waterwitch #145 spring 2011

Winter/Spring 2011

WATERWITCH MAGAZINE OF THE

LANCASTER CANAL TRUST

Number 145

The Lancaster Canal Trust (Registered Charity No.240957

Affiliated to the Inland Waterways Association Ltd.)

http://www.lancastercanaltrust.org.uk/

2

Déjà vu Hincaster Horse Path

Above: West Accommodation Bridge, Hincaster Horse Path circa1980

Below: Same view in 2008 West Accommodation Bridge

just before clean up in 2008

West Accommodation Bridge

just before clean up in 1980.

3

Front cover: Sorry to be so gloomy but typical of most of last December was this foggy view of

Stainton End in a very much ice bound condition. With thanks to Mike Chase of WRG whose

members, believe or not, worked a whole weekend in these atrocious conditions

Contents

Letter from the Editor 3

Chairman's Report 4

Membership News 5

Fuelling Stops on the Lanky 6

Hello to New members/ Events 7

Old Canal thoughts- Ian Dunn 8

Coffee Morning Report 9

Boat Operation mangers Report 10

Working Party Report 11

Helen’s Puzzle 14

A Canal Too Far 14

Crooklands Stables 17

Trust Outing 21

Why Did The Chicken Cross The Canal? 22

British Waterways Update 25

40 years ago 27

100 club membership & Results 28

S o, another Christmas has come and gone and what a month December was. It

upset Trust Committee meetings and made the Waterways Recovery Group

weekend a touch and go affair, as can be seen by the photos inside and on the cover.

Still, much good work was done by those stalwarts who could get out and a big thank

you to all concerned.

The Trip Boat has had another good year both financially and passenger wise, after its

major lift out and overhaul, and Beryl and her committee are busy lining up another

full round of events for the Trust to attend and spread the message.

The news from the restoration front is still far from clear, especially with the current

round of Government cuts, but all concerned are, including British Waterways and the

SLDC, remaining positive and we just need to work through this difficult period as

best we can. The Planning Application for the restoration of the Canal bed in phase

one is due to be submitted by BW in early in 2011 and the Executive Committee are

having consultations with the Restoration Group to try to formally establish a separate

company in whose name the application will be submitted. So we may have more

good news to report in the next edition.

There are still some places left on our Trust outing to the Falkirk Wheel in May next

so if you fancy a good day out contact Ken Broadhurst (see page 21).

Hopefully, by the time the next edition is published we shall be well into late spring/

early summer and after the coldest December since records began lets hope it is a good

one. Regards David Currington Editor

4

Happy New Year! At the turn of the year

as I write this, the canal has been frozen

up for weeks. Nothing much has moved

on the water except for the groups of

ducks and swans eagerly swimming

around to keep their small patches of

water open. However, the towpath has

given the opportunity for some delightful

walks and cycle rides in the wintry

landscape.

Just as the thaw sets in three major

stoppages present a new limitation on

movement for the next month or two: the

railway bridge at Capernwray, the

Glasson Branch and the Lune Aqueduct.

While they are inconvenient for winter

cruisers, in the bigger picture they are

excellent news for the Lancaster Canal. In

these times of huge spending cuts

affecting every aspect of our lives it is

reassuring for the future of this canal to

see that British Waterways are making

some significant investments in new gates

on the Glasson locks and in major

maintenance work on the Grade 1 listed

aqueduct.

The £2 million from BW’s maintenance

budget will pay for relining the channel

over the aqueduct and the adjacent

embankment, other structural repairs,

pointing, cleaning etc. In addition, the

recently announced £1 million grant from

the Heritage Lottery Fund will cover other

enhancements such as a new ramp access

linking the towpath and the River Lune

Millennium Park below, other paths and

steps, management of vegetation on and

around the aqueduct and generally

improving its public visibility.

Further north, our work on the restoration

project is proceeding steadily. The

Working Party report in this edition has

the details. The project has had useful

media coverage recently in an article in

Cumbria Magazine, an interview on BBC

Radio Cumbria and a short feature on

BBC North west Tonight.

On the wider front, I was pleased to be

invited to present a joint paper with BW

at the October annual conference of the

Environment Agency and English

Heritage on the theme of Waterways

Heritage. BW were a major contributor

and one session concentrated on the value

of volunteer involvement. Andrew Tegg

(BW) and I described the work LCT has

done on the Hincaster Horse Path under

our formal Maintenance Agreement with

English Heritage, the joint BW/LCT

repair work to Braithwaite’s Bridge and

our own restoration of Sellet Hall Bridge.

