MUSEUM MATTERS February 2011
The Newsletter of The Friends of The Canal Museum, Stoke Bruerne
See you all at the Gala Weekend 10th—12th June
SUNNY VALLEY MOVES BACK INTO MUSEUM
After six years in the schoolroom, Museum icon Sunny Valley has moved back into the main building, as pictured above. Read more about this project and everything else the Curatorial Team have been, and are, up to over the winter months on page five.
Inside… • • • • • • •
Report on Illuminated Boats & Carols event Sonia Rolt’s OBE Waterways Day at Brackley Library Volunteer development project Sculptor—progress report What’s new in the Museum Gala News
GALA WEEKEND PLANS ARE WELL ADVANCED The team organising this year’s Gala Weekend report that plans are well advanced for another bumper weekend of activities on and around the canal on the 11th-12th June . This year we’ll be joined by the Stony Stratford Folk Ensemble and a troupe of Hungarian dancers who are promising a colourful display. Keep an eye out on our website for more details and boat booking forms which will be posted there as soon as they are available. If you’d like to get involved, contact the Museum staff.
Stoke Bruerne and Shutlanger in the Nineteenth Century Part 6: by David Blagrove stations and other houses as well as over and under bridges and lining the tunnel at Maidwell, which tasks required the production of many thousands of bricks. It is believed that the bricks were delivered to either end of the railway by boat from the Stoke Bruerne works. In 1857 Savage was granted a patent for “improvements in the manufacture of bricks and roofing tiles”. He attempted to popularise a form of hollow brick, based on the Roman hypocaust principle. Although this was a failure, some of his hollow bricks have survived. He was more successful in the manufacture of chimney pots, many of which were supplied to the Grafton Estate, and these survive on many older houses in the surrounding area. He also built a stable and the two semi-detached cottages adjoining Bottom Lock at a cost of £22 in 1848 for the Canal Company for the accommodation of their boat horses and their keepers. He had an interest as well in a very large canalside brickworks at Gayton, the site of which later became a Council tip. Savage’s fortunes also depended partly on farming. In 1851 the Census records him as farming 168 acres with five men and two boys; by 1861 this was 400 acres and, with the brickworks, he was employing 44 men and four boys. In 1871 this had increased to 682 acres and 200 men and boys. However the agriculTo start with the effects of tural depression took its toll repeal were not immediately and in 1881 his holding had obvious, but as the century reduced to 124 acres, alwent on the development of though he was employing railways and steamships 116 men and 26 boys, preopened up the huge cornlands sumably mainly in his brickof the USA, Canada and Eastern works, which are recorded in Europe. Once foreign corn bethe 1880s as having four gan to arrive in Britain in quankilns grouped round the catity an agricultural depression nal basin. Doubtless the exset in; moreover it became pansion of Northampton and more economic to mill the grain Wolverton during these at the ports and by 1875 Stoke years provided a ready marBruerne’s steam mill was in ket for his products, but he financial difficulties. Although also supplied bricks and tiles it may have seen some intermitfor many nearby villages. A tent use, the last records of its number of houses in Roade working were in 1877. In 1913 for instance were built with the Amos family, who had Savage’s materials. He died Brickwork workers c. 1900 (photo: courtesy Tony Marsh) meanwhile acquired the freein 1899 and the business hold, sold it to the Grand Junction Canal Company. The Canal thereafter declined, although the 1901 Census records five men Company demolished the tall chimney the next year and used from Stoke and no less than 11 men from Shutlanger employed the building as a store, scrapping the machinery. in brick making. By chance a photograph taken about this time Savage’s brickyard was more successful than the previous of the workers posed in front of the stationary steam engine attempt by George Ludlam to create a brickworks during the that drove the pug mill has survived. There are 12 men and construction of Blisworth Tunnel. After Ludlam was declared boys in the picture, plus a horse and a narrow gauge trolley bankrupt in 1805, the brickworks had closed. They had loaded with clay. The 1901 census records that John T. Batprobably been on the line of the canal excavations in any case, tams from Shutlanger, aged 45, was “Stationary Engine although there is some likelihood that he operated his Driver in Brickyard”, and one name, believed to be the pho“tommy shop” on the land just south of the bridge, where tographer, Warren, is written on the photograph. some ruined cottages existed until the 1940s. Savage’s works By 