Shroppie Fly Paper December 2009

Shroppie Fly Paper

WATERWAY IMAGES

The Newsletter of the Shrewsbury District & North Wales Branch Winter 2009

Big Dig 40th Anniversary Celebrations

Stalls at Town Wharf Welshpool

WRG work party clear the canal bed near Waen Wen

SUCS volunteers at work near Price’s Bridge

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The Branch stall at Town Wharf Welshpool

Lembit Opik MP and Mrs Anna Turner High Sheriff of Shropshire visit SUCS restoration site

Michael Limbrey presents Stephen Lees with a painting

Front Cover:Mrs Pat Wilson, Mrs Nancy Millington, John Dodwell and Harry Arnold unveil the plaque at Welshpool

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The Branch Committee President Chairman Vice-Chairman Region Chairman Secretary

Michael Limbrey, Greenfields, Weston Lane, Oswestry SY11 2BD 01691 654081 email michael@limbrey.net David Aylwin, Wyndcliff, Pen y Garreg Lane, Pant, Oswestry SY10 8JS 01691 830403 email shrewsandnwales@waterways.org.uk Position vacant Alan Platt, Argoed, Pen y Cefn Road, Caerwys, Flintshire CH7 5BH 01352 720649 email alanplatt@hotmail.co.uk Position vacant

Treasurer

Denis Farmer, 8 Kingbur Place, Moseley’s Yard, Audlem CW3 0DL 01270 811157 email janden1@btinternet.com Heritage and Planning Officer Peter Brown, 34 Waterside Drive, Market Drayton TF9 1HU 01630 652567 email iwa@peter-quita.demon.co.uk Social Secretary Janet Farmer, 8 Kingbur Place, Moseley’s Yard, Audlem CW3 0DL 01270 811157 email janden1@btinternet.com Membership Secretary Dawn Aylwin, Wyndcliff, Pen y Garreg Lane, Pant, Oswestry SY10 8JS 01691 830403 email shrewsandnwales@waterways.org.uk Newsletter Editor David Aylwin, Wyndcliff, Pen y Garreg Lane, Pant, Oswestry SY10 8JS 01691 830403 email shrewsandnwales@waterways.org.uk Committee Members Gerallt Hughes (General Secretary Committee for Wales) Ty’n y Coed, Arthog, Gwynedd LL39 1YS 01341 250631 email gerallt.hughes@waterways.org.uk

Shroppie Fly Paper The Shroppie Fly Paper is the newsletter of the Shrewsbury District & North Wales Branch of The Inland Waterways Association with a membership of about 390. Nationally the IWA has about 18,000 members and campaigns for the conservation, use, maintenance, restoration and development of the inland waterways. For further information contact any committee member.

Copy for the Shroppie Fly Paper is welcome in manuscript form, on disc or by email. Photographs may be in any common computer format or as prints. Please supply a stamped addressed envelope if you require photographs to be returned. ‘Letters to the Editor’ intended for publication are invited, as are comments for the Editor’s private guidance.

The Inland Waterways Association may not agree with the opinions expressed in this Branch newsletter but encourages publicity as a matter of interest. Nothing printed may be construed as official policy unless stated otherwise. The Association accepts no liability for any matter in this newsletter. Any reproduction must be acknowledged.

The Inland Waterways Association is registered as a charity No 212342.

Next Copy Date: 1st March 2010 for the Spring Edition Acknowledgements: photographs by Alan Platt, Alan Jervis, David Aylwin, Denis Farmer Peter Brown. Thank you to all who contributed articles.

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Editorial

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hese last few months have been a time of both celebration and disaster.

In June, after several years of hard work by a dedicated team including Branch Heritage Officer Peter Brown, a 12 mile section of the Llangollen Canal including the Pontcysyllte and Chirk aqueducts was declared a World Heritage Site. The official celebration was held at Trevor on 3rd October when the Mayor of Wrexham, Cllr Arwel Gwynn Jones, and Prof Reinhold Castensson, who the previous year visited as UNESCO’s independent assessor, unveiled a commemorative plaque. In the following speeches Peter Birch of BW gave credit to the IWA for their role in saving the canal from dereliction.

The front cover shows another plaque being unveiled. This time it was to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Big Dig when volunteers from the Inland Waterways Association, the Shropshire Union Canal Society and many local residents joined forces to clear a section of the Montgomery Canal at Welshpool which was threatened by a proposed new road development.

The disasters started in July when a major leak in the pound below the staircase locks at Grindley Brook on the Llangollen Canal flooded nearby houses. Several boats were left high and dry in the mud but British Waterways staff were on site promptly and navigation was restored later in the day.

In August a more serious problem occurred at the Shebdon Embankment on the Shropshire Union Canal a few miles south of Market Drayton. This time a simple repair was not possible and the canal remained closed for several months with disastrous consequences for local businesses. There has been much criticism about time taken to restore navigation but at the October BW user group forum the scale of the problem and the proposed solution was explained in detail by BW engineer Les Clarke. A simplified version of his talk is reproduced on page 16. The technique used for the repair is called the ‘mass soil mix’ process in which Bentonite and cement is mixed with the canal bed soil to form an impervious layer.

Bentonite is a commercial name for the volcanic clay known as montmorrilonite.

Now those of you who are paying attention will recognise this as one of the answers to the MONTY08 quiz! At which point I should remind you that quiz sheets for the 2010 festival are now on sale. It is interesting to note that Bentonite, in a different form, is also being used by SUCS in their restoration work near Redwith Bridge on the Montgomery Canal. This brings us very neatly to the joint IWA – SUCS annual dinner on 21st November; there is still time to book your place, more details on page 13.

David Aylwin

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Big Dig 40 ― Forty years of the Montgomery Canal

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here was no Shrewsbury District & North Wales Branch forty years ago. In 1969 the IWA managed with a North-Western Branch, covering the area from Clun to Carlisle, and Waterway Recovery Group had not found its name.

Then there was a reorganisation, and the north-west was split into five branches. And in those early days we met John Heap and Graham Palmer and were asked the Branch committee's view of the restoration of the Montgomery Canal. There was only one answer!

Ever since the Branch has been solid in its support of the restoration, raising funds and promoting events, dawdles, rallies, sponsored walks. We even gave WRG a dumper truck, though I think that disappeared many years ago to the great Valhalla of all dumpers. So this autumn we marked the fortieth anniversary of the first Big Dig. Big Dig 40 was a commemoration of the start of the restoration in October 1969, when nearly 300 volunteers cleared the section of the Montgomery Canal through Welshpool. This was the first mechanised work party on the canal and was unique in involving local residents as well as canal enthusiasts.

