Summer 2011 Edition

WATERWITCH MAGAZINE OF THE

LANCASTER CANAL TRUST

Number 146

The Lancaster Canal Trust (Registered Charity No.240957

Affiliated to the Inland Waterways Association

Ltd.)

http://www.lancastercanaltrust.org.uk/

2

JOHN RENNIE 7th June1761– 4th October 1821

This year marks the birth 250 years ago of John Rennie

who designed the Bridges and the Lune Aqueduct for

the Lancaster Canal. It is perhaps fitting that this year

also sees work commence to restore the Aqueduct and

as a tribute to the magnificence of his work it has also

been seen fit to carry out access improvements so that more people than ever can

stop and admire his work.

It should also be remembered that almost all his bridges survive and are able to carry

the current EU regulated juggernauts. It is a pity that we allow these monsters to

cross his bridges for whilst they may be able take the weight, the drivers of such

vehicles seem hell bent on destroying the parapets faster than BW can afford to

repair them. Maybe with the new charity based set up for BW will we yet see

sponsored Bridges; the „Morrison‟s Bridge‟ or the „ASDA bridge‟ so that money is

instantly available to keep up with the repairs! Not much hope of that I fear. What

of John Rennie?

Rennie was born on 7 June 1761, the fourth son of a prosperous farmer on the

Phantassie estate near the village of East Linton, 20 miles east of Edinburgh. He

played truant from school to watch what went on at the local millwright's workshop

- run by the celebrated mechanic, Andrew Meikle, the inventor of the threshing

machine - and began to work there when he was 12 years old, while continuing his

education. He studied at Edinburgh University and then worked for Boulton and

Watt, a firm based near Birmingham which manufactured steam engines

In 1791, Rennie moved to London and set up his own engineering business. His first

works were canals, notably the Lancaster Canal, the Kennet & Avon Canal, and the

Royal Military Canal, and also improving the drainage of the Norfolk fens. His Lune

Aqueduct is classical in style, with rusticated masonry and curved wingwalls, and is

over 600ft long. For the piers, volcanic pozzolana powder was imported from Italy

and mixed with lime concrete, which enabled the concrete to set under water. The

men worked double shifts and night shifts to complete the piers before the 1794/5

winter could bring its floodwaters. The final contract sum for the aqueduct was

£48,000, which nearly bankrupted the canal company and forced them to abandon

plans for an even bigger structure over the Ribble at Preston. The stonemasons were

paid 12 shillings (60p) per week and the Resident Engineer £600 plus expenses per

year. The aqueduct bears two inscriptions. On the north side, the inscription reads

"To Public Prosperity". On the south is an inscription in Latin: "Things that are

wanting are brought together / Things remote are connected / Rivers themselves

meet by the assistance of art / To afford new objects of commerce".

3

Contents

John Rennie 2

Letter from the Editor 3

Chairman's Report 4

Membership News 5

Hello to New members/ Events 6

AGM Notice 7

British Waterways-The Future? 8

Boat Operation Manger’s Report 10

Historic Bridge Awards 11

Helen’s Crossword 13

Working Party Report 14

Letter to the Editor 17

Skipton Waterways Festival 18

A Lancaster Canal Perambulation 20

Carnforth Exhibition 22

From Stainton to London Bridge by Kayak 23

British Waterways Update 25

Trial Pits for ‘6 Furlongs’ 28

Another ‘Plug’ for our restoration! 29

Fuelling stops on the Lanky ‘Owd Nell’s 30

Thank you CENTA 31

100 club Results 32

Front Cover: A busy scene at the western end of the Lune Aqueduct during

the recent phase of work to restore the whole area. .

Welcome to another edition of our thrice yearly Trust magazine. We have

had a very good start weather-wise to spring and hopefully this bodes well

for summer. We have a full magazine once more and a big thank you for all

the contributors for their articles. Mine is the relatively easy task once you

get to know the software but it would all be meaningless without your help.

Do remember that we will always try to include, if possible & relevant, items

from all, members & non-members alike.

This year‟s AGM is to take place on the 7th July at the Village Hall, Over

Kellet, and we hope that as many members as possible will attend, This year

we are starting earlier at 7.30pm and we have an interesting speaker in Prof.

Stephen Broomhead who can give us pertinent information of the way

forward for British Waterways in his new role as chairman of the trial Local

Waterways Partnership for the North West.

Regards, David Currington, Editor.

4

The hard winter is now behind us and we seem to have been catapulted straight into summer. Probably by the time you read this we might have gone back to more seasonal spring weather. Maybe we should hope so, because the lack of rain in March & April doesn’t bode too well for maintaining canal water levels over the next months.

Water levels were definitely low in the Lune Aqueduct in January & February; the structure was drained for major maintenance work. An open day run by BW in February gave members of the public, including several members of the LCT, the opportunity to walk in the bed of the channel and see close up the splendid masonry of John Rennie’s masterpiece. The whole length of the channel has been pointed and grouted and a new concrete lining constructed at the Halton Road end, all aimed at stopping the leakage which has plagued the structure since it was opened 214 years ago.

Later in the year work gets under w a y o n t h e p a c k a g e o f enhancements funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund £1M grant announced in the last Waterwitch. The HLF package includes a new 3-year post of Project Officer and this appointment has now been made by BW. We can expect to see more publicity for the canal and the aqueduct and more involvement with community groups.

7th June 2011 is the 250

th anniversary

of John Rennie’s birth and at the time of writing it is unclear whether this

will be marked by a special event here or on another of Rennie’s canals

The Trust is continuing to chip away at various aspects of the Northern Reaches restoration, facilitating the forthcoming planning application for Phase 1 in Kendal where we have undertaken to staff some public consultation events, and in our hands-on work in the Stainton area. We have many dedicated and industrious volunteers working on these tasks, but I believe that the restoration of this canal needs a significant growth both in the membership of the Trust and in the proportion of members taking an active role.

I’ve said this before and I make no apology for saying it again. Please think in what ways you can help further the aims of the Trust. It doesn’t have to involve heavy digging and lifting, getting hands dirty or boots muddy. There are plenty of other ways in which you can help. You know what your own expertise and skills are; please come forward and tell us what you can offer. And spread the message that the Lancaster Canal is worth preserving and restoring. Persuade friends and neighbours to join up, because there is a clear value in membership numbers when we deal with official bodies for example. If some of those new recruits also become actively involved there’s a double benefit and between us we will get more water in the canal.

