Wolds Waters September 2019

WOLDS WATERS The newsletter of the East Yorkshire Branch of the Inland Waterways Association

September 2019

The Yorkshire Waterways Museum has closed and the Yorkshire Waterways Heritage Society is trying to save the tug Wheldale

waterways.org.uk/east_yorkshire

Chairman’s Column How the year is flying by as we approach the start of another season of our social meetings.

Support remains steady but we would dearly love to see more.

Remember non-members are welcome so try to bring friends with you.

We do try to keep the topics varied and interesting and hopefully this season’s offerings will do just that.

We start with a talk from George Robinson about Shipyards and Barges of the Humber. As this is a large topic with a number of shipyards stretching from Paull to Goole, George plans to give us a follow up presentation later in the season.

A reminder that we are almost half way through the period until our next AGM at which I plan to step down as Chairman. If you feel you would like to steer the branch for a time, please let me or any committee member know. Maybe you would think about joining the committee? Again, please let me know if you are interested.

For this issue of Wolds Waters we welcome as editor, Alistair Anderson. Alistair has a wealth of experience in our local waterways and is involved in PCAS, BBPS as well as many connections and activities with CRT and EA. Of course he does a great deal for the IWA as well.

Alistair takes over as editor from Barry Robins who has done a marvellous job for many years as editor and of course my predecessor as chairman. Barry is probably our longest serving committee member and you would have to go a long way to find someone more dedicated to IWA and the Inland Waterways. Thank you Barry for all your hard work.

We try to inform as many members as we can by email about forthcoming events etc. If you have an email address and do not get these occasional messages it is probably that IWA does not have your 2

email address. If you want us to be able to contact you, either email me or Joni.Duncan@waterways.org.uk and you will be added to the list.

Contact details of your committee can be found in this newsletter.

You may remember we sent out a questionnaire some time ago asking you what you would like to see from your branch. We try to offer what suits the majority but please do let us know at any time if we could do something differently. Your committee does like to get feedback whenever possible.

May I wish our boating members another few weeks of boating and perhaps you have had an interesting trip you would like to share with us at one of our meetings.

Roger Bromley Chairman

www.facebook.com/pg/iwaeastyorkshire

Many are rightly a little wary of using Facebook but even if you don’t want to write anything or post a single photo you can keep up to date with what is happening on the waterways in our area.

Information can also be found in the East Yorkshire section of the IWA website:

www.waterways.org.uk/east_yorkshire/east_yorkshire

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Driffield Navigation Gala This year’s Navigation Gala – jointly organised by the Driffield Navigation Trust (DNT) and the Driffield Navigation Amenities Association (DNAA)– was held over the weekend of July 13th & 14th at Driffield Riverhead. This year’s Gala lived up to all expectations, attracting hundreds of visitors over the two days to the many attractions on offer. As in previous years there was something for everyone, with boat trips, live music, trade stands and a well-stocked bar.

There was even a visiting Alpaca who seemed to be enjoying his day out, and a display of classic cars proved to be a popular attraction to young and old alike.

DNT offered boat trips from Riverhead to Town Lock which proved to be extremely popular.

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Visitors were also given details about plans for one of the major buildings at Riverhead – Mortimer’s Warehouse – which is set to become a major attraction to visitors and residents alike.

It was particularly encouraging to see a variety of boats moored near the warehouse, which brought the area to life. It is only a pity that the bridge at Wansford currently prevents visiting boats from reaching the head of navigation unless they are craned out of the water and transported by road around this obstacle. Let’s hope that this obstruction can be sorted in the not too distant future - we can only wish!

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One of the more unusual visiting boats was this beautiful steam launch which added a touch of class to the proceedings Your Branch was represented on both days with our stand telling the story of East Yorkshire waterways and with a small range of IWA souvenirs on offer.

The Gala has now become an established feature in the calendar at Driffield - watch out for announcements about next year and put a day aside to spend a pleasant day out in the glorious Yorkshire Wolds.