On Saturday 17th October there was a range of activities in Welshpool coordinated by the Friends of the Montgomery Canal including boat trips by Heulwen Trust, canalside displays, stands and children's activities at Welshpool Town Wharf. The Horseboating Society organised demonstrations with Buddy the horse, and there was a canal boat display by boat-builders Price Fallows of Shrewsbury. There were even members of the Branch committee who seemed to think they haven't yet made enough foghorns!

At the Powysland Museum the Friends of the Montgomery Canal had an exhibition of historic photos of the Big Dig and members were given cups of tea and Montgomery Mud Pies, cakes symbolising the mud that had to be cleaned out of the canal forty years ago. In the museum Stephen Lees was presented with a painting of Ellesmere Yard by Tony Lewery, donated by members of the Branch, the Friends and the Trust. Stephen left earlier this year after seven years as the Project Manager for the Montgomery Canal when he steered the strategy for restoration to completion and organised improvement works on the canal which followed.

At 3-30 pm a commemorative plaque, concealed by a red Waterway Recovery Group T-shirt and a purple Shropshire Union Canal Society T-shirt was unveiled by four people who took part in the events of October 1969: - John Dodwell, representing WRG. John is now Chairman of the Commercial Boat Owners' Association and has recently been appointed to the Inland Waterways Advisory Council.

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- Nancy Millington of Welshpool, representing the local community volunteers of the Welshpool By-Pass Action Committee who opposed the idea of a by-pass along the line of the canal. Nancy is the bookings secretary for the Heulwen Trust, the first charity in the world to provide canal boat trips for disabled children and adults. And of course the funds for the first Heulwen were raised by the ladies of the IWA, led by the National Chairman's wife Joan Heap.

- Pat Wilson, representing SUCS. Pat has twice been Chairman of SUCS and her late husband Geoff was Chairman of Warwickshire IWA and then Secretary of our Branch.

- Harry Arnold, IWA Vice-President, representing the 1969 organising committee.

After the unveiling the Mayor of Welshpool boarded Gordon Adams' long-time Welshpool resident cruiser MELROSE to re-create her predecessor's first journey on the canal in 1969. They were followed by Lembit Opik and John Dodwell on the steam launch GRACULUS and another eleven boats, all decked with bunting and hooting and whistling to each other. The procession actually went further than we expected, so it was a while before the passengers could join the other guests at a reception organised by Montgomery Waterway Restoration Trust, splendidly catered by a WRG team, where they were addressed by John Dodwell and Andrew Stumpf, BW's new Head of Regeneration, Wales & West.

While we were partying in Welshpool, WRG and SUCS were getting on with the restoration. Over a hundred WRGies came to our weekend. The day before they came a fire at The Marches School, Oswestry, meant that they could not stay in their planned accommodation, though fortunately the school was able to make other rooms available. On the Saturday evening they showed old films and photographs of early restoration on the Montgomery and other canal projects.

WRG volunteers came from as far afield as Kent, Gloucestershire, Nottinghamshire, Yorkshire and Lancashire and over the weekend they cleared a further dry channel section north of Pant as a first step to a survey which will show what has to be done before this length of the canal can be restored.

The next day, Sunday, 18th October, interest shifted to the Shropshire length of the canal, between Morton and Pant, south of Oswestry. At Price's Bridge, the Friends of the Montgomery Canal offered guided walks of the section under restoration by SUCS. This length of canal has been dry for over 50 years.

Society work parties have been walling the side of the channel and have started laying a waterproof liner. SUCS too organised a reception. Lembit Opik, determined to show his enthusiasm for the canal, came a second time. Among the other guests, John Bridgeman, BW board member for Wales, spoke enthusiastically of the future for the Montgomery Canal and what BW and the

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volunteer groups could achieve together, and Mrs Anna Turner, High Sheriff of Shropshire, launched the Society's Buy a Barrow of Boulders appeal to raise funds for boulders to protect the new lining to be laid in the bed of the restored canal.

All over the weekend we met many VIP guests: they all spoke well of the canal and we hope they will carry this support forward to the time when we need cash or approval for further restoration. However, of all those who came, perhaps the greatest pleasure came from meeting people who had been involved forty years ago: some had come specially to join the celebrations, and others were local residents who were there then and came now.

Shall we hold another in forty years time? Surely by then the canal will be finished and showing its full benefit to the communities who live down the border, and the visitors who come to see all this borderland has to offer.

Michael Limbrey

North West Region AGM March 6th 2010 PROGRAMME 11.00 am A short guided walk, taking in a section of the Sankey Canal and the local wild life reserve.

12.00

Buffet lunch, booking form below. The Clubhouse has a bar.

2.00 pm

Annual General Meeting

………………………………………………………………………………….......

I/we require lunch at £6.00 per head Number - …………

Amount payable £ ………

Please make cheques payable to IWA Merseyside & West Lancs Branch.

Name: Address: Please return to: Mr A Lawton, Secretary M & WL Branch 4 Cottage Gardens, Cottage Lane, ORMSKIRK L39 3NF

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THE INLAND WATERWAYS ASSOCIATION NORTH WEST REGION ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING – 2009/2010 The Annual General Meeting of the North West Region of The Inland Waterways Association will take place on Saturday March 6th 2010 at 2.00 pm at Fidlers Ferry Sailing Club, The Lock, Via Station Road, Penketh, Warrington, Cheshire, WA5 2UJ AGENDA 1)

Apologies for absence.

2)

Approval of the minutes of the previous AGM held 7th March 2009, and any matters arising from those minutes.

3)

Reports from the Region Chairman and Branch Chairmen.

4)

Presentation of statements of income and expenditure, assets, liabilities and commitments.

5)

Notice of Committee size.

6)

Election to fill any vacancies on Region Committee.

Statement of Committee Size

The statutory requirements which were agreed 14th September 2002 state that the Region Committee shall be comprised of a maximum of 16 elected members plus the Branch Chairmen. This year there are five retirements under the three year rule. These are: Peter Glover – Rochdale Canal Society David Smallshaw – Committee member David Smith – Committee member Gillian Smith – Committee member Dan Thurstan – Region Treasurer There is a total of eight vacancies on the committee this year and the Region Secretary would be happy to receive nominations from anyone else who would be prepared to serve on the Region Committee.

