No 228  March 2020

ERW T AY A S W

M Y U S T E IE U M S O C THE WATERWAYS MUSEUM SOCIETY

President: Di Skilbeck MBE

Vice Presidents: Tony Hales CBE, Alan Jones, Tony Lewery

DIRECTORS Chairman Barbara Kay Vice Chairmen Jeff Fairweather, Will Manning Interim Treasurer Chris Kay Secretary Chris Kay

Other directors Di Skilbeck MBE, Nigel Carpenter, Dave Ditchfield, Barry Green, Lynn Potts, Bob Thomas, Cath Turpin, Mike Turpin MEMBERSHIP SECRETARIES Dave Ditchfield & Ailsa Rutherford CONTACTS TO WHOM CONTRIBUTIONS SHOULD BE SENT RE:PORT Editor Ailsa Rutherford 01352 756164 14 Tai Maes, Mold [email protected] Website Steve Sunley EMAIL CONTACTS Pending changes to email addresses, please send all communication via the Chairman: [email protected]

Those not on email can contact: Waterways Museum Society, c/o National Waterways Museum, Ellesmere Port CH65 4FW Telephone 0151 355 5017

The Waterways Museum Society is a company limited by guarantee, registered in England no. 1028599. Registered Charity Number 501593 Visit our website www.waterwaysmuseumsociety.org.uk

Contributions for RE:PORT which is published four times a year are always welcome. Copy date for RE:PORT 229 – Sunday 17th May All views expressed in RE:PORT are those of the contributors concerned and should not be taken as being the policy of The Waterways Museum Society, The National Waterways Museum or The Canal and River Trust.

front cover: Market Drayton c.1910 Canal & River Trust Waterways Archive RE:PORT Number 228

Dates for your Diary

     March     

…to 30th June NWM Navigable Lines – an exhibition showcasing the historical importance and heritage of inland wa- terways.

Tuesday 10th IWA The Royal Iris and the Royal Daffodil plus Branch AGM – Derek Arnold is a very entertaining Wirral based expert on our local naval and maritime history. He is going to talk about their heroic history and how these two much loved ferry boats got their names.

Tuesday 17th EPL&FHS Historical artefacts to examine and talk about, followed by the AGM – Paul Stockton.

Friday 20th WMS Braunston: canal age transport hub – A look at the history of canals in and around Braunston, Northamptonshire, in the wider context of the history of transport. A talk by John Pomfret.

Monday 30th March to 7th September NWM Ebb & Flow Exhibition

     April     

Friday 10th to Monday 13th NWM Easter Boat Gathering More details elsewhere within this newsletter. Look at the Museum’s web page for more details.

Friday 10th (Good Friday) WMS What! Start again? ,Well Yes. – Ian McCarthy. An illustrated talk about his life and times on the canals as a volunteer, share boat owner and codger of boats. Starting from the nineteen sixties to the present day. What has changed and why, and most importantly how we make sure it is all passed on to the future, in a better state than when we found it.

Tuesday 14th IWA Liverpool's Maritime Heritage – Ken Pye, Director of Discover Liverpool, will be sharing tales of sea shanties, Maggie May and Liverpool's sailors' comforters! He will also talk about Lord Nelson's coffin and 'the boy who stood on the burning deck', a Life on the Ocean Wave, the Scouser who announced the Armada as well as telling us about privateers, sea monsters and ghost ships!

Tuesday 21st EPL&FHS Neston collieries following the publication of his new book – Anthony Annakin-Smith

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     May     

Thursday 14th to Sunday 17th May NWM Abandon Normal Devices Festival

Friday 15th WMS The effect of the Bridgewater Canal on the village of Moore from 1773. Its purpose, motive power – horses, steam packets to noisy Widdops and much more. An illustrated talk by local resident Alan Jones, a vice president of the Society.

Tuesday 19th EPL&FHS To be confirmed.

22nd to 25th May C&RT Crick Boat Show

     Meeting information     

WMS meetings are held in the Rolt Centre at the NWM More information about Museum events can National Waterways Museum, starting at 7.30pm. be found at www.canalrivertrust.org.uk/nwm There is a bar and we have a raffle. Everyone is welcome. IWA – Inland Waterways Association meetings are held in the Rolt Centre at the National Waterways EPL&FHS – Ellesmere Port Local & Family History Museum, starting at 7.45pm. Society meetings are also held in the Rolt Centre, starting at 7.30pm. Annual membership is £12 and visitors are welcome at £4 a meeting

Membership Matters In the December issue of RE:PORT, we asked members to consider receiving copies of this newsletter electronically. In light of the increase in postal charges announced recently, it is even more im- portant that we try and reduce our costs, and we ask you again to consider receiving your copy of RE:PORT electronically. If you would like to accept this option, please get in touch with the Editor by email: [email protected]. Thank you in anticipation.