Richard Trevitt

Chairman’s Report

5

Guide Book Reprint Appeal. The fourth edition of our ever popular guide book was

published 3 years ago and has been selling well in all sorts of

local and national outlets, on the website, at the trip boat and at

all our roadshow locations. We are now planning the next

edition which will be a reprint with limited amendments rather

than a full revision.

We need your feedback! If you have spotted any errors or

misprints in the current book, or any information that may have

been correct at the time of publication but has since changed,

please let us know.

Likewise, if you have suggestions for further improvement,

now‟s the time to speak up. In particular any offers to edit and

enhance any of the introductory sections on pages 6 to 20 will be gratefully received.

Don‟t worry about duplication, or think that someone else is bound to have covered

your comments. I‟d rather deal with repetition than miss things that ought to be

changed. Please be as specific as possible, with reference to page number, paragraph,

map etc.

You can email your comments to trevittr@hotmail.com with the subject heading

„Guide Book Reprint‟ or post them to me (address at the back of this magazine).

Richard Trevitt

UNPAID MEMBERSHIP RENEWAL &

NEW RATES

Members are reminded that Membership Renewals were due as from the 1st

January 2011. There are still some outstanding. You should also be aware of

the new rates which were agreed by your Executive Committee and published

in the last edition of Waterwitch. They are:

Adult £14; Family £20; Concession £10; Life £150; Affiliate £14

Members who pay by standing order are asked if they could update these as

soon as possible to avoid the costs involved in the Trust to having to send out

reminders for the balance., Members paying by cheque should sent them to the

Membership Secretary,

Alan Mather 15, Claughton Ave, BOLTON, BL2 6US

6

EVENTS 2011

28th/29th May Country Fest, Westmorland Showground, Crooklands

18th/19th June Scorton Steam, & Vintage Fair

16th July Preston Riversway Festival

29th/31st July IWA National Festival, Burton on Trent

30th/31st July Flookborough

3rd August Cartmel Show

8th September Westmorland County Show

9th September Kendal Torchlight

21st October . The Boaters Dinner, Crooklands Hotel

A warm welcome awaits all members who visit the stand/coffee mornings - so do come and say hello if you are attending or wish to assist at these events. Please put the dates in your diaries now and if you feel you could help for an hour or two (or a full day) at any of the events please contact Beryl Bowcott on

01772 863418 or bbbowcott@aol.com

Hello! The Lancaster Canal Trust extends a very warm welcome to the following new

members and we hope to see you at some of our events:

M Clark Grange over Sands

M Allsop Kidderminster

A Lind Preston

P Molyneux Carnforth

David MG Andrew Lancaster

Suzanne and Peter Barnes Kendal

Nigel and Wendy Tansley Ambleside

PRESTON GUILD 2012 Plans are underway for a water based event at Haslam Park in conjunction with the Preston Guild celebrations next year (2012). A joint committee has been formed to include representatives of the Trust, IWA, the L C B C, ACE, Friends of Haslam Park and Preston City Council. It is likely the event will be held during the August Bank holiday to include an IWA Campaign Rally in the park area. Further details will become available during the next few months

7

SITUATIONS VACANT

Funding Officer - We need some-

one who will identify and contact

the many funding organisations to

whom we can apply for grants for

a variety of projects and restora-

tion works.

Accounting/book-keeping skills

would be useful but not essential.

Form filling will occupy a major

part of the task. Time commit-

ments likely to be one or two

evenings and several daytime

hours per month.

Further details are available.

Please contact us through our

website. or the Magazine Editor

A notice to all members of the Trust of the

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING to be held

Thursday 7th July 2011

at Village Hall, Over Kellet, Commencing at 7.30 pm

Guest Speaker Professor Steven Broomhead

We are pleased to welcome Professor Steven Broomhead, (Professor of

Entrepreneurial Education at Liverpool Hope University), who is to be the

new chairman of the trial Local Waterways Partnership for the North West.

(See Page 8)

Steven spent eight years as chief executive at the Northwest Regional

Development Agency, prior to which he was chief executive at Warrington

Borough Council. He has held the position of chairman at a number of

private and public organisations, and on his recent appointment remarked:

"Our canals and rivers are an important part of our

heritage and I am looking forward to working with the

local waterway manager and the community to rejuvenate

the North West waterways and to safeguard their future."

Apologies to: D Currington Hon. Sec

12 Sedbergh Road

Kendal

Cumbria LA96AD

Tel: (01539) 732599, or to dadcurrington@hotmail.com

Whilst members may bring guests, only LCT members will be allowed to vote

8

British Waterways -The future?

The Government announced last year that British Waterways (BW) will transfer to a

New Waterway Charity (NWC) and currently aims to have the new body up and

running by April 2012.

Within the governance framework for NWC, it is proposed to have 11 Local

Partnerships to help bring local people and local views together with local

management. BW currently has a trial partnership running on the Kennet & Avon

Canal and is now creating 2 further trials, one in the North West.. This will run up

to the time when NWC is established and work with Debbie Lumb, Waterway

Manager North West, Professor Steven Broomhead has been appointed

Chair in the North West.

Below is are extracts from the Terms of Reference

Trial Local Waterway Partnership

Terms of Reference

Purpose

The Local Partnership is an integral part of the team that supports the Waterway

Manager in managing the local waterway unit within a defined geographical area.

The role of the Partnership is advisory and action-orientated. The local Waterway

Manager and Chair of the Partnership will work closely together to harness the

knowledge, skills, expertise and wider connections of the Partnership to support and

develop waterway planning, management and operations for the benefit of everyone

interested in the waterway - users, the community, local business, environment and

heritage interests.

The Partnership will work with the management team on every aspect of waterway

management including:

the allocation of available resources for the management and improvement of the waterway

the development of the funding, volunteer and other resources for management and improvement of

the waterway

the balancing of the interests of waterway users, the local community and others with an interest in

the waterway

championing the interests of the waterway to local political, business and voluntary sector leaders

and organisations, funders and others in a position of influence

Membership

The Partnership will have a minimum of 8 members with an option to increase this to

12 at the discretion of the Chair of the Partnership. The Waterway Manager will be

an ex officio member of the Partnership.