Mrs S Thurstan, 30 Queensway, BLACKBURN BB2 4QT Tel: 01254 200363 E-mail: sue.thurstan@ntlworld.com

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Regional Chairman’s Report

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have now had a chance to get into my new role as North West Region Chairman and it might be useful to expand a little on this.

The five branches included, heading north, are Shrewsbury District & North Wales, Chester, Merseyside & East Lancs, Manchester and North Lancs & Cumbria and it is hoped that as many as possible of you will make the effort to get to the Region AGM near Warrington in the New Year. The issues relevant in some of these areas are very different from the problems we have in our area; in the middle of Manchester there is a fence blocking off the canal at the insistence of the coroner after a fatality in the club area of Canal Street, an environment which is not my natural habitat. The role of a national trustee also has its own workload which is a new challenge. However those that complain at the travel and hours involve miss the point that no one makes us do it, and it is rewarding as well as hard work.

The course of BW’s restructuring continues. I attended the consultation meeting at Ellesmere Port where Vince Moran and Sally Ash of BW’s hierarchy gave us a brief overview and answered questions, or as some would have it, didn’t answer questions. This meeting was loosely structured and tended to evolve into a user group meeting, which I gather also happened at other meetings. Trustees and National Committee members were also treated to a similar session with Simon Salem and Robin Evans (BW’s Chief Executive) in September. The proposals for BW’s future in the ‘Third Sector’ are still early in the formulation phase but two things are apparent. Firstly it appears that BW feel that their property portfolio is always liable to be raided as long as they remain effectively a government department, and they feel that some sort of contracted subsidy would be less liable to cuts if they were a separate entity. I can follow the logic on the first of these, but am very dubious about the second.

What is not known at the time of writing is whether the government’s recently announced sale of assets (eg the Dartford crossing and the Tote) includes BW properties, but it would not be surprising if it did. This is unlikely to take place before the general election however.

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The detailed structuring of BW’s area management teams are progressing and as they involve redundancies I have sympathy with those enduring the process, as anyone must who, like me, has been involved in the process from either side of the desk. We have had a chance to meet Wendy Capelle, the new area manager, at the recent user group meeting and it is hoped the vacuum which the BW restructuring has caused will shortly be over as the new structure is now scheduled for the beginning of November.

The idea of IWA’s SOS 2010 campaign is also taking some shape. The aim is to try to reduce the funding cuts that have taken place and are not likely to reduce in the current climate of tighter government spending. There are strong arguments to maintain the funding of waterways and the effects of the recent breach at Shebdon on the local economy of Market Drayton and Audlem need pressing on local MPs and candidates as the election looms.

May I join with others in wishing you all the best for the festive season, which rumour has it is also impending; have a good one!

Alan Platt

Manchester Ship Canal Cruise

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eet in the car park the instructions told us. Little did we realise when making the plans that there was more than one! However it was only a minor glitch and soon resolved without spoiling a good day out. For anyone who has not been on the trip I can recommend it but be prepared for a long day with minimal refreshments on board. So take a packed lunch.

We have several suggestions from members for the Branch 2010 trip; these include the Anderton Boat lift and the River Weaver, the Shropshire Union at Ellesmere Port, the River Severn at Shrewsbury and the River Severn at Ironbridge. If you have a preference or a better idea, please get in touch.

Leaving Liverpool

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IWA-SUCS Joint Annual Dinner

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here is still time to book your place at the annual dinner; full details opposite.

Please note Janet Farmer’s new address, which was published incorrectly in the last edition of Cuttings. It is also an opportunity for you to meet Clive Henderson, IWA National Chairman, who will be attending.

Winter Walk

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he IWA’s Winter Walk will be on Saturday 2nd January 2010 at Whitchurch, guided by Peter Brown. As usual there will be a handout about the history of the canal and notes about the sights to be seen. The walk will be about 2½ miles long. Advance booking is not necessary.

We will meet in the car park of the Horse & Jockey, Grindley Brook, by 10.35am, in time to catch the 10.44am service 41 bus to Whitchurch. A short walk through the centre of Whitchurch will bring us to the site of the terminal basin of the Whitchurch Arm, from where we will follow the line of the canal to the site of the gas works. The path then goes alongside the area where the Whitchurch Waterway Trust would like to see an environmental lake and moorings for visiting boats, then past the site of the intended inclined plane (or locks) to the in-water section of the Whitchurch Arm. The continuation to Grindley Brook is on the towpath — then we will have lunch (or just a drink) at the Horse & Jockey.

Quiz Night

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he quiz masters, Sue and Mike Lambourne, are putting a new slant on the evening this year. The quiz will be fun rather than challenging! We have also challenged the other canal societies to pit their wits against us so come and support the Branch at the Narrowboat Inn 7.30pm on Wednesday 20th January. Why not join us for supper from 6.30pm?

Skittles Challenge

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lthough the IWA Western Region is no more, by popular request, we are once again inviting our friends from Chester and Stoke on Trent Branches to a Skittles Challenge at the Bickerton Poacher on Friday 26th February 2010.

A lamb hotpot with red cabbage and bread & butter will be available at 7.30pm cost £7.50. Please let Janet Farmer know in advance if you require the meal, 01270 811157 or janden1@btinternet.co.uk, at least one week before.

PLEASE COME AND SUPPORT YOUR BRANCH AND HAVE FUN! The Bickerton Poacher is on the Wrexham Road (A534), Bulkeley SY14 8BE. (Beware of the speed camera) info@bickertonpoacher.co.uk

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IWA SHREWSBURY DISTRICT & NORTH WALES BRANCH and SHROPSHIRE UNION CANAL SOCIETY ANNUAL DINNER At the Tern Hill Hall Hotel near Market Drayton On Saturday 21st November 2009 at 7.00 for 7.30pm SPEAKER Ed Moss, British Waterways MENU Chef’s own cream of mushroom soup Chilled melon and seasonal fruit cocktail ..............................................................

Braised beef in a rich red wine sauce Roast turkey served with traditional accompaniments Medley of fresh market fish with white wine & dill cream sauce Caramelised leek tart topped with grilled goats cheese ..............................................................

Pavlova nest with Chantilly cream and fresh fruit Bramley apple pie with custard or fresh cream Selection of ice creams Trio of farmhouse cheeses and savoury biscuits ..............................................................