Other volunteer group speakers covered

the ongoing work on Foxton Inclined

Plane and the restoration and maintenance

work at Bugsworth Basin.

I was also able to attend The Waterways

Trust annual meeting in November, with

the opportunity to do a bit of ‘networking’

as well as learn more about the varied

work of TWT.

Looking ahead, our publicity team are

busy planning our schedule of roadshow

appearances at various local and national

events. New this year is the Liverpool

Boat Show, running from 29th April to 8th

May and we hope to be there. It should be

a comprehensive event and much nearer

for most of us to get to than similar shows

in Birmingham and London.

The present website set up on behalf of

the Lancaster Canal Restoration Project to

keep the public informed of restoration

progress has, for some time, had problems

(Continued on page 5)

Chairman’s Report

5

Guide Book reprint appeal. The fourth edition of our ever popular guide book was published

nearly 3 years ago and has been selling well in all sorts of local

and national outlets, on the website and at all our roadshow

locations. Stocks are now getting down to the point where we

have to plan the next edition. This will be a reprint with limited

amendments rather than a full revision.

We need your feedback! If you have spotted any errors or

misprints in the current book, or any information that may have

been correct at the time of publication but has since changed,

please let us know.

Likewise, if you have suggestions for further improvement, now’s

the time to speak up. In particular any offers to edit and enhance

any of the introductory sections on pages 6 to 20 will be

gratefully received.

Don’t worry about duplication, or think that someone else is

bound to have covered your comments. I’d rather deal with repetition than miss things that ought

to be changed. Please be as specific as possible, with reference to page number, paragraph, map

etc.You can email your comments to [email protected] with the subject heading ‘Guide

Book Reprint’ or post them to me (address at the back of this magazine).

Richard Trevitt

MEMBERSHIP RENEWAL & NEW RATES

Members are reminded that Membership Renewals were due as from the 1st

January 2011. You should also be aware of the new rates which were agreed

by your Executive Committee and published in the last edition of Waterwitch.

They are:

Adult £14; Family £20; Concession £10; Life £150; Affiliate £14

Members who pay by standing order are asked if they could update these as

soon as possible to avoid the costs involved by the Trust in having to send out

reminders for the balance., Members paying by cheque should sent them to the

Membership Secretary,

Alan Mather 15, Claughton Ave, BOLTON, BL2 6US

regarding the continuous updating of the information. It has been agreed by all parties

that this site will now become a part of the Trust’s own well used, & thanks to Mike

Valiant, well updated website. And appropriate Trust members can then keep it up to

date. This scheme has now been accepted by all parties and is almost ready to go live.

The existing Northern Reaches website address will then be ‘pointed’ to our website so

that people looking for Northern Reaches will still automatically find the old site.

The NR content will appear under a new tab "Restoration". Reason for this is that

anything else we could think of such as "LCRP" or "Partnership" would be meaningless

to most visitors - and it has to be short. We'll be able to add information about LCT

restoration plans either under this tab, or under the "Trust" tab . Richard Trevitt

(Continued from page 4)

mailto:[email protected]

6

Fuelling Stops on the Lanky

Longlands Hotel

Tewitfield

I decided, for this edition, to feature a

pub and hotel

which for some

years has been the

most northerly

n a v i g a b l e

canalside pub,

( well if you

allow a few

hundred yards as

being canalside),

as it is situated a

stones throw from

the end of the

navigable part of

the Lancaster

Canal. It is very

handy for those mooring up at Tewitfield

and for walkers to the flight od disused

locks.

It is a large hotel with equally large bars

and eating areas, but it can get extremely

busy at peak periods. There is ample

outside seating for the sunny days.

On entering the pub dives mainly into

two with the bar and pub seating to the

left and an eating area with a restaurant

feel to the right.

The pub is a Free

House, and has

four real ales;

Kirkby Lonsdale

Ruskin's Bitter

(3.9%) & Black

Sheep Best Bitter

(3.8%) tend to be

regulars plus two

m o r e e v e r

changing guests

ales. There are a

good variety of lagers and plenty of room

to get served. Dogs are very welcome in

the bar area. A good full menu is

available for both those who just need to

snack or to those needing more

substantial meals. Serving times are

noon till 2.30pm and 5.30 till 9.30pm

Visitors who may be moored close by or

walking early in the area can purchase a

full breakfast as a non-resident.