1914 the works were virtually moribund and the last rewere to the south again of this, on land belonging to the Duke corded output was a boatload of bricks sent to Wolverton railof Grafton. In 1846 Savage was given permission to unload way works just after the end of the Great War. Although coal for his kilns across the towpath and later that year he also was given permission to construct a dock and side bridge George’s sons purchased the freehold from the Grafton Estate in 1919, the brickworks closed completely following Herbert leading out of the long pound below Lock 15. The new enterSavage’s death in 1922. His brother Henry, who was still reprise was called “Stoke Brick and Tile Works” and between membered by older residents at the turn of the Twenty-First 1853 and 1859 he and his associate, Richard Dunkley of BlisCentury, continued farming at Home Farm for a few more worth, acted as contractors for building the railway between Northampton and Market Harborough. This entailed building years, finally selling to the Gardner family. To be continued Although the new industrial enterprises did not long outlive the Nineteenth Century, they provided a fair degree of prosperity for a short while, as did ironstone quarrying, which was carried out on the Easton Neston Estate in the Showsley, Tiffield and Blisworth areas and which attracted local labour. Many villagers from both communities had been persuaded to put their names to a petition against the repeal of the Corn Laws in 1846, but repeal took place in spite of this. The names of the petitioners are interesting in that they most likely indicate the signatory’s political persuasion, and the fact that a number of prominent villagers’ names are absent would suggest that they were of a Whiggish or Liberal persuasion. Among the notable absentees is Joseph Ebbern, who in that same year granted land on which to build a Methodist Chapel. The Corn Laws had originated in an attempt artificially to retain the prosperity enjoyed by farming during the Napoleonic Wars. Imports of foreign grain were prohibited until the price of home-grown grain rose to starvation levels. This had the effect of causing considerable distress in the new industrial towns and areas, where a powerful lobby had formed. The Irish Famine of 1846 finally forced the Government’s hand and brought about repeal.
ICE FAILS TO FREEZE ILLUMINATED BOATS December’s big freeze failed to stop our Illuminated Boat & Carols event on the 11th December, despite only two boats managing to make a show of it, but we were rewarded with a record turn-out of people determined to beat the cold and join in the carol singing with the children of Stoke Bruerne Primary School. Chairman David Blagrove said: “We are extremely grateful to those local boaters who put a lot of effort into getting their boats decorated and who managed to get here despite the ice and snow. As a result the canal was transformed into a magical winter wonderland.”
MEMBERSHIP DATABASE The Friends of the Museum are bringing their membership list up to date and we would be delighted to hear from any member who wishes to alter their information or add to it. It is very helpful to for us have a convenient record of all the different skills and the assistance members can offer. There are many opportunities to contribute, so please get in touch if you would like to assist in any way with the activities of the Friends. These can range from helping at the Gala Weekend to working as a volunteer on the repairs to Sculptor. In addition any general comments about the work of the Friends would be most welcome.
Photo: Northampton Chronicle & Echo
Please write directly to Denis Atkinson, FoTCM Secretary by e-mail to mtkinson@tiscali.co.uk
SUBS ARE DUE ON 1ST APRIL Subscriptions covering the new financial year (2011/12) are due on 1st April. Membership and Gift Aid Forms are downloadable from the Membership page of our website. Please send completed forms with your cheques to Sandie Morton, Membership Secretary, 14 Baker Street, Gayton, NN7 3EZ, or contact her 01604 858294. Thank you for continuing to support us!
OBE FOR SONIA
Photo: Chris Daniels, Waterways World
As usual NB Inchy stole the show (above) and Mike Partridge was kept particularly busy with trip boat Charlie. Our thanks go to all the volunteers who made the evening possible, especially the children and teachers from Stoke Bruerne Primary School.
Our congratulations go to Friends’ honorary member Sonia Rolt (seen below unveiling the IW commemorative plaque at our 2008 Village at War Weekend), who received an OBE in the New Year’s Honours List for services to industrial archaeology and heritage.
GALA DATE FOR FRIENDS’ AGM For accounting reasons, we are moving the date of our Annual General Meeting to the evening of Saturday 11th June during our Gala Weekend. An AGM Notice will be appearing in the next edition of Museum Matters (May), but please make a note in your diaries now.
