a vvies N Volunteers restoring waterways No 206 August - September 2004 Stop Press: ÂŁ11m Lottery Jackpot for Cotswold Canals
waterway recovery group
Contents Contributions... ...are always welcome, whether hand-written, typed, on 3½" floppy disk, CD-ROM or by email. Photos also welcome: slides or colour or b/w prints. Please state whether you want your prints back; I assume that you want slides returned. Digital / computer scanned photos also welcome, either on floppy / CD-ROM or as e-mail attachments, preferably JPG format. Send them to the editor Martin Ludgate, 35, Silvester Road, London SE22 9PB, or e-mail to martin.ludgate@wrg.org.uk. Press date for No 207: September 1st.
Subscriptions
In this issue: Editorial Camps cancelled and uncancelled, the Bonfire Bash and BW priorities 3-5 Appeal update finale at Burton? 6-7 Bonfire Bash Grantham preview 8-9 Bookshop biggest auction yet of old canal books 10-13 Forestry how to chop down trees without breaking the law 14-15 Directory WRG and canal societies 16-17 Diary camps and working parties 18-20 Letters Kent & East Sussex waterways 21-23 Camp report Saul Festival camp 24-25 KESCRG Wendover and AGM report 26-28 BITM what they’ve been up to since 2003 29-31 Plant Bungle’s shotblasting his crane 32 Navvies News Noticeboard Backfill
33-34 35 36
And next time...
....hopefully lots of Canal Camp reports and phoA year's subscription (6 issues) is available for a tographs - but only if you send them in first! Also minimum of £1.50 (please add a donation if pos- the latest info on the Bonfire Bash and Autumn sible) to Sue Watts, 15 Eleanor Road, Chorlton- and Winter Camps, more from the regional groups, cum-Hardy, Manchester M21 9FZ. Cheques to forthcoming Xmas digs, and (all being well) the "Waterway Recovery Group" please. very last Appeal Update from Liz. Visit our web site www.wrg.org.uk for all the latest news of WRG's activities
Stella Wentworth
Cover photo: What are KESCRG up to? See their Wendover dig report on pages 26-27. (photo by Eddie Jones) Below: WRG BITM working on the Grantham Canal last September. For details of the Bonfire Bash to be held near this site in November see pages 8-9; for a report on what BITM have been up to since summer 2003, see pages 29-31.
Stop Press: just as we were going to print we heard the excellent news that the £11m bid from BW to the Heritage Lottery Fund towards a £25m package to fully restore 6 miles of the Cotswold Canals from Stonehouse through Stroud to Brimscombe Port has been provisionally awarded, subject to the rest of the money being raised in the next year. Well done BW, CCT and everyone else involved.
The Right Tool for the Right Job Appeal has raised over £70,000 so far!
The Canal Camps programme: “Rumours of its demise have been greatly exaggerated...”
Comment
OK let’s start with the bad news, and get it over with: unfortunately we had to cancel four of the camps during the earlier part of the summer programme. Firstly the Cotswold camp got the chop due to problems with sorting out permissions and planning the work in time for the work to go ahead. (at least in part due to everyone involved in the Cotswold Canals having to concentrate available resources on doing their best to ensure the success of the Heritage Lottery Fund bid, whose announcement is imminent as we go to press - if you don’t see a ‘stop press’ somewhere saying that they’ve got their £11m, I’m afraid you’ll have to assume they didn’t.) Next, a week on the Hereford & Gloucester and a week on the Wilts & Berks both had to be cancelled as despite the best efforts of Gav and Adrian we were unable to find leadership teams for these two. (Incidentally on the subject of the Wilts & Berks camp I have been asked to point out that the information in the last Navvies was incorrect - it was not true that permissions were not in place for the work, nor that it had been rescheduled for a lock clearance elsewhere: this wrong information appeared in print due to a misunderstanding that was cleared up just after we went to press. Had we not cancelled it for other reasons, the Camp would have gone ahead on the original work, with permissions already in place.)
...some bad ne ws news ws,, some better ne ws eaded p-w or d news ws,, and the dr dreaded p-wor ord
£70k
£60k
£50k
And finally, we felt that the nature of the H&G project was such that a single camp rather than the originally-planned fortnight was not going to be enough to see the job through to a sensible stage to leave it, so rather than do half a job or a bodged job, we decided that the best thing was to cancel the second week too. We hope to re-schedule the job for when we can do it in one hit.
£40k
£30k
£20k
In each case we were very unhappy at having to cancel the camp, we arrived at the decision reluctantly, and we are sorry to disappoint the volunteers who had booked on these camps. We hope (although we cannot be absolutely sure) that the rest of the summer and autumn programme will go ahead as planned. But if there are any changes, they will appear on the WRG website as soon as we know. So on to the good news: it’s not true that we’ve ‘cancelled half the camps this summer’ - there are plenty that are still happening. You can read about the Saul Festival Camp in this issue, and by the time you receive this magazine several more will have taken place and the camp reports and photos will be heading my way. (please!) And still to come are two weeks restoring bywashes at Tewitfield on the Lancaster Canal, one week putting the finishing touches (almost) on the St Johns Backpumping Scheme on the Basingstoke, and one week working on the Tamworth Road locks on the Lichfield Canal. See the website or phone Head Office to see if there’s room for a last-minute booking on any of these. Then it’s over to Burton for the National Waterways Festival - I’m sure Moose and Ed will welcome any final offers of assistance from volunteers who haven’t already booked, but do please tell them you’re coming. And then in September we’re planning another week on the Wilts & Berks, followed by the Grantham in October and back to the W&B for New Year. But speaking of the Grantham.... Bonfire Bash booked for Grantham
£10k
Our annual Bonfire Bash, Reunion or whatever you want to call it (‘A bloody good weekend’ if it’s anything like the last ten or so...) is now booked for the Grantham Canal on November 6-7. This is a site that we haven’t done a lot of work on in recent years, but it looks like it might be starting to take off again soon. The work as usual is likely to be mainly scrub and tree clearance from the canal bed, and there’s more info about it on page 8 and a booking form on page 9. Please book early to avoid disappointment: either your disappointment when you find it’s booked solid, or our disappointment when we discover that it’s October and we’ve only got five bookings... and two of those are the leaders... and we haven’t a clue how many people to cater for! We will bring you more information via the website or the next Navvies but right at the moment I’m afraid that leader Gav can’t tell you any more as he is away leading a Canal Camp. (See, I told you they weren’t all cancelled!)
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The Appeal As you can see from the left hand side of this page, The Inland Waterways Association’s appeal The Right Tool for the Right Job is getting very close to reaching its target of raising £75,000 to re-equip our volunteers for the future. So thank you to everyone who has helped the appeal, and we look forward to hopefully reaching our target with a final flurry of fund-raising at the National in Burton. Including... The Calendar As I write this, the results of 12 male and 12 female WRGies stripping off on a cold day in March are about to appear as the WRG Calendar. You can buy it at Burton, or £10 gets you a copy by mail order - see page 7. The P-word and British Waterways And the P-word is ‘Priorities’. Now I know we’ve been through all this a couple of years ago, with the arguments about whether the IWAAC exercise in establishing a ‘league table’ of waterway restoration projects was a good thing for canal restoration or potentially harmful for some projects, and whether or not IWA (or whoever) should do the same, or whether the whole concept is counterproductive. But this time it’s British Waterways who’ve had a go at the idea, and Waterways 2025 is the result. They have assessed a large number of canal restoration projects according to nine criteria: economic need, social need, market, local support, financial sustainability, environment & heritage, technical feasibility, ‘pressure valve’ value (in taking boats away from congested parts of the system), and importance as an extension to the existing network They have allocated scores of ‘high’, ‘medium’ and ‘low’ for each of these, and divided the schemes into Priority One (greatest network benefit and likelihood of funding, on which BW will concentrate their resources and aim for early completion), Priority Two (other schemes they see being completed within the next 20 years or so) and Priority Three (three that they think are either going to take longer than that because they have major problems, or are more peripheral to BW’s network.) Plus a lot that didn’t make it into the list at all. Priority One schemes: these eleven projects are basically the same ones that BW had already identified as ‘Tranche Two’ i.e. the ones that would follow on once Rochdale, Huddersfield, the Scottish Millennium Link etc were finished in the last couple of years, with a few alterations. The Environment Agency’s Fens Link (Witham to Nene) proposal has been added, as is the River Carron (improvements to access to the eastern end of the Forth & Clyde Canal) and the Ashby Northern Reaches; the Foxton Inclined Plane has been dropped because BW say they now see it as a ‘heritage/development’ project to be seen as a visitor destination rather than a waterway restoration - although whether that means they still support its reinstatement as a working lift is not entirely clear. One could take issue with BW about some of the choices of project for Priority One - for example why the Manchester Bolton & Bury gets in ahead of the Lichfield when (by BW’s own assessment criteria) they score exactly the same number of ‘highs’, ‘mediums’ and ‘lows’. But given that this list has grown out of ‘Tranche Two’, it was always likely to reflect what was in that list. Priority Two schemes: these nine projects include several that we are currently working on: Lichfield, Wilts & Berks and Mon & Brec for example. But they also exclude a number whose prospects appear at least as good as some on the list, and it is not obvious why. For example the Herefordshire & Gloucestershire, Sleaford, Chesterfield and Pocklington, all well-established projects, do not feature anywhere in the list. Does that mean that BW don’t think the Pocklington will be completed in 21 years? That’s a bit depressing, given that more than half of it is already restored. Is the H&G not important to the network, just because it’s a dead end? (So is the Mont, and nobody’s claiming the Mont’s not important.) And what about the Chesterfield? A potential through route (with the Rother Link), a waterway of great heritage interest, less than 15 miles left to restore, engineering solutions identified and further studies in progress, all the funding advantages of running through an ex-industrial area, but also the advantages to boaters of running through some splendid countryside too. So why won’t BW support it - is it of less importance to the network than the Mon & Brec, less likely to be funded than Phase 2 of the Cotswolds, or more difficult engineering-wise than the Wilts & Berks? I doubt it. Unfortunately BW haven’t published their assessment of the schemes that didn’t make it into the list - nor those that are down in the final category... Priority Three schemes: there are only three of these, and they are the ones BW reckon aren’t going to be finished in 20 years because they have technical or funding problems or aren’t that important to BW, but still merit inclusion. Apart from a suspicion that the problems of the Higher Avon are much more political than technical or funding (David Hutchings would have had it open decades ago if he’d been given the chance!) one wonders what the Wey & Arun has done to deserve being in this list why is it not at least in the same group as the Wilts & Berks and the Grantham?
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Of course no list like this is ever going to please everyone. However objective you try to be, there are always those who will feel aggrieved that their canal restoration project has been given a lower priority than they think it deserves. But in their current financial position (they recently had several million arbitrarily lopped-off their government grant), BW are likely to have limited resources to put into canal restoration. (not to mention a chief exec who - while I’m not entirely convinced by suggestions that he is ‘an accountant who isn’t the slightest bit interested in restoration’ - clearly isn’t quite so pro-restoration as his predecessor) So it is not unreasonable (if indeed it is right for them to be involved in restoration at all - some would say they should save their effort for keeping the navigable system in good order) that they concentrate their support on a relatively small number of projects - such as those in Priority One. But what is the point of Priority Two and Priority Three? What real purpose does it serve for them to try to tell us which schemes we in the waterway restoration movement will complete (with support from BW once they’ve finished what they’re working on now) in the next ten, twenty or thirty years and which ones we won’t. None, as far as I can see - all it will do is cause needless antipathy between restoration projects, at a time when they least need it, as it seems that restoration is no longer ‘flavour of the month’.
Priority One: Ashby (Phase 1) Bedford-Milton Keynes, Bow Back Rivers, Cotswolds (Phase 1) Droitwich Fens Link Liverpool Link Manchester Bolton & Bury Montgomery Lancaster River Carron Priority Two: Ashby (Phase 2) Cotswolds (Phase 2) Grantham Lichfield Mon & Brec River Leven Sankey Wendover Wilts & Berks
But do the supporters of the schemes that have been omitted or given a low priority really need to feel hard done by? I remember when BW involvement in a waterway restoration project was seen widely as a handicap - if not Priority Three: quite the ‘kiss of death’ that it maybe had been a few years earlier. I recall Slough-Windsor link when NWPG - despite being an offshoot of the Kennet & Avon Canal Trust Higher Avon - spent their weekends on the Basingstoke and other non-BW canals be- Wey & Arun cause they couldn’t get permission to work on their own. I also remember when volunteer work on the Huddersfield generally took place on the few non-BW bits. And I remember driving 200 miles for a weekend’s work on another northern canal, only to find that the day before, someone in BW had decided not to give us permission to do the work after all. (In fact we claimed that the person BW had told hadn’t managed to get in touch with the person we were working with and therefore the message hadn’t got through in time - no mobile phones in those days, so we got away with it.) Of course those days are long gone - BW have gone from being anti-restoration, through being not terribly pro-restoration, through being maybe just a little too keen on nicking the credit for other people’s restoration work, to the point where they have been championing restoration projects in recent years and entering into all kinds of partnerships with canal societies and other groups to get the canals reopened, providing us with assistance, advice and training on the Droitwich and so on. We have ended up in a situation where BW involvement has been something to be welcomed. But just lately, I’ve started to wonder if we’re slipping backwards a bit towards the bad old days. In the last issue Mike Palmer mentioned ‘the ridiculous assumption that volunteers equals risk’. Recently a canal camp almost didn’t happen because BW initially insisted that a lock chamber must be scaffolded before work could start. That wouldn’t have been an issue if the work had actually involved restoring the chamber, but apparently it was repairs to the bywash, and the scaffolding was deemed necessary simply to stop our volunteers falling in the lock when they stood back to admire their work. A mere 8ft tall fence was deemed inadequate. (Fortunately in this case common sense prevailed so the camp could go ahead.) And the Cotswold Camp was cancelled because of problems sorting out permissions in time, as everyone was busy elsewhere. Would we avoid some of these problems by sticking to projects not involving BW? At the risk of being accused of being overly cynical, might one suggest that in fact it is the Priority One schemes that are actually in the worst position with BW already getting in the way of volunteer work, that Priority Two at least have a few years to work on their restorations without outside interference, that Priority Three may have two decades untroubled by BW bureaucracy, and that those not listed at all are in the best position, with no risk of BW sticking their oar in for the foreseeable future? Please tell me that I’m being over-cynical. We know a lot of good people in BW who are very prorestoration. I would very much like BW involvement to be able to help bring the next generation of projects forward, as I believe it has with many of the current ones. But right now I fear that you may have a difficult task convincing some of the more sceptical elements in the waterways movement that this is likely to happen. Martin Ludgate
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Appeal The Right Tool for the Right Job Appeal Update July 2004 We’re nearly there folks!! Currently we have raised just over £70,000! That’s only five grand short of the target of raising £75,000 to re-equip WRG’s volunteers for the future. So it seems an appropriate time for some reflection, as this will be my penultimate update. (Hurrah!)
