No 224 March 2019 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 225 – Sunday 19th May 2019 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. cover: Gifford back in the water with a proud Di Skilbeck photo: Andy Cox RE:PORT Number 224 Dates for your Diary March ...continuing until Sunday 24th March NWM From Grave to Cradle – An exhibition of how the Museum and its partners successfully lifted 11 boats out of the water in October 2017 – the largest ever movement of historic vessels in the UK. ...continuing until Sunday 26th May NWM Unlocking William Jessop – This exhibition explores William Jessop’s importance in canal engineer- ing and for the town we know today. It features original architectural drawings by Jessop for the Ellesmere Canal produced in 1794. Lego activities support this exhibition on 5/6 April and 5/6 May. Tuesday 12th IWA Branch AGM followed by Martin Buck, Waterways Chaplain of “Workplace Matters” – Martin is talking about developing a national network both rural and urban along our waterways. Friday 15th WMS Tug France-Hayhurst – The former River Weaver Trustees tug France-Hayhurst was built by WJ Yarwood in Northwich (YN 613) in 1938. Cathy Roberts describes its history, how she uses the boat and her visions for its future. Tuesday 19th EPL&FHS The Working Life of a Museum Curator – Margaret Harrison, Collections Manager, National Waterways Museum, will talk about the boats there, with an emphasis on curating them, along with various aspects of research. This will be followed by the Society’s AGM. Saturday 30th March to Thursday 30th May NWM Flow Photos – 60 photographs from the national photographic competition on the theme of water run by the Trust and Future Water Association. Intended to raise awareness and encourage debate about water in all aspects as seen through the lens. Make your own pin-hole cameras on 9th & 11th April, 28th & 30th May. April Tuesday 9th IWA Ken Pye, Managing Director of Discover Liverpool – Discover the history of Liverpool Port, its docks and the dockers, its rise, fall and rise again. Wednesday 10th onwards NWM Harry Arnold – A display of Harry’s photography, chosen by his family, reflecting six key themes – the museum, Saturn, canal restoration, leisure market/hire boating, journalism/photo journalism and campaigning – IWA, Waterway Recovery Group. Tuesday 16th EPL&FHS The Local Chemical Industry, including Odex/Racasan – speaker, Tony Cox 3 Number 224 RE:PORT Friday 19th WMS The Way Forward for the boat collection at the NWM – Margaret Harrison, Collections and Interpre- tation Manager, will lead a discussion about the next steps in the development of the Museum, as we strive to make it relevant to a wide range of audiences and increase its appeal. Friday 19th to Monday 22nd NWM Easter Boat Gathering – For the last 41 years the colourful spectacle of the Easter Boat Gathering has marked the official start of the boating season. The 42nd event, full of boats, music and more will continue this grand tradition. See inside back cover for further information. May Friday 17th WMS Adventures in the Lime Shed – Management of the Ellesmere Port large object collection by Dave Russell Tuesday 21st EPL&FHS Bowater and Bridgewater Mills – various speakers Saturday 25th to Sunday 26th NWM Bikes and Boats – Following last year’s success, the museum is once again recreating the popular early 1900s Bike Carnivals of Ellesmere Port from the town to the museum. On the Saturday, you are invited to decorate your bike and join in the activity workshop and on Sunday morning join the parade from Whitby Park to the Museum where there will be lots of bike and boat activities going on. Free entry all weekend. June Friday 7th June to Sunday 3rd November NWM Water Marks – the largest exhibition to date of work from Markmakers Artists. Having researched the museum site, its location and connection to the wider world, the collections and the waterways archive, the artists have produced curiously intriguing works using a wide range of media and engaging approaches. 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 4 Number 224 March 2019 Chairman's Report In the middle of February, we had our AGM which is an opportunity to reflect on what we have achieved over the last twelve months and to look to the future. The last twelve months has certainly been a year of change – we have a new name, a new constitution, a new logo, new officers and even Gifford has had a major refur- bishment. The Society has been reinvigorated through the establishment of sub-groups. Each of these has now developed an action plan with a view to not just continue what we already do but also to develop new ideas and implement them. Whilst it has been a year of change, we have also continued delivering on our successful ventures including publishing both Volume 20 of Waterways Journal and quarterly RePorts, organising interesting talks through the year for our members and visitors, writing articles for the waterways press, giving talks to external organisations and maintaining our web-site. We could not do this without the support and hard work of our members so a huge thank you to all those involved. During last year, we missed Gifford but now that she is back in the water, we have been looking at how we can use her more, both at the museum and on the canal network, to share the story and promote the Trust and museum. The Society has been given the opportunity to take her to the Festival de Loire d’Orleans which usually attracts over 750,000 visitors and is from 18 to 22 September this year. Whilst the official theme of the festival is “A Flotilla from the Thames (England)”, the organisers wanted to have some- thing relating to the canal network and we are currently looking into the detail of this to see how feasible it is. We are currently looking for crew so if you are interested please let Jeff Fairweather know or email me at [email protected]. Accommodation and expenses will be provided courtesy of the festival organisers and the society. We would also like to take Gifford out to events during the year so if France is a bit too far for you, but you are interested in something more local, please let us know. Non-boating supporters welcome. In the shorter term, we are looking forward to the traditional Easter gathering and more details about this can be found later in this newsletter. Easter will also see the unveiling of a joint society and museum exhibition to celebrate the life of one of our Vice-Presidents, Harry Arnold, who sadly passed away last year. There will be a display of Harry’s photography, chosen by his family, to reflect six key themes with one theme being the museum. In addition, there will be space in the display for people to leave their memories of Harry. On a lighter note, Volume 21 of Waterways Journal will be available, fresh off the press. 5 Number 224 RE:PORT As with any organisation, we need new people to get involved who can bring fresh ideas to the table and get more involved and hands-on with the work the society does. We are always looking for people to help care for Gifford, undertake administrative type work such as proof-reading, book-keeping etc, help to tidy and look after the second-hand book shop and generally “muck in”. We would love to hear from you – come and talk to me or one of the committee members over a cup of coffee. Barbara Kay Membership Matters Welcome to new members R Turner, Dr L Ward, and P Gallagher A reminder to members that subscriptions for 2018/19 were due on 1 October 2018.