an ideal site

for those wishing secure mooring so close to the city centre. Booking is c/o Portland

Basin Marina 01613 330 3133.

Cruising in to the centre of Manchester took most of the day due to someone leaving

the lock paddles up further up the Rochdale which meant the boat in front of us was

stuck on the bottom lock and couldn’t get out due to a lack of water below lock 1. It

took several hours for a very fit member of the Canal & River Trust staff to sort out

the problem, running up and down between a number of locks, opening paddles, talk-

ing to people in all the boats waiting to go through this lock, updating them on pro-

gress until eventually the boat ahead was able to get out of the lock and so we duly

followed them out, leaving the Ashton Canal and its single locks behind us.

Rochdale Canal We only had the first two locks of the Rochdale to get through that night before we

found our way in to the New Islington Marina to moor for the night. Mooring here is

free of charge, use of the facilities included. This is a semi secure mooring in that the

public at the moment can walk

through the marina during the day

and it is made more secure at

night. We moored outside the

boaters’ hut which was inaccessi-

ble to the public at night and made

full use of their facilities including

a washing machine at £2 a wash,

toilets and showers, rubbish dis-

posal, a water point and a self

pump out for £8. Tokens for the

washing machine and pump out

could be bought from a machine

in the boaters’ hut. After the dog

walkers and local residents had

stopped their evening walks on Road bridge 75A Rochdale Canal

27

the other side of the cut it was a

quiet night. Booking can be

made by ringing the marina

manager Ben Knott on 0782

7951250.

We arranged to share the locks

going up the Rochdale with the

boat that had been stuck in the

lock in front of us the previous

day. This reduced the work load

for all of us and satisfied the

Canal & River Trust staff that

we were doing as much as we

could to conserve water

by lock sharing. We had a hard

days lock wheeling the next day,

eventually stopping for the night just past the Rose of Lancaster pub in Chadderton, a

total of 18 locks. This was the day we cleared the most rubbish so far on the trip as

the propeller was cleared at least four times and removed masses including a lot of

plastic bags, clothes and water weed due to the shallowness of the canal.

The day after we continued the lock wheeling in earnest and reached Littleborough

having done 16 locks but more distance between them than yesterday. Nigel from

Shire Cruisers came out to Littleborough this evening to sort out a leak under the

kitchen sink that we had reported. The countryside was getting more frequent with

less urbanisation of the canal. The end of the day saw us meet our Canal & River

Trust staff member from Manchester again as we struggled over the summit. Due to

a lack of water we were helped through these locks and advised to proceed down to

moor below lock 34 where we could be guaranteed sufficient water in the pound the

next morning to be able to continue uninterrupted. We had Sunday lunch today at the

Summit Inn. A pleasant enough meal at a reasonable price with an inexpensive wine

to go with it. Couldn’t use the water point at the summit as it apparently hasn’t

worked for years!

We are nearing the end of our trip as we arrive in Todmorden to moor for the night

by the great wall of Tod. In fact an excess of water meant some of the lock gates

were overflowing with water as we travel downhill. We awoke to find the boat

beached in the shallows but having flushed the pound through with water we floated

the boat off. The guillotine lock at lock 19 was straightforward to use.

Today we booked our passage through Tuel Lane Lock, originally locks 3 &4, with

the Canal & River Trust so that a lock-keeper can supervise our passage through on

Thursday.

We arrived in Hebden Bridge in the afternoon and stayed in this delightful tourist

spot for two nights. The town was preparing for the Tour de France and the bunting

and displays helped to add to the festive atmosphere in town. Leaving Hebden Bridge

in the morning we were able to travel through the deep lock at Sowerby Bridge early

and returned the boat to the marina at midday.

Rochdale Canal Lock 34 after the summit

28

Restoration update - Cosgrove On Saturday 17th May 2014 at just after noon, following over 22 years of aspiration

and perspiration, the moment came when the first drops of water were taken from the

Grand Union Canal and piped into the Buckingham Arm.

For those who want the detail, a pump is used to prime 2 x 30m (100ft) 75mm diam-

eter (3″) suction hoses that have been passed through ducts under the deck of old

bridge one. Once primed, the hoses are disconnected and the siphon just runs and

runs – all very environmentally friendly as well .