The National Waterways Festival at Beale Park last year was a fantastic success, particularly from a fund and publicity raising point of view! Viv and Ian’s Appealing food stall, the Panto, Worcester the alcoholic bear... and who can forget Bungle as the panto dame on the tractor? By then end, I was feeling much more confident that we could raise the rest of the money and then get on with restoring the canals. And so it has proved to be – ideas and cheques have continued to flood in. The barn dance in February marked the 1 year point, and nearly 2 thirds of the target amount had been raised. At some point in March some of us were to be seen in less-than-usual states of dress – and the WRG calendar will be available very soon. Unless, of course, the models decide to buy the entire stock…
Harry Arnold
It doesn’t seem very long ago that I sat in a pub with some folks from IWA council, including Jude and Mike, and started planning this appeal. The original idea was much altered during the planning process, but eventually we went to the NEC Outdoor Show in February 2003 and launched the appeal, with quite a lot of nice press coverage, and wore those T-shirts for the first time. At that point it seemed like an enormous amount of money, and although I had a few ideas, they didn’t seem like nearly enough to buy even half a minibus.
To my delight other people seemed to have lots more ideas than me, and also the willingness to run with them. Soon the cheques started flooding in. One of the highlights of the last 18 months, and one of the most lucrative events, was the Race Night at the Mont reopening. That summer we took the WRG appeal display to lots events, and told people about our shopping list. Loads of them responded with their cheque-books, and we started taking photos of new bits of kit with their donators, and then sent the kit off to canals around the country to work.
A cheque for £2512 to the Appeal is presented to MIke Palmer by Alan Chetwyn and John Moss of Stoke on Trent IWA, accompaniedby BBC radio presenter John Waite and his famous cousin Terry Waite.
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For several reasons I have a bit more room this month to mention a few notable donations. Hot off the press is a cheque for over £2500 from The Inland Waterways Association’s Stoke-on-Trent branch, and another from Northampton branch for £1000, bringing the total from them to £2500. We have been exceedingly well supported by all the various IWA regions and branches, with donations of over £1000 from Chester & district, Hertfordshire, and Lichfield, as well as generous amounts from Birmingham etc branch, Cambridge, Chiltern, Kent & East Sussex, Ipswich, Leicestershire, Merseyside & West Lancs, Middlesex, Milton Keynes, North Lancs & Cumbria, Northumbria, Nottingham & Derby, Peterborough, Shrewsbury, South London, South Wales, Warwickshire, and West Riding Branches. Thank you all very much, and I know you’ve done some exciting and fun things to help raise the money. We know just how important our ‘armchair supporters’ are.
Our corporate partners have also been most generous, some through matching funding for our volunteers’ effor ts at fundraising. These include (in no particular order) Barclays Bank PLC, Fox’s Marina, Grouds Bridge Marina Ltd, Raceparts Unlimited, Riverside Holidays Ltd, Scottish and Southern Energy plc, Southern Hemisphere Sports Ltd, The Waterways Trust, Vodafone.
So there is still a few thousand to go, and we hope to wrap things up after the National Waterways Festival at Burton-upon-Trent on the August Bank Holiday weekend. At Burton expect to see the Appealing Food stand again – this time with me smelling of onions! The calendar will be on sale, and we plan a special celebration – watch out for details nearer the time! I know there are still some monies planned from other canal societies, so we’ll certainly accept money after the official close – just like all the best appeals. If you’ve been planning something and want help, advice of leaflets then please let me know. See you at Burton. Lots of love, Dr. Liz Liz Williamson liz.williamson@wrg.org.uk
Order your WRG Calendar now!
Martin Ludgate
What has been particularly nice has been donations from Canal Societies, who hopefully see investment in us as investing in their own canals, and also from boaters and boat associations, who will also benefit from restoration work. These include (in no particular order): the Ashby Canal Association, the Association of Waterway Cruising Clubs, the Chesterfield Canal Trust, Dudley Canal Trust, Friends of the Lockway, H&G Canal Trust, Islwyn Canal Association, Macclesfield Canal Society, Mon, Brec & Abergavenny Canal Trust, Montgomery Waterway Restoration Trust, Residential Boat Owners Association, River Weaver Navigation Society, Sankey Canal Restoration Society, Thrupp Boat Club, WRGbc, Weaver Motor Boat Club.
What a lot of friends we have! Thank you all, very, very much.
Remember all those WRG Calendar Girls and Calendar Boys exposing themselves to the elements (and in one case, to all the passengers on the passing steam train!) back in March? 24 of WRG’s finest, photographed with not a lot on - by none other than top waterways photographer Derek Pratt - are about to appear as the WRG 2005 Nude Calendar. This will go on sale at the National at Burton on Trent, or alternatively you can order your copy now by sending your name and address and a cheque for £10 (including postage and packing) to WRG Calendar, IWA, PO Box 114, Rickmansworth WD3 1ZY. Please make your cheques payable to The Inland Waterways Association and allow 28 days for delivery. Go on, you can afford it it all goes to the Appeal.
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Bonfirire Bash Book now ffor or a fun w eek end on week eekend the Gr antham in No Grantham Novvember! Announcing the Bonfire Bash 2004
The purpose Both of the lengths of canal that we are likely to be working on are on the ‘dry section’ towards the western end of the canal. With sections of canal already restored and in-water near the eastern (Grantham) end, doing some serious clearance work at the west end will not only prepare the way for future re-watering of this length too, but should also encourage the local authorities including Nottinghamshire County Council to take an interest in supporting (and maybe funding) some more restoration work on their part of the canal.
Grantham Canal, November 6th-7th The accommodation For those who haven’t been on one before, the Bonfire Bash is our annual end-of-season get-together and major work party. Usually well over 100 volunteers turn up and spend a weekend helping to give a canal restoration project a big push - as well as spending the Saturday night having a big party and getting together with all the folks we’ve met on Canal Camps this summer and people from the regional groups that we haven’t seen for ages, and generally having a good time. It’s called a Bonfire Bash because (a) it’s conveniently close to Bonfire Night and we sometimes mark this with appropriate celebrations and (b) the work usually involves scrub-clearance... which usually means big bonfires on site. But even if we can’t guarantee to supply any bonfires at all, we still call it a Bonfire Bash, and we can still guarantee that it will be a good weekend. Having bashed all the available scrub in past years on the Wilts & Berks, Basingstoke, Wey & Arun, Manchester Bolton & Bury and elsewhere, we move to pastures (or jungles) new this year: the Grantham Canal. The work
We’ve provisionally identified a large village hall at Colston Bassett that should be big enough to do the job, and is convenient for the work sites. It also - according to the local canal society - has the added attraction of a real ale pub within 50 yards, although I expect that we’ll make our own arrangements for entertainment and beer on the Saturday night. Booking If you want to come to the Bonfire Bash, please fill in the booking form opposite and send it off to head office with your cheque. Further information Full details including joining instructions will be sent as soon as we have them to everyone who books in. Further information including confirmation of accommodation will appear on the website www.wrg.org.uk and in the next issue of Navvies - but please don’t wait till then before you book! If you know you want to come (and you do, don’t you?) send your form in right away - the more people that book in earlier, the better idea we have of how many people are coming, and the easier it is for us to plan the weekend to make sure you all have enough work, enough food, suitable accommodation, and everything else that will make this a weekend to remember. Martin Ludgate
Exact details of the site are still being worked out, but it looks like the work will be the usual scrub and tree clearance from the bed of the canal, with two The Grantham lengths, both about half a mile long, having been iden- Nottingham River Trent tified as possibilities. We already have permission to clear one length near Cotgrave Cropwell Butler (close to where the last Grantham Canal Camp cleared out a flight of three locks in 2002), and we are looking at also tackling a second section near Colston Bassett.
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Canal
1797-1936: 33 miles, 18 locks
Cropwell Butler Colston Bassett
Hickling
Grantham Woolsthorpe Belvoir Castle
waterway recovery group
NATIONAL CO-ORDINATING BODY FOR VOLUNTARY LABOUR ON THE INLAND WATERWAYS OF BRITAIN
WRG Reunion Bonfire Bash 2004
I would like to attend the 2004 WRG Bonfire Bash on the Grantham Canal on November 6th-7th Forename:
Surname:
Address:
email: Phone: Any special dietary requirements? I require accommodation on Friday night / Saturday night / both nights I enclose payment of £
(please make cheques payable to ‘WRG’) for food
(cost is £10 for the whole weekend, based on £2 for each meal.) How will you be travelling to the Bonfire Bash?
Do you want to work with volunteers from one of this year’s Canal Camps or from one of the regional groups? If so, which camp or group? Do you suffer from any illness, such as epilepsy or diabetes, about which you should know, or are you receiving treatment or under medical supervision for any condition YES/NO If yes, please attach details on a covering letter. In the unlikely event that you should be injured, who should we contact? Name:
Phone:
Signed: (parent’s signature also required if aged under 18): Please send this form to: Bonfire Bash Bookings, WRG, PO Box 114, Rickmansworth WD3 1ZY page 9
Bookshop
WRG Book Auction – August 2004
Over the past few months we have collected more waterway books for fund-raising. As usual, we have decided that the best way to sell them off is to auction them through the pages of Navvies with all the proceeds going to help fund WRG’s Canal Camps. All the books (except where stated) are in fair second hand condition. The reserves suggested are the minimum that we would accept and are approximately half the price you might see from a specialised book dealer. You are invited to make your bids (in multiples of 50p please). Simply list down the Lot number (the number on the left hand side) and the price you are prepared to pay for each book or other item being auctioned. The bidder offering the highest price for each lot gets the goods at the price bid. In the event of two equal bids, the first one received wins. All proceeds go to WRG, so you can afford to be generous. All bids should be sent to Waterway Recovery Group Auction, P O Box 114, RICKMANSWORTH, WD3 1ZY to be received no later than 15th September 2004. Successful bidders will be notified shortly afterwards. Postage and packing is extra: £1.90 where the total of your successful bids is under £11.00 and £3.75 where the total of your successful bids is over £11 (UK only). Lot Title / Author (or other description) Pages Date Reserve 1 The BP Book Of Industrial Archaeology – Neil Cossons. Hardback. 496 1975 £8.00 2 The Canals Of Yorkshire & North East England: Volume 1 - Charles Hadfield. With black and white photographs. One of the Canals of the British Isles history series. 254 1972 £10.00 3 The Canals Of Yorkshire & North East England: Volume 2 - Charles Hadfield. Hardback. With black and white photographs. One of the Canals of the British Isles history series. 250 1973 £10.00 4 The Canals Of The East Midlands – Charles Hadfield. Hardback with photographs. Area covered includes the Grand Union Canal and part of London. 294 1970 £10.00 5 The Canals Of South West England – Charles Hadfield. Hardback. One of the Canals of the British Isles history series. 206 1967 £10.00 6 The Canals Of The West Midlands – Charles Hadfield. Hardback. One of the Canals of the British Isles history series. 351 1977 £6.00 7 The Canals Of Eastern England – David Charles. Hardback. With pictures and photographs.One of the Canals of the British Isles history series. 368 1977 £8.00 8 Canal Boat & Boaters – DJ Smith. Hardback. With line drawings and photographs. 132 1973 £3.00 9 A Pictorial History Of Canals – DD Gladwin Hardback 143 1977 £3.00 10 The BP Book Of Industrial Archaeology – Neil Cossons. Hardback. With photographs. 384 1987 £4.00 11 Leontyne – Richard Goodwin. Hardback. By barge from London to Vienna. Good condition. 219 1989 £3.00 12 Snowdonia - Anthony Hopkins. Hardback. A call to protect this national treasure. With colour photographs. Good condition. 112 1993 £3.00 13 Worst Journey In The Midlands – Sam Llewellyn. One man in an ancient open boat in the wettest October on record. 191 1984 £3.00 14 Water Rallies – David Owen. Hardback. Stories of his cruises to rallies in the 1960s as part of the fight to keep the canals open. Includes photographs. 144 1969 £3.00 15 The Canals Of North West England: Volume 1 – Charles Hadfield & Gordon Biddle. One of the Canals of the British Isles history series. With photographs. 236 1970 £10.00 16 The Canals Of North West England: Volume 2 – Charles Hadfield & Gordon Biddle. One of the Canals of the British Isles history series. With photographs. 230 1970 £10.00 17 The Canals Of Britain – DD Gladwin. Hardback. Covers the rise and steady decline of the waterways. 253 1973 £8.00 18 Bread Upon The Waters – David Blagrove. Hardback. 224 1984 £4.00 19 The Canals Of South Wales & The Border – Charles Hadfield. Hardback. One of the Canals of the British Isles history series. 272 1977 £10.00 20 English Canals: Pt 1 A Concise History – DD Gladwin & JM White. Hardback. 64 1967 £2.00
Big gest eevver WR G auction of Bigg WRG waterw terwaays book bookss
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34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41
42 43 44 45 46 47