The hotel section is indeed a 4star Inn

and there are also stone built adjacent

cottages available

.All in all a fuelling

stop to be

r e c o m m e n d e d .

DC

Left: Sammy &

Victoria, (never

Vicky I was told),

serving up the real

ale in fine style.

7

EVENTS 2011 13th February Working Party tba (check website)

13th March Working Party tba (check website)

9th April Open Day/Members' Day/Spring Fair

at Bilsborrow Village Hall

10th April Working Party tba (check website)

29th April/8th May Liverpool Boat Show. We may have a stand see details at

www.liverpoolboatshow .com/

2nd May Skipton Canal Festival

28th/29th May Country Fest, Westmorland Showground,

Crooklands

16th July Preston Riversway Festival

29th/31st July IWA National Festival, Burton on Trent

30th/31st Jully Flookborough

8th September Westmorland County Show

9th September Kendal Torchlight A warm welcome awaits all members who visit the stand - so do come and say hello if you are attending or wish to assist at these events. Please put the dates in your diaries now and if you feel you could help for an hour or two (or a full day) at any of the events please contact Beryl Bowcott on 01772 863418

or [email protected]

Hello! The Lancaster Canal Trust extends a very warm welcome to the following new

members and we hope to see you at some of our events:

S.J. Sproat Holme. T Carter Accrington

A. Firth Kendal J Almond Kendal

R. Porter Lancaster G Kitchen Kendal

E Ward Kendal A & L Willows Saddleworth

G Augniers Preston J Watson Dumfries

L Augniers Preston G Dobbie Dumfries

J Mitchell Barrow in Furness S Bamber Darwen

J & P Caton Scarborough. D Whiteside Fleetwood

B Winter Levens A.Washington Bilsborrow

G Greenwood Morecambe T Wheeler Manchester

N Catlow Goosnargh C Wilson Garstang.

C & L Lowe Chorley S Harvey Grange over Sands

G Harker Carnforth

By the way …. 20 years ago In the list of new members for the Waterwitch Winter edition of 1990

we find one CH Bagot of Levens Hall, now our esteemed President, and Ian

Donald Dunn, who lately has regaled us with drawings and stories of the

old days on our Canal.

8

CANAL NOTES Before the luxury of smooth and safe canal travel,

horse drawn coach passengers

were at the mercy of indifferent

drivers, and the maintenance of

the coaches intermittent. The

Westmorland Gazette in the

19th century reported a" nasty

accident at Devils Bridge." It went

like this more or less. The south

bound fully loaded coach drew

onto the Square at Kirkby

Lonsdale and stopped outside

the Royal Oak Hotel (I think the

coach was called ‘The South

Flyer’), anyway the "four in hand" dis-gorged its

jostled and vomit feeling, moaning, cold

passengers into the warmth of the hotel where

refreshments were taken. The driver, it

transpired later had then downed about five

tankards filled with strong ale, along with the postilion

who blew the horn.

The unfortunate passengers regained them

positions on the coach, some on top others

inside, horses were whipped –up. After a shout of

"walk on” they were off!!

But the driver ,who now was now completely

legless, forgot to stop ‘whipping-up’ and the

coach flew through Kirkby Lonsdale scattering all asunder, The postilion, who should have

cleared the way with his horn failed to do so and

sprayed the unfortunate public with a fine mist of

warm ale.

The road south past Kirkby Lonsdale and over

the River Lune was by the famous Devils Bridge,

which was about to see a fast

swaying carriage with the

unfortunate outsiders, as pale as

a snow covered field,

Clinging desperately to the rotting

wood of the coach, on the south side of the bridge is a sharp left-

hand turn, and here the contents

of the doomed carriage met their

demise. Over it all went,

passengers, boxes, dogs and

horses all over the place; arms,

legs & heads all damaged, the only

one who was not hurt seriously was the driver but

it was reported in the paper that one stout hearted

lady gave him a good thrashing. In due course the

driver was hauled before the magistrates of the

time and sent to gaol for one year so there

that's a lesson.