FRIENDS AT BRACKLEY LIBRARY We will be joining members of the Buckingham Canal Society, Tooley’s Boatyard, Sue Woodward (the well known Roses and Castles painter) and other organisations at a special event to celebrate our waterways heritage at Brackley Library on Saturday 26th March between 10am and 1pm. Our thanks go to Sandie Morton and John Alderson who will be putting together and “manning” our stand. Do go along and give them our support—there will be plenty to see and do, including activities for children. If you would like to renew your membership, or join as a member for the first time, this will be an ideal opportunity to see a small display about what we do and Sandie will be delighted to ‘”sign you up” at the same time.
Sonia, who worked narrow boats in WWII and afterwards for a short time, is a Vice-President of both The Waterway Trust and Inland Waterways Association, and over the years has also done a lot of work for the Landmark Trust and National Trust as well as for the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings. It was particularly fitting that the award came at the end of the centenary year celebrating the birth of her husband, Tom Rolt. Also receiving an CBE was prominent actor and waterways enthusiast David Suchet, also a Vice-President of The Waterway Trust and Inland Waterways Association.
David Blagrove, Chairman of the Friends, writes…
“We cheered a little too soon over Sculptor!” Well! We cheered a little too soon over Sculptor! Not long after the last Museum Matters went out, our Honorary Curator, Mike Constable, received the bad news that the latest Spending Review had caused the PRISM fund to withdraw its grant for the complete refurbishment of Sculptor’s hull. At the same time the weather took a decided turn for the worse, with the boat likely to fill up with snow and ice at her temporary moorings at Brinklow. Thanks to the efforts of our small sub-committee and the boatyard proprietor, Rex Wain, all was saved and once the ice had thawed sufficiently for the boat to be moved, she was placed in dry dock for a full inspection.
“Finding a way forward” At the beginning of February, the three Trustees of the Friends, i.e. me, Laura Sturrock and Lorna York, had a meeting with Rex and representatives of the Boat Museum’s Heritage Dockyard at Stretton with the intention of finding a way forward. This was a most positive meeting and the news about the boat was rather better than we had thought back in December. First, the condition of the bottoms was found to be bad, but not so dreadful as had first been thought. A good length will still have to be replaced, but the all-important kelson (a piece of oak, rather like the boat’s backbone and running the whole length of the hull) was found to be in excellent condition and will not require replacing. This means a considerable saving. Secondly, the ironwork of the hull was only slightly corroded in a few places. This speaks volumes for the quality of ironwork used by Yarwoods, the builders, in the 1930s and only comparatively minor scaling and replating will be needed. Thirdly, the Heritage Dockyard has a quantity of opepe wood, suitable for the bottoms, available at Ellesmere Port and made a generous offer to us. Of course this will still have to be paid for, and we shall have to acquire some more wood, but at least now we can budget for this. The fourth, and to us probably the most immediate item of news for us as an organisation, was that Rex said he would be prepared to allow volunteers from the Friends to work on the boat doing such jobs as dismantling the back end bulkhead (a large steel sheet that separates the engine room from the hold), drain, disconnect and remove the fuel tanks, and prepare the engine for removal to Ellesmere Port.
numbered. In just over a year it will be gone and the waterways will be in the hands of some form of public trust. Since The Waterways Trust is a creature of British Waterways and receives an annual grant from that body, it would seem that, since a trust cannot own a trust legally, it must follow that the Trust as we know it is also due for the chop. The most likely scenario is that it will reemerge as some sort of division of the new authority. This is going to have its impact upon Stoke Bruerne, for the freehold of our Museum belongs to BW and TWT lease it from them. Originally the Museum was operated by BW and was one of the first major projects undertaken by the newly-formed Board in April 1963. BWB, as it was then styled, only came into existence on 1st January 1963 when the previous nationalised body, the British Transport Commission, was wound up. The BTC had initiated the Museum at the same time as it set up the present Railway Museum at York. With a new and more democratic overall waterway authority in charge and with considerably less public funding than has previously been the case, there is obviously going to be much more scope for volunteer work in future. The next few years will be challenging, but I hope we shall be able to rise to such challenges as we have regularly done since our foundation some five years ago. One doesn’t necessarily have to be a Tory voter to rise to the challenges of voluntary work!
“Ample scope for voluntary work” As I write this, a Press Release from BW has pinged into my e-mail in-tray. They are hoping not to have to make too many compulsory redundancies, but are reducing their office-based payroll by some 60 posts, freezing all pay and recruitment for the next financial year, and prioritising the most pressing repair projects.