The duty of all members of the Partnership will be to act in the best interests of the

waterway rather than to represent any particular interests or causes. All members (Continued on page 9)

9

will be based in the locality, credible and knowledgeable in their area of expertise.

All positions will be un-remunerated, but agreed expenses may be reimbursed from

the resources of the local waterway.

Activities

The scope of work undertaken by the Partnership is limited only by their overarching

purpose of supporting the most effective and efficient management of the waterway

by the management team and the energy and commitment of the membership.

However, it is important that the non-executive status of the Partnership is

understood and that the management reporting line from the local team to senior

management and the main Board, is respected.

Programme of Business

The Partnership will determine its programme of activity, working with the

Waterway Manager to meet local needs and to exploit local opportunities. The

following is a short list of actions that a Partnership might wish to consider working

closely with the management team. This is for illustration purposes only.

Agree a 10-year vision for the waterway

Understand and endorse the budget and 3-year business plan for the waterway before this is

submitted for incorporation into BW’s wider business plan

Understand in-year performance against budget and act to support on any emerging issues

Endorse and act to support local management decisions in areas such as maintenance

spend

Endorse and monitor customer service standards

Work with the management team to develop an outreach programme to encourage

volunteering and waterway-based activity

Agree with the Waterway Manager a programme to develop local business sponsorship and

act to implement

Champion the waterway in political briefings with local politicians

Champion volunteering on the waterway and act to extend the reach of volunteer

recruitment

This is not an exhaustive list. The Partnership’s capacity to forge productive relationships

and approaches will be key to their success in, for example,

encouraging innovation and fresh insights into how the waterway is managed and relates to

local priorities

opening-up new funding and sponsorship

promoting a broad spectrum of volunteering in all areas of waterway management

engaging with waterway users, young people and new audiences

In all its activities, the Partnership will need to work closely with the local

management team, nurturing and valuing the skills they bring whilst also, where

appropriate, encouraging a culture that is welcoming of change, participation and new

ways of working.

British Waterways April 2011

10

The Season has had a good start with fine weather, happy trippers and many full boats over the two bank holiday weekends.

Waterwitch is running well and after additional ballast and re trimming is a little deeper in the water but with improved handling characteristics especially in reverse or with cross winds.

FREIG HT CARRI ER ; T oda y Waterwitch made her debut as a freight carrier, read all about it elsewhere in this magazine but I h o p e s o m e o n e t o o k s om e photographs. (sure did, see working party report Ed) It is pleasing to know that Waterwitch has a new role and has become a greater asset to the trust.

MOTHER NATURE; Spring is ‘bustin’ out all over, lots of new growth, blossom, new ducklings and other water fowl and one cygnet on the new swans nest near the Peasey Beck feeder. By the time you read this there will probably be several more. I have looked for a swans nest at Stainton but not seen one, I am wondering if the pair of swans in the vicinity will equal their feat of last year

in successfully raising nine cygnets.

CHARTERS; On April 29th we did a

picnic party to Stainton and return for a group of ladies from Kendal. A Hen Party! A good time was had by all including the boat crew! For June we have a provisional booking for 58 schoolchildren and a few school staff who want a canal trip as part of their

history project.

TRAINEES: There are four trainees and I am expecting them to be 4 new skippers in June, Susan Harvey, Tony Wheeler, John Lawson and Ian Hill. I offer sincere thanks to Peter Simmonds, Trainer.

ECONOMY; At the end of last season we filled up the fuel tank with diesel from Canal Garage at Millness. Looking at todays fuel prices we have saved over £15 and the fuel will last most of the year.

BOAT CREW Congratulations to new Skippers John Acres, Steven Lefevre and David Hannigan who have taken up their role with relish and a good contribution to the start of season. It has been a pleasure to see our volunteers old and new working happily and safely together to give our visi tors a pleasant and in f o rm a t i ve exp er ie nce an d continuing to promote the Trust and its work.

Alan Mather,

Boat Operations Manager

(Continued on page 31)

Boat Operation Manager’s Report

21st October The Boaters

Dinner, Crooklands Hotel

The Trust’s dedicated number for booking charters is

07961929102

11

Lancaster Canal Trust‟s restoration work

at Hincaster Horse Path has been

recognised by the Institution of Civil

Engineers on 31st March 2011. Although

not an outright winner, the project has

received a Special Mention along with six

other projects sponsored by British

Waterways.

The Hincaster Horse Path is a Scheduled

Ancient Monument and the project

includes restoration work on the path‟s

bridges and walls. The work is covered

by a 5 year maintenance agreement

between LCT, BW and English

Heritage. Thanks are due to David

Currington for his work in negotiating

the agreement in 2008, to Paul Shaw for

organising the work on site, to Cumbria

County Council for their financial

support for stone wall training and of

course to the many volunteers from LCT

and the Waterway Recovery Group who

did the work.

To put the award in context, nominations

were invited for projects involving

bridges, aqueducts, tunnels, and other

transport-related structures such as

retaining walls, locks & wharves. The

project must involve the structural

maintenance, strengthening, and

restoration or conservation of a

structure more than 30 years old. It must

be within England, Wales or Scotland and

must have been completed within two

years of the closing date for nominations.

The annual award scheme was

established in 1998.

The 2010 Awards went to:

Bideford Long Bridge, Devon

Spa Footbridge, Scarborough

Stanley Dock Bascule Bridge, Liverpool

Commendations went to:

Vale Royal Locks, Weaver Navigation,

Northwich

Wilford Suspension Bridge, Nottingham

The Special Mention to British

Waterways was in relation to seven

projects which, “although relatively minor

in size, have demonstrated as a group an

exceptional commitment to maintaining

and enhancing engineering heritage”:

Willow Cottage Bridge, Caldon Canal

Bridge 29, Grand Union Canal

Droitwich Barge Canal

Sandhill Lock, Pocklington Canal

(Continued on page 12)

Historic Bridge and

Infrastructure Awards 2010

12

Lock Ladder Project, Leeds &

Liverpool and Rochdale Canals

Bridge 49, South Stratford Canal

Hincaster Horse Path, Lancaster

Canal

Well done to all involved.