Fresh filtered coffee and chocolate mints The cost is £17 per person and members should reserve places as soon as possible, stating choice of starter, main and dessert course. When ordering please enclose a SAE. Cheques should be made payable to ‘The Inland Waterways Association’ and sent to Janet Farmer, 8 Kingbur Place, Moseley’s Yard, Audlem CW3 0DL. Telephone 01270 811157.

Apologies for the slight increase in cost again but we hope the menu and occasion will compensate.

Please contact the Hotel on 01630 638310 if you wish to stay the night: Double rooms £80 and singles £45.

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Pontcysyllte Aqueduct and Canal World Heritage Site

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he top section of the Llangollen Canal has now been formally recognised

by UNESCO as an international masterpiece of the ‘heroic age’ of civil engineering with its innovative use of iron, and as an outstanding example of the transport improvements in the Industrial Revolution which initiated the process of industrialisation that spread to Europe, North America and the entire globe.

The process started ten years ago, when Wrexham Council had the idea of nominating the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct, mainly to help economic development in a rather run-down area through the promotion of tourism. Support was obtained from the Royal Commission on the Ancient & Historic Monuments of Wales and from Cadw (the Welsh equivalent of English Heritage). Britain puts forward not more than one bid each year, and this project wasn’t on the ‘long list’ devised several years earlier. However, its merit was obvious — it fitted several of the criteria well — and it was thought nationally that the case would be strengthened by extending the bid site to the whole canal from Chirk Aqueduct to Horseshoe Falls. Everybody involved agreed, and it was adopted as the British bid for 2008.

That’s when the hard work really started. Every structure and historic property in the bid area was surveyed and its condition established. The history was researched in detail, and an assessment made of how Pontcysyllte and Chirk Aqueducts influenced future aqueduct and viaduct designs. Contemporary writings and paintings were collected, as the canal in its landscape was a great attraction even then. Planning and conservation policies were documented, a task made harder by part of the site being in England, where the rules differ from those applied in Wales. Management plans were devised for the canal and it surroundings. Visitor surveys were undertaken; weaknesses in provision were noted and plans for improvement devised.

The Nomination Document was ready by the end of 2007, signed by the relevant ministers, and sent to UNESCO headquarters in Paris where a ‘desk assessment’ was done of the submission. In September 2008 UNESCO’s independent assessor, Professor Reinhold Castensson of Linköping University, Sweden, appropriately an expert on the Göta Canal and Thomas Telford, visited the site for three days. On the first day he had an overview (literally); on the second day he went from Chirk Bank to Trevor on a boat owned by the IWA member who was on the Bid Steering Group; and on the third day he concentrated on the Llangollen end. Throughout this time he asked pertinent questions of the members of the Group.

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Then all was silence until March this year, when it was announced that the bid would be formally considered at UNESCO’s meeting in Seville in June. A small team went there to make a brief presentation and answer questions. The hall held over a thousand delegates, and there were more than twenty countries represented on the decision-making panel. The order in which the thirty bids would be heard was known, but not the exact timetable. The bid heard immediately before ours involved seven hours of tough cross-examination. Our team found this nerve-wracking and were most apprehensive. At 7.30pm on the Saturday evening the stage was theirs — and 24 minutes (and just three easily-answered questions) later, unanimous approval was given. A couple of countries’ representatives said it was the best bid they had ever seen. In total, only thirteen of the bids from across the world were approved.

But what does being a World Heritage Site mean in practice? It doesn’t automatically bring new funds, but it will make fund-raising easier. British Waterways have given a huge public commitment that they will maintain the structures to the best historical and environmental standards. The planning system will give extra protection concerning developments in the immediate hinterland. Marketing, nationally and internationally, will be more effective, especially with regards to non-boating visitors, which will be good for the local economy. Above all, it gives us a special pride in our local canal — the top end of the Llangollen Canal is not just the most beautiful canal in the country, its importance is internationally recognised.

Peter Brown From left to right:The Mayor of Wrexham Cllr Arwel Gwynn Jones Dr Dawn Roberts Wrexham County Borough Council Peter Birch, British Waterways Thomas Telford (Actor Paul Drake) Dr Peter Wakelin Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales Hidden behind Peter is Prof Reinhold Castensson - World Heritage Assessor for Pontcysyllte Aqueduct and Canal The Mayoress of Wrexham John Bridgeman, British Waterways

The Presentation Ceremony

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Shebdon Embankment

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ost of you will be aware that the Shropshire Union Canal was closed for several months due to a major breach at Shebdon Embankment, south of Market Drayton, but would you know how to stop a 200 year old pile of rubble from leaking? The following notes are reproduced by kind permission of Les Clarke, the chartered engineer overseeing repairs, from a presentation he gave at a recent BW user group meeting.

Shebdon Embankment Pumping at the de-watered section

The Problem: The Shebdon Embankment, opened in 1835, was constructed under the direction of Thomas Telford and resident engineer Alexander Easton.

Construction was governed by cost, as it is today. Other constraints included weather, logistics, workmanship, quality of materials, all of which would have affected the quality of the final embankment and canal.

1.2 km long and up to 15m in height it was built with manpower, no compaction other than self weight. It is comprised of sandy gravely clay, sand and rock fill won from nearby cutting excavations at Knighton & Woodseaves. What bed clay remains is not in good condition and powered boats have eroded most of the original material away. The embankment slopes are very steep at about 35ยบ and heavily vegetated with active badger sets on both sides.

There has been a history of seepage. All canals and dams seep, the degree of seepage is the crucial issue. Piling works were undertaken between 2003 and 2008 to reduce the potential of embankment failure and reinstate bank levels.

The canal bed started leaking seriously over the weekend of 15th 16th August 2009; the failure mechanism is one of piping. Piping is where water seeping from the embankment starts to erode material from the outlet end. This cavity formation works its way back up the flow path creating a pipe, eventually reaching the bed of the canal. This could take many years. Suddenly the canal bed is breached and flows increase in volume, erosion increases and progressive failure results. It has been estimated that approximately 70 cubic metres of material was lost from the embankment.

The Solution: A temporary repair was effected using the mass soil mix process. This has been used in Europe for some years and only recently in the UK. Soil mixing has

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been used for structural building foundations for a long time but this is to create columns in the ground and not large masses of mixed soil. The purpose is to alter and improve the ground properties. In the case of Shebdon these properties are permeability, shear strength and bearing capacity. This is achieved by introducing appropriate binder into the soil and mixing it all together, rather like a food mixer. The binder used here is a mixture of cement and bentonite. Various ratios can be used depending on the soils present and the time required to achieve a set. Up to 10% by volume of binder may be used in the soil mass. The cement binds the soil particles together and the bentonite decreases the permeability. At Shebdon it is a wet mix process.

