NumberNumber 207 207 DecemberDecember 2014 2014 THE BOAT MUSEUM SOCIETY President: Di Skilbeck MBE Vice-Presidents: Alan Jones, Harry Arnold MBE, Tony Lewery DIRECTORS Chairman: Jeff Fairweather Vice-Chairman: Will Manning Vice-Chairman: Chris Kay Treasurer: Barbara Kay Barbara Catford Lynn Potts Terry Allen Sue Phillips Bob Thomas Cath Turpin Mike Turpin CO-OPTED COMMITTEE MEMBERS Martyn Kerry 8 Newbury Way, Moreton, Wirral. CH46 1PW Ailsa Rutherford 14 Tai Maes, Mold, Flintshire, CH7 1RW EMAIL CONTACTS Jeff Fairweather [email protected] Barbara Catford [email protected] Ailsa Rutherford [email protected] Lynn Potts [email protected] Andy Wood [Re:Port Editor] 34 Langdale Road, Bebington, CH63 3AW T :0151 334 2209 E: [email protected] The Boat Museum Society is a company limited by guarantee, registered in England Number 1028599. Registered Charity Number 501593 On production of a current BMS membership card, members are entitled to free admission to the National Waterways Museum, Gloucester, and the Stoke Bruerne Canal Museum. Visit our website www.boatmuseumsociety.org.uk The National Waterways Museum, Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, CH65 4FW, Telephone: 0151 355 5017 http://canalrivertrust.org.uk/national-waterways-museum Cover: Bunbury Locks [Photo: © Steve Daniels Creative Commons] Number 207 December 2014 Chairman’s Report The Boat Museum Society (BMS) is the successor of the North Western Museum of Inland Navigation (NWMIN), which was the original body of volunteers who founded and operated the Boat Museum at Ellesmere Port which subsequently became the National Waterways Museum (NWM). The principal aim of the BMS is the preservation of the historic boats, artefacts, skills and knowledge associated with waterway life. The last time I wrote in RE:PORT I expressed my concerns about the boats, and I genuinely believe the best future for the Museum lies with visitors having an enriched experience, by seeing boats moving around and exhibits come alive but, as important as all that is, I am sure you will agree that the BMS is more than just being about plugging leaks, keeping boats afloat and looking good. The volunteers in the Pump House, Boat Yard, Power Hall, Craft Group, Archives Site Maintenance, Boat Activity Group, Porters Row, and Tour Guides all work quietly behind the scenes, giving their time, knowledge and skills to the Museum and sharing their experiences, not only with each other but also with thousands of visitors, schools and groups that come to the Museum, thus enhancing their visitor experience and awareness. The signing of the new Memorandum of Understand (MOU) earlier this year with CRT has given us a great opportunity to work together, remember what we are all about and build the foundations for the future. In order to keep the site alive we have to recognise that nostalgia isn’t what it used to be. So we have to work much harder to make the connection for newer potential volunteers, members and visitors. Whatever walk of life you come from the opportunities, interests and knowledge available to you within the Society is vast and comprehensive. BMS has Continued over… Contributions for RE:PORT, which is published four times a year, are always welcome Copy Date for RE:PORT 208 - Wed 19th February All views expressed in RE:PORT are those of the contributors concerned and should not be taken as being the policy of the Boat Museum Society, the National Waterways Museum or the Canal & River Trust. - 3 - RE:PORT Number 207 promoted awareness and enjoyment of Britain's inland waterways and heritage for almost 40 years. Its loyalty and dedication to the museum and our waterways heritage cannot be questioned, some say it has become the conscience of the museum, but are we still getting it right? It is very easy to get so set in our ways that we forget to step outside of the box occasionally and take a good look in at ourselves. So in order for BMS to continue to support the museum and promote awareness and enjoyment of Britain's Inland waterways in a positive and constructive manner I would like to take this opportunity to ask you for your views and opinions on BMS, it’s visions and aims. What can we do for you? Are we heading in the right direction? Are we getting it right? Do you have any opinions about what the Society does well, or not so well, and where we could make improvements and changes? I would like to hear from you. ([email protected]) We need your support and membership. 