Howard Anguish

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Castle Mills Lock on River Foss in York By agreement between the City of York Council (the Navigation Authority) and the North Riding Branch of the IWA, trained volunteers have been allowed to operate the Lock for about 10 years. Mike Cadoux, late Chairman of the North Riding Branch, was the last organiser and trainer of Lockkeepers but, since his death earlier this year, there appears to have been no contactable means of booking a passage. There is also a shortage of Lockkeepers. The River Foss Society is keen to keep such a passage facility available. I have arranged an information and training session at the Lock at 11.00 on Monday, 30 September, when a CYC Engineer will also be in attendance. Anyone, particularly from the York area, who is interested please contact me – peter147haxby@gmail.com Thanks. Peter Hopwood, IWA member, trained volunteer Lockkeeper, RFS Committee.

The last Lockkeeper training session was in November last year and the intention was to continue when there was a request for boat passage through the Lock this year. I am in contact with those who attended in November.

Roger and Ian Moore, IWA W R Branch Secretary, have been very helpful. With Roger’s help and hopefully with the IWA’s help, I will also try and set up a meeting in York for IWA NRB members and see if the Branch can be revived. I was on the NRB Committee from the outset but never transferred my membership from the E Y Branch – such a great lot of people !

Peter Hopwood River Foss Society

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IWA Branch Trip on Sun Our June outing this year was a trip on the upper River Hull from Beverley Beck to Hempholme (Struncheon Hill) Lock on the Barge Sun, one of the three vessels belonging to the Beverley Barge Preservation Society.

Our crew was Iain Campbell, Chair of BBPS, Alistair Anderson and Ian Spink. We were pleased to note all three crew were IWA members!

Sun carries twelve passengers as well as the crew and a full quota thoroughly enjoyed the day out which lasted from 9.00am to about 4.30pm. Some of our group had been on our summer trips before but it was good to welcome some new faces. We were lucky with the weather, dry and warm which made it all the more pleasant for getting out on the bow deck of Sun to enjoy the view from a higher viewpoint and to enjoy the smells and sounds of the countryside. Refreshments were provided all day long with passengers bringing their own packed lunch.

Afternoon tea was made all the better as we also enjoyed a birthday cake courtesy of Iain Campbell who was celebrating his birthday.

Roger Bromley

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Inside and outside Sun, heading up the River Hull

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Sun at Hempholme Lock

mpholme Lock Weel Bridge being raised

New fish pass at the lock Weel Bridge being raised

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Update from Yorkshire Waterways Heritage Society August 2019

It is three months since the sudden closure of the Yorkshire Waterways Museum in Goole due to insolvency. Our group of volunteers and supporters under the banner of the Yorkshire Waterways Heritage Society have been working extremely hard to rescue what we can from the wreckage. We’d like to thank all our friends in Yorkshire and beyond and let you know how things are progressing.

Our first challenge has been to make sense of the process of selling off the museum's assets to pay the creditors. Administrators Revive Business Recovery have been keeping us informed of progress.

Considerable interest has been shown in the museum building and two vessels have already been sold. Our volunteers have been working with Revive to ensure that the iconic tug Wheldale and other museum assets are properly looked after.

Liquidation is not a fast process which is just as well as we strive to raise sufficient funds to acquire Wheldale and her three “tom pudding” compartment boats so that we can preserve her for Goole and Yorkshire. To date over £7,000 has been donated to our Just Giving page https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/Wheldale so we are 20% of the way towards our initial target of £35,000 for buying and repairing Wheldale.

Buying Wheldale would be the starting point as given that we have been successful we will need to get her out of the canal so that she can be surveyed and repaired. She weighs 55 tons so no crane in Goole docks is capable of lifting her. Space would also be needed to store her 11

for some time to allow our very able volunteer engineers to work on her. Alternatively a local dry dock would be needed but we are struggling to find a suitable location. Discussions are ongoing with our supporters and we fully expect to find a way forward.

Given that we solve that problem, the Society would be able to have Wheldale certified and insured for carrying passengers ahead of recommencing public trips around Goole docks. That was where another challenge emerged as we do not expect to be able to moor Wheldale and have her embark passengers at the closed Museum.

Goole port operator ABP has stepped in to kindly grant the Society permission to moor Wheldale by the No 5 Coal Hoist in the port and local marina Goole Boathouse have offered to allow the public to access Wheldale through their site where they will also find catering facilities and toilets. So far so good, but we still need to acquire Wheldale to turn this vision into a reality. Donations and fund raising ideas would be most welcome.