Back to the canal, along its course you would

get the odd fisherman. I do not know in the

early years of its existence if fishing was


ANOTHER IN THE SERIES

CANAL MEMORIES

by

IAN DUNN B.A A.T.D

9

allowed, (apparently not see poster overleaf Ed)

no doubt you would get the odd one and they

may have looked like the drawing in pen and ink. If you moved towards Lancaster, before the

canal closed down, you would arrive at a hive of

industry where maintenance & repair of the

boats were carried out on the night shift.

IAN DUNN


If anyone would like a copy of any of Ian

Dunn’s pictures that have appeared in editions

of this magazine then he has told me he is

happy to let me have them by request a

nominal charge to cover costs

of printing (Please let me

know by letter/email and I will

endeavour to arrange them

Ed. )

Coffee morning Report. 23rd October 2010

Silverdale may seem an odd choice as a

venue to hold the coffee morning, being

remote from the canal compared with

other locations we have used in the past,

but aren’t we glad we did as it proved to

be the most successful venue ever from a

fund raising point of view.

The hall had needed to be booked almost

two years previously, such is the demand

and we were warned it would be busy.

But we could not have imagined just how

busy it would be. By the end of the

morning nearly two hundred people had

paid to come in. David’s tombola was

overwhelmed and

had run out of prizes

within the first hour,

whilst the cake stall,

bric a brac and other

stalls were doing a

roaring trade.

It would be nice to

t h i n k

that all

t h i s

support

w a s

because

of who

we are,

but we

w o u l d

only be deluding ourselves. Coffee

mornings are a tradition in Silverdale –

there is one every Saturday of the year

and all are well attended, but it is

pleasing that so many decided to support

our event, raising over £500.We will

certainly consider holding another event

in Silverdale but have learnt that we will

need far more helpers than

we had on the day. Our

thanks to due to all those

members who made items

for sale or who worked hard

on the day.

Sheila Slater

10

Boat Operation Manager’s Report

TRIPBOAT OPERATIONS – A FINANCIAL OVERVIEW

During the two years I have been involved with the tripboat operations, a few people

have questioned the cost of running Waterwitch, particularly in view of the increase in

training required by the change of regulations in autumn 2008.

I have therefore reviewed the financial data for the last 6 years (unaudited for 2010)

and hope that this information shows that Waterwitch does not drain resources from

our main objective, i.e. to restore the canal.

Passengers Income Expenditure

2005/06 ? £ 1750? £ 732

2006/07 1191 £ 1931 £ 888

2007/08 1343 £ 1949 £ 933

2008/09 1379 £ 2091 £2425*

2009/10 1334 £ 2002 £5858**

2010/11 1701 £ 3073 £2647** (projected)

*2008/09 includes an initial training fee for all existing skippers (£ 1124);

**includes £ 4670 for boat refurbishment.

If we include a probable similar surplus for 2004/05 (since the last refurbishment in

2003/04) the result is an approximate break-even figure.

As you can see, the figures for last summer were very pleasing, and, with the

continued hard work of our volunteers, we look forward to further improvements in the

coming years.

Chris Jones

Chairman Boat Operational Sub-Committee

An enjoyable evening was had by the skippers and their partners (26 in all) at the

annual Boatman's Dinner held at Crooklands Hotel on 22 October. As usual, some

travelled a great distance to join us, with a special mention to David Brown (on left

with glasses right pic) who lives in Northwich, Alan Mather from Bolton, Neil

McGarry from Lytham and Ian Treanor from Darwen. Thanks to everyone for their

11

Following on from the success of our

summer restoration work on Sellet Hall

Bridge, we started off the autumn/winter

season in September with a further visit

to place the large coping stones on the

rebuilt parapet walls. Once again

we are grateful for the generous

mechanical assistance from

Groundworks Kendal and James

Richardson of Ingleton.

October saw a good turnout to

do some important housekeeping

tasks. At Millness Depot a liner

was installed under the roof to

keep our important display and

publicity material clean, while at

Crooklands Stables a new ramp

and handrails has improved the

access from the road to the

towpath for people visiting for trips on

nb Waterwitch.

Two of the new benches which have

been obtained with grant funding from

the Aggregates Levy scheme were

installed on the towpath in November.