Over the next few weeks a number of site checks revealed some overtopping of the

drain and subsequent early rewatering of pound two. In addition there is some linear

movement of water believed to be due to the clay needing to rehydrate. This seepage

collected at about 200mm deep as designed in the buffer pound formed between the

second bund and the farm crossing flowing through the as designed drain into the rest

of the canal bed westwards. We have subsequently (29/May) back pumped the water

from the buffer pound into pound two.

Overall pound one had dropped some 150mm in 3 weeks which is consistent with the

water seen entering the buffer pound. Some seepage through the towpath bank was

also seen when the level was higher than intended and we are now exploring the area

of towpath were the bank had previously dropped towards the canal channel with a

view to identifying fissures or animal burrows as anticipated.

We have since then repeated a further cycle of top-up on pound one and the seepage

rate has reduced and the rate of loss has reduced. This is aligned with the expectation

of the clay rehydrating and sealing both inside the towpath bank and the temporary

bunds. We expect to repeat the cycle as water permits over the coming months. Any

defects such as burrows or

fissures that are found will

be remediated before raising

the level further to repeat the

cycle of wetting and obser-

vation.

So, in summary, the outcome

so far is broadly as expected

and overall seepage through

the towpath bank is a lot less

than expected, which is good

news. Our thanks to CRT for

all their help and support in

achieving this milestone.

Buckingham Canal Society

Water being piped into the

Buckingham Arm from the canal

29

Restoration update – Hyde Lane The Hyde Lane nature reserve site has had the old lock gates that had been removed

from the chamber converted to form novel seats at the site. Work was done by regu-

lar volunteers joined by a team building group from Network Rail.

Restoration update – Bourton Meadow Following work to assess the water top-up needs at the Bourton Meadow section, it

has been recognised that the lining is not as watertight as expected. Investigations

led by the contractors are now to be undertaken and a plan drawn up to remediate as

necessary. The permanent solar powered top-up pumping authorised by the Envi-

ronment Agency will not be installed until these remedial works are completed.

General update Following the Charity Commission approval of our change of status for BCS from

an Unincorporated Charity to a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO), we are

completing the transition from current status to a CIO on 1st August 2014.

As was highlighted at our AGM and in previous newsletters, there are many ad-

vantages to this change. Amongst the key benefits are that BCS now becomes a

legal entity that can enter into formal contracts and leases. It also provides addition-

al protection for trustees and members of the Society. As of 1st August 2014, all

assets and memberships will transfer to the new CIO. The process will be largely

transparent to individual members and will not affect the ongoing operations of the

Society. The main difference members will notice is the change of our Registered

Charity Number to 1156662 which is shown on our BCS website and documenta-

tion.

This is an important change for the Society as it opens up a range of potential op-

portunities for BCS to acquire access rights to the more inaccessible parts of the

canal, as well as being able to purchase interests in land to support our renovation

work.

In addition, formal project

plans are now being

drawn up by a sub group

following a project priori-

tisation review by the

trustees. These will then

be presented to various

partnerships with County

Council and Environment

Agency amongst others

for further progress.

Photos: Ian Matson

and Richard Lewis Checking levels in the Buckingham Arm

30

Braunston Revisited Part 2 Tim Coghlan meets Ian L Wright who reveals, through

his fascinating collection of photographs taken en route to the first IWA National Rally in 1950, a

Braunston in the dying days of canal carrying

From Canals & Rivers, December 2006

The whole canal moved with you…

‘Well, the state of the North Stratford in 1950 had to be seen to be believed. It was like a

sort of field of blanket weed stretching from one side of the canal to the other. When you

put your paddle in the water, the whole canal moved with you. And this is one of the

reasons why the rally took place – to get things moving and try to stop this dereliction.’

‘We locked down to the Grand Union sharing the slimy lock with the cruiser Sarsden

which was owned by the IWA Midlands Branch secretary Mr Bedford who was also go-

ing to the rally. Things now got much better. And the interesting thing about this trip with

this boat in 1950 was that you could use all the locks like a big boat, waste all that water -

56,000 gallons - and you could also go through the tunnels. There were no health and

safety rules then. Even now I have vivid memories of tunnels lit by a bicycle lamp and

water dripping down my neck as we paddled through Shrewley Tunnel. We did ring up to

find out what the traffic was doing and we were only passed once by a boat in a tunnel.

We stayed on the right side and were fairly low in the water but we got through alright.

What was exciting for me was that the Grand Union was still a working canal and it was

my first real experience of this, after all that dereliction in Wales. Also seeing for the first

time some of those places mentioned by Tom Rolt in his book Narrow Boat.

