Here Is This? Spout Magazine Volume 44 No.4 Decemmber 2015 Our Mystery Picture Last Time Was Taken at the Contents Royal Military Where Is This?
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1 Where Is this? Spout Magazine Volume 44 No.4 Decemmber 2015 Our mystery picture last time was taken at the Contents Royal Military Where is this? . .2 From the Treasurer . .17 Canal in Kent. From the Chairman . .5 Work Party Pictures . .19 More details about this unusual canal appear in a separate article in this issue. MP Visits the Restoration Site . .6 Brain Exercises . .20 Our puzzle picture this time, sent in by You May Have Missed . .7 An Appeal For Help . .20 Gill redshaw, is a bit closer to home, but not on the Ashby Canal. It is near a very Correspondence . .9 Diary Dates . .21 popular canal location – do you know IWA Trophy Award . .9 Snippets . .22 where? A Good Read . .10 Membership Application . .24 Ashby Canal Bridges . .11 Membership Matters . .26 The Royal Military Canal . .12 Nature Notes . .27 Photography Competition . .13 Cover picture: Autumn colours near Snarestone Tunnel SSppiinnnneeyybbaannkk FFaarrmm SShhoopp 29 Southbank Rd. Coventry CV6 1EZ All Major Domestic Cards & CAMP SITE OPEN Locksmithing & Key Cutting Service Accepted Established 1979 and still a Family Business Commercial Phone 024 7659 4171 - 7 Days a Week 7.00am to 10.00pm Spinneybank is a family run farm shop on the Ashby We supply, or supply and fit all types of locks and padlocks. Large stocks carried, Canal at Bridge 23, ideally placed for boaters! All our including UPVC lockcases, cylinders and locking window handles. We master key milk, ice cream, bread, and vegetables are sourced and key alike all types of locks and padlocks in our own workshop. Howard Parker, locally. We also stock coal and wood. fully qualified mechanic and auto-locksmith, has joined our team. Car keys, fobs and Opening times: Monday - Saturday 9am - 6pm, remotes reprogrammed and replaced. Call him on 0779 802844 Sunday 10am - 3pm • Mail Order service if required • Trade/Quantity Discounts Spinneybank Farm, Higham Lane, Stoke Golding CV13 6JH Tel: 01455 212445 or 07971 851680 2 3 Ashby Canal Association From the Chairman Registered Charity No. 1063566 ay I wish all our members and families and readers of this shby Canal Association was formed in 1966, because of magazine the compliments of the season. I believe you will concern caused by the progressive closure of the northern 8 agree that 2015 has been a very good year for the Amiles of the canal due to mining subsidence. M Association on all fronts. The challenge we now face is to make Since then, ACA has actively promoted the restoration has been made in recent years. restoration of the northern reaches of the canal, ACA seeks to promote the canal and its 2016 even better. and re-connection to the navigable length. Over surroundings as an amenity for all - whether ACA was founded in 1966 thus Sadly, Leicestershire County Council are recent years the Association’s work parties walkers, anglers, boaters, or canal-related in 2016 it will be 50 years old. To unwilling or unable to drive the project forward have significantly contributed to the voluntary businesses. It is also intent on preserving, mark this Golden Anniversary due to funding cuts and lack of staff etc.. effort of the restoration project. The Association where possible, the canal’s rural character. It we are organising a rather However, we are actively participating in the is also active in raising funds to help finance the maintains regular dialogue with Local special show over the weekend formation of a Restoration Partnership which will restoration project. Significant progress on Authorities and the Canal & River Trust on of 4th and 5th of June which will bring together Canal and River Trust and Inland matters affecting the canal. take place at Snarestone. Waterways Association together with the Moira Ashby de la Zouch Its newsletter,“Spout”, is published Please make a note of these dates since you will various local groups who are supportive of the A42 quarterly and delivered to all members of the B586 receive only one more Spout before the event. restoration. These include local and district A453 Association. ACA organises several social events and Planning is in its early stages, however I can say councils, the National Forest and businesses in Measham meetings over the winter months at venues in that there will something to interest everyone the area. It is early days but this initiative is very the local area. These are publicised on our with stalls, entertainment and boats. There will positive and exciting. As they say, watch this web-site and in “Spout” newsletter. Non- be working boats present and a trip boat and space. Snarestone members are very welcome and entry is usually visiting boaters will be most welcome