The six benches in this project all have

to be in the general vicinity of Burton,

Holme and Millness to comply with the

terms of the grant. The other four are

due to be installed in February and

March.

In the first weekend in December our

numbers were greatly enhanced by our

friends from Waterway Recovery Group

NW for a major onslaught on the

vegetation choking the canal bed in the

area of Stainton and Sellet Hall.

January saw a revisit to the Hincaster

Horse Path for some repair work to the

side walls of the path which are suffering

from tree-root-assisted dilapidation. This

is part of the Trust’s commitment under

our 5-year Maintenance Agreement with

British Waterways (who own the path)

and English Heritage (who administer the

Scheduled Ancient Monuments, such as

this path).

A change to the organisation and

management means that we now have a

small team of experienced volunteers

who will share the tasks of supervising

individual working parties. This takes the

pressure off any one individual and

enables us to draw on the wide range of

experience that this team brings in from

all sorts of other volunteering activities.

Thanks to everyone who has taken part

or intends to take part in our working

party activity. If you are not already on

the working party email circulation list

and would like to be, simply send an

email to [email protected] with the

subject heading ‘w/p

email list’. Similarly if

you are on the list but

would rather not be, let

me know.

Richard Trevitt

Working

Party Report

Chris Jones working on the ramp improvements at the

Stables

mailto:[email protected]

12

JOINT LCT &

WATERWAYS

RECOVERY GROUP

WEEKEND

Dec 4th & 5th 2010

Left: Even snow doesn’t stop

WRG

Below: The new WRG/NW

Hi- Viz are modelled

Below: Viv cuts her birthday cake at

Lunchtime

Right: Worksite is somewhere

ahead in the fog!

Below: Lots to be felled

13

Left: There’s no mud but Ju still

gets dirty1

Right: Working steadily away from

Sellet Hall Bridge

Left: No Working Party is

complete without a roaring bonfire

and didn’t this one roar.

Above: Felling still, Hincaster

bound. Look how far we’ve come!

Left: Ju give Tricia some

encouragement, It’s all girl power!

14

It would be 1974. I was working as a

management trainee for the Trent bus

company based in Derby and the point had

come to spend some time with the Area

Managers. These guys had wonderful jobs

being responsible for areas of the company

and being obliged to drive around them and

keep in touch. Yes drive, you don’t get to find

out all you need to know about a bus if you

are on it. Anyway, I was with one of these

gentlemen who had the western area. Now

the 1970s were a truly dire time for the bus

industry, and economies had to be made and

his patch was an amalgamation of an urban

area and his old stomping ground of rural

Derbyshire and the Peak District. Needless to

say, we spent rather a lot of time in the latter.

He was nearing retirement and as we ambled

around the Peaks, searching out two buses

based in Castleton or pondering the delights

of Buxton, he regaled me with his retirement

plans. He was an avid canal enthusiast, he

was having a narrow boat built and he and his

wife would move onto it and “ travel the

waterways of Britain.” He made it sound

lovely, I was smitten.


A Canal Too Far?

HELEN’s WORD PUZZLE

See answers

page 16

15

Time for holidays arrived and it was the canals

for me. I had a chat with the area manager

and he plotted out a two week journey which,

it alarms me to confess, was drawn in pencil

on a piece of foolscap with no scale. No

matter, I was off. A boat was hired from, likely,

Shardlow. Now I wasn’t up for a proper job,

subsequently a canal enthusiast friend in the

bus industry remarked that driving a narrow

boat was like steering two single decker

buses linked together from the back. So I had,

what I suppose the technical term would be, a

cabin cruiser with an outboard motor.

Frighteningly little instruction was given but to

be fair, most clients probably pootled about

locally, the incidence of madmen clutching a

piece of foolscap covering most of middle

England must have been rare. So I set off for

Birmingham.

I recall the first few days being pleasant

enough, most of the lock work was self

taught, watching others and it is no doubt a

very historic way to enter the UKs second city.

Bobbing peacefully amongst the towers of

spaghetti junction was an interesting

experience. But soon, dodging

supermarket trollies partly

submerged in the rusty water

and constantly having to remove

plastic bags from the propeller

began to wear a bit thin. It came

to a head at a flight in

Sparkbrook, an area of Brum I

had hitherto avoided. This was

said to be locked at sunset, but

despite it being about then, it

wasn’t. Get it out of the way I

thought, so off I went. It was the

last one that was locked. So I

bedded down for the night in the

full lock. The next morning the lock keeper

was less than impressed. OK, looking back, it

was silly, but it wouldn’t have happened if the

first one had been locked. Somewhere near

Damsonwood the battery went flat. I set off

carrying it to be repaired. Over the next few

days, the trousers I had been wearing

gradually disintegrated, I’d spilt battery fluid

all over them.