2014 has not been an easy year for any of us. It has been a very bumpy ride for both CRT and BMS. It is very easy to cut and run when things aren’t going your way but I think we can all be extremely proud of ourselves in the way we have pulled together and resolved most issues/problems through a process of sensible and constructive dialogue. I would like to thank all of our volunteers for their hard work and commitment throughout the year. I particularly want to thank Bill Darch, who has almost become a volunteer lead “without portfolio”, for his patience, tolerance and understanding during the restoration and repairs to the Pump House and Accumulator Tower. Hang on in there Bill, hopefully won’t be too long now. I would like to thank all of our members, wherever you are, for your continued support. I wish you all a very Happy Christmas and very best wishes for the New Year. Chairman – Boat Museum Society & Boat Museum Trust Friday 19th December BMS has a very special celebration. During the first part of the meeting Chris Kay will be telling us about the True Story of the Mutiny on the Bounty. That will be fascinating. Then after the extended break, with the usual buffet (finger food please), tombola, card swap & natter, we will be commemorating: Forty Years On since work started at Ellesmere Port towards the establishment of the Museum. It was on the first weekend in December, 1974 that Tony Hirst led the first Working Party on the site. Those who were there, can’t believe where all those years have gone! If you were there, come along and bring your photos and memories to share. - 4 - Number 207 RE:PORT The Caldon Canal WHEN JAMES BRINDLEY'S GRAND TRUNK CANAL was nearing completion in the early 1770s, it became obvious that its water supply was inadequate. In particular, the summit pound in Stoke-on-Trent was most likely to run dry in summer. The obvious answer was to build a branch canal to make use of the rain that falls on the Staffordshire moorlands where there were also large reserves of limestone which would provide regular cargoes. Brindley was sent to survey the line but his health was failing and soon afterwards he died, after which Hugh Henshall his brother-in-law took over. He decided to take the canal through the Churnet Valley to Froghall. This had the additional advantage that it would be able to serve the coal mines in the area, while bypassing the town of Leek. It was planned to connect the limestone quarries at Caldon Low, from which the canal got its name, by a railway. The canal was dug as far as what is now known as Froghall Old Wharf between 1777 and 1778, when the canal and railway were opened for business. Today the wharf has a visitor centre run by Staffordshire County Council, which has a good display of archive photographs showing it in its heyday, when the place echoed with the noise, and was covered with the smoke from the large lime kilns which line the wharf; very different to today's bucolic silence. Because of trouble with the railway the idea was not a success. As a result, a new Act of Parliament was necessary in order to rebuild the railway on a different route and to extend the canal through a tunnel to the railway's new terminus at Froghall Wharf. After all that it quickly became obvious that the Canal on its own would not be able to supply enough water to meet the Trent and Mersey's needs. In fact, the Caldon itself had insufficient water for its own traffic. The solution was to build a two and a half mile long reservoir at Rudyard, north-west of Leek, to supply the summit level at Hazlehurst. The original intention was to connect the reservoir with the Canal with a simple feeder channel. However, the people of Leek, unhappy that the Canal had avoided their town, took the Leek Tunnel opportunity to remedy the [© Martin Clark CC] matter. They persuaded the Canal Company to make the feeder between the southern edge of the town and the Canal at Hazlehurst navigable, with a further length leading to a basin in Leek itself. This new branch was never all that busy, being used mainly for carrying raw materials to and finished products from the mills in in - 5 - RE:PORT Number 207 Froghall Wharf [© Graham Hogg CC] the town, together with coal for industrial and domestic use and some agricultural and domestic cargoes. The two arms of the canal enter the Churnet Valley on opposite sides of the valley occupied by the Endon Brook. To join the main line at the summit level and deliver the water to where it was needed, the Leek arm had to cross the valley on a high embankment. The summit level of the Caldon's main line then had to be extended along the side of the valley to meet it.