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Chairman's Report Since I last wrote in the December edition, there have been several changes at the Muse- um. The Museum has been incorporated into the North West region with some reporting lines being made to improve its efficiency and effectiveness. This move reflects the focus of the Trust to grow its reach and public engagement and is a great opportunity to build on collaborative work across departments. A new position of Destinations and Attractions Manager, responsible for both the Museum and the Anderton Boat Lift has been estab- lished to which Ani Sutton has been appointed. She is currently Community Engagement Manager in the West Midlands region of the Trust, having originally joined as a Develop- ment and Engagement Manager working in the North Wales and Borders waterway. She will take up her new role in the region from 2 March, splitting her time with her current role in the West Midlands, in what will be a transitional month. Ani will then start full time in her new role on 1 April. The Collections and Archives team under Graham Boxer will remain within the Investment and Commercial directorate, reflecting its national role and potential contri- bution across the Trust and not just at the two major museum sites. In January we were pleased to be able to welcome to the Museum the new archivist, Lucy Maguire. Lucy qualified relatively recently with an MA (with distinction) in Archive Administration from Aberystwyth University. Although a qualified archivist for the last eighteen months, Lucy has been working as a Records Management Assistant at Cheshire East Council. Lucy has also worked at the Wellcome Trust as a Project Technical Assistant and as a volunteer at the National Library of Wales. She will bring an excellent set of skills to the National Waterways Archive. Going back to society business, the Christmas concert held at the Museum on Fri- day 13th December raised net proceeds of £530 which will be put towards projects at the Museum. A huge thank you to all the people who came to the concert and bought raffle tickets and to those who donated the prizes. February saw the Society have its AGM and since the existing Directors/Trustees kindly agreed to stand again, the Society continues to have a period of stability. However, some of the Directors have indicated that they wish to stand down as from next year and so there is an opportunity for new people to come forward to carry on the good work that the Society does. In order for a smooth transition we would be looking for anyone interested to be co-opted onto the committee during this year as a gentle introduction. If you are interested or want to find out more, then please contact me and we can have a chat about what is involved. The Society is also reviewing the existing way it operates 5 Number 228 RE:PORT to identify if there is a better model which will improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the Society. Spring will shortly be with us and following the storms and bad weather we have had I am sure we are all looking forward to seeing the new green shoots and flowers in our gardens and it is this theme of gardening which we will see at the museum’s annual Easter Boat Gathering. We are also looking forward to launching this year’s edition of Waterways Journal which should be available to buy at Easter, either at the museum or by mail order. More details of the Easter event can be found within the main body of this newsletter and if you are bringing your boat, please don’t forget to book it in as soon as possible. For those of you who will visit the museum at Easter, I look forward to catching up with you and to others, I hope the spring months are good. Barbara Kay

Help to shape the future of the Society

A significant number of the existing Directors will be retiring in 2021 and consequently this may cause difficulties in filling sufficient of the officer positions which are vital to the running of the Society. The Man- agement Committee would therefore very much welcome applications from any full Members to join them now, initially as co-opted members but with a view to them standing for election as Directors at the 2021 AGM.

The Society is currently in the process of reviewing the existing way in which it operates to identify if there is a better model to adopt in moving forward into the future which will bring added value to its support for the museum.

The committee meets once a month on the evening of the second Tues- day and if you feel that you can offer to help then please contact the Chairman by email in the first instance at [email protected]

Chris Kay Secretary

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Easter celebrations at the Museum 10 to 13 April 2020 The annual Easter Boat Gathering at the Museum is a very special time of the year and we’re looking forward to seeing many of you again this year. The 2019 event was memorable with beautiful weather which we can thank BBC’s Matt Taylor for bringing whilst he broadcast the Breakfast weather bulletins from site. This brought record visitor numbers to the event and now we’re scratching our heads as to how we can build on the success of 2019 and bring something different?!? As part of this process, we are now looking forward to developing a floating garden which will lead the flotilla for Easter 2021 and so this year we are introducing the theme of wellbeing and gardening which will be the foundation stone for a larger event next year. At the Waterways Museum Society meeting on Friday night Ian McCarthy will be giving a talk with the intriguing title of “What! Start again? – Well Yes”. An illustrated talk about his life and times on the canals as a volunteer, share boat owner and codger of boats. Starting from the nineteen sixties to the present day. What has changed and why, and most importantly how we make sure it is all passed on to the future, in a better state than when we found it. Saturday night’s headliners will be the Port Sunlight Sea Dogs bringing ‘shanties & songs of river & seas’ with support. Tickets are available online via the link on the website. I would encourage you to purchase your tickets now before details are released on Facebook in the next couple of weeks. Over the weekend you can also look forward to award-winning musician Phil Un- derwood who will be sharing his traditional and contemporary canal songs, and Graham Bellinger will be here with his eclectic repertoire plus much more… Children and families can enjoy creating their own music together with acclaimed musician and story teller David Gibb and get creative with LEGO Masters winner, Steve Guinness. If you haven’t completed your boat entry form there is still time to register your boat. The form is available at canalrivertrust.org.uk/nwm or by telephoning the Museum on 0151 355 5017. The boating team will appreciate your details in advance to help them with their planning. Welcoming you to the event is an important part of our season launch and we are looking forward to a memorable weekend. Michelle Kozomara

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The Christmas Grotto Experience Well, another year gone, and another Grotto experience behind us. This time, the first for many years, without the usual boat trip with Santa. The story development started some months ago with a series of “idea” sessions in the café, eventually settling upon a tale centred around a “toy hospital” and its staff of good intentioned but playful elves. The format, maintaining some link to the canals, was provided by Santa arriving on Wild Thyme and then taking the families to the Grotto (Toy Hospital) for a story. As usual, Santa was well portrayed by John Adams (a big change from his work in the Archive). Then to the set. This year it was a bit minimalistic as befits a hospital setting. This year’s innovations included an “elfalator” conveying damaged toys to the repair ward, audio sound effects, and multiple elves, the latter requiring two back-of-house operators. Chris and Barbara led the way as puppeteers, ably supported by Di and Eve on the final day. The Site Maintenance Team, led by Don Redman, translated my sketches and ram- blings into a workable set and it all took shape over a four/five-week period.