Bentonite is a naturally occurring volcanic clay with swelling and shrinking capabilities. In water it forms a non-dispersive gel, rather like jelly. Depending on the mix ratios, the mixed soil takes 2 to 4 days to reach initial strength and continues to gain strength slowly over the next 10 to 20 days or so. Pre-trials determined the most appropriate mix ratio to be 50% cement to 50% bentonite.

The heavy machinery was floated in on a pontoon, the canal de-watered and machines tracked off onto the bed via a stone ramp. Initially the bed was levelled with a 13 tonne excavator and material at the edges pulled into the middle section. The mixing process was via a 6 tonne attachment to a 35 tonne excavator. Access for this weight of machine was critical. Along the canal bed bog mats were sufficient but in areas of soft ground a layered structure to spread the load was constructed using geotextile, straw bale mattress, longitudinal timber mats, transverse timber platforms and longitudinal timber tracks for the machine.

Three areas of canal bed were treated, overall length approximately 180 metres. Depth of treatment was 1.5 metres across the width of canal. Soft spots were treated to a greater depth, up to 4 metres below bed level. The offside concrete wall was removed as it was in the way and no longer required. Tests were conducted on treated soil to ensure that the design parameters have been met. On completion of mixing, the canal bed was re-profiled and compacted to the desired cross section.

Although viewed as a temporary repair, the canal bed could be watertight and sealed for quite a number of years. This time period is unknown. The embankment will be monitored for future leakage and for problems over the coming months and years. If considered necessary the strategy is to return in the future and deep grout the embankment to fill any remaining pipe holes and voids. If leakage again becomes a major problem in the future, the canal bed could be replaced by a water retaining, reinforced concrete base slab sealed and fixed against the sheet piles on either side with vertical cut-offs at each end.

David Aylwin with just a little help from Les Clarke MICE CEng

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Tyrley Tattle

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he problems at Shebdon have had a dramatic effect on the canal scene at Tyrley as at many other places on the canal. The first we knew of the trouble was on August 13th when we realised that the queue of boats at the top of the lock had been there for rather a long time. Going out to see what was causing the hold-up we saw that the lock was tied up so that it couldn’t be used. Next morning the water level in the canal was obviously low and still dropping and by the end of the day mud banks were starting to appear in the water on the offside.

The stranded boaters quickly became our new, if temporary neighbours, and those of us living at Tyrley were able to help them in a number of ways. Mary Parry was even running a laundry service at one point!

Once British Waterways had the situation fully under control with regard to the water supply for the canal, the boats were eventually allowed down the locks after the weekend and we started a period of most unusual inactivity by the waterway.

Not only have there been very few boats venturing through the locks, or even from the south to use the sanitary station but the number of pedestrian visitors has also fallen dramatically. I found it interesting that the attraction of Tyrley is diminished by the absence of boat traffic, something that BW might take on board.

However, the quietness of the canal has not been entirely negative from my point of view as it seems to have encouraged the waterside birds to visit us.

Never before have I seen two herons in the garden at the same time, although they did start to fight after a few minutes, and never before have we had a cormorant in the garden, yet one day one was sitting by the winding hole with its wings spread out to dry after a fishing expedition. We have also been visited by a kingfisher, which sits on the boat to fish, and several moorhens and mallards which are normally absent at this time of the year.

It has also been a good season for the house martins with six nests on the buildings and more than one brood in most of them. One did have a disaster which I assume was caused by a shortage of suitable mud for the nest building.

The pair of martins tried to substitute a large quantity of grass and stuffed so much into the nest that they pushed it off of the wall, fortunately before any eggs had been laid.

There have also been several foxes visiting us to enjoy the fallen fruit. They started with the cherries and progressed through the plums and greengages although they do seem to have drawn the line at damsons. It’s been an exceptional year for the plum family with a record crop of the two varieties of greengage which we grow, so heavy a crop that one tree had a branch break.

Now, as I write, it seems that our enforced isolation by canal is about to end with

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the news that the Shebdon Embankment has been successfully rewatered and due to be opened at the weekend as forecast.

Richard Hall

Tugboat Ted asks a question – Bad luck or …

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here have been some long faces around this summer with the worry of three closures of varying importance but cause for concern to boaters. When the bank in the top pound at Grindley Brook breached at the end of July and the Knighton end of Shebdon Embankment developed a major leak in August, the humans wondered what the third thing might be. We have now heard that the lift bridge at Fron has broken a bearing!

Having said that, we are all impressed with the speed BW have taken the problems in hand and have to admit that boaters in Audlem we spoke to were reasonably happy to be stranded there for a few days – much more convenient than it might have been! Lots of downsides of course, the expense is almost unimaginable and canalside trade has been badly affected. The folk at Audlem Mill couldn’t have foreseen such a substantial drop in customers for only their third summer at the Mill. A great shame when the Mill is such a joy to visit with its artwork and crafts – maybe some of you might enjoy learning something new there this Autumn/Winter. We are told that LEO might have some rag-rugs next year to cover the front well seats.

In spite of the closures LEO’s crew and bears have managed to have an interesting summer. Our moorings have been varied depending on what comes next on the calendar. After the Whitchurch Rally, we returned to Chirk in readiness for the Pontcysyllte Heritage Award Celebration at Trevor on October 3rd, a major achievement we were proud to be part of. At the beginning of August we joined in the lock wind at Quoisley. Donations and sales help branch funds but, the main purpose of the event is to meet boaters and chat, tell them a bit about IWA and, for the humans to have a mentally, if not physically, relaxing time. We all enjoy it even when the weather means that the BBQ is more inboard than out!

It is a bit sad to be contemplating the end of summer events but we think that each season has its compensations. November this year will be special for us and the humans, who will have been in Audlem a whole year! There is also progress on the new Marina in Audlem and talk of opening by spring 2010 – we shall be watching with interest. In the meantime, there is Peter Brown’s talk in November, closely followed by the Joint Annual Dinner on the 21st. Early next year we will be livened up with our Quiz Night in January and a skittles tournament at the Bickerton Poacher in February. Do join us if you can.