At night they camped sometimes in lockkeepers’ gardens or farmers fields – all the

equipment: tent, sleeping bags, a primus stove, cooking equipment and extra clothes be-

ing stowed on-board through the oarsmen’s hatches when underway. ‘We’d both been

Scouts so it was like second natureto us. From our bank campsite in Warwick we took a

late night trip into the Saltisford Arm and climbed through a hole in the fence to buy fish

and chips.’

The arrival at Braunston was another first, as it was the first time that either of the crew

had seen a working yard and they decided to explore it the following day. Wright had his

camera ready and a dozen or more outstanding photographs survive from that visit,

providing a unique insight into Samuel Barlows’ yard on that warm summer’s day in

1950. His years of photographic training were to pay handsome dividends, especially as

he now had ‘a much better camera’ than his former Brownie box.

The photographs show the yard was very much alive with at least nine Barlow boats in

port, and all looking shipshape. In those days, Samuel Barlows still looked after its boats,

it being Frank Nurser’s view that if the boats looked good, the boatmen would look after

them better. Indeed, Nurser – now retired as general manager but continuing to paint -

was in the small dock re-sign-writing the motor Tiger which was built at Braunston in

1936 and had just undergone a major overhaul. In the covered wet-dock – into which the

31

young men paddled Cheswardine - was its butty the Jack also built in the same year but

not at Braunston. It, likewise, had been overhauled. Wright went into the small dock and

spoke to Nurser as well as taking that photograph – with Nurser posing briefly. Wright

noticed how Nurser seemed to have a paint brush in one hand and in the other a cigarette

on the go almost the whole time. Despite the incessant lead paint fumes and cigarette

smoke he still lived on to a good age.

No narrow boat building was going on and the photographs show the building shed

looked distinctly forlorn, it now being over two years since the last one – the motor Ian –

was built. However another four butties were still to be built in the next eight years, the

last being the Raymond. Meanwhile, Braunston was turning its head to the new world of

leisure boating. In the large dry dock, Wright came upon the former wooden motor the

Emscote being converted to this purpose with a new cabin being built over its former

hold. Wright photographed Nurser’s floral decorations on the cabin sides.

Other scenes of the yard show boatmen in port using the time to do their washing, and

beyond the old Fellows, Morton & Clayton (FMC) stables in their final stages of decay

before they were finally pulled down about six years later. The stables were in fact two

stories, with the storey visible in the picture being where the hay was kept, with the actual

stables round the back and down a slope – the wharf being above the natural level of the

land. FMC were nationalized in 1948 and its business moved elsewhere, the Braunston

lease being taken over by Barlows – which escaped that fate. But the ghost of FMC was

still there. Up on the main road on the side of a warehouse – later demolished to allow for

road-widening – was its enamelled sign STEAMBOAT SERVICES DAILY TO AND

FROM THIS WHARF TO LONDON. The last steamer left in 1929.

Also in the yard and bound for the IWA Rally were Sonia Rolt and her then husband

George Smith with their pair of boats the motor Cairo and the butty Warwick which were

being smartened up to be again used for taking boat trips – as they had been in London the

year before on the occasion of the IWA annual dinner where Wright had met them. Sonia

was on the IWA national committee having been put up for it by Tom Rolt. By the end of

1950 both Tom and Sonia’s marriages were to collapse – Tom’s wife Angela running off

to join a circus - and a few

years later they were to marry

which was a great happiness to

both of them. Intriguingly Tom

Rolt’s pre-war Alvis car was

also parked in the yard that

August day in 1950 and is visi-

ble in one of the photographs,

although in his autobiography

Landscape with Canals Rolt

does not mention calling in at

Barlows Yard on his way to the

rally, but he did pass the en-

trance.

On to the Rally

The Smiths were off that very

afternoon and offered to give

Clearing Braunston Top Lock: the boats are now

being un-paired with motor Cairo going ahead be-

ing driven by George Smith – just visible a young

boatman whom IWA co-founder Robert Aickman

referred to as the ‘Dionysus of the Canals’

32

Cheswardine

and crew a lift

up the Braun-

ston Flight and

through the

tunnel to Nor-

ton Junction -

an offer they

could not re-

fuse – especial-

ly as there was

now quite

heavy traffic on

the canal. But

before depart-

ing they went

and had tea on

the first floor of

the Old Ship

Inn then at the

entrance to the

yard. Wright’s

diary records

‘Tea at Ship Inn 2/-’

Having spent much of the day at Braunston, and with some distance still to go, the diary

records: Thro’ Braunston Tunnel aboard Cairo & Warwick 5.30 – 5.50. Arr 6.15 Norton

Junction. 6.30 cont’d to long Buckby. Dep 7.15. Arr Watford locks 8.20. 6 miles’ That

Thursday, 10th August 1950 had been a long and memorable day.