It seems to me that once the new authority begins its work there will be ample scope for voluntary work without putting any further jobs at risk. BW quoted Robin Evans, their Chief Executive, as saying: “As we make the transition into civil society next year, the new waterway charity will be able to look forward to a guaranteed long-term contract from Government, new income streams from voluntary sources and tax relief, and increased commercial income when the property market recov“Each volunteer man-hour saves £20” ers. We cannot underestimate the challenge over the next few As befits an organisation concerned with the heritage of years, but there is also a light at the end of the tunnel.” I just the canals, it is hoped that the engine can be sent to Elles- hope that the light is not an oncoming wide boat... mere Port by boat during Easter Week and that the same The matter of the Side Lock and Weighing Machine rumbles boat will be able to return to Brinklow with the wood for the on. I can reveal that the Stoke Bruerne Canal Partnership has bottoms. To do this implies that the removal of the bulkhead, made some progress towards initiating some action here, but it tanks and engine is completed by the end of March, and this will still, inevitably, be some time before physical evidence of gives us a deadline to work to. Rex also says that he wishes to progress can be seen. We are faced with an enormous bureaufit the bottoms before the weather gets too hot and dry (yes, I cratic jigsaw and all the pieces, not the least of which is finance, know, we all hope the same for next summer, but he doesn’t have to be carefully put in place before the physical work can want the wood to become too dry and shrunk). Laura has begin. already rounded up a few volunteers, but we are going to “Good progress with interpretation” need more over the next few months. Each man-hour saved On the matter of interpretation of the canalside, the Partnerby volunteer work saves us £20. We have still more money to find, but at least we can make a start on the project with the ship has made some good progress this winter. Brian Collings knowledge that there is enough in the kitty to do so. If you has prepared a draft of an interpretation booklet for the canalfeel that you don’t mind getting rather dirty and inserting side and we hope to see this in print very shortly; Lynda Payton your torso or limbs into all sorts of odd places in Sculptor, is currently embroiled in a funding application for interpretaplease get in touch with Laura as soon as possible. It’s our tion panels to be set up along the canalside between Bottom Lock and Blisworth Tunnel. This is a project over which Brian chance to show how the “Big Society” really works. has toiled for many frustrating years to see accomplished, alSpeaking of which, the days of British Waterways are now ■ Continued at top of next page
ways being hindered by lack of finance. There is now an outside chance of it becoming a reality but the irony of it is that Brian has informed us that he is leaving the village. Admittedly he will only be moving to Towcester but he assures us that he will be continuing his invaluable involvement with the Friends and the Partnership for the time being at least. Finally, don’t forget the summer Gala will be held over the weekend 10th-12th June. We have some new activities and events for you, including a visiting troupe of folk dancers from Hungary on the Friday night and craft demonstrations by members over the other two days. But most importantly, we are this year conducting an experiment by holding our AGM in the marquee on the evening of Saturday 11th June. I hope to see many of our members on that occasion.
CURATORIAL WORKING GROUP REPORT
“Often it is warmer outside the building than inside!” Augmented by Rick Thake but initially minus Rodney Hardwick (welcome back Rodney – we are trying to break you back in lightly!), the Curatorial Working Group recommenced operations almost as the rotten weather arrived. The plan was to finish off the display containing the model boats and then transfer our attentions to the opposite side of the first floor to re-display the painted ware and the Measham ware/plates. Clearly the weather had different ideas, and after one attempt when the paint applied on Monday morning still hadn’t dried by Tuesday lunchtime, painting was abandoned until after the New Year.