Tales of the Cornish Wreckers – John Vivian. Softback. Text, with old pictures and some old maps. 47 1969 £1.00 The Miners – Anthony Burton. Softback. This is a vivid, superbly illustrated account of their work, their life and their struggles. 175 1976 £3.00 Canal Architecture In Britain – Frances Pratt. Softback. Informative text and lots of colour photos 40 1980 £0.50 Guinness Guide To Waterways Of Western Europe – Hugh McKnight. Hardback. This lavishly illustrated celebration of canals and rivers is designed to whet the appetite of every aspiring inland navigator. 230 1978 £4.00 Industrial Archaeology Review – Oxford University Press. Softback. Volume 1. Number 2. Spring 1977. 198 1977 £2.00 Industrial Archaeology of Cornwall – A C Todd and Peter Laws. Hardback. This book includes maps and over thirty magnificent photographs. 288 1972 £2.00 The “Come to Cornwall” Guide – Official County Guide. Softback. Includes black and white photos and old tourism adverts and information. 96 £0.50 Slow Boat Through England – Frederic Doerflinger. Hardback. “A book for the questing novice, a comprehensive guide to getting the most out of your holidays.” 253 1970 £0.50 The Industrial Archaeology of Scotland (Lowlands and Borders) – John Hume. Hardback. Covering information on transport and industry. Contains text, pictures and a few old maps. 275 1976 £1.00 A Canal and Armchair Book – John Gagg. Hardback. “A fascinating feast of items from Britain’s canals, illustrated and served in an easily digested fashion.” 144 1975 £1.00 The Canaller’s Bedside Book – John Gagg. Hardback. This book gives you details and advice you need when you plan your holidays. Includes text and pictures. 150 1973 £1.00 Canals Revived – Roger Squires. Hardback. The story of the early days of the Waterways Restoration movement. 185 1979 £1.00 London’s Waterways – Martyn Denney. Hardback. This detailed survey of the history and structure in the Greater London area includes all the major canals and channels in use from the ninth century to the present day. Includes photos 192 1977 £2.00 Marine Conversion – Nigel Warren. Hardback. Car engine conversions for boats. Includes pictures and charts 148 1977 £1.00 The Boat Museum – Ellesmere Port. Softback. A short guide to the boats and the buildings. Includes photographs. 100 £0.50 The Past At Work - Anthony Burton. Hardback. A reconstruction of our industrial past. Includes colour and black and white photographs. 175 1980 £3.00 Inland Waterways Of Great Britain – L.A Edwards. Hardback. Standard reference book giving information on all waterways in Britain. Includes a fold out map. 447 1972 £8.00 Waterways – Sights To See – Charles Hadfield. Hardback. “This inviting book is for the family that explores by car rather than boat.” Includes photographs. 1976 £1.00 Two Miles In A Minute – O.S Nock. Hardback. The story behind the conception and operation of Britain’s High Speed and Advanced Passenger Trains. Includes photographs. 184 1980 £1.00 Canals In Camera – John Gagg. Hardback. A personal “canal-cruising” look, in words and pictures, over almost the whole of the canal systems. 128 1970 £1.00 Railway Archaeology – O.S Nock. Hardback. “Superbly illustrated, this book will make essential reading for those interested in individual, and indeed national, history, as well as the ardent railway enthusiasts.” 191 1981 £3.00 Navigable Waterways – LTC Rolt. Softback. History of the canals, written by the famous waterways pioneer. 188 1973 £2.00 Mines Of Wales – Thomas Spargo. Softback. Their present position and prospects. 79 1973 £1.00 Exploring Our Industrial Past – Kenneth Hudson. Softback. Includes pictures and information on joining and forming societies. 214 1975 £2.00 Plain Sailing – Charles Gibson. Softback. This book takes nothing for granted and starts with the simplest problems of rowing and sailing and how to handle larger craft. 158 1963 £1.00 Discovering Canals In Britain – Peter L. Smith. Softback. Good Condition. Assists in planning of holidays. 96 £1.00 Mining in the Lake Counties – W.T Shaw. Softback. A chronicle and the history of mining ventures, with accounts of miners’ lives. 128 1975 £1.00
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48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68
69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78
Slow Boat Through Pennine Waters – Frederic Doerflinger. Softback. “A favourite book for boatmen naturalists, canal preservationists and local historians.” 254 1972 £0.50 Rivers In Britain – J Gagg. Hardback. Offers simple and accurate information with clear line pictures and photos. 63 1974 £0.50 London’s Waterways Guide – Chris Cove Smith. Softback. All the essential information for cruising on the rivers and canals in the Greater London Area 222 1977 £1.00 Lead Mining In The Yorkshire Dales – Arthur Raistrick. Softback. An account of the area’s lead mining. With photographs. 29 1972 £0.50 Nicholson’s Real Ale Guide To The Waterways – Softback. Once the beer-drinking boater’s Bible, now more of a historic document dating from when real ale was hard to find. 159 1970s £0.50 The Smelting Mills – Arthur Raistrick. Hardback. The lead industry of Wensleydale and Swaledale. 120 1975 £1.00 Echoes Of A Canal Travelling Man – J.H Burman. Hardback. Includes a fold out map. 46 1981 £0.50 Exploring The Kennet & Avon Canal – Hawk Publication. Includes text, pictures, photographs and a fold out map. 39 1974 £0.50 Back Door Britain – Anthony Burton. Softback. The story of a 1000-mile journey by caal. 188 1978 £2.00 Hidden Haunts In Wales – Softback. You own passport to the Welshman’s Wales. Includes maps and pictures. 32 1974 £1.00 Tales Of The Cornish Fishermen – Cyril Noall. Softback. Includes some black and white photographs 46 1970 £1.00 Industrial Archaeology Of Cornwall – WH Curnow. Softback. Mines, Smelting, Railways, Ports, Quarries, China Clay, Foundries, Waterwheels. 20 £1.00 Cornwall’s Ports & Harbours – Cyril Noall. Softback. Includes text and photographs 48 1970 £1.00 Cornwall’s Old Mines – H.V Williams. Softback. Includes photographs. 46 £1.00 Know The Ropes - Boat Owner. Softback. Includes diagrams. 26 1975 £0.50 Ropemakers – WR Outwaite & Son. Fold out sheet with diagrams. 1 £0.50 A Walker On The Pennine Way – Colin Walker. Softback. Fully illustrated with captions. From Malham to Hawes. 50 1974 £0.50 A Walker On The Pennine Way – Colin Walker. Softback. Full illustrated with captions. From Hawes to Middleton. 50 1974 £0.50 Beamish – North of England Open Air Museum. Includes colour photographs 30 £1.00 Walks For Motorists In The Yorkshire Dales – Ramblers’ Association. Includes photographs and small maps. 83 1970 £0.50 Settle and North Craven – Settle Publicity Committee. Softback. Including Austwick, Clapham, Ingleton, Malhamsdale, North Ribblesdale and the Three Peaks, with walks and motoring runs. Includes photographs. 57 1979 £1.00 Around Ingleton and Clapham – Ron and Lucie. Softback. Hinson. A guide with photographs. 32 1970 £0.50 Ironbridge Gorge – Softback. Includes, maps pictures and text 27 £1.00 The Story of Cornwall’s Engine houses – DB Barton. Softback. 40 1970 £1.00 Waterways Museum – Pictures from the museum at Stoke Bruerne. Softback 30 £0.50 British Waterways: Cruising on the Llangollen Canal – Inland Cruising Booklet. Softback. Hurleston Locks to Llantysilio. Includes a fold out map. 36 1970 £1.00 Boatyards & Boatbuildings – Robert J. Wilson. Softback. Fully illustrated. 32 1974 £1.00 Waterways World Guide – Staffordshire & Worcestershire. Spiral bound with maps 20 1981 £0.50 Canal Tunnels – John Gagg. Softback. Looking at inland waterways. Includes photographs 32 1976 £0.50 Canal Barges & Narrow Boats – Peter L. Smith 32 1983 £1.00 The Upper Avon Navigation – D. Hutchings & D. Higgins. Softback spiral bound. A guide with pictures. 44 £0.50
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79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90
91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107
Stanford’s River Thames- - From Richmond to Lechlade. Fold out map. 1 £0.50 Cardiganshire – Its Mines & Miners – Simon J.S Hughes 49 1976 £1.00 Waterways Restored – PJG Ransom. Hardback. 21 waterways covered. Including pictures. 179 1973 £2.00 Voyage In A Bowler Hat – Hugh Malet. Softback. An account of an incredible voyage. 251 1985 £3.00 Slow Boat Through Pennine Waters – Frederic Doerflinger. Hardback. Practical guide to getting the most from boating holidays. 254 1971 £1.00 Canals & Their Architecture – Robert Harris. Hardback. Excursions into architecture. 223 1969 £4.00 English Rivers & Canals – Paul Atterbury. Hardback. An account of the importance of waterways. 152 1993 £4.00 Canal & River Craft – Hugh McKnight. Hardback. Pictorial record of commercial craft which once worked on the network of canals 112 1969 £4.00 The Great Towpath Walk – Brian Bearshaw. Hardback. From London to York. Illustrated. 208 1988 £2.00 Portrait Of The Severn – JHB Peel. Hardback. Includes photographs 206 1980 £3.00 The Most Extraordinary District In The World: Ironbridge & Coalbrookdale – Barrie Trinder. Hardback 138 1988 £3.00 Journeys Of The Swan – John Liley. Hardback. Entertaining account of the author’s travels on a working narrowboat in the early 1960s, with a stress on the campaign to save the waterways 191 1971 £8.00 The Great Days Of The Canals – Anthony Burton. Hardback. A nostalgic journey through the past of Britain’s Canals. 224 1988 £6.00 The Archaeology Of The Montgomeryshire Canal – Stephen Hughes.Softback. A guide and study in Waterways Archaeology. 168 1989 £5.00 Landscape With Figures – LTC Rolt. Hardback. The final part of the autobiography of one of the pioneers of the waterways movement. 246 1992 £2.00 Navigable Waterways – LTC Rolt. Softback. 186 1973 £2.00 The Canal Age – Charles Hadfield. Softback. A richly evocative account of the Canal Age in Britain, Europe & North America 222 1968 £4.00 Back Door Britain – Anthony Burton. Hardback. With photographs. The story of a 1000-mile journey by canal. 189 1977 £4.00 The Flower Of Gloster – E. Temple Thurston. Hardback. Reprint of the classic late 19th Century account of an early canal pleasure boat journey. With pictures. 244 1972 £4.00 Voyage Into England – John Seymour. Hardback. With photographs. Exploring Britain’s waterways in the 1960s. 159 1966 £8.00 Water Highways – David E. Owen. Hardback. Accounts of cruises around the waterways of the North West and further afield in 1961. 140 1967 £3.00 Canals In Colour – Anthony Burton. Hardback. Lots of colour pictures and informative text. 175 1974 £2.00 Canals – Warren Farnworth. Softback. Pictures, text and photographs. 96 1973 £2.00 Lock Keeper’s Daughter – A Worcestershire Canal Childhood. 159 1990 £3.00 Towpaths Of England – Brain Bearshaw. Hardback. With illustrations. 192 1985 £2.00 The Kennet & Avon Canal – Kenneth R. Clew. Hardback. Story of the canal including its construction. 224 1985 £10.00 Through Britain On Country Roads – Peter Brerton. Hardback. Ideal guide for those who take pleasure in driving along Britain’s quiet roads. Includes pictures and maps. 320 1988 £3.00 Journey Without End – David Bolton. Hardback. A voyage through England’s waterways. 191 1987 £3.00 5000 Miles 3000 Locks – John Gagg. Hardback. Includes black and white photographs 2 diagrams and a map 170 1973 £2.00
The winning bids will be listed in Navvies 207 See page 33 for a list of the winning bids of the book auction that appeared in Navvies 205.
page 13
Common law shouldn’t really bother us: it deals with ownership, boundary, public nuisance and trespass issues. If you’ve planned correctly, you shouldn’t come into contact with it.
Forestry
Statute Law does concern us though. This can be quite heavy going, and again I’ve only touched on the more common issues.
WR G FFor or estry TTeam eam ggo o into WRG orestry the le galities of tr ee-f elling leg tree-f ee-felling
Town and Country Planning Act 1990 relates to trees protected by a tree preservation order (TPO) and contains the legislation to protect the immediate pruning and felling of trees contained within a Conservation Area. There is a max. penalty of £20,000 per tree if you misbehave!
Trees and the Law WRG Forestry have had a few felling enquiries recently which has prompted - nay spurred - me into scribe mode.
First port of call then is your Local Planning Authority (LPA) either at local or county level; most by now have their own tree officer who can give you all sorts of advice - and it’s free. Here you can ascertain if your canal is in a designated area - for example a conservation area or (please no!) a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in which case you will need to speak to English Nature (EN). A map of the work area and grid references will be really helpful to the tree officer.
I think now is as good a time as any to remind ourselves of IWA/WRG environmental codes and to touch on the subject of trees and the law. So here goes… IWA’s Technical Restoration Handbook contains a couple of sections relevant to this subject. In the Legal Aspects of Restoration section there are details of the various statutory designated areas: more about this later. In the Wildlife Conservation section can be found good advice on restoration work and conservation issues. I wouldn’t exactly class felling as ‘scrub bashing’ but the principles are the same and I quote “to avoid disturbance to nesting birds, ‘scrub bashing’ should not normally be undertaken during the nesting season (April to June)”. This is repeated in WRG’s Practical Restoration Handbook article ‘Vegetation Clearance’ and I think Spencer’s avoidance period of early March to August is probably nearer the mark, with spring seemingly coming earlier every year. So let’s create a hypothetical case on the old Nitts & Stuffs Canal where a couple of mature Salix Hypothetica are causing problems to the overworked and underpaid working party organiser: seems familiar?
The following section is in no way intended to be the definitive version of tree law it is intended as a brief guide only. I can supply more comprehensive details to those that require them. English Law is divided into Common and Statute law and what follows is my attempt to highlight the bits of the law that you are likely to come into contact with.
page 14
Martin Ludgate
OK so you have a cunning plan to ‘remove’ these trees so that you can get on with the proper job of restoration during the up-and-coming WRG Summer Solstice Spectacular, but do you know anything about the law relating to trees?
‘I suppose now isn’t the best time to ask whether this one has a Tree Preservation Order on it?’ WRG FT at work dealing with a tricky tree at Froghall Basin - having checked it with the Tree Officer first!