I was glad to leave Birmingham. Now I know it

is, rightly, regarded as a magnificent canal

achievement, in many ways the jewel in the

crown and I suspect much better now. But, in

beer terms, it was like a smokey street corner

boozer compared with a rural pub.

The Stratford canal beckoned. This was more

like it, quaintly named places such as

Wootton Wawen and Preston Bagot. At first all

went well, it was delightful. Moored up one

night it sounded windy. Indeed it was and next

morning I awoke to find the boat drifting

about in the canal. The wind continued, and I

had to cross the Bearley aqueduct bridging a

remote valley.

The rim of the cast iron trough was only about

six inches above water level, and as the

towpath is level with the canal bottom, it

seems very narrow. Unlike a sturdy canal

boat, my cabin cruiser was very exposed.

Added to which, the water was choppy making

the boat bob around. I was mighty glad to get

that out of the way. It was a relief to moor in

the pound opposite the Royal Shakespeare

theatre, and a night of the Bard followed by

dinner was a welcome recharge. Didn’t have



16

far to go home either. I was ready for the River

Avon.

Or was I ? About to moor up for lunch, I did the

classic arms rotating in the air, “Whoa ah ah

ah “ splash, in backwards. I’m sure you’ve all

done it, but it was my first. The river was

running high and fast and after drying and

being suitably restored, I discovered that the

level had dropped and my steed was stuck on

the bank. No more wet clothes, so swimming

trunks on and over the side to push her off. It

worked but as I followed her in, I realised I was

walking over areas usually above water and

covered in stinging nettles. Don’t do this at

home.

And so Tewkesbury and the mighty Severn.

And mighty it was, running so high and fast

that it was closed to traffic. At this stage, let

me say how impressed I was with the

licencing, route details and safe channel

information that was always available. A

whole new world for me. Anyway, it was shortly

announced that the river was open and off I

set. My, was it running fast. Then the engine

ran out of fuel. I grabbed a can, filled up, as

the boat twirled around in circles midstream. I

was very grateful when she fired up. Arriving at

Worcester for the night, I could see

moorings clearly marked on the map,

but where were they ? Up and down I

went, no sign. So I inched to the bank to

find them under six inches of water.

Jumping over, I secured the boat and

waited whilst the level dropped so I

didn’t come back to find her hanging

sideways over the dock. It didn’t take

that long, it is remarkable to be able to

see nature in action so close up. Several

welcome pints followed.

Suffice it to say that returning to the

canal network, the boat suffered a

breakdown, I felt time was running out

to get back when I should have, so I

called for rescue.

What do we make of all this? Well, I was

very ill prepared, had equipment not suited to

the job and took on a major task.

Nevertheless, the information was there to

help me do it. Did I enjoy it ? Well, I began to

learn that I am someone to whom the words

“adventure” and “holiday” should never

appear in the same sentence. A holiday has to

start with an aeroplane and involve copious

amounts of doing nothing in guaranteed

sunshine. I also don’t believe brochures, bikini

clad lovelies on the roofs of narrow boats

basking in sunshine don’t fool me for one

minute. But yes, I’m glad I did it, I learned a

new aspect of my country, and more

importantly, learned about our industrial

heritage, something we are far too casual and

dismissive of.

Today, boat travel is a streamer on

Windermere or Ullswater sipping something

dry and white hailing from Chile. And those

boats are part of our industrial heritage too.

Roger Davies 10/2010.


Answer to Helen’s Puzzle (p 14)

17

The Trust’s now well known centre for

Trip boat operations comes of age this

later this

year. It

was not

always the

w e l l

maintained

bu i l d i n g

we have

all come

to accept.

Far from

it….

Over 17

years ago, in 1993, it was a derelict shell

of a building, fast disappearing under a

mass of ivy and fallen timber. Drastic

action was needed if it was not to go the

same way as other stable blocks along the

Canal, such as that at Farleton.