Tugboat Ted

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Montgomery Canal Camps June 2009

I

n June this year, Waterway Recovery Group returned to the Montgomery to begin the rebuilding of the wharf wall at Crickheath.

When we looked at the job around February, a heap of stones approximating to a wall was visible; when we arrived on site, there was just a jungle. “First find your wall” was the order of the day. A bout of strenuous jungle bashing ensued and, sure enough, there was a rudimentary wall to be found, though it looked rather more like a rockery than an organised structure.

Our first surprise was that, as we cleared the footings of the wall, one of the group noticed an evenly spaced row of rust stains at the foot of it. A little more digging and they were revealed as a row of wrought iron nails. Clearly, they were the remains of a sunken boat. A quick phone call to Tony Lewery generated what we thought was a surprising amount of excitement and he was on site within the hour. He was hoping that we had found the remains of a legendary boat which was rumoured to have sunk at the wharf about a century ago.

The boat in question was the USK, a Trench boat which had the reputation of being jinxed. It seems that, long ago, whilst passing through a guillotine gate on the Trench canal, the gate had lived up to its name and decapitated the boatman. The boat had been sold on to a private owner who, according to legend, never had any luck with it and it was rumoured to have ended its days at Crickheath. Trench boats were narrower than conventional narrowboats and were more conventionally ‘boat-shaped’ in cross section.

Under Tony’s guidance, we abandoned our weapons of mass destruction and turned to trowels and brushes to excavate. The evidence was strong: the boat appeared to be about 72ft (21.9m) long and 6ft 4in (1.93m) wide and several cast iron formers were found which showed that it had not been flat bottomed.

Very little remained as virtually all of the wood had rotted. The boat had been heavily tarred and many repairs had been done with pitch and it was largely this, plus some of the larger iron parts, that remained. This find ensured good media publicity for the canal and the camp; clearly “Remains of Jinx Boat Unearthed” had more appeal than “Volunteers Build Wall” as a headline!

Our volunteers loved this; WRG has never carried out a real archaeological dig before. So little of the boat remained that preservation was not possible. We photographed and measured and recovered interesting bits of iron. We then turned to dismantling the apology for a wall that we’d unearthed, carefully grading and sorting the stone to use in the reconstruction.

Our second surprise was that behind the outer wall was another, of much better construction. It’s impossible to know why the much poorer outer wall was added later but this gave us our first big decision – and we decided to rebuild the wall

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along the line of the original wall rather than the later one. At no point did we find anything that might ever have been a layer of puddle clay: it’s a mystery how the wall retained water! Our second decision was about construction technique. BW had specified a fully mortared wall 750mm thick on a reinforced concrete foundation. The original wall had been ‘dry’ and the volunteers weren’t keen on a mortared wall. Our final compromise was to put the mortar well back in the joints so that, on casual inspection, the wall looks ‘dry’, but is actually strong and waterproof. For mortar geeks, we used a ‘heritage’ mix of NHL 5 and sand 1:2.5.

It’s quicker to tell than to do, but by the end of the two weeks, we’d laid 40 metres of foundation and built and backfilled 20 metres of wall, no mean achievement bearing in mind the time spent doing the excavation.

Our accommodation was at Llanymynech Village Hall (luxury – lots of showers and many rooms, so we could put the snorers into isolation!). As always, there was an active social programme including a tour of the Llanymynech Heritage area, the ‘Magical Montgomery Mystery Tour’, Pontcysyllte and barbecues, visits to sample local produce (mostly alcoholic in nature) and most of the volunteers left committed to the Montgomery and its restoration, promising to return for the Big Dig 40 event.

Alan Jervis

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Letters I have just been reading the article in August’s Canal Boat Magazine about Big Dig 40. I was one of the 1969 big dig volunteers then at the tender age of 21. Three of us drove up from Bristol, we all belonged to the Kennet & Avon Canal Trust at the time.

The event was extremely well organised. Detailed briefing was given to the mass gathering where teams were selected and allotted sections of the canal.

Work started and stopped at very precise times and, apart from answering the occasional call of nature, you were expected to keep the pace going. But it was certainly worth it; a big difference was made in a short period of time.

The main object was to clear the canal to an extent where it looked, at a distance, like a navigable waterway. I remember I was told at one point that I was digging too deep, an overall impression was all that was needed. Some brick work was also repaired, though I wasn't involved.

On the Saturday night the mayor came round and addressed us all saying what a wonderful job we were doing and how the work carried out illustrated what a valuable asset the canal could, once again, be.

We slept on the floor of a community building. It was like a village hall or may have been a school. It's good to know the effort was all worth while.

Best of luck with the event.

Peter Hardy (Now a member of the Wey & Arun Canal Trust)

Branch to host next year’s National AGM

T

he IWA’s National AGM will be held in the afternoon of Saturday 25th September 2010 at the Grove School, Market Drayton.

This is a particularly appropriate venue as it is canalside, between the aqueduct over the River Tern and Bridge 62, Newcastle Road. Grove House, the oldest part of the school was built in 1777. In 1827 it was purchased by John Wilson, the contractor who constructed the sections of the Birmingham & Liverpool Junction Canal — now known as the Shropshire Union Main Line — between Nantwich and High Offley and between Gnosall and Autherley. Wilson was one of Telford’s preferred contractors. He had assisted John Simpson on the masonry of Pontcysyllte Aqueduct, worked on the Caledonian Canal and various of Telford’s roads in Scotland, and had spent a couple of years in Sweden assisting with the building of the Göta Canal. He was the masonry contractor for the Menai Bridge. He died early in 1831, his sons John & William taking over the Birmingham & Liverpool Junction Canal contracts. His descendants lived in Grove House until the 1950s.

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The site of the school playing-fields was intended by the canal committee to be their headquarters, with the canal manager’s house, offices and a committee room. There would also have been a dock, boat-gauging apparatus and the maintenance depot. However, they ran out of money, having to borrow £184,600 from the government to complete the canal, and one of the economies they made was to forego having a prestigious headquarters, renting instead an office in Newport. A less ambitious depot was built at Norbury Junction.

Market Drayton is 13 miles from the M6, and the school provides easy parking.

The town’s railway closed over forty years ago, but an hourly bus service between Shrewsbury, Newcastle-under-Lyme and Hanley passes the school gates. Because the school is about a third of a mile from the town centre, a hot lunch will be provided at the AGM at a low price providing it is pre-booked. A guided towpath walk will be offered to anyone who is not attending the morning Branch Officers’ meeting.