From this...... to this Sue James, Eve and I added the set dressing, even an X Ray service, the periphery of the set being completed once the usual tree and toys had been added. As usual, the enthusiastic elves were both energetic and mischievous, returning damaged toys with either incomplete or inaccurate repairs, a frog that mooed, a play on the “dead parrot” sketch, but finally the miraculous birth of a baby elephant, Yes I know it sounds crazy, and it was, but most importantly the kids (and their parents) clearly enjoyed it and some of the interplay between Doctor Bob and the children was great (and with the elves too), topped off, thanks to Chris Kay, by sound effects to add to the experience. After the Grotto story, Santa reappeared, toys were distributed (with the usual may- hem), and then all retired to the Activity Room (old café), transformed into a Christmas setting, where individual meetings between Santa and the children took place. At the 8 RE:PORT Number 228

[left to right] Eve, Sue and Di on Christmas Eve before the final performance – and still smiling! photos: Bob Thomas

same time, Jen de Leie and co, provided the opportunity for the children to engage in suitably “Christmas” themed craft activities, (well received by the children), whilst Sue and her crew made sure that the refreshments kept flowing for the rest of their stay. Feedback The collation of the usual feedback forms is now complete and once again the positives have far outweighed the small number of negative comments. Typical comments include:

“We had a great time, the girls loved it. Lovely Christmas experience. Great story for the kids to join in with.”

"A great experience for the children and not bad for the adults too. Lovely atmos- phere, well done to all the volunteers."

"Great family experience. Wonderful day. Cuppa and mince pies the icing on the cake."

"Lovely Christmas experience. Great story for the kids to join in with."

"We had a lovely time; everyone was welcoming and gave our daughter a brilliant time."

"A truly wonderful and fun filled experience for all the children. Will be coming back next year. Well done." Obviously, there were some adverse comments, mainly reflecting upon the lack of the “cruise” element of the experience but the positives vastly outweighed the negatives, and all involved can take great credit for the visitor experience they conjured up. Finally, I am sure that I have missed out some of the volunteers who made it all such a success, but a huge thank you to all who took part, from story development, through puppet making and set building, refreshments and all the performers. Another great year! Bob Thomas (aka Dr. Bob) 9 Number 228 RE:PORT

New family trail Teams from across the Museum have been pooling expertise to assist with the develop- ment of a new family trail. The trail will focus on the hidden gems within the Museum that visitors may have walked past hundreds of times and never noticed. The long list includes things like the wage window in the Archive tunnel, the gas lamp near the Toll House, the historic urinals in the boatyard, the turntables visible in the brickwork near Porter’s Row, the foundry, and the SCADA tower, amongst others. Archives and Collections volunteers, along with Jim McKeown, have provided valua- ble information which will be used to determine the final selection to be included in the trail. Our front of house team has assisted with identifying objects for inclusion and in designing the format and look of the trail. Hopefully this will appeal to new and repeat family visitors as well as other visitor groups, showcasing some surprising and fascinating secret stories. We are outsourcing the illustration and design work to an experienced museum interpreter who will begin work on it next week. The finished product will be at the Museum in time for the Easter holidays. Helen Evans

Needed – volunteers for Easter As you know, Easter is the first big event of the year at the Museum and WMS volunteers are particularly needed in the Pattern Shop Volunteer Hub. The second-hand book stall will be open and we hope to raise consider- able funds for museum projects over the weekend. The new Waterways Journal Volume 22 will be for sale, along with past editions . The Hub is also somewhere that visiting boaters, as well as Museum visi- tors come for information, or a chat. A good meeting place. If you can spare some time – if only for a couple of hours – during Easter weekend, please let the Chairman Barbara Kay ([email protected]) or any committee member know. ALSO, if you have any books that you are looking to dispose of, please bring them to the Hub at any time. We are very short of books suitable for children and would be especially grateful to receive these. Please place all books tidily in the box under the table so that Liz Phillips can price them up and put them in the appropriate place. Cath Turpin

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Letter to the Editor

Readers of RE:PORT will recall that an appeal for feedback regarding Friday night meetings was requested in the December 2019 issue. Sadly, only one response was received in the form of a Letter to the Editor.

I feel I should comment about the monthly Friday evening meetings, which I have been attending for over 30 years. I’ve enjoyed most, and have usually learned something, which is a significant criterion for me; plus, it is an important opportunity to meet up with other WMS members. I do wonder whether this suitability for me would apply to a new member for whom the familiar format might be alien. The dark approach to the Museum at night would preclude most people arriving by public transport, so it is limited to people arriving by car (except those coming by boat for the Easter Gathering). The format, going back to the day of slide projectors with their whirring fans, which involves a series of images in a darkened room, given by an external speaker, may be something that has more limited appeal in the 2020s. It may be that new people feel that they are among experts (which is true) and that they would have little to contribute. So I can see that audiences are not expanding, and may well dwindle as we all get older and travel on dark nights becomes less inviting. I would suggest that changes in format could be tried without too much disruption. The Easter Gathering “talk by an expert” does seem successful and should continue; in some ways it is WMS’s front parlour. I wasn’t at the last one, but the members contribu- tions at the Christmas meeting always seems successful, and maybe a further two such sessions, suitably paced, could be tried out. I am a great believer in “home-grown” talent, and I think that a lot of WMS members have plenty to talk about, but not in the format of a fully prepared long illustrated lecture. I think that education tends to be more inter- active these days (especially what is left of adult education), and the ability to interact with audiences, to put ideas forward for discussion and inspiration, would be interesting. The other aspect of home-grown talent concerns work carried out at the Museum by volunteers – Brian Spencer’s recent initiative with the slipway was especially interesting, and of course there have been contributions by Museum volunteers to the Waterways Journal. So, some more of this should be tried, so that new attendees will get more of an impression about what is going on at the Museum and voluntary involvement. Finally, there is always a meeting which is addressed by leading C&RT figures from or about the museum, and this should of course continue. One proviso for a different, more interactive format, is that there should be someone who chairs/co-ordinates audience contributions, so that tendencies for a “bear garden” to develop can be limited! I trust that after these heretical suggestions, I will still be allowed to attend WMS meetings! Joseph Boughey 11 Number 228 RE:PORT