The Trust was granted permission from

British Waterways to commence

restoration in late 1993 and after work

was completed a full lease was acquired

in 1996. With the aid of some grants and

a lot of volunteer labour it was saved

being a total loss and turned into an

important base for the operation of what

was then a proposed trip boat and public

area for local visitors.

Work on Crooklands Stables began in

the Autumn of 1993. The aim was to

restore a derelict stable block and

replant the paddock to create a display

area and picnic site.

The task to began with the removal of

all ivy and undergrowth from the

structure and to clear the paddock of

rubbish and weeds. The building was

stripped of all rotten timber and was

completely repointed and re-roofed

using some of the original slates.

O n c e t h e

paddock had

been cleared of

weeds, grass

was planted to

c r e a t e a

meadow with

field poppies and

other wi ld

flowers. Picnic

tables and seats

were then

provided for

public use. Copies of photographs

taken at the time have revealed to

those of us not around at the time, the

terrific amount of work undertaken and

the splendid long lasting results that

were attained. Plans for possible new

work in the paddock have recently been

discussed with BW and there has been

much said about the removal/

preservation of the mature tree now

standing in the centre of the paddock.

Clearly, this tree was not around in

1993 . Was it self set or was it planted?

What was the building really for?

At the time restoration about to

commence the following Article was

written about the structure.

‘The building was of single storey

construction, in limestone, with a pent, slate

roof. Entrance is by a single door facing the


The Stables,

Crooklands

What a mess?

18

canal of a width sufficient to allow

access and egress of one horse at a

time, Originally, the building does not

appear to have had any windows in

its construction, suggesting that the

door may originally have been of a

barn door type.

Research has revealed little of its

history, but it appears almost certainly

to have had connections with the

canal. Its rear wall forms part of the

boundary wall between the canal and

towpath and the Milnthorpe road, yet

why it was built at this location

remains a mystery - there are no

other examples of a stable of this size and

construction detail anywhere else on the

entire length ot the canal, though this is not

to say that others may not have existed at

some time. In this respect therefore the

stable appears to be unique.

Another mysterious feature is its position in

respect of sites it may have been built to

serve. It lies approximately 100 yards to

the north of Crooklands Bridge on the

North West (towpath) side of the canal.

Some 300 yards further north there are

the remains of a wharf which was

previously unknown to the Trust until a

working party revealed the wharf wall. This

together with a large gateway in the

boundary wall, giving access to the

Milnthorpe Road suggests this wharf was

built to serve Milnthorpe - but why

was the stable not located on the

wharf itself?

A much better clue lies to the south of

Crooklands Bridge where there is

another extensive wharf, now used by

a local coal merchant. This was

originally constructed to serve the

gunpowder mills at Gatebeck, a short

distance to the east of Crooklands. A

tramway was built to transport the

gunpowder to be taken away by

canal. With the building of the railway

through Milnthorpe the tramway was

extended, crossing the canal by bridge

immediately south of Crooklands



Clearing the debris, who needed hard hats & hi-viz jackets and isn’t that a ladder

instead of an expensive scaffold?

Who is this mighty man?

19

Bridge, the abutments of this being extant

from where it followed the Milnthorpe

Road to the railway station on the south

westerly side of the road.

The tramway was operated by horses shod

with copper shoes, to prevent sparking and

reducing the risk of explosion. However

copper would have been too soft for the

boat horses on a rough towpath. Another

Interesting fact is that the boats which

carried the gunpowder from Gatebeck

were not used for any other cargo and

would have returned empty to this wharf.

Therefore it seems likely that

the stable was built

specifically for the horses

working the gunpowder

boats. The stable was

constructed a distance away

from the wharf so as not be

at risk of causing a spark

from their shoes whilst boats

were being loaded, and since

the boats would not be travelling further

north, stabling would be required at this

location.

Whatever the reason the building appears

to be a unique feature of the Lancaster

Canal -but more importantly the stable

furniture has remained in situ and

largely intact over the passing of time.

However the building is decaying rapidly

and is at such an advance state that it is

not considered to be worthy of

protecting a building of special scientific

interest. The Trust, wishes to arrest the

decay by repairing the walls and

providing a new slate roof which will

protect this unique structure and its fittings

for the benefit of generations to come.’

DC



New roof going on

Lastly the slates

And finally a nicely dug and levelled paddock

20

Ed Next edition we may take a visual look

at the early boat operations.