and will be In order to highlight the state of play Andrew free. Members play a major role in organising required to pre-book. The sun will shine and as Bridgen MP, whose constituency includes the M42 Shackerstone and helping at the annual Shackerstone Family we progress more details will be posted on the Ashby canals restoration route from Snarestone Ashby Festival and boat rally in September, and also ACA website. onwards, was invited to view the works to date. Canal support the Ashby Canal Trust's annual Moira The restoration of our canal has reached just On Friday 6th November, Orest Mulka our Vice- Market beyond the new Bridge 62 where there is a President, Cyril Blackford, John Roddis and Bosworth Canal Festival held in mid-May. Slipways are winding hole for boats up to 52ft long. We myself met Andrew at Snarestone where we Shenton available for trail boaters at Snarestone Wharf, Moira Furnace and Moira Bath Yard Basin. For anticipate that in 2016 work will commence on discussed in some detail the situation regarding Sutton Tamworth Cheney those interested in the canal's history, a small the building of the three-quarter mile length of the restoration. We then walked the new section photographic archive is available on the web- new build in Measham. to Bridge 62 and on to the site of the Gilwiskaw site, and written archive material is held at Given this scenario, we simply have to Aqueduct. We paused for a photo-shoot at B62 Stoke Ashby Museum. The Association is a registered connect up between B62 and Measham, not a and some appear elsewhere in this Spout. Golding charity, self funding. It is a corporate member of Atherstone formidable task compared with other Andrew is extremely supportive of what we are the Inland Waterways Association. restorations taking place around the country. working to achieve and like ourselves he would Hinckley Membership details can be found in this issue, Finance is of course a challenge. Unlike others, very much like to see the canal connected to the or visit www.ashbycanal.org.uk You can follow Coventry Nuneaton we do not have lock flights to build but we do section soon to be built at Measham. He similarly canal us on Facebook by have two aqueducts. The first being the recognises that this will give Measham a joining our Ashby Gilwiskaw where you will know that we are significant injection of self pride and business Canal Association proactive in fund raising for this structure and I opportunities. Friends facebook thank each and everyone who have donated to We recognise that as we move forward we Marston Jabbett group. this campaign or bought a brick or two. need to increase our membership. We do get a 4 5 From the Chairman cont... Not In The Guide Book fair number of new members from various fourth, now annual ACA Quiz Night at Stoke Ian Reid reveals a little known feature of Stoke Golding sources including people visiting Snarestone, Golding Club. On the first bitterly cold night of here was the major threat of airborne attack during WW2. however we also lose some each year who do not winter, 82 eager players came to have their renew their membership. Whilst some may not knowledge tested. We began with a game of Although enemy parachutists didn’t attempt to take Britain, wish to renew it is known that many forget. This is Stand-Up Bingo followed by ten quiz rounds and a Tbombing raids were all too frequent with planes being something we are addressing, however may I ask Fish and Chip Supper. It was a lively light-hearted you all to help promote our Association by affair enjoyed by all I believe and thanks to tracked by members of the Royal Observer Corps. suggesting your friends join. The gift of everyone for their support. The proceeds all go to Their posts were scattered countrywide and membership may be the solution to one of your the restoration fund. connected via a telephone-network. At Stoke Golding a Christmas present dilemmas. A membership form All the very best for 2016 to all readers. squat tower was erected and the ROC took up their is towards the back of this Spout. positions to report on enemy aircraft movements. The On Saturday 21st December we held the Peter Oakden - Chairman obvious thing would have been to use the church tower, but that had been dismantled, it being too close to the aerodrome at Lindley. With the end of hostilities MP Visits the Restoration Site the post was eventually decommissioned and fell into n November, Andrew Bridgen MP for North West Leicestershire disrepair. But things changed with the “Cold War” and Stoke again took its place in history. At the ROC site, a what is visible above ground, walk out of Stoke , down paid a visit to the restored length of canal north of Snarestone hole was excavated to accommodate a “secret”(?) Wykin Lane, past the new cemetery and take the Wharf, and examined the newly built bridge 62.