Eighteenth century waterways in England and Ireland The idea of using inland waterways to help develop the economy had long been un- derstood across Europe, but it was the Thirty Years War (1618-1648) which seems to have brought the idea to the fore. During the war, the Trekvaart, a series of canals used for carrying passengers rather than goods, were built in the Low Countries. Much like the later English canals, they were built by local enterprise, rather than the state. They were considered to be a major factor in the United Provinces becoming the economic powerhouse of the late 17th century. Andrew Yarranton expanded on these ideas in his book England’s Improvement by Sea and Land, published in 1677. It was perhaps the most influential of many books published on economic development in England and Ireland in the 17th century. Perhaps the economic damage caused by the English Civil War was also an influence. In England, Yarranton’s idea for economic development associated with waterway improvement was first taken up by a group of West Yorkshire textile merchants and mine owners. They were to build the Aire & Calder Navigation, linking the towns of Leeds and

On the Grand Canal, Ireland, Lock 13 was built in 1760, and, with typical Government extravagance, was originally designed to be 136 feet by 18 feet, sufficient for large sea-going vessels. They soon realised that the cost of the canal would be too great, and the few locks which had been built were reduced in size to suit boats around 13.5 feet by 60 feet. This accounts for the narrowing of the chamber at the gates as seen here. There was a similar story in England, though as English canals were built with private money, which was much more limited than government resources, we ended up with narrow canals. In this 1999 photo, Irish waterway historian, Ruth Delany, is standing by the balance beam. photo: Mike Clarke 12 RE:PORT Number 228

The Newry Canal, seen here at Poyntzpass in 2007, was built to the 13.5 feet Irish broad canal standard. The engineer Thomas Steers introduced the ground paddle to the UK here in 1740, when he was in charge of completing the canal. The canal’s original engineer, Richard Cassel, had left for a more lucrative occupation as architect for many of the stately homes in Ireland. He was one of several European engineers involved with Irish canals, and came from Cassel in Germany. photo: Mike Clarke

Wakefield with the Humber and the port of Hull. Earlier attempts in 1621, 1625 and 1679 had come to nothing, but an Act of Parliament was finally obtained in 1699. This was the first English waterway to be promoted for industrial purposes, rather than for carrying agricultural produce. It marks the start of the rapid increase in economic development which became the industrial revolution. Similar navigations were proposed, amongst these, in Lancashire the Douglas, and the Mersey & Irwell in 1720, the Weaver in Cheshire in 1720, and in Yorkshire the Don in 1726 and 1727. However, it was in Ireland where United Kingdom interest in canals was greatest in the early 18th century.1 Yarranton had suggested the importance of navigable waterways to economic development, and his book includes a plan for a canal around Dublin. In 1715, an Irish Act was passed for Draining and Improving of the Bogs and Unprofitable Low Grounds…, which included proposals for navigations. Work did begin on making the Liffey navigable, but with little success, then in 1729 a further Act was passed setting up Commissioners of Inland Navigation. Their first engineer was Richard Cassel, who wrote the first detailed English text on building an inland waterway.2 Cassel was probably a German from Kassel. The next English text on the subject was also published in Dublin, Charles Vallancey’s Treatise on Inland Navigation…, of 1763, which comprised translations of earlier European engineering publications. 13 Number 228 RE:PORT

Work began on two canals in 1729, the Newry and the Coalisland, both in Ulster. It was hoped they would supply Dublin with coal from the Coalisland area. The Newry was the first to be completed, opening in 1741 after the English engineer Thomas Steers had taken over from Cassel. Steers had fought in the Low Countries in the 1690s, so may have been aware of the many improvements to waterway technology there. The Coalisland had to wait until after 1753, when the Irish Parliament took greater control of its finances. David Davis became engineer, and he seems to have been Italian, or from that region. The Lagan dates from 1753, with Thomas Omer, a Dutchman, as engineer. He was also engineer for the Newry Ship Canal from 1755. There was a major difference between the financing of canals in England and those in Ireland, in that only the latter had significant government support. Government money had been available for Irish waterways previously, but funds became much more widely available from the Dublin Parliament after 1753. The Kilkenny Canal of 1753 seems to have developed into a black hole into which Government money disappeared, leaving little actually undertaken – and there were similar problems with other Irish navigations. Why then did the Dublin Parliament support canal building financially, while the Westminster Parliament did not? Perhaps Irish waterways were seen as one way of keep- ing money in Ireland, where it would help to defray the cost of the damages done to Irish estates during the Civil War, which were far greater than had occurred in England. The estate-owning families in the Dublin Parliament often seem to have their main estates in the south of England where existing river navigations serviced their transport needs, in particular the supply of London with food. Consequently, they saw little benefit in supporting new English canals, which would provide them with little in return. Only those land-owners with estates in the north of England, where there was coal mining potential, were interested in canal development, and there cannot have been sufficient of them to influence Parliament. In the mid-eighteenth century, the return on capital invested in canals was unknown, so unless there was a secondary reason for doing so, few people with established capital would invest in English canals. It was left to the local merchants, mill owners, and coal owners to do so, and to encourage their extended families to help. Mike Clarke Notes 1 Delany, Ruth: Ireland’s Inland Waterways; 1988; ISBN 0-86281-200-3 2 Cassel, Richard; Essay on Artificial Navigation; 1729

Canal & River Trust update on rehoming boats The Canal & River Trust has previously shared details about a number of boats they are looking to rehome and have recently added a few more vessels to the list. The closing date for interest will be 18 May. If you are interested in knowing more please visit canalrivertrust.org.uk/nwm or email nationalwaterwaysmuseum@canalrivertrust. org.uk