Six weeks notice is needed by your LPA for work to be undertaken in a conservation area, but there are exemptions. If your tree or trees are protected by a TPO my strong advice is NOT to commence any work without prior consultation and a site visit with the tree officer; again there are exemptions but be warned: £20,000 penalty. You should be able to form a good working relationship with your tree officer: they are there to help. I have a full list of tree officers if you are having difficulty making contact. Forestry Act 1967 will affect you if you are felling more than 5 cubic metres in any calendar quarter. You will then need a felling licence from the Forestry Commission. Your tree officer can again be helpful, or you can contact WRG FT, or you can do it yourself. Contact your local FC Conservancy or visit www.forestry.gov.uk. Applications can take up to ten weeks and will involve a site visit - and by the way, 5cuM is not a lot of standing timber. Penalties here are a fine of £2,500 or twice the value of the trees, whichever is the highest. Again, there are exemptions. You think it’s all over - well it isn’t, yet. Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 and Countryside Rights of Way Act 2000. This to me is the big one: the law that is catching out more and more people including those who should know better. It is a safe bet that if you are working in an area close by a right of way some passer-by will ask questions about the work you are undertaking. This subject is worthy of its own article. So get your documentation in order and pay close attention to the next subject. The first piece of legislation (WACA) protects many plants and animals. Wild birds: their nests and eggs are protected by law and it is therefore an offence to intentionally kill any wild bird, to damage or destroy a nest whilst in use or being built. CRoW goes further by saying it is an offence to intentionally or recklessly disturb any wild bird whilst nest building, or at (or near) a nest containing eggs or young, or disturb the dependent young of such a bird. Beware the word ‘reckless’ which is well known in law. A simple scenario: your local landowner gives you the OK to fell trees, you notice birds flying in and out of said trees but you carry on felling. Down comes the tree, and so do several nests, eggs and chicks with seemingly bewildered parents flying above. Is this reckless? Well of course it is, and it carries a fine of up to £5,000 and or a six month prison sentence.
Forestry Spar Sparkky tells us how to aavvoid a £20,000 ffine ine or 6 months in jail Bats, well I’ve been called worse. Similar legislation to birds in that the law protects them, their young and their roosts. A roost is interpreted as “any structure or place which is used for shelter or protection” and bats don’t need to be in them at the time. It is almost impossible to tell from the ground if bats are roosting in a particular tree, so if in doubt (and remember that R-word ‘reckless’), make contact with EN and your local bat group. WRG FT again can help here with names and contacts. Badgers. The following is a summary of the offences contained within The Protection of Badgers Act 1992. It is an offence to interfere with a sett by damaging or destroying it; obstruct access to, or any entrance of a badger sett; or disturb a badger when it is occupying a sett. If you want to work on trees which are adjacent to, or likely to affect a badger sett you may need to apply for a licence from EN. Plants. To summarise very briefly, it is an offence for anyone to “intentionally pick, uproot, destroy any wild plant on Schedule 8-Section 13”. This is a long list! If in doubt contact your local wildlife trust and EN. The above will limit and may prohibit certain tree pruning or felling work during Spring and Summer. Birds will nest in trees and shrubs between March and August each year, while bats will use roost sites in trees between April and September, depending on weather conditions. Some species may hibernate in large old trees during the winter months. So when is the ideal time to fell? Probably about October 3 rd at 2:37pm although not on the Prunus species or you could end up spreading silver leaf disease... There is no ideal time, each case is different and with a bit of forethought and good planning even the Nitts and Stuffs will be restored from somewhere to somewhere else eventually. Graham ‘Sparky’ Robinson WRG Forestry Team
page 15
Directory Please help us kkee ee p the Dir eceep Directory up to da te - see below right date BARNSLEY, DEARNE & DOVE CANAL TRUST June Backhouse, 39 Hill St, Elsecar, Barnsley S74 8EN 01226 743383 www.bddct.org.uk BIRMINGHAM CANAL NAVIGATIONS SOCIETY Jeff Barley, 17 Sunnyside Walsall Wood, W Midlands 01543 373284 www.bcn-society.org.uk BUCKINGHAM CANAL SOC Tony Collins 18 Skeats Wharf, Pennyland Milton Keynes MK15 8AY 01908 604731 email: info@buckinghamcanal.org.uk www.buckinghamcanal.org.uk BUGSWORTH BASIN (IWPS) Ian Edgar Browside Farm, Mudhurst Lane Lyme Handley, Whaley Bridge High Peak SK23 7BT 01663 732493 email: ian@browside.co.uk www.brocross.com/iwps/index.htm CALDON & UTTOXETER CANALS TRUST Alison Smedley Hazelhurst Cottage Denford, Leek Staffs ST13 7JT 01538 385388 email: alison@hazelhurst3.fsnet.co.uk CHESTERFIELD CANAL TRUST Mick Hodgetts 31 Pottery Lane Chesterfield S41 9BH 01246 620695 www.chesterfield-canaltrust.org.uk CHICHESTER SHIP CANAL TRUST Linda Wilkinson, 1 Chidham Lane Chichester PO18 8TL 01243 576701 www.chichestercanals.co.uk COTSWOLD CANALS TRUST Neil Ritchie, The Chapel House Sandford Rd, Churchdown Gloucestershire GL3 2HD 01452 854057 email: NeilSigns@aol.com www.cotswoldcanals.com/
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DERBY & SANDIACRE CANAL SOCIETY Doug Flack 23 Thoresby Crescent, Draycott Derby DE72 3PH 01332 874239 www.derbycanal.org.uk DIG DEEP INITIATIVE Alan Cavender 10 Vicarage Road Maidenhead, Berkshire SL6 7DS 01628 629033 email: alancavender@tiscali.co.uk www.dig-deep.org.uk DORSET & SOMERSET CANAL STUDY GROUP Derrick Hunt, 43 Greenland Mills Bradford on Avon, Wilts BA15 1BL 01225 863066 email: derrick@carlingcott7. freeserve.co.uk DROITWICH CANALS TRUST Vaughan Welch 29 Dice Pleck Northfield, Birmingham B31 3XW 0121 477 9782 email: kvwelch@supanet.com www.worcs.com/dct/home.htm
GRANTHAM CANAL RESTORATION SOCIETY Colin Bryan 113 Hoe View Road Cropwell Bishop Nottingham NG12 3DJ 01159 892248 www.granthamcanal.com
SHREWSBURY & NEWPORT CANALS TRUST Steve Bean 4 Arscott, Pontesbury Shrewsbury SY5 0XP 01743 860488 email: sn.canal@lineone.net www.sncanal.org.uk
HEREFS & GLOUCS CT c/o The Wharf House, Over Gloucester GL2 8DB 01452 332900 www.h-g-canal.org.uk
SHROPSHIRE UNION CS Geoff Munro 198, Oldbury Road Rowley Regis, Warley West Midlands B65 0NW 0121-561 5747 www.shropshireunion.co.uk
KENT & EAST SUSSEX CANAL RESTORATION GROUP c/o IWA 3 Norfolk Court Norfolk Rd Rickmansforth WD3 1LT 0845 226 8589 email: eddie@kescrg.org.uk www.kescrg.org.uk LAPAL CANAL TRUST 26 Loynells Road, Rednal Birmingham B45 9NP 01785 713862 / 020 8293 9744 www.lapal.org LICHFIELD & HATHERTON CANALS REST'N TRUST Phil Sharpe 34 Old Eaton Road Rugeley, Staffs WS15 2EZ 01889 583330 email: Phil.Sharpe@lhcrt.org.uk. www.lhcrt.org.uk NEATH & TENNANT CANAL SOCIETY Ian Milne 16 Gower Road, Sketty, Swansea SA2 9BY 01792 547902
EAST ANGLIAN WATERWAYS ASSOCIATION Kevin Baker, 26 Geneva Walk Toftwood, Dereham Norfolk NR19 1XT email: NWPG kevin@gasservices.freeserve.co.uk Graham Hawkes 27 Lawrence Rd, EREWASH CANAL P&DA Tilehurst, Reading Mick Golds Berks RG30 6BH 73 Sudbury Avenue 0118 941 0586 Larklands, Ilkeston email: Derbys DE7 5EA grahamhawkes@btinternet.com Notts (0115) 9328042 www.geocities. com/nwpg2001/nwpg.html FOXTON INCLINED PLANE TRUST c/o Mike Beech POCKLINGTON C.A.S. Foxton Canal Museum Paul Waddington Middle Lock, Gumley Road Church House, Main St. Foxton, Market Harborough Hemingborough, Selby Leicestershire LE16 7RA N. Yorks YO8 7QE 0116 279 2657 01757 638027 (eves) email: 01405 763985 (days) mike@foxcm.freeserve.co.uk www.pocklington.gov.uk/PCAS www.foxcanal.fsnet.co.uk SCARS (SANKEY CANAL) GRAND WESTERN CANAL Colin Greenall TRUST 16 Bleak Hill Road Denis Dodd, Wharf Cottage Eccleston, St. Helens Nynehead, Wellington Merseyside WA10 4RW Somerset TA21 0BU 01744 731746 01823 661653 www.scars.org.uk
SLEAFORD NAVIGATION TRUST Steve Hayes, 10 Chelmer Clo N Hykeham Lincs LN8 8TH 01522-689460 email: steve.hayeskyme@ntlworld.com www.sleafordnavigation.co.uk SOMERSET COAL CANAL SOC Bob Parnell, 34 Wedgewood Road Twerton, Bath BA2 1NX 01225-428055 rtjhomepages.users. btopenworld.com/SCC2.html RIVER STOUR TRUST Dave Rayner, 26 Underhill Rd South Benfleet Essex SS7 1EP 01268 753245 STRATFORD ON AVON CANAL SOC Roger Hancock, 1 Tyler Street Stratford upon Avon CV37 6TY 01789 296096 email: rogmabhan@aol.com SURREY & HANTS CANAL SOC Peter Redway, 1 Redway Cottages St. John's Lye, Woking GU21 1SL 01483 721710 email: p.redway1@btinternet.com www.basingstokecanal1. freeserve.co.uk/ SUSSEX OUSE RESTORATION TRUST Hazel Lintott 26 Gundreda Road, Lewes East Sussex BN7 1PX 01273 475812 email: sussexouse@hotmail.com. SWANSEA CANAL SOCIETY Clive Reed 17 Smithfield Road, Pontardawe, Swansea, West Glam. SA8 4LA 01792 830782 THAMES & MEDWAY CANAL ASSOCIATION John Epton, 45 Vinson Close Orpington Kent, BR6 0EQ homepage.ntlworld. com/john.epton/tmca WENDOVER ARM TRUST Roger Leishman, 7 Hall Park, Berkhamsted Herts HP4 2NU 01442 874536 www.wendoverarmtrust.org.uk
WEY & ARUN CT The Granary Flitchfold Farm Loxwood, Billingshurst West Sussex RH14 ORH. 01403 752403 email: wact@weyandarun.freeserve.co.uk www.weyandarun.co.uk WILTS & BERKS CANAL TRUST George Eycott 36 Grange Court Boundary Road Newbury RG14 7PH 01635 569449 email: bungle@wrg.org.uk www.wilts-berks-canal.org.uk/ WOODEN CANAL BOAT SOCIETY 5 Oaken Clough Terrace Limehurst Ashton under Lyne OL7 9NY 0161-330-2315 IWA IPSWICH Colin Turner Cornerways Elm Lane, Copdock Ipswich IP8 3ET 01473-730586 email: colint@copdock.freeserve.co.uk www.purbrook.demon.co.uk/iwa/ WRG: GENERAL ENQUIRIES, CANAL CAMP BOOKINGS AND DRIVER AUTHORISATION PO Box 114, Rickmansworth Herts WD3 1ZY 01923 711114 email: enquiries@wrg.org.uk www.wrg.org.uk WRG NORTH WEST Malcolm Bridge 3 Heather Bank Littleborough, Lancashire OL15 0JQ 01706 378582 email: nw@wrg.org.uk www.wrgnw.org.uk WRG NW - ENQUIRIES/ PAPERCHASES David McCarthy Woodstock 14 Crumpsall Lane Manchester. M8 5FB 0161-740 2179 www.wrgnw.org.uk WRG NA (1) Spencer Collins (see below) WRG NA (2) Ian Nelson, 6 Lahn Drive Droitwich Spa Worcs WR9 8TQ. 01905 798 676 0973 640611 (mobile) email: ian.nelson@wrgna.co.uk www.wrgna.co.uk
WRG BITM & 'NAVVIES' DIARY David Wedd 7 Ringwood Road, Blackwater Camberley, Surrey GU17 0EY 01252 874437 email: dave.wedd@wrg.org.uk www.wrgbitm.org.uk LONDON WRG Tim Lewis 5 Herongate Road, Wanstead London E12 5EJ 07802 518094 email: tim@timlewis.org.uk www.london.wrg.org.uk LONDON WRG: ENQUIRIES Lesley McFadyen (as per Martin Ludgate below) WRG EAST MIDLANDS John Baylis (see below) ESSEX WRG Dave Dobbin 130 Ashingdon Road Rochford, Essex SS4 1RR 01702-544096 email: essex@wrg.org.uk www.essex.wrg.org.uk IWA/WRG STAMP BANK Steve & Mandy Morley 33 Hambleton Grove Emerson valley Milton Keynes MK4 2JS 01908 520090 email: mail@morleytowers.org.uk CANAL CAMPS MOBILES (A) 07850 422156 (B) 07850 422157 'NAVVIES' EDITOR Martin Ludgate 35 Silvester Rd East Dulwich London SE22 9PB 020 8693 3266 0777 947 8629 (mobile) email: martin.ludgate@wrg.org.uk 'WRGWEAR' CLOTHING Helen Gardner NB 'Sussex' Weaver Shipyard, Saxons Lane Northwich CW8 1LB 07989 425346 email: wrgwear@wrg.org.uk WRG FORESTRY TEAM Graham Robinson Springwell, Spark Bridge Ulverston Cumbria LA12 7ST 01229 861317 or Dave Johnson 0161 2787663 WRG BOAT CLUB Sadie Dean 236 Station Rd, Whittlesey Peterborough PE7 2HA 01733 204505 07748 186867 (mobile) email sadiedean@vizzavi.net
WRG DIRECTORS CHAIRMAN Mike Palmer 3 Finwood Road Rowington Warwickshire CV35 7DH 01564 785293 email: mike.palmer@wrg.org.uk TREASURER Roger Day, 5 Merton Road, Slough Berks SL1 1QW