Brian Mayland re-displaying the painted ware
Denis Atkinson examines, cleans and records the condition of the painted ware ready for re-display
Since then, all of the cases on the First Floor have been painted inside and six sections of the display have been cleared, painted and re-displayed. A halt has now been called to this re-display due to a need to complete the installation of Sunny Valley onto the top floor of the Museum. The working party cleared the temporary exhibition area in readiness for this move during one of the cold spells when painting was not possible, lent a hand occasionally in the rebuilding operation and have already started making good, replacing fittings and making preparations for some necessary paintwork. The next few weeks will see the team concentrating on the interior of the cabin as it will in future be possible to see inside through the back-end
doorway by means of a Perspex panel. As the cabin was not intended to be examined closely before, none of the rear facing surfaces were finished, so it is clearly necessary for some attention to be paid to this. There is no intention to make any of the cupboards opening as this would destroy the integrity of the historic object and also the story. Sunny Valley’s cabin was never a boat but a copy of a film prop, and will be interpreted in this way. New interpretation panels are in the design stages and these should be completed in good time for Easter. Similarly some new display/interpretation panels for the First Floor are shortly to be sent to the printers so should be installed in good time for the Easter start of full-time opening. If time permits, once Sunny Valley is completed the team will return to the re-display of the First Floor as originally planned for this winter’s programme. The volunteer team should be thanked for their devotion to the cause, turning out in the most inclement weather and Rick painting the Measham case cold conditions inside the Museum. Often it is warmer outside the building than inside, so their efforts really are appreciated. Mike Constable
7.30pm
Message from the Museum Manager David Henderson brings us up to date Financial The poor weather in December and January has made trading even more challenging in the winter months. The 20% VAT rate was applied on Jan 4th 2011. All prices in the café have been increased and certain items in the shop. However, most stands are £1.99, £2.99 and £3.99 and we intend to retain these prices and hope for higher volume in sales. Visitors Visitor numbers have increased during this period mainly due to 2 for 1 promotions and free entrance for children. The admission fee is reduced from November 1st to March 31st to reflect that the visitor does not receive full value on the audio trail (too cold to use outside). It is expected that the Museum may possibly break even at the end of March 2011. Health and Safety There have been no accidents or incidents reported since my last message in Museum Matters. Curatorial Sunny Valley has been relocated on the top floor of the Mu‐ seum (all funding has been provided by the Friends of the Museum). The boat is being fitted with new lighting, re‐ dressed and the hull painted. One of the reasons for moving Sunny Valley was to create more space in the education room to create a young person activity area. Funding of £2,250 has been received to help make the Museum more young person friendly. I am working in partnership with Charlotte Ashman and the project is managed by The Mighty Creatives (MLA). The MLA flagship scheme has provided £750 funding to pro‐ duce young person volunteer leaflets and £200 to produce a volunteer presentation stand when the Museum attend fairs, Northampton University, etc to look more professional. Northampton University students are undertaking a project to investigate persons living on narrow boats (present day) and compare the lifestyle to past times. The research project is linked to the Mighty Creatives and will be used for work
with young persons containing informa‐ tion/research in scrap book style. We will be looking to purchase waterways games/puzzles/large wooden jigsaws to entertain young persons on their visits to Stoke Bruerne. A German student from Northampton University has volun‐ teered to help the Museum with social media (Twitter/ Facebook etc). Cultural Olympiad ‐ I am on the committee for this event. The funding application was turned down but it is hoped Northampton County Council will still support the event with some funding as the main shareholder. Ancestral Tourism ‐ I am the Museum Forum representative on this working group. It is seeking to encourage persons to revisit Northamptonshire in search of their ancestry. Lorna York is helping me with this project. The Museum has an au‐ dio trail on Empedia, which is downloadable from computer or I‐Phone. The staff are investigating the use of QR codes through Empedia. This project is funded by MLA until the end of March, but will be supported by Cuttlefish Media for three years. Survive and Thrive ‐ the Museum has received funding of £500 to assist with the construction of a business plan which can be linked to the main TWT business plan. Discussions are in place with the Canal Partnership on a 5 to 10 year vision for Stoke Bruerne (including the Museum, as the heart/hub of the village). In these difficult times, special thanks go to the Curatorial Team whose members have worked in quite cold conditions at times throughout the winter. Also special thanks go to Dave Phelps who always responds to our emergencies. We would certainly struggle without him. He was responsible for moving Sunny Valley back into the Museum. I think this was a labour of love as it took him many more hours than was originally planned for the project.