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The Anderton Lift model in the Island Warehouse The model of the Anderton Boat Lift in the Island Warehouse is one of the oldest items in the collection at the National Waterways Museum, Ellesmere Port, and has an interest- ing history. It was built in 1913 in the workshops of the River Weaver Trustees at Northwich: J A Saner was the Trustees' Engineer, based in Northwich. Underneath the model there is the inscription: T L Mills, Jack Moores 1914, Model built 1913. In early May 1914, the model was sent to London for inclusion in the Anglo American Exposition at Shepherds Bush, London (White City) along with another, unspec- ified model. In the Waterways Archive there is correspondence between Mr Saner and the or- ganisers of the Exposition, which ran between 14th May and October 1914.1 In one letter, dated May 1st, Mr Saner emphasises that “.the model of the Anderton Lift is a working model and really would be better with some form of glass case for protection, so as to prevent unauthorised persons from tampering with it.” . “I have had to send someone with a knowledge of the working to see it put together, as some portions have had to be disconnected in order to prevent damage in transit.” The model was powered by an electric motor. On May 10th, Saner wrote that “.the models sent up by the Weaver Trustees are quite in order so far as it can be until there is a supply of electric power to work the model of the Anderton Lift, this is required to be Direct Current at 220 volts.” The reply to this the next day said that “We regret that in the building only alternating current is available, there is a direct current of 500 volts within a few hundred yards of the building which may be brought into the building but 250 volts is not possible. A suggestion was made to your Mr Harris that you might care to provide a small alternating current motor and starter, the cost of which is not very great.”

Anderton Boat Lift model 1961 Canal & River Trust Waterways Archive

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I suspect that the model was then stored at Northwich, possibly along with a model of Northwich swing bridges over the River Weaver, which had been exhibited at an international exhibition in Milan, 1906. The accompanying photograph of the model shows the “working model of the Anderton Lift, the property of British Detail of the model Canal & River Trust Waterways Archive Waterways Board. Displayed at the Bridge- water Canal bi-centenary exhibition in the Central Library, Manchester. July 1961.”2 The two model boats shown in the tank are in the British Waterways colour scheme which had been introduced in 1948. In 1963, the model was transferred from the North Western Division of British Waterways to the Waterways Museum which was being set up at Stoke Bruerne in North- amptonshire.3 Tony Conder, curator of the Waterways Museum at Stoke Bruerne from 1978 until 1988, when he became Director of the newly opened National Waterways Museum at Gloucester, says: “I don’t know where it came from but it was already an institution at Stoke Bruerne when I went there in 1978, I imagine it was there from the start. We had it rebuilt and repaired by Bassett Lowke in Northampton around 1980, and it has had modification since then. I don’t know what colour it is now but at Stoke it was in proper blue and gold, so it may predate 1963.” Tony also says that he thinks Bassett Lowke could have installed a coin-in-the-slot mechanism, either updating an earlier mechanism or putting it on. I cannot find a reference to the model in the BW staff magazine,Waterways . The model was transferred from Stoke Bruerne to the museum here at Ellesmere Port in the late 1980s, when it was incorporated in the new exhibition in the Island Ware- house. The mechanism, including the coin operation was still in place, but wasn’t working by then. If anyone has further information on this model, please do get in touch. In the past couple of years, minor repairs have been undertaken on the model, but it is now found to be in need of major restoration works which are being undertaken by Brian Spencer, Dave Ditchfield and their team. Watch this space in future editions of RE:PORT for details of their progress. Cath Turpin Notes 1 BWWN/21/28 Location R8 B3 S4. Records relating to Anglo American Exposition in London, 1914. Correspondence related to sending the model of the Anderton Lift to London. Specifications of work required, dated Jan 12th 1914. Also in box 21 are papers pertaining to a model of the Northwich Swing Bridges. 2 Alf Hayman Collection. 982.0335, 1021, Location C3 D4 3 Stoke Bruerne Accession Register. Reference W.63/120. 16 RE:PORT Number 228

Unlock Runcorn When the Silver Jubilee bridge was built in 1977, the Bridgewater Canal was blocked at Waterloo Bridge and the line of locks which connected the canal to the River Mersey and later to the Ship Canal, were filled in. Of the two lines of locks, the newer one was built over, but the old line was retained and filled with sand. The route of the locks became a footpath and the old coach road, which had existed before the locks, became overgrown and the route was lost to nature. However, the opening of the Mersey Gateway Bridge last year meant that new roads were built and the road connections from the Jubilee Bridge were re-aligned: this meant that the road which had caused the blockage at Waterloo Bridge was now to be demolished so that the canal was no longer obstructed. In 2016 the Unlock Runcorn Group was formed and, from very humble begin- nings, we are now looking at the re-instate- ment of the canal. The Bridgewater Canal, from its beginning at Worsley, would then enter the Ship Canal by Bridgewater House, the result being that its whole length will once again be navigable. So what have we done? We have cleared an area of scrub, erected a fence and made a compound in which there are two containers, one for tools and one for hospitality. We have held work parties to clear the old coach road, we have produced exhibitions to be displayed around the town and in the Brindley Centre and held festivals. These exhibitions have recently become more exciting as the finished plans for the project have been revealed. The plans show a very forward think- ing solution to many problems. There were originally ten locks but it is envisaged that there will only be two locks! This is because, as you boat under Waterloo Bridge your boat will enter a boat lift which will drop the boat down what would have been four [top] Sliding footbridge at Runcorn old locks [above] Runcorn old locks and Bridgewater House locks. The boat will then pass through two photos: Di Skilbeck conventional locks before entering an in- 17 Number 228 RE:PORT clined plane which will replace four locks . This will take you down to the Manchester Ship Canal level and you are free to go to Manchester, Ellesmere Port, Liverpool and up the River Weaver. The development at Runcorn will include a 50 boat marina, a play area, trip boat, visitor centre and car park. The Gateway Bridge has brought very little to Runcorn so we hope this project will attract boaters and visitors. The work party meets every Saturday morning, our latest project is constructing large wooden flower tubs. I am usually there each Saturday and you are very welcome to visit. Work on excavating the two ‘show locks’ is expected to start in September 2020 with the whole project due for completion in 2023. The address is: Algernon Street, Runcorn. WA7 1ER. Di Skilbeck.