Also the Trust‟s work has

been recognised in yet

another national article, this

time by Nigel Crowe in

BW‟s Heritage-Context

Magazine. He writes that

“British Waterways, created

by the Transport Act

1962, is on the cusp of great

change. If all goes according

to plan, in 2012 it will cease

to be a public corporation

and become a charity. It will

raise funds like other

charities, engage with

volunteers, and continue to promote and

operate the inland waterways on behalf

of the nation.

E f f e c t i v e

conservation and

management of the

heritage will be one

of its principal aims.”

He goes on to say

“In the years since

British Waterways

launched its vision

s t a t emen t , t h e

number of people

i n v o l v e d i n

support in g and

volunteering their

time and knowledge

to the waterways

has grown. British

Waterways has only

recently started to

measure volunteer

involvement, but the signs are positive.

Volunteer days doubled from 8,000 in

2007 to 16,000 in 2008.

The Trust was singled out by the

inclusion of two photographs on work

on the Lancaster Canal at Hincaster &

Braithwaite's Bridge. Richard Trevitt

(Continued from page 11)

Above Skilled volunteers from the LCT working at the scheduled

Hincaster Tunnel

Below: Skilled volunteers from the L C T repairing a listed

bridge.

13

SITUATIONS VACANT

Funding Officer - We need someone who will

identify and contact the many funding organisations to whom we can apply for grants for a variety of projects

and restoration works. Accounting/book-keeping skills would be useful but not essential. Form filling will oc-cupy a major part of the task. Time commitments likely

to be one or two evenings and several daytime hours per month. Further details are available. Please contact us through our website. http://www.lancastercanaltrust.org.uk/

HELEN’s CROSSWORD

Pubs on the Lancaster Canal mentioned in the Guide

Across

1 bringing the babies

2 we …… the fields

5 yellow Iris

6 rusty equus

8 male deer

10 under roof furrows

12 chase (or get) water here

13 mythical monster

14 king of the beasts

15 not pigs trotters

Down

1 dig with this

3 top of large bird

4 snowy bovine

(or rubbish)

7 sit on your horse

9 an easy target

11 uses an anvil

2

11

5

3

13

14

15

4

1

7

12

10

6

8

9

Answers page 24

14

Working party volunteers were busy

on two Sundays in February and

March installing new benches on the

canalside. All six new benches

between Burton and Millness are now

in use. These have been paid for with

a grant from the Cumbria Aggregate

Levy Sustainability Fund with our

volunteer time to install them being

counted in as match funding. We

have already had positive „user

feedback‟ from some regular canal

walkers.

April saw a return to Sellet Hall

Bridge and the adjacent canal bed.

Several volunteers worked on the

pointing of the bridge repairs we did

last year. This job had been deferred

as it was too cold over the winter to

use lime mortar. Meanwhile another

group tackled further removal of

vegetation encroaching in the canal

bed nearby.

This is all part of the plan to restore

water to this section of the canal. To

this end we have also carried out a

topographical survey of the dry canal

bed between Stainton and Wellheads

Lane to determine bank levels and to

quantify the removal of infill which has

been tipped in this section over the

years since it was drained.

A mid week working party in May

carried out some maintenance work

on the steps at the Westmorland

Show Ground. These steps were built

by LCT several years ago to provide

access to the towpath at Old Hall

Bridge and are used when we run the

trip boat for events at the

showground. We restored the steps

as good as new in time for the

Country Fest on 28 & 29 May.

Elsewhere in this edition you will read

details of the Historic Bridge and

Infrastructure Awards 2010 and the

recognition of our work at Hincaster

Horse Path.

Looking ahead, we are planning

another major onslaught on trees

which have self-seeded in the masonry

of some of the bridges. This will be a

long-weekend project on 9-12

September in conjunction with our

friends from Waterway Recovery

Group.

Please put these dates in your diary

now and be ready to make a

commitment for some or all of this

time so that we can plan the work in

detail. Watch the website for details.

Thanks to everyone who has taken

part or intends to take part in our

working party activity. If you are not

already on the working party email

circulation list and would like to be,

s i m p l y s e n d a n e m a i l t o

trevittr@hotmail.com with the subject

heading „w/p email list‟. Similarly if

you are on the list but

would rather not be, let

me know.

Richard Trevitt

(Continued on page 15)

Working

Party Report

15

(Continued from page 14)

(Continued on page 16)

Top: Installing the last batch of seats

near Holme and then testing them for,

safety’.

Above: Waterwitch is converted to carry aggregate down to Old Hall Bridge.

Right: The Steps to the showground are now repaired to a safe condition.

Above: At Sellet Hall Beryl does her girl

guides bit to get a fire going,; then ‘hey

presto’ it soon becomes a pile of ashes.

16

(Continued from page 15)

Working Party,

Sellet Hall

Top Left & Right: Finishing off

the pointing on the renewed

parapet.

Left: The chain saw makes a

great impact on the saplings in

the bed of the Canal.

Bottom Left:

Looking back to Sellet Hall

bridge shows steady progress in

clearing the saplings, The

stumps will be dragged out at a

later stage.

17

Have you thought of making a Will to include a legacy to

The Lancaster Canal Trust ????

Such a legacy would provide a long lasting memory of your association with this beautiful part of Cumbria and Lancashire linking their history through the present and into the future.

For further details please contact:

Richard Trevitt Chairman LCT 2 Fern Bank

Lancaster LA1 4TT (01524)846303

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

From Ken Broadhurst.

The Autumn edition of "Waterwitch"

was notable by the paintings by Ian Dunn

plus his observations. He mentions the

possibility of a Lock Keepers cottage at

Tewitfield to the north of the locks – by

an odd coincidence the previous Spring

"Waterwitch" carried on the back page a

photo of the actual cottage in the "Down

memory lane" section.

Our new members may not know but

the cottage by the bridge at Crooklands

is owned by Mr & Mrs Walker and was

originally the Lengthman‟s cottage

Mrs Walker is the daughter of the last

Lock Keeper at Tewitfield and was born

and lived there for many years. Her

father was Edmund Shuttleworth and his

father John was also the lock keeper

there. Mrs Walker will tell you that the

cottage was originally part of a farm with

shippons and stables as part of the

complex. The locks were built on land

owned by the Catholic Church and were

known as "Priestlands". When the

motorway was built the canal closed and

Edmund was moved up to Crooklands

with his family. He was quite a keen

gardener and whenever you go on the

south bound trip you will see a large

patch of Waterlilies near the end of his

garden which were planted by him.