First published in 2015, the revised and extended edition of Railway on the Water by Mike Clarke is the definitive history of the revolutionary mode of coal transportation which had made the port of Goole the hub for exports of Yorkshire coal around the UK and Europe since the mid 19th century.

William Hammond Bartholomew, Engineer of the Aire and Calder Navigation Company had invented the system based on compartment boats, known as “Tom Puddings”, each carrying around 40 tons of coal, pushed or pulled by a tug, looking as if they were indeed a train of coal wagons on the canal. Arriving in Goole each “Tom Pudding” would be lifted out of the dock by a hydraulic coal hoist and tipped into the hold 12

of a collier for onward transportation down the river Ouse to the Humber and beyond. So successful was Bartholomew’s patented system that it was in use until 1986. After 122 years of operation it is estimated that around 55 million tons of Yorkshire coal had been carried from the county’s coalfields and exported through Goole.

Author Mike Clarke has generously given permission for the Yorkshire Waterways Heritage Society to relaunch Railway on the Water to raise funds for the activities of the Society, which include the purchase of the tug Wheldale and the three remaining floating “Tom Puddings”. The demise of the Yorkshire Waterways Museum in May 2019 has meant that those crucial heritage vessels have been put up for sale and could be sold to buyers outside of Yorkshire. The Heritage Society wants to ensure that does not happen.

A paperback edition of Railway will be produced, retailing at £12.50, which will be available through the Society and local outlets including the Goole Times.

For those with deeper pockets a hardback “coffee table” edition is also planned. This prestigious limited edition should appeal to business sponsors who will have the opportunity to have their vitally important support for Yorkshire’s industrial heritage acknowledged on the dust cover and in the Society’s other publicity material. Please get in touch with David Scrimgeour (details below) for further information and to place advance orders.

The Yorkshire Waterways Heritage Society would love to hear from local Yorkshire folk who remember the days of the “Tom Puddings” when coal was a major export through the port of Goole. You might have been a former employee of British Waterways or ABP or perhaps the relative of someone involved in the coal trade or simply living near the canals. We would like to record what you remember so that future generations can learn about times gone by.

The Yorkshire Waterways Heritage Society now has a Facebook page.

Even if you don’t have the means to make a donation to the Save the Wheldale campaign you can still help by liking, sharing and following our Facebook page.

David Scrimgeour, Public Relations Officer, can be contacted on 07702 678128 or mailto:david@scrimgeour.biz

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News from the Pocklington Canal The year 2019 marks the fiftieth anniversary of the founding of the Pocklington Canal Amenity Society, there have been a number of events to celebrate our half centenary. In May we had a dinner at the Oaks Golf Club, and there was an open day at Melbourne. In July, there was an Antiques Evening hosted by Caroline Hawley, which was a great success. Still to come are the boat Rally to be held in mid September, and our customary November lunch, which will again be at the Oaks Golf Course.

All these events raise money, and currently the proceeds are being put towards the Sandhill Lock Appeal. Started only a year ago, nearly £100,000 has been raised towards the original target of £150,000.

The target has had to be raised to £200,000, because additional costs are likely to be encountered beyond those originally envisaged.

However, we are still on target for reaching our goal. We have sufficient funds in hand for the work to begin, and are confident that the balance of the funds will be raised well in time to complete the restoration of Sandhill Lock on schedule.

The works at Sandhill Lock will include the creation of a temporary bywash that will enable the flow of water in the canal to be diverted around the lock. Once that is installed, cofferdams will be positioned above and below the lock, so that the lock can be pumped dry.

Demolition of defective brickwork will follow, and the debris will be cleared from the chamber before rebuilding starts. Volunteers will undertake most of this work, which is expected to take about three years. The final stage will be the fitting of lock gates and the removal of the cofferdams.

Our tripboat, New Horizons, has had another successful year, carrying around 2,000 passengers, and making a significant contribution to society funds. Our Information Centre at Canal Head has also been open on some weekends, and this provides a good opportunity to explain the society’s activities and ambitions to the general public.

The working parties organised by the society form another important activity. In recent months, our volunteers have been involved in maintaining the towpath, and removing weed from the canal using our specialist weed cutting boat, Sheila Nix. They have also helped to 14

restore No 7 Swingbridge, to make it look like the original one installed when the canal was built.

The future looks bright for the restoration of the Pocklington Canal.