Archive Discoveries Destroying the Forth & Clyde Canal A short British Waterways (BW) file deals with Dumbarton Council’s plans to acquire and fill in part of the Forth & Clyde Canal just over 50 years ago. This had closed in 1963, and a file note states that the terminal length at the east end - up to Lock 4 - had already been filled in by Grangemouth: the latter length was never restored. A section at the western end had been retained for recreational use - mooring river and seagoing vessels. The two final locks at Bowling (side by side) had been kept for this purpose, and I recall visiting these before the restoration had been agreed. It seems that the Clerk to Dunbarton County Council mooted the infilling of the canal at Old Kilpatrick on 24 February 1967, proposing new playing fields, but also suggesting that the whole section from Clydebank to Bowling could be filled in. The BW engineer-in-charge, T A Creaner, insisted that piping was necessary “as we must continue to operate Bowling for pleasure craft moorings”. BW’s chief engineer referred to discussions with Glasgow Cor- poration over the section from Maryhill Locks to the Glasgow boundary. The Clerk asked if an alternative supply could be found for Bowling, as it was hoped to avoid culverting. Following a meeting on 15 March 1967, the Council seemed to withdraw, but ad- vised that any scheme would be notified. At that meeting, BW revealed that there were plans for a formal Yacht marina at Bowling, and that there were plans for moorings above Lock 38 and possibly up to Lock 37. Dunbarton’s immediate plans would have affected the pound between Locks 37 and 36, upon which major water sales arose, but the Council sought to fill in the whole length. The “Glasgow Piping” would have reached as far west as Duntreath Avenue, by Lock 36. Interestingly, Creaner’s last comment on file was about the new Erskine Road Bridge, predicting that “land values in the vicinity will rocket in the near future”. Inadvertently, the retention of the length at Bowling made it possible to restore the whole canal 30 years later, as, had the whole length from Dunbarton to Bowling been 18 RE:PORT Number 228 destroyed, it is unlikely that the Canal could have been restored. The engineers had no thoughts of restoration, but their insistence on water supplies and the development of the moorings at Bowling made its destruction less likely Joseph Boughey

[above] Maryhill Locks on the Forth & Clyde Canal & River Trust Waterways Archive [right] PFCS Mobile, the forerunner of Waterway Recovery Group Northwest, held two working parties in 1975/76 to clear Maryhill top lock. It would be another 20 years before full restoration became a reality. photo: Chris Griffiths

19 Number 228 RE:PORT

50 years on – Telford’s warehouse fire March 31st will see the 50th anniversary of the fire that destroyed Telford’s famous arched warehouse at Ellesmere Port. This is just before this year’s Easter Gathering and hopefully will be marked in some way during the event. I gave a talk at the members’ talks evening recently showing a film taken of the fire. Increasingly much more information is available online these days and this film was uploaded to Youtube by Derek Williams. He explains, “I failed the 11+ exam (this was before the days of comprehensive schools) and so attended a secondary modern school. This was 'The Grange' in Ellesmere Port, long since closed. As a kid I was interested in science – these were the days of man on the moon. The Grange wasn’t the toughest school in the state sector but not really the sort of place I could ever feel at home in. But we did good things there, not least in the English lessons where, under the direction of Dalton Moorehouse the teacher, we made films.”

Top basin, Telford’s warehouse, canopy and Dock Hotel Canal & River Trust Waterways Archive

Just as importantly, many more photos have become available through the Water- ways Archive, Cheshire Archive and elsewhere over the years and I was able to show a se- lection of images illustrating the importance of the Warehouse on our site, its condition during the 1960s, and also shots in the immediate aftermath, and when the building had been demolished because of safety concerns. This was a period when many historically important industrial buildings were suf- fering from lack of maintenance and indeed were destroyed by fire, particularly across the north of England. At this time several buildings were being progressed for Listing – this was the case for Telford’s Warehouse and another building in Manchester lost to

20 RE:PORT Number 228

[left]The fire as reported in the Ellesmere Port Pioneer [below] Frost's Mill ablaze

fire just before they were listed. Indeed at Ellesmere Port several other buildings were lost during this period: Fri 13 March 1970 Grain Warehouse, facing Ship Canal Tue 31 March 1970 Telford’s Warehouse Sat 27 June 1970 Frost’s Flour Mills Tue 4 August 1970 General/China Clay Warehouse, facing Raddle Wharf Tue 31 August 1971 Grain Warehouse, facing Ship Canal Stories abound about the fire and the impact it made and several people in the audience were able to add to the information about the fire, in some cases independently confirming items. Such additional information will be added to the information in the Ar- chive for possible future use in interpreting stories of historic events around the Museum site for our visitors. Hopefully the talk and video will be repeated for the benefit of our visiting boaters during the Sunday event at Easter, and the video will be re-instated with additional images and descriptions in the Museum for wider access to all visitors. Should any readers know of any eyewitness information of the day, particularly before the fire broke out, please contact the author. Telford’s warehouse after the fire Canal & River Trust Waterways Archive Mike Turpin 21 Number 228 RE:PORT