On Sunday 13th August at 2.00 pm they finally arrived at Market Harborough, pro-

cessing in behind Tom and Angela Rolt on the Cressy. They had covered 72 miles and

been through 90 locks and five tunnels in eight days. On the Monday they were inter-

viewed by the BBC and the Daily Telegraph, whilst the Leicester Evening Mail head-

lined, ‘Harborough Goes Gay as Waterways Rally Begins.’The last entry in the diary is

later that Monday afternoon:

Owen left 3.45 pm bus Market Harborough to Birmingham . Nothing more was recorded.

Owen Prosser went back to work and came back late on Friday night for the return run to

Kings Norton. This time they did paddle through Braunston Tunnel, but they did not stop

at Barlows Yard. It was not until the IWA Banbury Rally of 1954 – to save the South

Oxford Canal – that Wright revisited the place, this time bringing Cheswardine on the

roof of a Morris 8 Series E – the first car he owned. By this time Nurser had retired and

the yard was already on the downward slope that would see the end of the Samuel Bar-

low Coal Co. Ltd. within eight years.

In 1953 Wright organized a rally on the Mon & Brec which, with help from Robert Aick-

man, succeeded in saving that canal. But his world was moving on and he took a teaching

post in eastern Northamptonshire where he was to stay for his working life, somewhat

away from the canals. He kept a canoe on the River Nene, but never had an engined boat

of his own. He also played an active role in the Cambridge branch of the IWA.

Approaching Braunston Top Lock on the way to the first IWA National:

The canoe crew hitched a lift with Sonia Rolt and her then husband

George Smith up the flight and through the tunnel on the paired-up

Cairo & Warwick.They were advised to do this because there was still

heavy traffic on the flight as seen by the approaching pair of boats.

Crewman Prosser is enjoying the sights and his pipe. (Ian L Wright)

33

Ending by chance

This story began by chance and so by chance it ends. Shortly after Wright’s revisit to

Braunston in June, 2006, I learnt that i2i Television would be coming to the Braunston

Historic Narrowboat Rally at the end of that month to film the event and with them they

would be bringing Sonia Rolt. I rang her and asked if she would open it jointly with for-

mer working boat-woman Laura Carter, by coming into the marina on the Nutfield towing

the Raymond. This she was happy to do, provided she did not have to steer. ‘I’m far too

old now for that sort of thing.’ I then rang Wright – and this time there was only an an-

swering machine. So I wrote and days slipped away without an answer. Then on the

Thursday before the Rally, I received a message that he was coming. He had been away.

So Sonia Rolt and Ian Wright revisited Braunston together and I took a photograph of

them on the quayside where the Warwick was moored and where they had met on that

memorable day of the 10th August, 1950 – nearly 56 years ago.

Then we all went boating.

Wright’s neatly kept diary notes of his trip for the week including his visit to

Braunston on Thursday the 10th August, 1950. He fortunately found the diary in his shed

the morning he was due to revisit Braunston in May 2006. (Tim Coghlan)

34

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BRAUNSTON

OUZEL 11

Cruise either towards Napton

or Hillmorton and return

The Ouzel 11 seats up to 12 people.

It has hot and cold water in the galley,

crockery, cutlery and glasses on board,

a gas ring, kettle and flush toilet.

Buoyancy aids on request.

Prices:

Weekends and Bank Holidays: £155.00

Monday - Friday: £120.00

Returnable deposit: £50.00

UNION CANAL CARRIERS LTD,

Braunston Pump House, Dark Lane,

Braunston, Daventry,

Northants. NN11 7HJ

Tel 01788 890784 Fax 01788 891950

www.unioncanalcarriers.co.uk

CRT’s James Clifton reports that the Trust has secured substantial contribu-tions from the Northampton Borough Council and the County Council to ena-ble the section of towpath on the Northampton Arm between bridges 13 and 17 to be improved. The work is costing approximately £300k and covers a distance of just under 2 kilometres. It is due to start at the end of July/early August and last for three months. It will have an innovative environmentally-friendly surface treatment that has been used successfully elsewhere in the UK and America. This is a mixture of recycled shredded tyres and gravel, held together with a special resin binder. Amongst the benefits are that it doesn’t need timber edges and is self-draining. This section will recycle 7,500 tyres! It can with-stand attempts to set it on fire and is relatively easy to repair.