Nearer the day we will be asking local members if they would assist with stewarding at the meetings.

Peter Brown

Membership Matters

W

e extend a warm welcome to the following members who have joined the Branch between June and October 2009: Mr & Mrs Browning from Nantwich, Mr & Mrs Campbell from Telford, Ms Davey from Anglesey, Mr & Mrs Fenney from Shrewsbury, Mr Raine and family from Church Stretton, and Mr Ramsden from Prestatyn. It is good to see new people interested in the waterways.

It would be great if a few more of our members could find the time to take an active role in the Branch. Perhaps even join the committee – I realise that for some of you it is a long way to drive especially on cold dark winter nights; however the Narrowboat Inn is warm and welcoming. So why not join us for supper before one of the monthly business meetings? Or perhaps come to one of our social events before making a commitment.

Unfortunately we have had to say goodbye to a number of our existing members who have decided to resign either for financial reasons (not surprising in the current financial climate) or because they say they are no longer boating. I wonder how many of our members are boat owners; a significant number of the Branch committee members and the circle of helpers we rely on to assist us at events do not own a boat; they are, however, passionate about canals and without them the Branch could not function successfully. So a big thank you to everyone who has helped out on the Branch stall and with other activities over the summer months, come rain or shine.

Dawn Aylwin

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Plants and Boating

O

ne of the major issues concerning canal restoration is the effect of boating on plant life, especially plants which are locally rare. This is especially important for the restoration of the Montgomery Canal.

In practice, there is little or no plant growth in the centre of the boating channel; growth is predominantly on the slopes at the sides.

Damage to plants caused by boats depends on the ratio of the boat displacement to the channel size. Preferably the boat should not have a draught of more than 70% of the depth of the channel; 50% is better; an absolute maximum is 85%. It also is proportional to the cube of the power put in (that is, power x power x power). As all boaters know, to increase speed a little you have to put in a lot more power. Hence it has been decided that in sensitive sections of the Montgomery Canal there should be a 2mph speed limit. Actually, the return flow (the rush of water past the boat) is more important than the propeller jet when running at a constant speed but the propeller jet is more important when starting.

Traditionally, the slope at the sides of the channel was 1:2. Thus if the canal was four feet deep, the slope each side was eight feet; allowing sixteen feet width for two boats to pass each other, the bank to bank width of the canal would be 32 feet. In fact the specification for the Montgomeryshire Canal implied a minimum ratio of 1:11/3 — it was to be ‘at least 28ft wide at the surface of the water, 16ft wide at the bottom thereof, and 4ft 6in deep in water’. Now a ratio of 1:2½ is preferred. But if the canal can’t be widened (and most cannot), this implies the navigation channel is narrowed.

A second major issue is the composition of the bed of the canal. Soft silt is no good for rooting, nor is the other extreme, hard clay. The optimum bed of a canal is firm silt or a mixture of silt and sand, but these are difficult to maintain.

A more workable alternative is a mixture of small stones (for cohesion of the roots) plus silt infill (for penetrability). Periodic dredging is necessary to remove the accumulating silt. It may seem damaging in the short term but is good in the long term.

A third major issue is light, which is essential for plant growth. Shade reduces light by 80–90%; it is therefore essential to control tree growth. However, this can be unpopular, as the result can look quite stark initially. It is ironic that one effect of the extensive clearances done on the Montgomery Canal several years ago by restoration volunteers was to assist and encourage the growth of the rare plants which are now such an issue in the full restoration for navigation.

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Light is also lost through turbidity, itself largely the result of propeller action.

Turbidity absorbs 40–95% of light per metre of depth.

The plants of most interest to naturalists tend to be the ‘first colonisers’, but the management issue is then how to prevent the ‘successor colonisers’ from taking over. Surprisingly, damage from a single event (for example, passing another boat in a cross-wind and running aground) can actually be beneficial, providing it is only occasional, because it tends to damage the successor colonisers and give the first colonisers another chance.

Clearly, if the special interest is to be retained, nature cannot be left to itself: it has to be actively managed. The effect of a lack of maintenance can be seen in the older nature reserves associated with the canal, such as the Guilsfield Arm, which have lost much of their purpose. Only the WRG-created reserve at Aston Top Lock has been reasonably successful, perhaps more because of a reasonable body of flowing water rather than good management. There must be regular maintenance, which implies an adequate annual budget rather than periodic crisis action. This applies whether one is considering the boating channel, partitioned off sections of the main canal, or specially created reserves.

Peter Brown

Luronium natans common name Floating Water Plantain

Warning:The picture shows Stephen Lees holding a Luronium natans plant.

He is licensed to do this if you or I did it, we would be breaking the law!

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Ten Months to go!

T

he count down has started and plans are progressing. The fun starts on Friday with a boaters ‘Pie & Pudding’ night at the Navigation Inn and continues on into the weekend with craft stalls, demonstrations and practical sessions where you can learn a new skill. This has been made possible by a grant from Shropshire Council to help pay for materials and expertise.

Stumped about what to send your favourite aunt for Christmas? We have the ideal presents. Why not buy her the one and only Montgomery Calendar (available from Canal Central or SUCS webpage) which is full of beautiful photos of the canal. Or the Montgomery tea towel which has the advantage of being easy to pack and post. Push the boat out and buy both!

The very popular ‘Brain of Monty’ quiz is now available. Last year the title was won by the Buss family from Chester who have already bought their copy, so I am challenging you all to restore the Branch’s honour. I am hoping one of you will be able to outwit the outsiders and win the coveted award of Brain of Monty 2010.

Space for boats and stalls is fairly limited and so will be allocated on a first come first served basis. We haven’t forgotten those of you who have already contacted us; forms will be out very soon and definitely long before Christmas.

For further details or to book your place contact David Aylwin 01691 830403.

Maesbury Canal Festival Friday 3rd to Sunday 5th September 2010

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INLAND WATERWAYS ASSOCIATION Shrewsbury District & North Wales Branch Annual General Meeting Notice is hereby given of the 2010 Annual General Meeting of the Shrewsbury District & North Wales Branch of the Inland Waterways Association to be held at the Narrow Boat Inn, Whittington, near Ellesmere on Wednesday 24th March 2010 at 7.30 pm.