Interesting reminiscences (1) Ice in the dock, John Williamson John Williamson was born on Primrose Hill, Ellesmere Port, on 31st March, 1847. After attending the National School at Little Sutton he worked for the Shropshire Union Railways & Canal Company in Elles- mere Port for 63 years, becoming a Warehouse Foreman. Later in life he suffered from a debilitating illness and in an attempt to take his mind off his affliction, at the age of 84 years, he began writing about his life. The following is an extract from Williamson’s reminiscences, transcribed by Nigel Rose from the Ellesmere Port Pioneer of 19th De- John Williamson cember 1930. Ellesmere Port Pioneer ‘So far as my memory can be relied upon we used to have some very severe winters. Frost and snow would come very early on in the season and stay with us all the remaining months of winter. One winter especially the docks of the Shropshire Union Company were completely frozen over so that it was impossible to get vessels out or into the docks. It was at Christmas time and it had been freezing hard for days as the frost got hold of the water, great blocks of ice formed and traffic could not be moved, with the result that the men had to stop work. It was, as I have said, near Christmas, and the men getting desperate, decided amongst themselves that they would break up the ice and clear the dock for traffic, and thus the work would be resumed. It was very galling to the men, who were being held up by the ice; Christmas was drawing nearer, and there was heaps of work but they could not get at it. So what did they do? They held a meeting and decided that they would set to and clear the ice and relieve the traffic. This was in the days before the Manches- ter Ship Canal was made and there was a free access into the river. Well, to make a long story short, the men armed with pick-axes and various implements suitable for the occasion, set out to break the ice. It was a new business to them, but they set to with a will, and soon large blocks of ice were cut. As the blocks of ice were cut, the men got on to them, and with boathooks guided them to the dock entrance. It was dangerous work but they did not care, they were winning and that was all that mattered. They ran the water out of the dock to the river level when the tide was at full, and by opening the lock gates the blocks of ice were pushed into the river, and as the tide receded the ice went with it. Very soon the traffic began to move, and all was joy. These were before the days of the dole were thought about. If the men did not work there was no pay for them, and work around the dock was mostly done on the piece-work system, it was a very serious matter for the men. I wonder would workmen similarly placed to-day have done it, I wonder?’

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Research in progress Rail incline in front of Porters Row In Helen Evans's article about a ‘Family Trail’ on page 10 of this issue, the brickwork on the Lower Basin quayside marking the rail tracks and turntables has been noted as a point of interest. In working together with the Collections and Archive teams to identify relevant infor- mation, it had been noted there was no known photograph of the rail incline that joined the lower level to the Porters Row/ Upper Basin level. In preparing the talk on Telford’s warehouse fire, and bringing together plans and archive photographs, I noticed a possible though very faded im- age from the 1920s that showed [above] Loading at Raddle Wharf 1926 the correct area as background. [below] Enhanced view of area below Porters Row – arrow is placed By carefully cropping and just above line of rail incline. Canal & River Trust Waterways Archive enhancing the digital image, particularly the contrast, it was possible to make out a line that would seem to be very close to where the incline was. This image is reproduced here, together with the com- plete original view of the Lower Basin looking towards Porters Row at the higher level in the background. The printed copy of the enhanced area may not be good enough to show the line of the incline faded in the image. However that line is marked by an arrow with the actual rail line just below it. Compare this with the part of a plan (used in my talk, see page 27) that clearly marks the rail incline joining the Upper and Lower levels. This is subject to further research in the background, probably by re-scanning the original archive image. Though it may not result in a sufficiently good image for the Family Trail, it nevertheless has added an interesting bit of extra knowledge Members of the volunteer teams in both Collections and Archive know how it is easy to get distracted by all sorts of interesting items – but it is often this serendipitous viewing of images, plans, books, etc. when dealing with an enquiry from a member of the public or another member of staff, that leads to making connections in a totally different way from the information originally catalogued. Yet another way that working in these teams is so enjoyable – come and join us if you are intrigued. Mike Turpin 23 Number 228 RE:PORT