When I used to lead walks along the old

tramway to the Gunpowder Works I

often took people through their garden

as the rail line from the bridge curved

out onto the roadway by the Coal Yard.

If you look closely at the entrance to the

coal yard you will still see a piece of the

old rail by the roadside as the road

tarmac covers the old rail line across the

road.

Ken Broadhurst (Thanks Ken Ed)

18

Having been part of the visiting boat fraternity at last year’s festival we had hoped to do the same again, but

were thwar ted by problems with our vessel’s plumbing!

N e v e r t h e l e s s , w e attended all three days, basking in brill iant sunshine and blown by strong winds. ‘Musicals’

provided the theme, with The Wizard of Oz the firm favourite amongst the participants in the Decorated Boat Competition, closely followed by several Paint Your Wagon displays. Sunday evening’s illuminated boat parade was, as ever, one of the

highlights. The Raft Race attracted a small entry but a large crowd; worryingly, the Fire Service team recorded the slowest time, coming in well behind the rest of the field!

We set up the LCT stand on Monday and interest picked up after a slow start. There were peaks and troughs in visitor

(Continued on page 19)

Skipton Waterways Festival 2011

This Page: Some of

the many boats

dressed overall for the

Theme of ‘Musicals’

19

numbers throughout the day but we a c h i e v e d a respectable £48 in sales and donations, and added more signatures to the petition. Lots of people t o o k a w a y membership leaflets to mull over, so hopefully

this will result in an increase in our m e m b e r s . B e r y l Bowcott, David Slater, Mike and Fran Valiant and new recruit Phil Molyneux provided the staffing, so thanks to all for their efforts.

Fran Valiant

(Continued from page 18)

Above: The

Raft Race

approaches

Left; The boats

looking very

resplendent in

the night time

attire

Left: The

Trust’s stand

attracting

visitors

20

As an outsider from the Pennines I was asked if I might pen a few words about my experiences of walking the 56 miles of the Lancaster canal, which I recently undertook in three consecutive days from Preston to Kendal, making breaks at Garstang and Bolton-Le-Sands.

It followed an 8-day hike along the Leeds and Liverpool towpath last year and which before very long and perhaps rather ungraciously I had renamed the "longest dog toilet in the North". I carried a book about the

canal with me and at Johnson's Hillock came to realise that the history of the two waterways were very much linked, particularly when the Lancaster chose to share its waters (if that is the right expression)

with the Leeds and Liverpool.

The start of the canal at Preston can take some finding for a stranger but at least the shortening of the cut may serve to spare us some of the more usual trappings of urban canal life such as interesting dog ‘poo’ formations, supermarket trolleys and other bits of unidentifiable floating debris (and some I would prefer not to identify)

What a great shame our forefathers did not get around to providing us with a watery passage across the Ribble, thus undoubtedly denying posterity of some architectural gem of a magnificent arched aqueduct. But thankfully the link to the National system now prevails via the canalised Savick Brook and the Rufford arm of the Leeds and Liverpool, even if walkers cannot fully appreciate it.

Despite my first two days being somewhat damp (from above that is) it was a pleasure to enjoy some of the rural charm of this waterway; the nesting swans, the majestic heron and vocal ducks and moorhens keeping me company, whilst the swish of a passing Virgin express and the distant drone of the M6 are for the most part kept at arm's length

(Continued on page 21)

A Lancaster Canal Perambulation

Sent in by Nigel Smith

Above: The View at Johnson’s Hillock with the end of the Lancaster Canal almost in sight under the bridge to the left Right: The Deep Cutting which ‘can be a little oppressive’

21

and are never too much of a distraction.

The Glasson Dock branch is no less appealing, though I had walked this some years ago and gave it a miss this time. The Deep Cutting can be a little oppressive but serves to demonstrate the engineering skill of R e n n i e a n d i s m o r e t h a n compensated for soon after by the airy Lune Aqueduct. Indeed the directness of the canal's north-south alignment is quite remarkable. I noticed that the distance by canal is not a great deal further than by road.

The Northern Reaches provide some delightful walking in a magnificent landscape setting with enticing Lakeland hills spurring you on, but demonstrate a sad reflection on the state of affairs created by the lack of foresight in the somewhat brutal era o f m o t o r wa y p l a n n in g a n d construction. I could not avoid speculating how for a fraction of today's restoration costs, solutions cou ld have been found to accommodate the original canal. As

with so much of our transport system (canals and railways) short-sighted and rash decisions were made in that narrow time band before the full potential of recreation and heritage values to the local economy came to be realised. The forlorn and rather absurd sight of a graceful canal bridge in the middle of a pastoral field of wandering sheep where the canal has been airbrushed out of the picture only serves to reinforce this view. It is a wonderful walk, even in the rain, though it was a little muddy and slippery in places requiring extra skill for the leg muscles. Thanks for the many seats and benches, though as often as not there is never one quite when you need a rest.

On the third day the sun fittingly came out, as if perhaps to say that there is hope for the future. I sincerely hope so. The Rochdale canal near my own home was blocked by road schemes and supermarket development in the post war era and through the actions of a Canal Trust and with the help of Local Authorities has now been restored. It shows that once the impetus and enthusiasm is in place results can be achieved.

Finally my thanks go to my friends at Bolton-Le-Sands for accommodating and feeding me on my journey and for accompanying me on a long but memorable final day and to my bus pass, which helped me to and from destinations close to the canal each

day. Nigel Smith

Many thanks to Nigel for sharing his experiences. Ed

(Continued from page 20)

The ‘forlorn and rather absurd sight of graceful canal bridges in the

middle of a field’

22

CARNFORTH

VISITOR CENTRE

EXHIBITION

The 17th February 2011 saw the

opening of a new Gallery at

Carnforth Visitor Centre. The

opening exhibition in the Bateman

Gallery was a collaboration between

Lancaster Canal Trust and Lancashire

Museums – both organisations

providing some fascinating displays

showing the past, present and future

of the local canal network.

The exhibition ran for 10 weeks and

was viewed by in excess of 4000

visitors, many of whom were totally

unaware of the good work being

achieved by the Trust. Feedback was

so good that plans are already being

discussed to update and repeat the

exhibition sometime in 2012.