This is the final stretch of towpath within the Borough that was waiting for funding. All the other sections have either been improved or had funds identi-fied to do so.

Towpath improvements

on Northampton Arm

35

36

SUPPLIESSUPPLIES

37

RECYCLING

REMINDER

The Branch recycles ink jet

cartridges and mobile phones

to raise cash to help local

projects.

Please bring them along to

Branch meetings or ring

01604 473756 to arrange

collection.

Please no Epson ink tanks.

Northamptonshire

RESTAURANT º BARS º BOAT TRIP

DINE IN STYLE IN WOODWARD’S

CANALSIDE RESTAURANT

NEW BAR FOOD MENU NOW AVAILABLE

01604 862428

www.boatinn.co.uk

We are a family run, customer friendly

business based adjacent to Bridge 32 at

Nether Heyford. Our service point is clear

of moored boats making your stop quick

and easy. We offer the following services:

DIESEL – always competively priced

PUMP OUT – no meter clock here

BLUE TOILET FLUID

ODORLOS – organic waste tank treat-

ment

CALOR GAS – all sizes of bottled gas

including Camping Gaz.

SOLID FUELS – all types of smokeless

fuel or coal. Plus firelighters, sticks and

logs.

CHARNWOOD STOVES – all sizes of

multi-fuel stoves with or without boilers

MORRIS OILS – popular grades of

engine oil plus water resistant grease

FUEL SET FUEL CONDITIONER

Most Major Credit Cards Accepted.

Open: 8.00am to 5.30pm Monday to Friday,

8.00am to 1.00pm on Saturdays

Fred Tarry Bridge Cottage

Furnace Lane

Nether Heyford

Northampton, NN7 3JY

Telephone/Fax: 01327-341202 Email : rhigginbottom@btconnect.com

38

Buckingham Canal Society

NEW CRAFT FAIR A SUCCESS AS

COSGROVE CANAL FESTIVAL GROWS This year Buckingham Canal Society (BCS) held its largest canal festival to date in Cosgrove village on the weekend of the 19th and 20th July. The in-creasingly popular annual event, which included Cosgrove Village Hall craft fair for the first time, raises funds to aid the restoration of the Buckingham Canal.

Cosgrove Canal Festival & Craft Fair, as it is now known, is a fun packed family event that attracts trade and historical boats alongside a diverse varie-ty of craft, game and catering stalls. This year the Society was able to secure the village hall for the dedicated craft fair as well as its extra parking. A short walk from the original main attraction at Cosgrove Lock, the hall proved to be a very popular venue. Up on the canal, the Society’s infamous Lock Ransom ran the whole weekend, including during Friday’s Festival set up. Boaters are encouraged to support the Society whilst being assisted by trained volunteers through the lock. It’s a very novel, humorous and yet productive way to inter-act with the public to get the Society’s message out there whilst raising funds for the restoration project.

“This was the first year we have also had the village hall booked, as an ex-periment,” said BCS Trustee and Festival committee member Athina Beckett. “We have managed to raise somewhere in the region of £1,300 [gross] for BCS.” Although a little quieter than last year, thought to be mainly due to the threat of the forecast thunderstorms that never really happened, there were plenty of positive comments from traders and public alike. Congratulations for a very successful weekend were very welcome from John Highmore of Canal & River Trust.

The general feeling is that many traders, if not all, will be back next year. Nevertheless, no sooner was the Festival over, the search for even more new and exciting traders began in earnest. BCS would like to thank all those involved in the Festival for making this year one of the most successful ever.

Do you dig canals?...We do! Work parties are held every other Thursday and the second Sunday of each month and are always friendly, welcoming and very rewarding. For further details on the work parties please visit www.buckinghamcanal.org.uk/events-and-news/work-parties/, and for all other aspects of the Society please visit www.buckinghamcanal.org.uk.