THE CANAL MUSEUM December 2010
Actual
Visitors (people) Admissions (£)
188 1,141
Budget
Last Year
75
81
Budget
Last Year
2,050
1,026
150.7% ‐44%
132.1% 11%
Cafe (£)
430
1,250
669
‐66%
‐36%
Retail (£)
997
2,750
1,343
‐64%
‐26%
2,568
6,050
3,038
‐58%
‐15%
TOTAL January 2011 Visitors (people)
Actual
Budget
Last Year
Budget
313
250
238
25.2%
Last Year 31.5%
Admissions (£)
2166
2,050
3,344
6%
(35%)
Cafe (£)
1302
1,250
807
12%
73%
Retail (£)
1225
2,000
1,286
(39%‐
(5%)
TOTAL
4,791
5,300
5,437
(10%)
(12%)
COUNCIL 2010/11 Chairman David Blagrove 01604-862174 Vice-Chairman Lorna York Treasurer Laura Sturrock
www.friendsofcanalmuseum.org.uk DIARY DATES Talks take place throughout the winter and from April 2011 these will be held jointly with IWA Northampton Branch at the Walnut Tree public house, Blisworth, on the second Tuesday of the month. More details are published on our website and in newsletters. A donation is appreciated to help cover expenses. Please put the following dates in your diaries:
Secretary Denis Atkinson
Thursday 17th March Talk at The Canal Museum TBC
Membership Secretary Sandie Morton membership@friendsofcanalmuseum.org.uk
Tuesday 12th April at 8pm A joint meeting with IWA Northampton Branch at the Walnut Tree, Blisworth, Colin Edmond talks about “The Chelmer & Blackwater—past, present and future”.
Publicity, Newsletter & Website Lynda Payton 01604-861205 publicity@friendsofcanalmuseum.org.uk Museums Management Board Representative Roy Sears Volunteer Co-ordinator: Vacant Other David Henderson (ex-officio seat), Jenny Copeland, Bill Mann, John Alderson and Brian Collings Events Sub-Committees Dennis Atkinson, David Blagrove, Bill Mann, David Henderson, Barbara Everest, Jennifer Chybalski, Lynda Payton (occasional), John Alderson, Rick Thake, Roy Sears, Tim Carter (occasional), Laura Sturrock, Jenny Copeland and Michael Butler Non-Committee Posts Roger Hasdell - Joint Newsletter Editor Terry Richardson - Assistant Publicity Officer
Tuesday 10th May at 8pm A joint meeting with IWA Northampton Branch at the Walnut Tree, Blisworth, John Pomfret talks about “Waterways and Wildlife Conservation”. Saturday 14th May-Sunday 15th May Introduction to Traditional Canal Painting Course (contact Museum for details tel: 01604 862229).
Friday, Saturday & Sunday 10th-12th June Gala Weekend at Stoke Bruerne - another award winning weekend celebrating our waterways heritage. Saturday 13th-Sunday 14th August Pirate Weekend (contact Museum for details tel: 01604 862229).
Saturday & Sunday 1st-2nd October Village at War - a repeat of our award winning 1940s weekend.
MONTHLY MEETINGS
Treasurer’s Report
For a variety of reasons, not least that quite a few of our members are also members of the local Northampton Branch of the Inland Waterways Association who often book the same speakers as we do, we have decided to join forces and combine our monthly winter talks as from April.
February 2011
This seems to us to make perfect sense since the IWA meeting venue, the Walnut Tree Inn public house at Blisworth, can accommodate many more bums on seats than our Museum schoolroom can—and it has the added bonus of a licensed bar and an extensive food menu, so our members can make a night of it and join up with friends before or afterwards for a meal. This means a change of day to the second Tuesday of the month, instead of the third Thursday, so we hope this is still convenient to you. We look forward to seeing you there!
RECENT DONATIONS We are extremely grateful to the Leighton Buzzard Canal Society and also Mike Partridge of the Stoke Bruerne Boat Company who have recently given donations of £50 each to the Friends.
Current finances Currently the combined funds of the Friends charity and the Friends trading company amount to about £19,300, of which £8,768 is earmarked for the working boat Sculptor. The Waterways Trust also holds £2,990 that it has promised to us for the Sculptor fund. Illuminated Boats & Carols There was a small surplus from the sale of soup and chestnuts at our December event. The chestnuts were very popular and I expect we could sell twice as many next year. Donations Over the winter the Friends have donated £560 to the Canal Museum towards the cost of moving Sunny Valley back into the Museum and £750 for improvements to displays. Sculptor Since my last report we have heard that the grant from the PRISM fund has been cancelled. Lorna York and I, with assistance from The Waterways Trust in Ellesmere Port, are busy completing applications for grants from alternative funding bodies.
Very many thanks! The Friends of The Canal Museum at Stoke Bruerne may not agree with opinions expressed in this newsletter, but encourages publication as a matter of interest. Nothing printed may be construed as policy or an official statement unless so stated. The Friends of The Canal Museum accept no liability for any matter, errors or omissions contained within this newsletter. We will, however, gladly publish corrections if notified. The editors reserve the right to shorten or modify articles published in the interests of clarity or space.