Further interest in the work of the

Canal Trust was evident when, on

the last day of the exhibition, David

Slater was a guest on the Radio

Lancashire afternoon programme

when they did a canal feature from

Carnforth.

Do you know this mystery man ?

Espied in the frozen wastes of the

Lancaster Canal at Bridge 75.

There is no reward!

From an anonymous photographer!

23

In May this year Peter Woolsey

celebrates his 70th birthday and plans to

revisit a trip he first made as a 17 year

old in 1950. The Inland Waterways

Association and The British Canoe

Union (BCU) are sponsoring the trip by

giving publicity, support and advice.

Peter has told us

“I first did this trip in 1958 when I was 17

and overly ambitious. It nearly killed me to

do the trip in 1958 in 10 days = 40 miles

per day + locks and tunnels! This time I'm

allowing 15 days or 16 including the initial

day travelling from Stainton crossing to

Tewitfield. The first trip was done in a Tyne

11 foot folding kayak again with a small

trolley (homemade but it survived the trip).

On that occasion I camped along the way

and carried my tent, sleeping bag, clothes

and food with me. I also cooked for myself,.

Queens Scout + Duke of Edinburgh's

Award training probably helped me to keep

going.

I must have been stronger than I knew. I

once had to drag myself up the front of a

lock gate in the Birmingham area where

there was no way I could climb the sheer

brick walls to the tow path. I then dragged

my kayak up after me. How I did it I do not

know but I was so angry and frustrated

that somehow I did it. I also found an

empty butty barge that night in the middle

(Continued on page 24)

From Stainton

to London

Bridge by Kayak

Peter Woolsey

The Kayak lent to Peter by sponsors Pyranha in

which the attempt will be made.

24

of an industrial area and slept in there

because there was nowhere to pitch a tent.

This 2011 trip should be a little better

organised and hopefully more fun. My main

concerns are the river Ribble estuary and

the weather = risks of wind and rain.

Hopefully May/June should be more

reasonable.

My main message to everyone is that

kayaking and canoeing can be very gentle

activities, suitable for those over 50 who

may have problems with walking. If you can

get into and out of a canoe or kayak then

the actual act of paddling is not hard and

you will find that there are always canals

and navigable rivers nearby, over 3000

miles of navigable waterway in England.”

Peter is keen to use the trip to assist

IWA and the British Canoe Union to

promote the increased use of canals and

navigable rivers”. Peter was to start from

the canal end at Stainton on Friday 27th

May. Peter is due to arrive at London

Bridge on Sunday 12th June. The rest of

the itinerary is:

Saturday 28th May, From Tewitfield to

Bilsborrow on the Lancaster Canal. (30.5

miles 0 locks)

Sunday 29th May, To Rufford on the Leeds

& Liverpool Rufford Branch. (25 miles 10

locks)

Monday 30th May, (Spring Bank Holiday)

To Leigh on the Leeds & Liverpool Leigh

Branch. (26.9 miles 0 locks)

Tuesday 31st May, To Stockton Heath or

Walton area on the Bridgewater Canal. (30.5

miles 0 locks)

Wednesday1st June, To Middlewich on

the Trent & Mersey Canal. This stage

includes the Preston Brook, Saltersford and

Barnton Tunnels. (21.8 miles 2 locks)

Thursday 2nd June, To Kidsgrove or

Etruria on the Trent & Mersey Canal. This

stage includes Harecastle Tunnel if the

overnight stop is to be Etruria. (13.4 miles

34 locks to Kidsgrove + miles to Etruria 5.4)

Friday 3rd June, To Great Haywood on the

Trent & Mersey Canal. (19.0 miles 18 locks

from Etruria)

Saturday 4th June, To Tamworth on the

Coventry Canal. (23.2 miles 5 locks)

Sunday 5th June, To Hawkesbury or Ansty

on the Oxford Canal. (21.5 miles 13 locks

+ 3.8 miles to Ansty)

Monday 6th June, To Napton on the

Oxford Canal. (24.0 miles 3 locks from

Ansty)

Tuesday 7th June, To Banbury on the

Oxford Canal. (22.3 miles 22 locks)

Wednesday 8th June, To Kidlington on the

Oxford Canal. (22.3 miles 13 locks)

Thursday 9th June, To Benson of

Wallingford on the River Thames. (22.4 miles

12 locks to Wallingford)

Friday 10th June, Wallingford to Henley on

the River Thames. (24 miles – passing

through Pangbourne, Reading, Sonning,

Shiplake) (25.7 miles 12 locks)

Saturday 1th June, To Staines on the River

Thames. (29.1 miles 11 locks)

Sunday 12th June, To London Bridge on

the River Thames. (35.4 miles 7 locks)

(We hope to run another article in the next

edition to let members know how he got on,

especially on our stretch of Canal We wish

him the best of good fortune. Ed)

(Continued from page 23)

Helen’s Crossword Answers (page 13)

Across

1. Stork

2. Plough

5. Flag

8. Roebuck

10. Plough at Eaves

12. Running Pump

13. Green Dragon

14. Golden Lion

15. Boars Head

Down

1. Shovel

4. White Bull

7. Saddle

9. Sitting Goose

11. Smithy

25

Lune Aqueduct The last edition of Waterwitch informed

members of the proposed works to be

undertaken on the Lune Aqueduct. We

can now update the situation.

Following on from a grant of £1million

pounds by the Heritage Lottery Fund in

December 2010, and also additional

investment from British Waterways,

Lancaster City Council and Lancashire

County Council, the first phase of

construction works at the Lune Aqueduct

were completed in time for the boating

season recommencing in March.

Works commenced at the aqueduct

immediately after the Christmas holidays

on January 5th 2011, with BW term

contractors May Gurney setting up their

site compound at the north of aqueduct

and proceeding with the draining of the

canal between bridge 108 and Bulk Road

Aqueduct. Phase 1 of the works involved

relining the canal channel on the joint

between the aqueduct trough and the

embankment at the northern point. Large

scale masonry repairs were also

undertaken to the aqueduct trough, which

consisted of specially qualified experts

utilising their heritage training to

meticulously rake out old mortar and re-

point the aqueduct trough accordingly.