TRANSPORT MANAGER Roger Burchett 152 Great Knollys St Reading RG1 7HB 07973 771196 email: sue@navvy.freeserve.co.uk IWA CHAIRMAN John Fletcher c/o IWA, PO Box 114 Rickmansworth WD3 1ZY email: john.fletcher@waterways.org.uk OTHER DIRECTORS
SECRETARY Neil Edwards, c/o IWA, PO Box 114 Rickmansworth WD3 1ZY email: neil@waterways.org.uk
Mick Beattie 22 Bridgewater Ave Anchorsholme, Blackpool Lancs FY5 3NA 01253 864034
WRG LOGISTICS Jen Leigh 45 Glebe Road Sheffield S10 1FB email: logistics@wrg.org.uk
Adrian Fry 31 Griffon Close, Elmore Lock Quedgeley, Gloucester GL2 4NQ 07976 640962 email: amf@wrg.org.uk
WRG PLANT Malcolm Bridge 3 Heather Bank Littleborough Lancashire OL15 0JQ email: malcolm.bridge@wrg.org.uk 01706 378582
Spencer Collins N.B. 'Sunset', c/o Saltford PO, 493 Bath Rd Saltford Bristol BR31 3HQ 07976 084055 email: spencer.collins@wrg.org.uk
SITES GROUP & PUBLICITY Judith Moore 3 Finwood Road, Rowington Warwickshire CV35 7DH 01564 785293 email: jude.moore@btinternet.com WRGPRINT John & Tess Hawkins 4 Links Way Croxley Grn, Rickmansworth WD3 3RQ 01923 448559 email: john.hawkins@wrg.org.uk
Chris Davey / Helen Davey 6 Partridge Ct, Round Close Rd Adderbury, Banbury OX17 3EP 01295 812002 email: chris.davey@wrg.org.uk Jonathan Smith, 23 Hardings Chalgrove, Oxford OX44 7TJ 01865 891 370 email: jonathan.smith@wrg.org.uk John Baylis, 215 Clipstone Rd West, Forest Town, Mansfield, Notts NG19 0HJ 01623 633895
Updating this Directory: please help! The aim of this Directory is to give up-to-date contact details for all parts of WRG, plus all other groups that are involved in volunteer work on waterways. However it can only be as accurate and upto-date as the information that is supplied to us. If you spot anything incorrect, please tell us. Also if you are involved in a canal society not listed here that carries out volunteer work, please give us your work party organiser’s details. And if your canal society is currently listed but no longer carries out workparties please tell us, and we will remove your entry so that you are not troubled by queries from wouldbe volunteers. A fuller list of canal society contacts is available in the IWA's Waterway Societies Guide, available from IWA Head Office and on www.waterways.org.uk. Thank You. page 17
Diary Aug 7/8 Aug 7/8 Aug 7-14 Aug 7-14 Aug 14-21 Aug 14-21 Aug 23-Sep-2 Sep 1 Wed Sep 4/5 Sep 4 Sat Sep 5 Sun Sep 4-11 Sep 11/12 Sep 11/12 Sep 11/12 Sep 18/19
Wendover Arm: Continuing work from the BITM Camp. Lancaster Canal, Northern Reaches: Helping set up the WRG camp Basingstoke Canal Camp on St Johns Backpumping Scheme. Leader: Fred Lancaster Canal. Leader: Lou Kellett, cook: Harri Thomsett Lichfield & Hatherton Canals. Leaders: Mike Palmer & Becky Parr, cook: Jude Lancaster Canal. Leader: Izzy Gascoigne, assistants: Nina Whiteman & Tom IWA Festival - Burton-on-Trent: Site Services. Leaders: Dave ‘Moose’ Hearnden Press date for issue 207 Montgomery Canal: Newhouse Lock Abermule Newtown. ‘Paper Chase’ waste paper collection Committee & Board Meetings: Hatton Park Village Hall. Note change of date. Wilts & Berks Canal Camp at Melksham. Wey & Arun Canal: Dig Deep project at Haybarn Bridge Wilts & Berks Canal: Dig Deep project. Lichfield Canal: working on the Tamworth Road site Lichfield Canal: Accom at Martin Heath Hall. Work at Tamworth Road could include bricklaying, concreting, excavation, Oct 2/3 KESCRG Wilts & Berks Canal: Dig Deep project Oct 2/3 wrgNW Hereford & Gloucester Canal Oct 2/3 London WRG Hereford & Gloucester Canal: joint dig with wrgNW, Marcus’s birthday Oct 2/3 SUCS Montgomery Canal: Newhouse Lock Abermule Newtown. Oct 5 Tue Navvies Issue 207 Assembly: (unconfirmed) Oct 9/10 NWPG Wey & Arun Canal: Dig Deep project at Haybarn Bridge Oct 9 Sat wrgNW ‘Paper Chase’ waste paper collection Oct 16/17 wrgBITM Chichester Canal: Hedge laying. Oct 16/17 Hollinwood CS Hollinwood Canal: Countryside Centre, Daisy Nook Country Park. 10am to Clearing trees and vegetation. Oct 23/24 London WRG Wilts & Berks Canal: Dig Deep project Oct 23-31 Camp 0420 Grantham Canal Camp. Leader: Joanne ‘Smudge’ Smith Oct 23-31 Camp 0421 Cotswold Canals Camp. Nov 1 Mon Navvies Press date for issue 208 Nov 6/7 WRG Bonfire Bash: Grantham Canal. Leaders: Gavin Moor and Adrian Fry. See p8-9 Nov 6/7 KESCRG Bonfire Bash: Grantham Canal Nov 6/7 wrgNW Bonfire Bash: Grantham Canal Nov 6/7 London WRG Bonfire Bash: Grantham Canal Nov 6/7 SUCS Montgomery Canal: Newhouse Lock Abermule Newtown. Nov 7 Sun WRG Committee & Board Meetings: at the Bonfire Bash. Note change of date and Nov 13/14 NWPG To be arranged Nov 13 Sat wrgNW ‘Paper Chase’ waste paper collection Nov 20/21 wrgBITM Grantham Canal: Jungle bashing Dec 4/5 KESCRG Wilts & Berks Canal: Christmas Party with London WRG. Dauntsey area with Dec 4/5 wrgNW Hollinwood Canal: Scrub bashing (and Christmas meal?) Dec 4/5 London WRG Wilts & Berks Canal: Joint Xmas party dig with KESCRG Dec 11/12 wrgBITM Wey & Arun Canal (provisional) Dec 11/12 NWPG To be arranged Dec 18 Sat wrgNW ‘Paper Chase’ waste paper collection Dec 26-Jan 1 Camp 0422 New Year Camp - Wilts & Berks Canal
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wrgBITM wrgNW Camp 0414 Camp 0415 Camp 0416 Camp 0417 Camp 0418 Navvies SUCS wrgNW WRG Camp 0419 KESCRG NWPG London WRG wrgBITM
Canal Camps cost £42 per week unless otherwise stated. Bookings for WRG Canal Camps (those identified by a camp number e.g. 'Camp 0418') should go to WRG Canal Camps, PO Box 114, Rickmansworth WD3 1ZY. Tel: 01923 711114. Email: enquiries@wrg.org.uk
Please send updates to Diary compiler: Dave Wedd, 7 Ringwood Rd, Blackwater, Camberley, Surrey GU17 0EY. Tel 01252 874437. e-mail: dave.wedd@wrg.org.uk. Dave Wedd David McCarthy Towey, assistant: Richard Worthington. Moore Cutting, cook: Harri Thomsett and Ed Walker, cook: Al Moore Martin Ludgate Mike Friend David McCarthy
01252-874437 0161-740-2179
020-8693-3266 01948-880723 0161-740-2179
bookings@wrgBITM.org.uk malcolm.bridge@btclick.com enquiries@wrg.org.uk enquiries@wrg.org.uk enquiries@wrg.org.uk enquiries@wrg.org.uk enquiries@wrg.org.uk martin.ludgate@wrg.org.uk tigger.bounce@virgin.net
enquiries@wrg.org.uk Eddie Jones 0845-226-8589 eddie@kescrg.org.uk Graham Hawkes 0118-941-0586 grahamhawkes@btinternet.com Tim Lewis 07802-518094 london@wrg.org.uk Dave Wedd 01252-874437 bookings@wrgBITM.org.uk pointing, fencing, landscaping, Tirforing, scaffolding, kangoing, brick cleaning. Eddie Jones 0845-226-8589 eddie@kescrg.org.uk David McCarthy 0161-740-2179 malcolm.bridge@btclick.com Tim Lewis 07802-518094 london@wrg.org.uk Mike Friend 01948-880723 tigger.bounce@virgin.net John Hawkins 01923-448559 hawkins@jote.fsnet.co.uk Graham Hawkes 0118-941-0586 grahamhawkes@btinternet.com David McCarthy 0161-740-2179 Dave Wedd 01252-874437 bookings@wrgBITM.org.uk 5pm both days. Ed Mortimer 0161-303-7635 hcs@hollinwoodcanal.co.uk Tim Lewis
Martin Ludgate for details and booking form Eddie Jones David McCarthy Tim Lewis Mike Friend venue. Graham Hawkes David McCarthy Dave Wedd Rachael Banyard. Eddie Jones David McCarthy Tim Lewis Dave Wedd Graham Hawkes David McCarthy
07802-518094
020-8693-3266 0845-226-8589 0161-740-2179 07802-518094 01948-880723 0118-941-0586 0161-740-2179 01252-874437 0845-226-8589 0161-740-2179 07802-518094 01252-874437 0118-941-0586 0161-740-2179
london@wrg.org.uk enquiries@wrg.org.uk enquiries@wrg.org.uk martin.ludgate@wrg.org.uk enquiries@wrg.org.uk eddie@kescrg.org.uk malcolm.bridge@btclick.com london@wrg.org.uk tigger.bounce@virgin.net grahamhawkes@btinternet.com bookings@wrgBITM.org.uk eddie@kescrg.org.uk malcolm.bridge@btclick.com london@wrg.org.uk bookings@wrgBITM.org.uk grahamhawkes@btinternet.com enquiries@wrg.org.uk
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Diary Canal society rreegular wor ties orkking par parties
Mobile groups' social evenings (please phone to confirm before turning up) London WRG: 7:30pm on Tues 11 days before each dig. Usually at 'Star Tavern', Belgrave Mews West, London. Tim Lewis 07802-518094 or e-mail tim@timlewis.org.uk.
NWPG: 9:00pm on 3rd Tue of month at the 'Hope Tap', West end of Friar St. Reading. Graham Hawkes 0118 941 0586 Regular monthly or weekly working parties: 3rd Sunday of month BCNS Jeff Barley 01543-373284 2nd Sunday & following Wed. BCS Cosgrove Athina Beckett 01908-661217 Anytime inc. weekdays BCT Aqueduct section Gerald Fry 01288-353273 Every Sunday ChCT Various sites Mick Hodgetts 01246-620695 Mon & Wed mornings CCT Cotswolds Dudley Greenslade 01453 825515 Every weekend (Sat OR Sun) CCT Cotswolds Neil Ritchie 01452-854057 1st Sunday of month CCT Cotswolds: summit Mark Welton 01453-872405 Wednesday evenings CCT Cotswolds: East end Keith Harding 01451-860181 Every Saturday DCT Droitwich Canal Jon Axe 0121-608 0296 Last Sunday of month EAWA N Walsham & Dilham Kevin Baker 01362-699855 4th Sunday of month ECPDA Langley Mill Michael Golds 0115-932-8042 Second Sun of month FIPT Foxton Inclined PlaneMike Beech 0116-279-2657 1st & 3rd Sundays GCRS Grantham Canal Colin Bryan 0115-989-2248 2nd Sat of month GWCT Nynehead Lift Denis Dodd 01823-661653 Saturdays H&GCT Hereford (Aylestone) Brian Fox 01432-358628 Saturdays / Sundays H&GCT OverWharf House Maggie Jones 01452-618010 Hereford (Aylestone) Adrian Fry 07976-640962 Various H&GCT Every Sunday if required IWPS Bugsworth Basin Ian Edgar 01663-732493 1st Saturday & 3rd Wed. IWA Ipswich Stowmarket Navigtn. Colin Turner 01473-730586 2nd weekend of month K&ACT John Rolls 01189-666316 1st Sunday of month LHCRT Lichfield Peter Matthews 01543-318933 3rd Sunday of month LHCRT Hatherton Denis Cooper 01543-374370 2nd & last Sundays PCAS Paul Waddington 01757-638027 2nd Sunday of month SCARS Sankey Canal Colin Greenall 01744-731746 1st Sunday of month SCCS Combe Hay Locks Bob Parnell 01225-428055 Most weekends SHCS Basingstoke Peter Redway 01483-721710 1st Sunday of month SNT Haverholme Lock Dave Pullen 01673-862278 1st weekend of month SUCS Newhouse Lock Mike Friend 01948-880723 3rd Sunday of month TMCA David Rouse 01474-362861 Approx 15th of month WACT Mid-Week group Colin Gibbs 020-82417736 Every Sunday & Thursday WACT Devils Hole Lock Eric Walker 023-9246-3025 Thursdays fortnightly WACT Maintenance Unit Peter Wilding 01483-422519 or for general information on Wey & Arun contact their office on 01403-752403 1st weekend of month WAT Little Tring Roger Leishman 01442-874536 Every weekend WBCT Wilts & Berks Canal Peter Smith 01793-852883 Every Sunday W&BCC Dauntsey / Foxham Rachael Banyard 01249-892289 Please send any amendments, additions and deletions to Dave Wedd (address on previous page)
Abbreviations used in Diary BCNS BCS BCT ChCT CCT DCT EAWA ECPDA FIPT D&SCS GCRS GWCT H&GCT IWPS
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Birmingham Canal Navigations Soc. Buckingham Canal Society Bude Canal Trust Chesterfield Canal Trust Cotswolds Canals Trust Droitwich Canals Trust East Anglian Waterways Association Erewash Canal Pres. & Devt. Assoc. Foxton Inclined Plane Trust Derby & Sandiacre Canal Society Grantham Canal Restoration Society Grand Western Canal Trust Hereford & Gloucester Canal Trust Inland Waterways Protection Society
K&ACT KESCRG LHCRT NWPG PCAS SCARS SCCS SHCS SNT SUCS TMCA WBCT W&BCC WACT WAT
Kennet & Avon Canal Trust Kent & E Sussex Canal Rest. Group Lichfield & Hatherton Canals Rest'n Trust Newbury Working Party Group Pocklington Canal Amenity Society Sankey Canal Restoration Society Somersetshire Coal Canal Society Surrey & Hants Canal Society Sleaford Navigation Trust Shropshire Union Canal Society Thames & Medway Canal Association Wilts & Berks Canal Trust Wilts & Berks Canal Company Wey & Arun Canal Trust Wendover Arm Trust
Dear Martin I refer to the letter from Brian Andrews, published in Navvies 205. I believe Brian was a member of the Kent and East Sussex Branch of IWA (IWAKES) very many years ago. His comments regarding the Dartford & Crayford Navigation and the River Rother probably date from his time of membership.