The Bargee – film review The meeting of Friday 17 January treated us to the 1964 film The Bargee; the viewing was affected by slight jerkiness in sound, but its meaning was clear. This film was a vehicle for Harry H Corbett, one of the leading figures in the Steptoe and Son series.The Bargee had the same writers – Ray Galton and Alan Simpson, who died only recently, and the same producer as Steptoe, in which Corbett played Harold Steptoe, the somewhat downtrod- den and dreaming rag and bone man dominated by his slovenly, but knowing, father Al- bert. Corbett’s character is here called Hemel Pike, and he is a somewhat more confident version of Harold Steptoe, albeit with very similar mannerisms. Despite the “Bargee” of the title, he is one of a number of carriers by narrow boat on the Brentford - Birmingham route of the Grand Union and defends robustly a life to which he has been born. The plot is somewhat thin – the adventures of Hemel, a “Jack the Lad” character who is a “Casanova of the Canal”, with a different female at each mooring place. The film shows its age, depicting women throughout as entirely subordinate to men, including the lock-keeper’s daughter who eventually marries Hemel at her father’s behest. However, when one of Hemel’s earlier conquests finds out about his other liaisons, her reaction is decidedly feisty, chasing him back on to his boat with a knife! Hemel and other boaters are depicted, somewhat romantically, as living in a world apart, characterised by simple virtues. There is a long exchange with a be-suited man- agement figure at a wharf, in which he suggests Hemel will need to leave the boat and get a house with a mortgage, rates and so on. Hemel dismisses the lack of freedom that a less simple life would involve and, when later he leaves the boats, he is shown failing to conform to factory work, and unhappy about the next proposed job, in a factory making plastic chandeliers. An amusing contrast appears between the boatpeople and two offi- cials who turn up in gaberdine macks and hats, one falling into the mud when Turnbull began to fire a shotgun. The film’s viewpoint would place most viewers very much on the side of Hemel against the “straight” world. Two less-celebrated features are of relevance to a waterways audience. One is Joe Turnbull, the ogre-like elderly lock-keeper who drains the canals and threatens to blow up the lock-gates until someone confesses to getting his daughter pregnant. He is played, in rather overblown fashion, by the late Hugh Griffith, a Shakespearian actor who was a friend of Tom Rolt, and influenced him to support Welsh nationalism. More memorable and significant is the subplot that features Eric Sykes, “the mar- iner”, in a pleasure boat The Bounty (but with no prospects of mutiny). “The mariner” is shown in naval uniform, complete with megaphone, binoculars and siren, calling “ahoy there” and “shiver my timbers”. Whether or not Galton and Simpson knew this, there were pleasure boat “captains” in the 1960s who went about in nautical outfits, had boat clubs with commodores and regattas, so “the mariner” is not quite as ludicrous as he might seem. A newcomer to the waterways, “the mariner” is seeking to explore and record (with intrusive “in your face” photographs) a strange and traditional way of life. One of the funniest scenes was when “the mariner” goes into a boaters’ pub and wants to record (on a large tape recorder) “traditional” songs; the boatpeople look at each other, shrug their 24 RE:PORT Number 228 collective shoulders and decide to sing Knees Up Mother Brown. There is also a wonderful scene in which, telling the boatmen “I’ve got a book on you” (probably by Tom Rolt!), and “I’m sorry to see you chaps aren’t in your traditional garb”; they should be wearing moleskin trousers! This is the time when British Waterways (whose boats Banstead and Bellerephon were used) was withdrawing from most narrow boat carrying, and this is referred to early on. Hemel’s cousin later tells him that the boats will be withdrawn in 18 months’ time so that the way of life will come to an end. This provides a wistfulness in the film, reflected in many of the scenes, which show narrow boats (and few pleasure boats) in high-quality colour. In contrast to Steptoe, which also features a way of life that is ending, Hemel is not conflicted about his life on the boats and lacks Harold’s pretensions and aspira- tions against his desire to escape. Although adversity and decay do not provide obvious subjects for comedy, some of the best comedies (like Steptoe, with its strong undertow of pathos) can exploit an unexpected comic potential in the resistance and survival of individuals. Unfortunately, The Bargee did not reflect such themes, and relies more on slapstick and farce (like Turnbull blocking the canal, or “the mariner’s” boat exploding) than on the elegiac melancholy of a world that is ending. Joseph Boughey Mike Stammers Memorial Lecture For those who remember Mike, and for those who don’t, the Centre for Port and Mari- time History has organised another lecture in what is now an annual series recognising the late Emeritus Curator of the Merseyside Maritime Museum (MMM). The series gives local societies – WMS, the Historic Society of Lancashire and Chesh- ire, Liverpool Nautical Research Society, Merseyside Industrial Heritage Society and the Royal Mersey Yacht Club – with all of which Mike was closely associated, an opportunity to celebrate his varied and generous contributions. This year’s lecture details are. The Bethesda Shipping Company and its Liverpool connections, 1877-98 Dr David Jenkins, Honorary Research Fellow, National Museum of Wales Wednesday 13 May 2020, 6.15pm at the Merseyside Maritime Museum We are lucky to have David Jenkins as speaker. His main research interests are in Welsh merchant shipping history since c.1750, specialising in the history of Cardiff’s tramp shipping industry, including the shipping companies founded at Cardiff by natives of the coastal communities of north and west Wales in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. David Jenkins writes, “Mike Stammers is best remembered as a museum curator and maritime historian, but he took an active interest in numerous other related topics such as industrial archaeology. He was also a long-serving co-editor of the journal Cymru a’r Môr/ Maritime Wales and greatly enjoyed visiting north Wales. This lecture will reflect some of Mike’s interests by looking at the shipping company founded in the north Wales slate quar- rying community of Bethesda in the halcyon days of the slate industry, and the links that the company had with Liverpool’s Welsh ship-owning community in late 19th century.” As ever, all who can brave an evening over the water are welcome to the lecture.

25 Number 228 RE:PORT

Have you joined the Waterways Museum Society 200 Club yet? Members of the club ensure a significant and steady income for boat restoration projects. Each month 50% of total money subscribed is paid out in prize money and 50% goes into boat restoration. By joining the 200 Club, members who live too far away from the Museum to be able to come and help, or those who have other commitments, have the opportunity to make a regular contribution to the Society. You can buy as many numbers as you like at £1 each, the only proviso being that you are a member of the Society. The more numbers that go into the draw each month, the bigger the prizes. The 200 Club draw is usually made at the monthly Society meetings. You can join at a meeting, or by completing the form below and sending it with your membership fee to Lynn Potts, whose address is below. Winners Nov 2019 Nigel Carpenter (12), Michael Crompton (98), Jeff Fairweather (56) Dec 2019 Cynthia Green (49), Ruth Foster (71), Liz Fairweather (57) Jan 2020 Di Skilbeck (38), Liz Osborn (86), Mike Constable (7) Feb 2020 Michael Crompton (20), Tom Ormiston (29), Liz Dilley (74)

Many thanks to those who have so generously donated their winnings back to the Society, this is much appreciated.

Application form - Waterways Museum Society 200 Club

Name: ......

Address: ......

Post Code: …………………………….. Telephone: ...... I apply for membership of the Waterways Museum Society 200 Club and agree to pay the sum of £1.00 per month per number. Subscriptions are payable in advance for the months up to and including June or December. I am over 18 years of age and a paid-up member of the Waterways Museum Society. Signed:.….…….………….…….….…….………………. Date: .…….….…….……………. Please send the completed form with your payment to: Lynn Potts, 58 Frankby Road, West Kirby, Wirral. CH48 6EF Cheques should be made payable to the ‘Waterways Museum Society’.

26 [left] Manchester Ship Canal plan showing Telford’s warehouse (undated) referred to in the article on page 23. The incline is seen going from the hydraulic capstan to the corner of the lower basin. Canal & River Trust Waterways Archive

[below] The Telford warehouses after the fire in 1970. See article on page 20. Canal & River Trust Waterways Archive A 1924 aerial photograph of the Ellesmere Port dock area which includes the Telford warehouses that were destroyed by fire 50 years ago this month. See article on page 20. Canal & River Trust Waterways Archive