This work was particularly slow, but due

to the aqueduct‟s Grade I designation the

works had to be carried out with

complete care and detail. These works

have been largely successful, with a

positive impact in stemming the leakage

that has been gradually getting worse over

the last few months

The next phase of the works are currently

planned for August, and a works

programme is currently being agreed upon

between British Waterways and May

Gurney. Phase 2 will consist of vegetation

removal and masonry repairs to the

facades of the aqueduct, and also the

replacement of the stolen and damaged

balustrades that the aqueduct has been

blighted by of late. Graffiti removal will

also be undertaken. The access

improvements will

also commence,

focusing on the

(Continued on page 26)

B ritish

Waterways

Update...

Above & Right: The dire state of the

Aqueduct after the ceaseless attention of

the vandals.

26

steps and the construction of the DDA

compliant ramp along the south-western

embankment which wil l al low

pedestrians, cyclist and other

users to move comfortably

between the canal towpath and

Millennium cycleway.

The Waterwitch magazine will

run a further update in the next

issue with a more detailed

programme of the next phase

of works

Members of the public in

Lancaster were given the

opportunity to experience a

„behind the scenes‟ tour of

repairs to the Lune Aqueduct

on the Lancaster Canal. The

open day was part of a national

£50 million vital makeover of

dozens of historic locks, bridges

and aqueducts which includes

the replacement of over 100

handcrafted oak lock gates.

V i n c e M o r a n , B r i t i s h

Wat e rw ay s ‟ ope r a t i on s

director, said: “The recent

announcement that England and

Wales‟ canals and rivers are to

become part of a new „national trust‟ for

the waterways will give the public a

much greater role in looking after this

important part of the nation‟s heritage. I

(Continued from page 25)

(Continued on page 27)

Above: The beautifully

curved stonework in the

Aqueduct.

Left: Work progressing

to ensure a watertight

seal at the north end.

Below: The painstaking

but highly skilled work

in repointing the canal

lining

27

hope opening up some of our repairs

such as the work on the Lune Aqueduct

will give people a chance to see the scale

of the work we do to ensure that the

waterways are preserved for today‟s

users and future generations, as well as

gain an appreciation for the magnificent

industrial heritage in our care.”

British Waterways spends c. £100

million each year maintaining its 2,200-

mile inland waterway network, work

that is funded through a combination of

Government grants and income from

commercial activities such as property

and boat licenses. When British

Waterways transfers to a charity,

expected to take place in April 2012,

funding will come through a long-term

contract from Government, commercial

revenue and growing charitable income.

British Waterways are also pleased to

announce that they have now appointed

David Hennessey as Lune Aqueduct

Community Projects Manager to deliver

a series of community based projects in

tandem with the rehabilitation of the 200

year old Lune Aqueduct .

Over a period of next three years David

will engage with the local communities

adjacent to the Lune Aqueduct and

Lancaster Canal to create a greater

understanding and awareness of the

heritage, biodiversity and culture it

offers, encouraging greater participation

in its future.

British Waterways are delighted to

appoint David as Community Projects

Manager as it will really enable them to

drive forward the project to transform

the Grade I listed Aqueduct. David‟s

main priorities will be to involve the

local community in the project through a

range of education, conservation, and

events which will give the local

community more connection with the

fantastic asset which is on their

doorstep.”

Other News BW are continuing to

work with Arup on completing our

feasibility works re Canal Head and we

will be commencing new public

consultation in June and July. People

should keep their eyes and ears open for

press releases detailing venues and times

in and around Kendal SH

(Continued from page 26)

6 FURLONGS! To advance restoration progress of that part of the canal north of Stainton Crossing Bridge to Well Heads Lane the Trust will be starting an appeal which at present is nick-named the "The 6 Furlong Appeal".

It is hoped to be launched during the summer months in time for the show season. The object of the appeal is to raise funds to dig out a preliminary channel, determine the integrity of the bed of the canal, repair as necessary, reline and hopefully put back into water - within an optimistic timescale of about 2 years. That is the plan anyway at this stage. Costings are not yet available so we are not quite able to finalise details of the Appeal ... but watch this space - and get your buckets and spades ready ......"

We have already made a start with vegetation clearance and trial pits to ascertain just what is in there, nothing bad so far.

Pictures of first trial pits overleaf. TB

28

Trial Pits for 6 Furlongs

5

4

3 1 2

29

Today, at the Sellet Hall Bridge,

Angela was really flushed to

rediscover the canal drain & its

chain. The location had been lost

in recent years although a picture

of it did appear in this magazine in

October 1994.

Her endeavours finally paid off

after weeks of trying. There

was some informed input as

to the likely area but it was

the detector „wot‟ did it.

Location was assisted by the fact

that the beck conduit under the

canal was flowing strongly and its

junction with the drain exit could

be identified.

The plug itself has not been

excavated but from what can been

seen and felt it is probably a 'flap'

type drain hinged on the towpath

side. It seems to be firmly closed -

no cause for loss of water.

Lots of areas of the bed had

retained water which rather

hampered the survey - no-one had

the foresight to bring wellies!

Peter Jones

Another ‘Plug’

for our

restoration!

30

Fuelling Stops on the Lanky

‘Owd Nell’s’ Canalside Tavern

I decided that I had so far neglected the

southern reaches of the Canal and to

put this right made my way to

Bilsborrow. Here the guide book

informed me was „Owd Nell‟s Tavern.

I was in for a surprise! Yes, „Owd Nell‟s

is a canalside tavern but as their

brochure says it is just a part of a

complete hamlet. Owned by the same

family over several generations it has

been developed from the original

farmhouse into a tavern place for ‟Eatin‟

Drinkin‟ Stayin‟ Playin & Dancin.‟

History has it that sometime before

1834, School House Farm, the

predecessor of the Tavern, was the

home to Reverend Thomas Duell, the

local vicar at St Peters Church, Brock

while his vicarage was being rebuilt after

a devastating fire razed his home to the

ground. While Reverend Duell was in

residence at the farm, he built a Dutch

barn to house crops and equipment with

money from his parishioners

In 1986 School House Farm was

purchased and extended to

become Owd Nel l ‟s

Canalside Tavern, then

se l l in g Tet ley A le s ,

C a s t l e m a i n e a n d

Moosehead Lagers. In 1987

their involvement with

Boddington‟s Bitter, The

Cream of Manchester,

started before its purchase

by the Whitbread Beer Company

The tavern is a maze of bars and seating

areas for both drinking all day and food

at lunch and in the evening and must be

able to cater for a large number of

customers. I was a little worried that it

would be like many other such large

establishments and either have no real

ale or at best a few poorly kept national

brews. But I was wrong. There are, I

was told, always nine real ales available

some regulars including the own named

bitter (very coy about who brewed it)

plus several ever changing ales from both

well known breweries and some

interesting local breweries. I sampled a

couple of the local ones, Hart of

Preston‟s „Lancashire Best Bitter‟ and

„Jack & the Dragon‟ from the Cottage

Brewing Co, and very nice they were

too. There was a good range of both

high & low alcohol levels.