Letters ...on w ent and East waaterw terwaays in K Kent Susse Sussexx
IWAKES is active in its monitoring of all the waterways in its area. Indeed we have appointed representatives for each of the waterways, including those mentioned in Brian’s letter. Of course we would like to see the lock at Dartford fully restored to working order, and we have had preliminary discussions with the Local Authority. But until negotiations have been concluded, there are no moorings above the lock. I confirm that the Navigation is available from the Thames up to the lock (shallow draft craft can cross the concrete sill to go upstream at high tides), and our case for restoration of the lock would be strengthened by more use of the available waterway. The River Rother is currently navigable from the sea to Bodiam. The May 2001 IWA National Trailboat Rally was organised by one of our Branch Members for this stretch of River but had to be cancelled due to the Foot & Mouth epidemic. Dredging was carried out last year under EA’s flood defence budget, there being no designated navigation authority. A trip boat is available should readers wish to see the river for themselves. The Kentish Stour is navigable from the sea to Grove Ferry, which is just short of the former effective head of navigation at Fordwich. There is no plan to restore that section or the length into Canterbury, which retains a right of navigation. IWAKES is focussing on stopping sewerage discharges that are promoting abnormal plant growth leading to siltation. The Cuckmere is blocked by a gravel bar at its mouth. IWAKES recently replied to a consultation by EA proposing to greatly increase the tidal flow, perhaps leading to re-establishment of a channel. Just last month, we met with Local Authority officers to discuss the conservation of the only lock actually constructed for the proposed Penshurst Navigation, which was abandoned before completion. Whilst we would like to see all the waterways in Kent and East Sussex in beneficial use, we must be realistic about what is both practical and desirable. The Royal Military Canal was not designed for pleasure boating and its adaptation to that purpose is both impractical and would serve little purpose. Our policy is to ensure that it is accessible to walkers over its whole length and to ensure those parts that are navigable remain so. The Branch has two restoration priorities, both of which are progressing through restoration bodies: the Thames and Medway Canal and the Sussex Ouse. In particular, in partnership with Gravesham Borough Council, South East England Development Agency and Sustrans, we have commissioned a benefits study for the restoration of the Thames and Medway Canal. The Consultants report is due in July. It is this waterway that needs priority support. IWAKES is raising funding for the project, and indeed I ran the London Marathon to raise sponsorship. Readers who would like to contribute to our efforts should forward their donation (payable to “IWA”) via Navvies. Finally, I would ask that before any enthusiastic reader decides to wade in to any of these waterways, they first contact the IWAKES Secretary, Roy Sutton, or me. David Hodgkinson IWAKES Chairman If any Navvies readers want to get involved in supporting waterway restoration in Kent or East Sussex, I will happily put them in touch with David Hodgkinson or Roy Sutton. ....Ed
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Dear Martin,
Letters Who nic nickked apostr ophes? postrophes?
all
the
I was shocked to discover that someone had stolen all the apostrophes and inverted commas from my last issue of Navvies. I checked inside the envelope in case they had just fallen off in the post, but to no avail. Was it just my copy or did the thief manage to de-punctuate the whole print run? Personally, I suspect those dodgy people at wrgprint ... or maybe one of the workers at the Navvies stuffing session?
On a technical note, it seems that the inverted commas in Times New Roman on the back page were untouched - is that because they’re harder to get off? Or maybe the blaggards decided to leave all the ones on the cover so that the theft wouldn’t be noticed until someone actually opened the magazine and looked inside? Anyway, now that the Right Tool For The Job appeal is coming to a close, I think we should launch the Apostrophe Appeal. For a start, you could recycle some from old issues of Navvies - I’m prepared to send you some of mine. No doubt Mr Mac will ship you a skipful from the next paperchase. And maybe you could collect all those superfluous apostrophes that are to be found on signs all over the place? Anyway, to start you off, here’s my contribution of a few I found lying around ‘’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’. Perhaps if others could do the same we’ll get you up and running again before the next issue - a tall order, I know, but what the hell - we all have to make big sacrifices for the greater good. Edd Leetham PS. I thought “Just John’s” (please don’t lose those quotation marks) Camp report in Navvies 205 was brilliant and should be held up as beacon for others to aim for - just the right balance of humour and information. Just one question - which canal was the camp held on and what was the unfortunate village with the dead pub called? Firstly, my apologies for the general shortage of apostrophes in the last issue. This was not caused by theft, but by a change to the way in which the magazine is prepared for printing. As our previous platemakers went bankrupt while waiting for the artwork for issue 205 to arrive (You think I’m joking?) we have switched to a different company - who I am pleased to say did an excellent job on the pictures in the last issue. This company is a little bit more up-to-date, and part of this more-up-to-date-ness is that the entire issue gets sent to them on CD-ROM, rather than arriving as printed pages with just the pics on disc, as previously. Apart from a couple of slight glitches (did anyone spot that the ‘surveyor’s level’ showing the Appeal total in the last issue didn’t actually show the total?) the only problem with this new arrangement seems to be that all the apostrophes and inverted commas disappeared. Well, not quite all: it only affected those in Ariel font, and only the ones that were asymmetric ‘printers quotes’ rather than symmetrical ‘typewriter quotes’ - and it didn’t affect any that were in italic and/or bold. Hopefully we should get it sorted in this issue. Secondly, the camp that ‘Just John’ reported on in issue 205 was held on the Thames, Berks & Andover Canal, and the pub was the Floundering Arms in Sodding Chipbury. Or to put it another way, I’m afraid we’d better come clean and admit that the entire camp report was a fabrication based on the sort of things that do generally seem to happen on most camps (or at least in most camp reports!) and that the author was none other than Mr George ‘Bungle’ Eycott. However, Edd is quite right that it contained the perfect mix of humour and information, and if it serves as an inspiration for those of you who are at this very moment writing reports on the rest of this summer’s camps, then it will not have been a complete waste of a page. Alternatively, if you don’t send me camp reports from the rest of this summer’s camps, I’ll simply get Bungle to write them all - whether or not he was there! ...Ed Dear Martin I’m sure that everyone that has been involved in all aspects of Little Venice and come into contact with the site services team run by Eddie Jones will agree that he has done an excellent job over the (many!) years. Despite the many rules and regulations changes both with Health and Safety and the local council, and the seemingly more and more complex task each year of fitting in all the boats, traders, electric supplies, accommodation, car parks, scaffold bridges, pontoon bridges, new bridges that you can’t get trolleys around... as well as the complicated logistics of it all, he somehow managed to come through each year only slightly battered and bruised!
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I am looking forward to touring the country again helping with the KESCRG stand and can say that I have now forgiven him for dragging me in to help do all the ‘people stuff’ at Little Venice from the age of about 19 (oh my god, that was a long time ago!!); it must have been all the beer.... xx ‘Girl Viv’ from the other side of the world PS unfortunately won’t be back for the National as I had hoped, but should make it for the Christmas camps!
Letters ...and a possib le eexplana xplana tion possible xplanation for the wide loc lockk aatt 14 Loc Lockks
Dear Martin In perfection, of course, I should have written this letter for inclusion in Navvies 205 but as I don’t want to hog every issue (is this a new excuse?) I’ve waited till now (one day after the press date of 1st July - well, I’ve been so busy!) to put pen to paper and say a sincere THANK YOU to all the many people who sent me good wishes for my birthday. Particular thanks go to Maureen Barton (the Yorkshire Tyke who has infiltrated WRG NorthWest) who made the wonderful camper van cake, perfect in every detail (Maureen told me that it took a fortnight to make) and to that young (?) co-founder of NorthWest Chris Griffiths for his wonderful photos, not forgetting the team who did the ‘do’. It was a wonderfully happy occasion and I’m trying to think of the next - perhaps the 35th anniversary (which falls in September) of my first attempt at digging in a canal, when I did actually do something positive in the locks at Marple. As has been noticed, I’ve avoided these spade things ever since! Yours
Martin Ludgate
Mr Mac
Fourteen Locks Conundrum: A few issues ago, we included the above picture of the strange Lock 11 at Fourteen Locks on the Mon & Brec, whose chamber widens out on both sides in the form of two ‘shelves’ (of slightly different heights), for reasons unknown. Roy Sutton has sent in a possible explanation: that they were built so that boats could pass in the flight, and therefore save both water (Roy’s diagrams demonstrating this are available by email on request to the editor) and time. This being the only set of three locks in the flight (most of the rest are pairs) they would otherwise have formed a bottleneck (due to taking longer to operate than a pair) and wasted water (a staircase of three uses more than a staircase of two). I have my doubts about the water-saving theory: as I understand it, Fourteen Locks are not ‘true’ staircase locks at all (although I suppose they might originally have been) - they are all separate single locks with very short pounds between them, connected by culverts to small reservoir ponds alongside. So they don’t suffer from the water-wasting problems of staircase locks, and a three-lock set will use no more than a pair. However, the time-saving idea is a good one: ability to pass, if it can be done quickly, reduces the time taken for one boat to go up the three and one to come down by one-sixth. The fact that one ‘shelf’ is higher than the other perhaps reflects the fact that most boats going uphill would be unloaded and need less depth. And the stonework of the ‘shelves’ looks newer than the rest, so maybe they were built at a time when the canal was getting busy and struggling to cope with the traffic. I’m inclined to believe this explanation - unless somebody comes up with a flaw in it... or a better idea! ...Ed
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Camp report ...fr om the Cots wold Canal ...from Cotsw Trust estiv al ust’’s Saul Canal FFestiv estival
Luckily the plumbing supplies were merely 10 minutes from site - several journeys were made during the day. Also, Dave Howarth arrived on site and helped with the pipework jobs which was handy. By the end of the day the WRG accommodation had hot and cold running water (except when the sun came out, when we had hot and hot running water). In the evening Jen arrived with the kit and VOJ via a somewhat less than direct route... On the plus side she did get to see quite a lot of the canal!
Camp report: Saul Canal Festival 2004 Day -1 (Tuesday) Day -4 (Saturday) Nick, Cath, Holly and James arrived, complete with borrowed caravan. They then realised that the drawback with caravan holidays was having to stay in a caravan! Bungle arrived with another caravan and evicted the mouse nest (having already evicted the bees when he picked it up). Holly then helpfully ate the filter to Bungle’s vac so that he couldn’t clear up after the mouse’s nest. For the first time at the Saul camp we were staying on site in a marquee with a kitchen hut so Bungle daisy-chained a few bits of cable together to get the kitchen working. Martin arrived with an NJF full of cables and other assorted stuff from the North West container.
Nick, Cath and James returned to site. The plumbing team began work in earnest. Just to prove that Saul has become a “proper” festival, several lorry loads of fencing arrived (including some to be used as a night fence!). Lots of cables were run out and we finished building the lighting tower. Day 0 (Wednesday) The camp began, the WRG volunteers arrived, Lauren turned out to be a professional washer upper, so Cath kept her washing up all afternoon!
Day -3 (Sunday) The main reason for arriving so early was to bury a cable across the site, so Bungle started to bury it. What looked like a grassy surface turned out to have rocks and tarmac underneath so it was rather harder going than expected. Bungle gave up and went to collect Sammy from Newbury, in the meantime the trench fairy (or Nick as he is otherwise known) finished off the trench.
Nick had gone back to work and Cath (and James!) went home to Ross, so Bungle was left to run out some cables and fill in the trench. The he started on the plumbing. The plumbing at Saul before now had been fairly basic (two taps in the campsite field), but this year there were two blocks of showers, a kitchen, three taps in the campsite field and hot/cold running water in the bar.
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Martin Ludgate
Day -2 (Monday)
‘His name was Bungle and he drove the fastest milk-cart in the West...’ George bodges-up the water supply for the campsite showers.
The catering kit was unpacked (except for the stuff in the coolbox which threatened to walk out of the trailer and unpack itself). Whilst all this was going on Roger set off to St. Helens with VOJ to pick up a couple of all terrain golf carts (we were not allowed to call them Bradshaws). The plan was to put one in VOJ and one on a trailer behind, but instead he arrived back with a “jolly large” trailer with both buggies secured onto it! Bungle decided that the buggies needed a trial so he set off with Clive in the passenger seat (purely to check the carrying capacity you understand), about ten minutes later he returned - Bungle had a big grin on his face, however Clive appeared slightly pale.... During the day the bar was built: new for Saul was the beer chiller system. No wet hessian, no strings of cooling pipes, but a polystyrene box around the entire rack of barrels then an industrial air conditioning system running inside it! It was certainly effective.... Day 1 (Thursday) All the Heras fencing was finished off and traders started to arrive - yes seriously! Clive pulled an impressive stunt and to the surprise of everyone a huge milk tanker full of water arrived to run the campsite showers. Bungle set about connecting it up and discovered that food grade tankers use a connection different to anything else on the planet. A conversation with the dairy ensued: Transport manager: “You won’t be able to buy anything to connect to that” Bungle: “Do you have anything lying about that we could use?” Transport manager: “Hmm, possibly. What are your bodging skills like?” Suffice it to say two hours later an engineering solution was devised using blanking plates, plastic fittings and a couple of miles of PTFE tape! Amazingly NO cable ties were used in the system.... Day 2 (Friday) The day before the festival. Power was laid on to all the traders that had asked for it, then power was laid onto all the traders that had forgotten to ask... All the traders arrived and set up their stalls, at which point the wind got up and blew some of them down. We were wondering whether it would be “Posh Coffee” or “Cats’ Protection League” that would end up in Gloucester first! In the evening we had “The Rolling Clones” in the Ents tent; their performance certainly tested the load-rating on the stage... They also had some dancers called the Clonettes who attracted significant attention from some members of the site crew.