With two miles and two locks reopened in 2018, and the prospect of a further mile and another lock reopening soon, we can be pleased with the progress currently being made. Sandhill Lock will be a major task, but when this is completed, there will be just three locks needing attention. It is beginning to feel that the end is in sight.

Paul Waddington Chairman, PCAS

The Canal & River Trust’s maintenance craft Gawburn carried out spot dredging in various locations during August and September

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No.7 Swingbridge on the Pocklington Canal As Paul mentioned above, this bridge has been rebuilt. This was done as part of the Canal & River Trust’s project that received Lottery funding. When the funding bid was being drawn up it was decided to redesign the superstructure of the bridge to resemble the appearance of the bridge in the early 20th century. This photo is from an old postcard belonging to the late Sheila Nix MBE, who will be remembered by many IWA members. The intention was to provide a heritage feature, much like the replica wheeloperated paddle gear installed at restored locks.

On request Malcolm Slater provided numerous photos of the ‘reinterpreted’ bridge including the one above, taken shortly after its installation. Hopefully it will be possible to recreate the delightful scene of boating in the past. The old photo appears on an interpretation board near the bridge, which is next to the Melbourne Arm of the canal. Other interpretation signs can be found along the canal and were installed as part of the Lottery project.

Alistair Anderson 16

Beverley Beck and River Hull News Syntan’s Birthday Celebration Beverley Beck was pleased to host the 70th birthday celebrations of Syntan in April which included the visits of the vintage barge Vulcan to the Beck and the sailing Keel and Sloop owned by Humber Keel and Sloop Preservation Society both being open to the public

Improvements to Navigation The long awaited works to the ladders in the lock have now been completed , with the new ladders being recessed into the brickwork and the tops being taken over the top. Even more importantly the ladder immediately outside the lock has been replaced with a new example.

Although this has not been recessed, the ladder is now far more secure.

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Trips on the River Hull Beverley Barge Preservation Society has undertaken a number of scheduled trips on the River Hull using its trip boat Sun. One of these was for the local branch of the Inland waterways Association [described in this issue], others have been undertaken to celebrate family events, public trips and collective gatherings. A number of trips have used the passenger lift to allow either wheelchair users or people with severe mobility issues to access the trips, organised in conjunction with the Millers and Parklands Residential Home.

A group of young people undertaking their National Citizenship Scheme projects undertook work on Beverley Beck to cut back overhanging vegetation which has not been attended to for some years.

Using the BBPS vessel Mermaid to help with access and were helped by a number of local residents (photo on next page).

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World Barge Pulling Championships 2019 Sunday 29 September will see the next round of the World Barge Pulling Championship. Teams of four people will be pulling Syntan backwards on Beverley Beck over a 200 metre course in the fastest possible time. This year a number of teams associated with the Yorkshire Cricket Foundation have entered. Given the cancellation of the NURSE raft Race earlier in the year this will be the only competition on the Beck this year. The events will start at 11 a.m.

Iain Campbell

Can you write something for your magazine?

Please send text and images to Alistair Anderson alistair.anderson@waterways.org.uk 01482 801825

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East Yorkshire Branch Social Meetings Methodist Church Hall, Hallgate, Cottingham HU16 4BD These start at 8pm and end no later than 10pm Entry £2 including refreshments

Please enter via the front doors of the church Friday 20 September

Shipyards and barges of the Humber, Part 1 Paull, New Holland & Hull, by George Robinson

Friday 18 October

An evening of vintage films of boating

Friday 15 November

The Fenland Waterways by Tony Porter

Sunday 1 December

Branch Annual Christmas Lunch at the Dog and Duck in Walkington

Friday 17 January ’20

Paul Waddington – talk about Underground Canals.

Friday 21 February ’20

Talk by Iain Campbell (subject to be confirmed)

Friday 21 March ‘20

IWA Branch AGM followed by a talk on the Pocklington Canal by Malcolm Slater

Outdoor events Please join us at the following events and meet members of IWA and local waterways organisations 13-15 September

PCAS Boat Rally at Melbourne (bbq on Saturday)

29 September

Barge Pull on Beverley Beck (details in this issue) For further information contact Roger Bromley 01482 845099 roger.bromley@waterways.org.uk

Note: The views expressed in this newsletter are not necessarily those of the Association and should not be construed as such unless stated otherwise 20