For an old grumpy pensioner such as I

this is not one place I would necessarily

(Continued on page 31)

Left :The front of the

‘Owd Nell’s’ Tavern

31

choose for a quiet evening pint.

But if I was in a large group and

certainly if the grandchildren were

involved then it is just the place for

a good family outing with good

beer to boot. In fine weather there

is plenty of canalside seating and

the inevitable ducks to feed. There

are 65 en-suite Lodges, conference

facilities and a Sports Society for a

wide range of sporting activities

Late night dancing takes place with a

resident DJ on a Saturday night.

This is a place you have to visit before

you can make up your mind, you will

either love it or maybe decide it is not

for you but my feeling is that it does

fill a fairly large niche in a very

professional way. Visiting the

website at

www.guysthatchedhamlet.com

will give you a chance to find out

and also to see the many other

activities that are up for offer. Still the

ales are great! Titus O’Newt

(Continued from page 30)

Above: Agnes at the well stocked bar

Below: The rest of the real ale brews

THANK YOU

CENTA

Last season on Waterwitch we had a

problem with a stripped bolt on the Drive

coupling from the gearbox to the prop

shaft.

This coupling is a flexible unit to allow

for variations in alignment and reduce

vibration,

We installed a helicoil repair to the worn

thread, but thought a new coupling would

be a good idea after 13 years or so of

running, so a replacement was priced at

around £300,

I contacted Centa , of Shipley, the

manufacturer of marine couplings and

they have very kindly donated one to

Waterwitch which we fitted during the

winter service so I would like to say on

behalf of the LCT, a big thank you to

everyone at Centa who helped us, and to

come along for a cruise if they can this

season.

The boat has made a great start to the

cruising year and we hope to carry more

passengers than ever this season.

Now I’m trying to find a company that

has a machine that tunnels under

motorways

(Continued from page 10)

32

THE

LANCASTER

CANAL

100 Club Prizes: 1st £25; 2nd £15;

3rd £10. Winning Numbers since

last Issue

1st

2nd

3rd

February 99 59 19

March 38 97 72

April 63 6 3

May 44 54 96

Advertising

The Recruitment & Promotions

Subcommittee have decided to accept

appropriate advertising within the

Waterwitch magazine.

If there are any members who wish

to advertise either personally or on

behalf of appropriate businesses

please contact the Editor by email or

by phone. These are shown on page

31 of the Magazine.

We would hope to sell whole, half

and quarter pages. We can accept

ready designed adverts by means of a

pdf file or we can hopefully design

one ourselves to meet advertisers

requirements

Rates would be:

Quarter page £10

Half page £20

Whole page. £40

33

President

C.H.Bagot J.P. F.R.I.C.S.,D.L

Vice - Presidents

John Gavan

David Slater

Chairman

Richard Trevitt 2 Fern Bank, Lancaster. LAI 4TT (01524) 846303

Vice - Chairman

Helen Thomas 7 Bay View, Over Kellet, Carnforth, LA6 1DR

(01524) 735504

Secretary

David Currington 12 Sedbergh Road Kendal LA9 6AD (01539) 732599

Treasurer

Peter Smith 14 Blencathra Gardens Kendal LA9 7HL (01539) 739105

Membership Secretary

Alan Mather 15, Claughton Ave Bolton BL2 6US (01204) 521031

Public Relations Officer

Trisha Buzzard 07802438412

Waterwitch Editor

David Currington 12 Sedbergh Road Kendal LA9 6AD (01539) 732599

Working Party Organiser

Richard Trevitt 2 Fern Bank, Lancaster. LAI 4TT (01524) 846303

Grants Officer

Vacant

LANCASTER CANAL TRUST Officers and Committee

2010/11

34

Beetham Parish Council

Burton-in-Kendal Parish Council

Bury & District Anglers Association

Catterall Parish Council

Kendal Civic Society

Lancaster Canal Boat Club Natland Parish Council Newton with Clifton Parish Council

Preston Patrick Parish Council Ramblers Association (Preston Area)

South Lakeland District Council

Water Farm Boat Hire

Yealand Conyers Parish council Westmorland & North Lancashire

Long Distance Walkers Assoc.

Waterwitch is copyright 2011, published by

The Lancaster Canal Trust (Registered Charity No. 240957)

c/o David Currington, 12 Sedbergh Road, Kendal, LA9 6AD

The Lancaster Canal Trust may not agree with the 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 Trust accepts no liability for

any matter in the magazine.

The editor retains the right to edit any article or letter submitted for publication.

The deadline for contributions to the next edition of

Waterwitch in September

will be 14th August 2011

Contributions may be e-mailed to

dadcurrington@hotmail.com

Or by post to

David Currington

12 Sedbergh Road

Kendal, Cumbria

LA9 6AD

Trisha Buzzard

Publicity Officer & Trip Boat Committee

07802438412

Alan Mather

Boat Operations Manager

(01204) 521031

Beryl Bowcott

Chairman Recruitment & Promotions

(01772) 863418

Sandra Henstock

(L.C.B.C. Representative) (01253)764171

Affiliated Members

Printed by Kent Valley Colour Printers, Kendal. (01539)741344

Visit LCT website at: http://www.lancastercanaltrust.org.uk/

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEMBERS & OTHER TRUST OFFICERS

Corporate Members Arlen Hire Boats CARP Ltd

35

Above & Below:

Hard at work in 1996

fitting out the brand

new Waterwitch

Fitting out and

Launching the

newly

purchased

‘Waterwitch’

Right: David Slater and Hal Bagot

assisting John Disley, (representing

sponsors Reebok UK Ltd.), with the

honours

Memory Lane

Below: The official

naming ceremony

21st June 1996