AGENDA 1

Apologies for absence

2

Minutes of the 2009 AGM

3

Matters arising from the minutes

4

Chairman’s report

5

Treasurer’s report

6

Adoption of accounts

7

Election of committee members

8

Discussion on issues sent to the Chairman by 29th January 2010

This will be followed by a talk given by Chris Chambers, Chairman of the Shrewsbury & Newport Canals Trust. ...........................................................................................

Nomination of Committee Members Committee members, including those current committee members reaching the end of their 3 year term and wishing to seek re-election, will be elected from the floor at the AGM for a term of 3 years.

We welcome any branch member who is interested in joining the committee. If you are unable to attend the AGM but would like to join the committee or would like further information, please call David Aylwin on 01691 830403 or any committee member.

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Audlem Festival

T

he Audlem Festival is always held on the last Sunday in July every year, with upwards of 300 old cars, motorcycles, lorries and buses displayed on the village playing field, close to the canal wharf. It attracts several thousand visitors, enjoying a wonderful free day out.

For a couple of years, some historic narrow boats have moored up at Audlem Wharf on the Shropshire Union Canal at the Festival weekend, and this year saw no less than nine attending. The main attraction was perhaps SATURN, the 103 year old beautifully restored Shroppie fly boat, which was coincidentally (or perhaps intentionally) moored almost outside the “Shroppie Fly” pub. Also moored in the Town Pound were ALCOR, BECKY, CACTUS, DORY, butty ETHEL, HYPERION, PLOVER and THEA. The impending arrival of both CACTUS and DORY was announced by the wonderful sound of their Bolinders!

Visitors were able to climb aboard some of the boats and look around the back cabins, and crews were on hand to tell them something about life on a working boat. Indeed, amongst those attending the event on boats were several former working boatmen. Saturday’s weather was excellent, and the boat crews and a few local canal people enjoyed a barbeque laid on by Peter and Chris Silvester at Audlem Mill. Unfortunately, the weather on the day of the Festival itself was not good, with heavy rain arriving by mid-afternoon, but there were still plenty of visitors. Everyone on the boats declared that they had had a great time, and vowed to return next year. Indeed, messages have come that even more boats can be expected in 2010. Interested boat owners should contact Audlem Mill for more information – 01270 811059.

A new season of one and two day canal craft and needlework courses has started at Audlem Mill, full details of the programme can be obtained from 01270 811059 or www.audlemmill.co.uk.

Peter and Christine Silvester

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Life Beyond the Big Dig

A

s I expect you have realised by now this edition of the Shroppie Fly Paper has been more or less devoted to the restoration of the Montgomery Canal and the Big Dig celebrations – and quite rightly so! However other events have taken place and deserve a brief mention and a special thank you to all the members who have helped us out (some with just a days’ notice).

The first was the Lock-wind at Quoisley but as this is mentioned by Tug Boat Ted I will just add another big thank you to members (new and old) who turned up to help. I hope you enjoyed it as much as we did. The date and details of next year’s lock wind will be in the next edition.

The Ellesmere Festival was blessed with blue skies and plenty of sunshine – how do they manage it? This year we took the Branch stall to the event by car and set up in the field by the big marquee rather than along the towpath. It was disappointing not to be in the thick of it boat-wise but for the sales stall it was a good move. Apart from the usual paperbacks we also had a lot of waterways videos for sale, kindly donated by Lionel Knight; there are still a few left so if you are in need of a reminder of that fabulous boating holiday visit the stall at one of next year’s events.

The Whitchurch Boat Rally organisers decided that the third week in September was much more reliable weather-wise and although we did move the more vulnerable items further under cover the threatening clouds passed with just a hint of rain. As always this event is great fun and there is a real sense of community especially among the boaters. So why not join us next year?

Committee members have attended two meetings organised by British Waterways. The first was at Ellesmere Port and consisted of a question and answer session mainly on their 2020 strategy. I have seven A4 pages of notes and am still not clear what it was really all about! However the second meeting a forum at Whitchurch was well worth attending and very informative: A good customer relations exercise which they ought to make available to a wider audience.

Dawn Aylwin

So somebody finds the bollards useful!

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Shrewsbury & Newport Canals Trust Progress at Wappenshall

O

n Sunday, 11th October 2009, Janet and I visited the Trust's open day at Wappenshall Junction to see for ourselves the changes that had been made since they took possession of the warehouse site earlier in the year.

We were met by Chris Chambers, the Chairman, who was doing his best to explain progress to as many people as possible. He was kept very busy, my guess is that there was somewhere between 80 and a 100 attending. Certainly the site looked active with volunteers painting, clearing undergrowth and preparing food for the visitors.

The main talking point was the excavation of the channel through the bridge using a digger made available to the Trust by a local firm. The sight of the bottom of the canal that had just been exposed for the first time in many years was very exciting as was the old stop gate lying on its side on the bank.

Inevitably the work raises one or two questions; why for instance did the old canal company need a stop gate there and if so, why did they also need stop plank slots either side of the bridge? Why also did they need paddles in a stop gate?

We spent a happy couple of hours eating and just looking around with the camera at the ready. Above all we were most impressed by the welcome, friendliness and enthusiasm for the project and we left with the feeling that the Trust is really going places. We wish them all the luck needed to continue the progress.

Denis Farmer

Restoration work at Wappenshall Junction Note:Chris Chambers, Chairman of S&NCT is the guest speaker at the Branch AGM 24th March 2010

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Shrewsbury District & North Wales Branch Diary of Events 21st November

Joint IWA - SUCS Annual Dinner Contact Janet Farmer 01270 811157

28th November

Tree planting and dedication of a Bench Meet at Queens Head 1.00pm

2nd January

New Year Walk at Whitchurch Contact Peter Brown

01630 652567

20th January

Quiz at the Narrowboat Inn, Whittington Contact Janet Farmer 01270 811157

26th February

Annual Skittles Challenge Contact Janet Farmer

01270 811157

North West Region AGM Fidlers Ferry Sailing Club Contact Andrew Lawton

07860 250152

SD&NW Branch AGM Narrowboat Inn, Whittington Contact Janet Farmer

01270 811157

6th March

24th March

1st - 2nd May

SOS May Day Campaign See next edition for details

3rd - 5th September

Maesbury Canal Festival Contact David Aylwin

01691 830403

More details of some of these events can be found inside this newsletter.

Committee meetings are usually held at 7.30pm on the second Monday of each month at the Narrow Boat Inn (Maestermyn Marina), Whittington. Members are very welcome to join us and will not be pressured into any of our vacant jobs unwillingly. Please confirm with a committee member before attending.