ennine Link PMagazine of the Huddersfield Canal Society Issue 201 Spring 2018 Huddersfield Canal Society Ltd Registered in England No. 1498800 Registered Charity No. 510201 Registered Address: Progress House 396 Wilmslow Road Withington Manchester M20 3BN Transhipment Warehouse, Wool Road, Dobcross, Oldham, Lancashire, OL3 5QR Office Hours: Monday - Thursday 08.30 -16.00 Friday 08.30 -13.00 Telephone: 01457 871800 EMail: [email protected] Website: www.huddersfieldcanal.com Patrons: Timothy West & Prunella Scales Council of Management Alan Stopher 101 Birkby Hall Road, Birkby, Huddersfield, Chairman West Yorkshire, HD2 2XE Tel: 01484 511499 Trevor Ellis 20 Batley Avenue, Marsh, Huddersfield, Vice-Chairman West Yorkshire, HD1 4NA Tel: 01484 534666 Mike McHugh The Old Chapel, Netherton Fold, Huddersfield, Treasurer & Co. Secretary West Yorkshire, HD4 7HB Tel: 01484 661799 Patricia Bayley 17 Greenroyd Croft, Birkby Hall Road, Huddersfield, Council Member West Yorkshire, HD2 2DQ Graham Birch HCS Ltd, Transhipment Warehouse, Wool Road, Dobcross, Council Member Oldham, Lancashire, OL3 5QR Tel: 01457 871800 Martin Clark HCS Ltd, Transhipment Warehouse, Wool Road, Dobcross, Co-opted Member Oldham, Lancashire, OL3 5QR Tel: 01457 871800 Keith Noble The Dene, Triangle, Sowerby Bridge, Council Member West Yorkshire, HX6 3EA Tel: 01422 823562 Peter Rawson 45 Boulderstone Road, Stalybridge, Cheshire, SK15 1HJ Council Member Tel: 0161 303 8003 David Sumner MBE HCS Ltd, Transhipment Warehouse, Wool Road, Dobcross, President Oldham, Lancashire, OL3 5QR Tel: 01457 871800 Keith Sykes BEM 1 Follingworth, Slaithwaite, West Yorkshire, HD7 5XD Council Member Tel: 01484 841519 Eric Woulds HCS Ltd, Transhipment Warehouse, Wool Road, Dobcross, Council Member Oldham, Lancashire, OL3 5QR Tel: 01457 871800 Tony Zajac HCS Ltd, Transhipment Warehouse, Wool Road, Dobcross, Council Member Oldham, Lancashire, OL3 5QR Tel: 01457 871800 NON-COUNCIL POST Bob Gough Administrator The views expressed in Pennine Link are not necessarily those of Huddersfield Canal Society Ltd 2 - Pennine Link ennine Link P Issue 201 HCS Archive “The past is a foreign country, they do things differently there ...” Young volunteers on the canal at Marsden having their own canal clean-up. Editorial 4 UCAN 20 Chairman’s Report 5 Street Scene Greenfield Group 22 Manchester, Pennine & Potteries 8 Stalybridge Volunteer Group 24 General Data Protection Register 11 Sir John Ramsden’s Canal 26 EMMAUS 12 Review: The Standedge Tunnels 28 Beyond the Barred Gate 16 Notice of the 2018 AGM 30 Do You Like Boating? 18 220 Club - Sixteenth Draw 31 Jidoku 41 19 Cover: Spring on the Marsden Flight. Photo: Alan Stopher Pennine Link - 3 Editorial As members will Having got that off my chest, it is a recall from the coincidence that it was my turn to edit this winter 2017 issue, issue of Pennine Link, containing as it does Pennine Link No. Ken Wright’s review of Trevor Ellis’ book 200, Graham Birch on the Standedge tunnels. Apart from who had been our organising work parties on the Narrow, regular Editor since Trevor is one of the tunnel chaperones so 2012, has resigned he knows more about it than most of us. the position. HCS is grateful for his Reading the book myself is a pleasure I carrying this burden over that period. Until have yet to experience but I have known his successor is found, members of HCS Ken variously as boss, colleague and friend Council have decided to take it in turns to for over half a century and am confident edit one issue at a time and the first lot fell that his assessment is both balanced and upon me. I hope to maintain Graham’s fair. HCS members will note from this issue high standards in this issue. of PLink that they can buy Trevor’s book at a discounted price. At a meeting of HCS Council last year there were hints that I might be getting We have reports in this issue from over the hill and who am I to judge three volunteer groups, all on the west that? Nevertheless this is likely to be my side, whose work in their several areas swansong. I don’t think, however, that demonstrate how much local people, I’ve regressed into childhood yet but, just who are not necessarily canal enthusiasts, in case others think so, I’ve substituted the appreciate having ready access to the accompanying photo for the one which canal. They demonstrate how worthwhile appeared when I was an ephemeral editor it was to restore the canal to working order. a few years ago (Issue 176, Winter 2011). In a few years time when the government grant to CRT comes up for review, evidence One of my hobby horses over the years of support from the general public will since the Narrow reopened, has been what be essential if government contributions seems to me to be the excessive measures are not to be withdrawn. HCS greatly required to