Day 3 (Saturday) The festival happened. In the afternoon a stocktake revealed what everyone expected - the bar was going to run out of beer - so Bungle went off on a mercy mission to get some. In the evening a band called “The Blue Horses” took centre stage. Towards the end of the act they played “Smoke on the water” which turned out to be rather appropriate. Many of you will by now have heard about events on the Saturday night so I won’t go into great details here, suffice to say one boat burnt out completely and another elderly wooden boat some distance away sank (possibly helped by the huge wash from the fire boat). Most people got back to bed around 3am; however Nick carried on ferrying fire equipment up and down the towpath on the buggy and finally went to bed at 9am.... Day 4 (Sunday) Most people emerged bleary-eyed. Some from overindulgence the night before, some from lack of sleep from the previous night’s events. However the festival took no account of this and carried on anyway. Day 5 (Monday) Whilst we were having breakfast the marquee company arrived to take down the accommodation, which was a surprise as we were still living in it! We suggested that they start with another tent and got back to eating seconds (or possibly thirds!) of eggy bread. After breakfast the site disappeared! Considering the time and effort to put it all together, it got packed away remarkably quickly. Roger ferried the trailer-mounted generator back to the Eastington compound only to discover it was locked to the van and needed the key from Bungles pocket to unlock it. Apparently he suggested Bungle should be subjected to an unpleasant procedure involving a pineapple... Day 6 (Tuesday) The WRG camp packed up and went home - all except Roger and Bungle who stayed ready to leave the following morning, Roger to return the buggies to St. Helens and Bungle via a long and convoluted route to return kit and the caravan. Thanks to: Cath for cooking, Holly for keeping us safe from Ben, Ben for keeping us safe from Holly, James for providing entertainment, the camp crew (Lauren, Maggie, Derek, Alan & Earnie) for doing stuff, Malcolm & Roger for turning up and doing more stuff and finally the Saul Junction Festival committee for giving us all something to do and being all round good folks! Here’s to next year.... George ‘Bungle’ Eycott
page 25
Our main job for the weekend was to prepare the Bentomat lining ready for the Wendover Arm Trust camp in a months time.
KESCRG
The Bentomat is supplied in 40m lengths weighing around 1250Kg a roll which we had to cut into more manageable lengths, varying from 5.5 to 8.5m depending on where they were destined for in the channel.
Eddie rreepor ts fr om the Gr and ports from Grand Union W endo Wendo endovver Arm...
Sounds easy in theory but back breaking in practice!
KESCRG on the Wendover Arm, July 2004 KESCRG last visited the Wendover Arm in April 2003 when we spent the weekend working on the base of the off side retaining wall halfway between Little Tring Bridge and the winding hole.
The main roll is laid out, measured and cut...
We returned to the project in July 2004 and it was very satisfying (and a great deal of respect to the Wendover Arm Trust) to see the walls now complete and the channel profiled ready for lining.
All photos by Eddie Jones
Here we are vibrating the ready mix concrete for the base of the retaining wall in 2003:
...and here’s the same section in July 2004 excavated to the correct profile and tracked over with an excavator to ram the soil down...
page 26
It is then rolled back, tied and then lifted onto the pile ready for the next one.
The trust had hired some new 6 tom dumper...
...and yes that really is the well known little chap Harry sat on top of the thing! Hopefully when we return next year to help with the start of phase two there will be boats turning where this dumper is situated in the winding hole:
We cut over 50 lengths in the weekend wrecking our way through many many Stanley blades. Elsewhere the excavation of the channel carried on in preparation for the Bentomat we were cutting...
All in all a very rewarding weekend for which I must give thanks to the WAT for their fantastic organisation as ever. For a full report please take look at the KESCRG web site www.kescrg.org.uk and follow the link from the pictures page. Cheers Eddie Jones KESCRG weekend working party organiser
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KESCRG ...while Ian tells us aabout bout the group’ or the ne xt yyear ear oup’ss plans ffor next KESCRG News Hi all, Ian here - KESCRG’s new vice chairman no less!! Now how did I manage to get that job as well? Aahh yes, volunteered by my loving wife no less!! Anyway, less about me; more about the group... At our last dig on the Wendover we allocated some Saturday night drinking time to having an AGM. The intention was to keep it nice and short so we could get to the nice local canalside pub. Unfortunately this was not to be, as it was gone 10pm when we finished, so we had to go to the nearest pub instead! Ken gave a quick summary of what has been a very successful 15 months since the last AGM. We have invested in some new tools with huge financial help from our friends in the Kent & East Sussex Branch of IWA, which is much appreciated. We can safely say the tool trailer looks as good now as when we purchased it and gave it its first outing to Milton Keynes National Festival. We are very pleased to note the help of Eddie Evans in a complete refurbishment of the open trailer originally built by Ron Martin many years ago. All it now needs is the skills of one Neil Ritchie to complete the refurbishment task.
Our finances are on a good footing right now, but as ever we need ensure it stays that way as we need around £2000 per year to keep functioning effectively. As part of our review we may well take the plunge and become a registered charity, which will give us better access to match funding and other income sources. We have also reviewed together the costs of the weekends and have decided after much discussion that from September a KESCRG weekend will cost £10. This will give the catering team much more flexibility for the menus and ensure we continue to be some of the best fed Navvies on the circuit! We will however have a discount available to ensure access for everyone. KESCRG dig one weekend per month, and do a one week camp each year. We love to have new volunteers along and have extensive skills throughout the team that we are always willing to share. Whether you have been sat at home wondering what to do or have been on summer camps and would like to do more throughout the year we’d love to see you. Generally you’ll find us digging in the ‘southern’ half of the country. Lots more details on the website or spot our green T-shirts at WRG events! KESCRG: the green ones amongst the red army - often copied, never beaten! Ian Williamson
We are in the process of fixing our dates for 2005 and would welcome any ideas for sites. We also plan to get the KESCRG publicity and sales stand out and about. We will definitely be at the 2004 National at Burton on Trent, next door to Appealing Food. In 2005 we aim to be at the Wendover and Saul rallies as a minimum. We really do need some help manning the stand, please contact me if you can help even if only for a few hours. Stella Wentworth
We now have a wonderful new, fresh and informative website built and managed by Jenni please go to kescrg.org.uk to see. Hopefully it will be popping up on a search engine or two very soon. We also now have a new contact number for information 0845 4228589, dial this for details for the next dig! BITM running their restoration tombola game at Wendover
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News from wrgBITM Graham Hotham reported (Navvies 204) on the work achieved and social life enjoyed during the 2003 BITM Camp on the Wilts & Berks, but you might be forgiven for wondering (unless you scrutinise the Diary pages carefully) whether BITM is still an active group. Well, yes, we are indeed, as this brief survey will confirm. In August, Sue Burchett led a weekend of initial lock clearance work at Pewsham on the Wilts & Berks. Three new volunteers joined us. Lots of vegetation and soil was cleared to reveal the lock chamber and its adjacent dry-dock. Dave Callan put his civil engineering skills to good use with Mike and Steve Paice constructing formwork ready for the arch of the ground-paddle chamber to be rebuilt during the WRG Camp a week or so later. Ros & Bob Featherstone enjoyed themselves so much they now come out regularly with us.
BITM ...and Stella rreepor ts fr om the ports from Bit in the Middle In October, we were once again guests of the Stone House Gang youth club, whose club house backs onto the Lapal canal, so without exception we all walked to site. The council had changed their minds about allowing us to fell trees along the line of the canal between Somery Road and Bottetourt Road, so we had to have a change of plans on Saturday morning. Ian Rutledge (Chainsaw Ian) did tidy up one tree in a councillor’s garden, while the rest of us went back over the site of our previous visit in March 2003 and did a more thorough clearance. The path was closed to the public so only BITM and local Trust members were on site. The tirfor gangs were busy again, winching out the remaining stumps. To make all neat and tidy we also piled the litter (less than last year but still quite a considerable amount) into heaps ready for the Council to collect on the Monday (which we later heard they duly did), and then cut the grass with strimmers and a couple of ground-clearing machines (imagine a brush-cutters on pram-wheels). A few of us spent an hour or so in Selly Oak Park clearing litter (and the occasional sycamore sapling) from the canal line there and transplanting any seedling oaks we could find from the bed of the canal to the park side of the towpath.
Stella Wentworth
The following month we headed North (well, North-ish) for a change and spent an enjoyable weekend at Cropwell on the Grantham Canal. Being a BW-owned site, rules were extremely stringent. We were not, for instance, allowed to bring in any mechanical plant which might leak nasty hydraulic oil everywhere and pollute the watercourse. Some of the stumps had enormous boles and took half-a-morning’s work with several people, one or more tirfors and a mattock or two to extract. Indeed, the effort was too much for one of our tirfors, whose case split neatly in two. As a result, once the immediate brushwood had been removed, progress was comparatively slow. Because the ground was so dry, however, and we were lighting bonfires to get rid of the brushwood and undergrowth, a large bowser of water had been brought to an adjacent field to deal with any emergency, and a chain of firebuckets set ready on the towpath adjacent to the bonfire. Katythe-labrador carefully sampled each, but didn’t tell us which tasted the best. The only other purpose to which they were put was to cool down the fire-tenderin-chief, for whose task for the day was a little warm. BITM on the Wendover Arm: removing stumps from the Little Tring-Aston Clinton
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November saw us on the Wendover Arm, clearing more of the dense blackthorn scrub which filled the erstwhile canal bed between Whitehouses and Drayton Beauchamp. We had an excellent turnout for the December dig on the Chichester Canal, lured by the prospect of June Paice’s Christmas Dinner on the Saturday evening. Indeed, the response was so great that Rachael (Site Leader for the weekend) had to ask the local organiser to look for alternative accommodation as the scout hut originally booked was not going to be sufficiently roomy. In the event we only had about 23 people on site as several people had to drop out at short notice. For those of us who arrived early, the weekend began festively with carol singing, mulled wine, hot-dogs and the switching on of the Christmas lights at the canal basin on the Friday evening.
At least we didn’t have the problem that 20 young army officers coppicing the hedge a bit further up the canal experienced. Rachael reported that 5 of them turned up with the wrong footwear, and the officer in charge made them finish the day with 20 press-ups, followed with having to crawl through the mud and puddles on their hands and knees! Under Di and Rachael’s expert tuition, we laid 166 yards of hitherto very neglected hedge (which Rachael kindly said was a difficult hedge that was certainly not ideal for beginners) to what Rachael later described as “a very satisfactory standard”. The Duke of Richmond, who had come up to make a presentation, was apparently very impressed, as were various members of the local Canal Society who have invited us back again this year. On top of that, June and her helpers put on an amazing spread that was enjoyed by all. Mike and June had got up at 4 am on Friday morning to go to Smithfield Market for our three different meats, and from our point of view, it was well worth it! Especial thanks to them both, as well as to the Site Leaders, for making the weekend so successful.
Stella Wentworth
Our task for the weekend was hedgelaying alongside the towpath, and as this was still open to members of the public we couldn’t have bonfires so all the hedge trimmings were heaped onto a workboat and taken away by water. Graham Hotham thoroughly enjoyed renewing his acquaintance with Bantam tug controls and the Chichester Ship Canal Trust’s trip boat chugged up and down all day on Santa trips. At some point on Saturday morning I asked someone where to find a new supply of stakes for the hedge and was told “round the corner, over the bridge, and collect them from Santa’s hut”. And there they were!
The only thing to mar the weekend was that it rained most of the day on Saturday, and we trooped back to the hall like drowned rats.
BITM don’t just do digging - several of them attended the small boat rally at Lordings Flood Lock to mark the completion of the restoration of the water wheel.
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The New Year (well, the third weekend in January, to be precise) saw us on what seems to have become an annual visit to do more scrub bashing and Tirforing on the Buckingham Arm of the Grand Union. In February the group were working at Double Bridge somewhere near Pewsham on the Wilts and Berks, again dropping invasive trees and tirforing out stumps as well as the usual scrub clearance. Then in March our projected trip to the Cromford fell through at short notice and Roger Leishman offered us work on the Wendover Arm again. Unlike the Grantham, we had the assistance of an excavator and dumper so large stumps did not stand a chance. The line of the canal from the new winding hole at Little Tring (which BITM will be helping to line with Bentomat and ready-mix in August) right through to the new section built by the contractors as part of the A41 Aston Clinton bypass is now clear of scrub and stumps and ready to be relined and re-watered as soon as funding and volunteer time permit (once Phase 1 is complete, of course). April (on the Wey & Arun) was a tricky weekend to lead, so naturally events dictated that it fell by default to a first-time leader! Dave James may not have known quite what he was in for when he agreed to stand in as Site Leader instead of Graham Hotham. Graham Baird’s list of work for us included: continuing towpath resurfacing (in Sidney Wood): raising the swing bridge onto timbers using bottle jacks, ready for grit blasting and cleaning the steelwork with a needle gun (at the Old Wharf, Newbridge): clearing an area for the new site compound and erecting post & rail fencing on the west bank of the canal for the footpath diversion, and removing tree stumps from around the existing fixed bridge (at Haybarn). When he heard how many volunteers we had that weekend, the local WPO also arranged for a fourth site on the Saturday working with Winston Harwood (I think this was at Orfold Aqueduct, but I may be wrong!). Add the logistics of ensuring everyone had the correct numbers of workers, the right equipment and (most important) lunch, and life becomes somewhat complicated. On the Sunday things were simplified a little: we only had three sites, and everyone was instructed to make (and take with them) their own sandwiches! I was fortunately delegated to work at Sidney Wood, and spent a happy weekend driving a dumper through the wood (especially beautiful in Spring) to deliver road planings to the towpath-resurfacers. We had a surprise on Sunday morning when doing the usual checks on the plant: there on top of both dumper cylinder heads were woven beginnings of birds’ nests! Saturday (in Sidney Wood, at any rate) was a great day – sunshine, spring flowers, birdsong, beautiful scenery (only marred for the local dogwalkers by two noisy smelly bright-yellow 4x4s which for some unaccountable reason had invaded their normally peaceful territory) and a task which was self-evident and which progressed satisfactorily.