39

40

RICHARD GILL BSc, MABSE

BOAT SAFETY TESTING BW AND EA APPROVED

EXPERIENCED EXAMINER WITH 25 YEARS WORKING ON THE

WATERWAYS

Grand Union, Oxford & Leics Canals

Rivers Nene and Thames

RING: 07889 10 99 39 rgbarcos70@btinternet.com

The IWA may not agree with opinions expressed in this magazine, but encourages publication as a matter of interest. Nothing printed may be construed as policy or an official announcement unless so stated, otherwise the Association accepts no liability for any matter in the magazine. Neither the editor nor IWA can accept responsibility for any errors or omissions in the magazine, and opinions stated are those of individual contributors. We will, however, gladly publish corrections if notified. The editor reserves the right to shorten or modify articles published in the interests of clarity or space.

HIGH HOUSE MARINA LTD

High House Wharf, Heyford Lane, Weedon, Northants NN7 4SF

OUR SMALL MARINA (ONLY 24 BOATS)

IS A VERY FRIENDLY PLACE TO BE MOORED, HENCE OUR CLIENTS

TEND TO STAY PUT

Our car park is quite secure and well hidden from the road

WE DO NOW AND AGAIN HAVE A VACANCY,

SO WHY NOT GIVE US A CALL?

Contact Phil Gardner on 01327 349519, E-mail:phil.h.gardner@btconnect.com

R.NIGHTINGALE

BLACKSMITH

in Tug Store at tunnel entrance, Stoke Bruerne

Wrought Iron Work for Boat or Garden

For further details, either visit or ring

O1604 859726 / 07761 833049

41

COMMERCIAL RATES (suggested donations) 1/4 Page (box) £12.00

1/2 Page (box) £25.00

Full Page £40.00

Discount of 10% for 4 issues

Other sizes by arrangement

CLASSIFIEDS (suggested donations)

£1.50 for 22 words,

15p each additional word

£3.50 for box around classified advertisement (nb. telephone numbers count as one word)

£3.50 for photographs

BRANCH SOCIAL MEETINGS

Regular Branch Social Meetings are held on the second Tuesday of each month from

September to May inclusive at

THE WALNUT TREE INN, BLISWORTH, at 8pm All members and non-members welcome.

Food and drink available

NEXT MEETINGS

Tuesday, 9th September

Speaker: John Pomfret — Freight on the Waterways

Tuesday, 14th October Speaker: Tony Conder — Canals in the 20s and 30s

Tuesday, 11th November Speaker: Kathryn Dodington —

Diamond Jubilee Regatta –The Taking Part

Tuesday, 9th December Mick and Catriona Butler — Christmas Quiz

Tuesday, 13th January

Speaker: Richard Thomas — The River Lee, Luton to Leyton

ADVERTISING

All advertisements must comply with the requirements of the Trades Descriptions Act and

avoid misrepresentation of goods offered for sale. The Business Advertisements (Disclosure)

Order 1977 requires that businesses seeking to sell goods must clearly indicate this in an

advertisement.

The next edition of Endeavour will be published November 2014

42

Branch Chairman Bernard Morton 07785 375787

E-mail: bernard.morton

@waterways.org.uk

WHO’S WHO IN

NORTHAMPTON BRANCH

2014/2015

Newsletter & Joint

Website Editor Tony Clarke 07939 977859

E-mail: tony.clarke

@waterways.org.uk

Publicity Officer &

Joint Website Editor Lynda Payton

E-mail:lynda.payton @waterways.org.uk

Branch Meetings Graham Treagus E-mail: graham.treagus

@waterways.org.uk

Boat Gathering Sub-Committee members

Michael Butler (Chairman), Catriona

Butler, Linda Clarke, Tony Clarke,

Alex Madisons, Steve Miles, Bernard

Morton, Sandie Morton and Eric Young.

Non-Committee posts Sales: Catriona Butler 01604 473756

Endeavour Assistant Editor/

Advertising & Distribution, Archivist

Roger Hasdell 01604 473756

43

Branch Secretary

Sandie Morton E-mail: sandie.morton

@waterways.org.uk

Treasurer Alex Madisons

E-mail: alex.madisons

@waterways.org.uk

Membership Secretary Geoff Wood E-mail: geoff.wood

@waterways.org.uk

Boat Gathering

Chairman

Michael Butler

E-mail: michael.butler

@waterways.org.uk

Committee Member David Higgins E-mail: david.higgins

@waterways.org.uk

Committee Member John Pomfret E-mail: john.pomfret

@waterways.org.uk

Committee Member Steve Miles E-mail: steve.miles

@waterways.org.uk

Planning Officer Helen Westlake E-mail: helen.westlake

@waterways.org.uk