maintain Health & Safety in appreciates the contribution of volunteers operating Standedge Tunnel. At least we in more ways than one. are now allowed to steer our own boats through it but providing chaperones and Nice as it is to be ‘Editor for a Day’ and general monitoring make it an expensive see my name in print, I don’t want to hide operation and that leads to the limited the fact that all the real work of getting availability of passages, just three days a Pennine Link out falls to Bob Gough and week and the need to book in advance. that includes most of what you might I look forward to the time when boaters otherwise expect an editor to do. To him will be able to ‘turn up and go’ as they be my thanks. can at Harecastle. In the days when that Keith Noble tunnel still had a towpath, sections of Temporary Editor brickwork resembled crumpled paper. They have since been rebuilt but I found 19th. March 2018 that experience over 40 years ago far more scary than going through Standedge now. 4 - Pennine Link Chairman’s Report Although the winter which is likely to result in the current 10 period is one of waterways regions becoming 6. Depending much reduced boat on where the boundary between the two movement on our northern regions occurs, there could be canal, the Canal & major implications for the Huddersfield River Trust (CRT) Narrow. Following consultation with my has been active on colleagues on the Society’s managing winter maintenance. Council, I have written to Julie Sharman, the Trust’s Chief Operating Officer, setting There are some recent additions to the list out the Society’s views. of gate replacements and grouting of Lock chambers set out in the winter edition I drew attention to the continued financial of Pennine Link. This is in order to take support of the three local authorities for advantage of existing planned closures and the operation and maintenance of the minimise any additional disruption. The Huddersfield Narrow which is on the Lock chamber repairs brought forward are understanding that the canal succeeds as a at Locks 30E and 17E. These have been through waterway and that any suspension prompted by sudden deterioration of of navigation effects the whole. the offside tailgate quadrants. Also being I made reference to the fact that during tackled are works to repair leakage through the years when the management of the the embankment between Mark Bottoms waterway was split at Standedge, there Bridge, Paddock and Birkhouse Lane was considerable difficulty getting together Bridge at Longroyd Bridge. It is hoped that the British Waterways (BW) officers from this will assist in keeping up water levels in both management teams to discuss matters the pound between Locks 5E and 6E. with the other partner organisations and The Trust has shared with us its plans for the differing of approaches of the two the following year’s maintenance work. As BW teams made coordination almost well as a few Lock gate replacements and impossible. The peculiarities of operating other miscellaneous Lock repairs there are a narrow canal did not sit well with the significant sections of washwall repair, many broad navigation experience of the North of which have been outstanding for some East team. In the view of the Huddersfield considerable time. A major reconstruction Canal Society, water management, tunnel of the high wall beside Empire Brewing at operation and customer service, such as Slaithwaite is in prospect. Well away from boat traffic management, on this Pennine the canal corridor but still an important waterway has to be managed in a ‘joined CRT responsibility is the maintenance of up’ way if mistakes are not to be made and reservoirs and major works are to take money and water resources wasted. place at Swellands in the next financial The Standedge Visitor Centre management year. This structure along with March currently works closely with the Haigh and Redbrook collect drinking water Manchester Pennine & Potteries team to nowadays, but are still the maintenance ensure effective use of the tunnel and it is responsibility of the Trust. essential this continues to give confidence In his update on CRT, Graham Birch to the visiting public. The sharing of touches on the planned reorganisation experience with Anderton Lift within the Pennine Link - 5 same regional management team has been Over the winter months there has been beneficial and any new organisational a revival of discussions about a possible separation would be detrimental. From a Colne Valley Greenway to provide community engagement standpoint a split improved multi-user paths along the canal in management teams could undo much corridor. It is almost four years since this of the good work undertaken over the six was last discussed and the three Kirklees years since the Trust took over.