On Sunday, however, it rained. Hard. Our team were fortunate in having a container in which to shelter for a prolonged lunch break, but when we resumed work the route had become pretty waterlogged and we didn’t get as far with the resurfacing as we’d hoped because we had to go back and repair the path that had already been laid. Getting the vibrating roller back was interesting as the directions from the canal to the point from which the plant was due to be collected via a longer but flatter and drier route than the direct one by which we had brought it down were not as clear as they might have been. We ended up with the roller at the foot of a very muddy slope, with the return route back almost as problematic, so the landrover and stout strops were used to assist the roller up the slope. May is our month for festivals and fundraising: Little Venice (where Graham was particularly thankful for the new party tent which replaced our two leaky gazebos this year as he sat in the dry watching a river running through the stand and the antics of ill-shod members of the public and exuberant small boys outside on an increasingly muddy slope), Rickmansworth (where the Site services team earned a £20 bonus to add to the sales stand’s takings by returning abandoned beer glasses to the beer tent and collecting the 50p deposit on each) and Wendover where both the sales stand and the Canal Restoration Game were reasonably successful but the luckiest members of the team bunked off to operate bendy-toys on site! BITM’s Flights of Fancy quiz (crossword-style clues to the names of lock flights around the UK) was launched at the Wendover festival, and if you haven’t had a go at this yet it is not too late to send off for a copy. Just send a donation (suggested minimum 50p) of unused postage stamps or a cheque payable to “IWA Waterway Recovery Group BITM Branch”, along with a stamped self-addressed envelope, to: “Flights of Fancy Quizmaster”, 19 Wilsdon Way, Kidlington, Oxfordshire OX5 1TN. Some of us also joined in the Wey & Arun Canal’s Small Boat Cruise on the Loxwood Link and the opening of the restored waterwheel at Orfold Aqueduct in May, and took our smaller publicity stand and Canal restoration game to the excellent Saul Junction canal festival in July which will no doubt be the subject of another report elsewhere in this issue. BITM’s June dig is the subject of a separate Dig Report [next time ...Ed], and in July we were kindly invited by Rachael Banyard to join in the first weekend of the Dauntsey Lock Camp, about which you will no doubt be able to read in the next issue of Navvies. Which brings the news from BITM up to date! Stella Wentworth
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Despite wearing all the safety kit I can confirm that the grit gets in everywhere.... Not only can this be a tad uncomfortable but it buggered up the pump on my washing machine as well!
The KL15
We ran out of grit so we tried recycling it; however this was a bad move and clogged all the valves in the shot blast kit, so we packed it away until we could get some more fresh supplies. We then sprayed the base with red oxide primer and it now looks a lot more respectable. Next job will be to get a LOT more grit and do the rest of the base, the superstructure, the wheels and the jib.
“W lasted the hedg “Wee shotb shotblasted hedgee, our our-selv es and some of the cr ane ...” selves crane ane...” Rebuilding a KL15 Crane With most of the mechanical bits of the crane in hand the next daunting task was to start the cosmetic work. This was going to involve a bit more than slapping on a quick coat of paint, as several layers (five different ones on the base) of existing paint needed to be removed first... It was time to bring on the shot blaster!
George ‘Bungle’ Eycott
One of the problems we had before was that the nozzle kept getting blocked, so we had acquired some finer grit: this proved very effective and once we had worked out which valves to adjust we were removing paint and rust at a fine rate of knots. A pot full of shot only lasted a few minutes, but what a few minutes! We had to post lookouts to stop the public walking along the path during blasting, we shot blasted the hedge (leaves take on a strange skeletal look once they have received a dose of ricochet shot), the track, ourselves and even some of the crane!
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Bungle
Now avid readers of this series [No comment. ...Ed] will remember a previous trial with the Claverton shot blaster where we decided that some fine tuning would be required. So we started off with the small Wilts & Berks Canal Trust unit. This was effective but would have taken ages to do the job, so Pete rigged the bigger Claverton unit.
Bungle
Before doing this we removed the main hoist rope onto a wooden drum and then disconnected the jib. This would enable us to slew the crane around; we are planning to fit the larger fly jib anyway so it needed to come off.
Above: shotblasting the crane. Below: removing the main hoist cable onto a wooden drum before disconnecting the jib.
WRG Boat Club news Well communication has not been all that good but we are managing to ‘muddle through’. We have had an unofficial ‘Members’ Boat Gathering’ at the campaign rally at Runcorn. At least four club boats were there and lots of wrgies. It was an excellent rally and both boaters and local residents showed much interest and support for the reopening of Runcorn Locks. They will link Runcorn with the Manchester Ship Canal again, and would link directly to the Weaver if we could also get the Runcorn & Western Canal reopened. Lots to campaign for and, with luck, lots to do once things get underway. I suspect there will also be another unofficial gathering for boat club members at Saul Junction. It will all have happened by the time you get to read this and I will, sadly, have missed it. The two events are most worthy of support but differ basically in that the Cotswold Canals are being restored and money raised from the gathering at Saul will go towards restoration. The rally at Runcorn was to raise awareness and support and seemed to me to have achieved that in a splendid way. Somehow supporting a Campaign Rally seems much more worthwhile than attending a Festival. Still, each is important in it’s own way. Due to circumstances beyond my control I will not be boating to National Waterways Festival but have booked in my ‘one woman & her dog’ sized van. I hope to be there in that. Please note: the club AGM will be held over that weekend.
Navvies news ...inc luding the la test fr om ...including latest from the WR G Boa WRG Boatt Club Lots of help will be needed this year as I don’t know when/if or for how long I will be there. Please get in touch and volunteer! Thanks in advance. Will members let me know if they require 2004 AWCC updates, though there may not be much of the so-called ‘cruising season’ left by the time I get them ordered, collected and delivered. Luckily not much of the information has changed since the last ones were sent out to you all. I have been making use of my membership to get safe moorings while we ‘pop back’ to flat earth land for hospital appointments (huh, you try ‘popping’ anywhere on the public transport system!) It is essential that members are able to produce their current boat club membership card when dealing with other clubs. They will be asked for a current AWCC card. Our own card will suffice, as it not only has the WRG BC flag on it but also says ‘affiliated to the AWCC’ and has that flag on it too! Oh how often have I said about the need for carrying your card? I then got caught out when asking for a few days mooring for Straw Bear and finding that my club membership card was on Lynx! Time to listen to my own advice. Believe me, you need your card with you! xxx Sadie Dean
Navvies 205 Book Auction: the winning bids Lot
Reserve Winning Bid
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
£1.00 £1.00 £1.00 £4.00 £1.00 £1.00 £1.00 £5.00 £3.50 £2.00 £2.00 £1.00 £2.00 £0.50 £4.00
£3.00 £3.00 £3.00 £3.00 £8.00 Unsold £2.50 £15.00 £6.50 Unsold Unsold Unsold £10.00 Unsold £8.00
16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32
£1.00 £4.00 £3.00 £2.00 £4.00 £8.00 £4.00 £1.00 £1.00 £5.00 £0.50 £0.50 £1.00 £3.00 £2.00 £1.00 £1.00
Unsold £25.00 Unsold Unsold Unsold £16.50 £10.00 Unsold Unsold £14.00 £15.50 Unsold £3.50 £4.50 Unsold Unsold Unsold
33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49
£10.00 £2.00 £5.00 £4.00 £2.00 £2.00 £2.00 £5.00 £1.00 £3.50 £2.00 £5.00 £4.00 £2.50 £8.00 £2.50 £8.00
Unsold £4.50 Unsold Unsold Unsold Unsold Unsold Unsold Unsold Unsold Unsold Unsold Unsold £5.50 £11.00 Unsold Unsold
All unsold books are available at the reserve price, or any reasonable offer, from Lauren Summersgill at Head Office.
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Navvies news ...inc luding the la test fr om ...including latest from WR G Logistics WRG Logistics I’m a bit lacking in the time department right now but suffice to say that I’d like to say: A huge THANK YOU to Tom and Rachel Jeffries for their support and land for our new storage facility. And Tom, if you get more than one mention in this Navvies as well, it’s only because we’re incredibly grateful!!!
Coming soon... ...Christmas, believe it or not! Or at least the London WRG and KESCRG Christmas Party dig. Full details of the accommodation, and (more importantly) the theme for the Saturday Night fancy dress party will appear in the next issue, but in the meantime note the date (December 4th-5th) and the venue (Wilts & Berks Canal) in your diaries. Also coming soon: September Camp on the Wilts & Berks, October Camp on the Grantham, Bonfire Bash (see p8-9) and New Year Camp on the Wilts & Berks. Book now or... errr... book later...
Sympathies... ...from all of us to Sue Watts, of Navvies Subscriptions, on the sudden death of her father.
Thank you...
And I’m sure Mark Bennett would also like to thank Tom due to the fact that he now has his garage/ garden back, as the fridges/freezers have migrated North thanks to there being a couple of empty containers crying out to be filled (now don’t all rush at once!! Please!). Thank you so very much Mark. And once again thank YOU very much and apologies too!
...to everyone (especially KESCRG and BITM) who came to the rescue at the last minute with articles for this issue when it looked like it was going to be a bit of a thin one due to the unexpected shortage of camp reports. (a shortage we hope to make up for next time!)
Meanwhile on camps, please can you make sure you fill in the new style Accident books and post any filled in forms back to Head Office with your other Head Office paperwork and also fill in the separate piece of paper for me so I know what Camps First Aid kit is being used! Thanks.
Lost (or found) something on a camp? See the Lost Property page on www.wrg.org.uk.
The Stone masonry kits are also included in the kits this year but please DON’T USE these unless you are doing stone masonry! I know this will sound obvious, but I also know how tempted some people will get to dip into the expensive kit to grab another lump hammer for various uses! Please don’t. And keep an eye on those mugs for me won’t you all? Please! And don’t forget to have fun! Just Jen
Tony Davy We are sorry to report the death aged 58 of Tony Davy, chairman of Wilts & Berks Canal Trust since 1995. We send our sympathies to his family and friends and to everyone in W&BCT who knew him. We give our best wishes to the new Trust Chairman Ken Oliver.
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Towels reunited?
Navvies 205 quiz: the answers 1. 12345 Once I caught a fish alive 2. 7 Days a week 3. 5 Gold rings 4. Unlucky 13 5. 24 Hours from Tulsa 6. 4 Wheel drive 7. 1000000 Dollar question 8. 3 Blind mice 9. Snow White and the 7 dwarves 10. 7 Deadly sins 11. 24 Carat gold 12. 16 Ounces in a pound 13. 9 Lives 14. 4 Minute mile 15. Famous 5 16. Bingley 5 Rise 17. 40 Foot Drain 18. 4 Counties Ring 19. 14 Locks 20. 3 Bridges 21: Hawkesbury Junction 22: Hatton 23: Buckby Wharf 24: Standedge Tunnel 25: Little Venice Well Done to winner Bob Metcalf who sent in the only alll-correct set of answers, and to the several runners up who only had one wrong.
Contacting the chairman: Mike Palmer, 3 Finwood Rd, Rowington, Warwickshire CV35 7DH Tel: 01564 785293
Noticeboard
e-mail: mike.palmer@wrg.org.uk
Good Luck...
Moving house: Andi Kewley has moved to: 73 Brighton Road, Bensham, Gateshead NE8 1XQ. If you move house remember to tell ‘Navvies’.
Yours for only £8!
...to two of our Head Office folks: Richard Hollidge who will be leaving IWA’s staff in September to work for the EA and Lauren Summersgill who will be returning to university at the same time. All the best from ‘Navvies’ to both of you.
Lesley McFadyen
Stamps wanted
No, not the editor, the splendid NEW VERSION (including the Croydon Canal!) London WRG ‘tube map’ T-shirt, enabling you to find your way round the capital’s waterside pubs. T-shirts (£8) now in stock, sweatshirts (£15) and polo shirts (£13) available to order. Contact Sally Nutt on 07764 902863 or sallynutt@hotmail.com for details.
Navvies Production
Navvies is published by Waterway Recovery Group, PO Box 114, Rickmansworth WD3 1ZY and is available to all interested in promoting the restoration and conSubscriptions / circulation servation of inland waterSue Watts ways by voluntary effort in 15 Eleanor Road Great Britain. Articles may Chorlton-cum-Hardy be reproduced in allied Manchester M21 9FZ magazines provided that Printing and assembly: the source is acknowlJohn & Tess Hawkins edged. WRG may not 4 Links Way, Croxley Grn agree with opinions exRickmansworth, Herts pressed in this magazine, WD3 3RQ 01923 448559 but encourages publication john.hawkins@wrg.org.uk as a matter of interest. Editor : Martin Ludgate 35 Silvester Road East Dulwich London SE22 9PB 020-8693 3266
The WRG Canal Camps mobile phones: 07850 422156 (A) and 07850 422157 (B)
Send used postage stamps, petrol coupons, old phone cards, empty computer printer ink cartridges to IWA/WRG Stamp Bank, 33 Hambleton Grove, Milton Keynes MK4 2JS. All proceeds to canal restoration.
See the Navvies Directory on pages 16-17 and update your address books.
Our friends in KESCRG have a new contact address, phone number and email address. Nothing printed may be construed as policy or an official announcement unless so stated - otherwise WRG and IWA accept no liability for any matter in this magazine. Waterway Recovery Group is a division of Inland Waterways Enterprises Ltd., a subsidiary of the Inland Waterways Association (a registered charity).
Directors of WRG: John Baylis, Mick Beattie, Malcolm Bridge, Roger Burchett, Spencer Collins, Christopher Davey, Helen Davey, Roger Day, Neil Edwards, John Fletcher, Adrian Fry, John Hawkins, Jennifer Leigh, Judith Moore, Michael Palmer, Jonathan Smith.
Inland Waterways Enterprises Registered office: Secretary: Neil Edwards 3 Norfolk Court, Norfolk Rd. Rickmansworth WD3 1LT VAT reg. no : 788 9425 54 © 2004 WRG Tel : 01923 711114 Registered no 4305322 ISSN 0953-6655
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