But then……

A few months ago I received a letter

from Gordon Biddle, to whom I thank, &

which was held over due to space

considerations but now seem relevant to

air as another view of the original use of

the Crooklands stables. I quote.

‘Recently I attended a lecture entitled

Packet Boats to Kendal by Dr Andrew

White, when the speaker speculated that

the building, (Farleton Stable Buildings),

might have served as stables for the

packet horses. It is two storeys high,

built against canal embankment with

ground floor doors on one side and first

floor doors leading on to the towing

path on the other. We know that stables

were built at five miles intervals for

changing horses, and because the

Farleton building is only about two miles

from the old stable restored by the trust

at Crooklands it has always seemed to

me that the Farleton building was more

likely to have been used in connection

with the extensive lime traffic from the

various limekilns nearby.

A broad track, wide enough for a horse

and cart, runs from it alongside the canal

to the A6070 road at Farleton Turnpike

Bridge, whence a lane leads direct to the

kilns. Bagged lime from the kilns could

have been taken to the canal, stored in

the building and hoisted up to the wharf

for loading into boats. The building

appears to have incorporated living

accommodation, doubtless for the

‘wharfinger’.

Someone, I cannot remember who, once

suggested to me that the building was in

fact a packet stable and that the one at

Crooklands was not for canal horses at

all but for Gatebeck tramway horses, the

line having passed alongside it with a

siding on to the wharf, but if that were

the case why would there be a need to

change horses? The tramway was only

three to four miles long, with no steep

gradients and well within the capacity of

a horse hauling a single wagon. So I am

back to the theory that the Crooklands

stables were for packet boat horses and

the Farleton building was for the lime

trade.

Large scale Ordnance Survey maps show

the Farleton building, but with no clue as

to its purpose. However, many years ago

when I was researching the history of

the canal I was able to see a set of

2chains to the inch plans of the canal

dated about 1880 which showed

everything in great detail. They were



Towpath side, Farleton Stables

The rear undercroft entrance

21

kept by British Waterways at its Leeds

office, in the days when the Lancaster

was controlled from there, and in spare

time I steadily worked my way through

them northwards, making notes about

features of interest. Unfortunately my

job took me away from the north of

England before I reached Farleton. I can't

remember the details and all my notes

have long since gone to the Lancashire

Record Office at Preston, but if the plans

still exist somewhere in British

Waterways archives they would

probably give the answer. Is there

someone in the trust or at BW who

could find out?

Yours sincerely

Gordon Biddle

Ed. I think we have a large scale plan

within the Trust. We will try to ascertain

the position. No doubt there are other

members out there who have their own


Lancaster Canal Trust

Outing to The Falkirk Wheel.

Saturday May 14th

2011.

There are still few places left on this LCT trip

to Falkirk, including: a 50 minute trip through

the Wheel and along the new canal spur.

The coach (Messrs Bibby,s) will leave

Lancaster at 7.30am (Subject to change !)picking up at Carnforth, Burton, Holme and

Milnthorpe. A stop will be made at Moffat and on to Falkirk to arrive 12.00 to 12.30.

£30.00 each person.

J.K.Broadhurst 01524 781604.

‘Seatoller’, Vicarage Lane,

Burton in Kendal, Carnforth . LA6 1 NW.

Please keep the above for your information. Thank you for your interest we look

forward to your support.

Bookings for Lancaster Canal Trust Outing to The Falkirk Wheel.

Saturday May 14th 2011.

Please book ________________ tickets (Member of L.C.T.) Yes/No.

Mr/Mrs/Ms ______________________________________

Address_________________________________________

Post Code _______________________ Phone No

Payment Deposit (£10.00 each) £______ (Payable to Lancaster Canal Trust

Fall Amount (£30.00 each> £ ----------------------------

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Signature _____________________________________ Date.

S.A.E. Appreciated. Use of Coach -1 /We would like to be picked up at ___________________

22

You left us sitting out a rainstorm in

Henley en route to the IWA

National, after an eventful journey

southward. Boaters were not the

only folk aiming for the Reading area

as next day we saw thousands upon

thousands of music fans heading for

the annual rock festival. Locals

displayed entrepreneurial spirit; it

seemed anyone who owned a small

dinghy was plying for hire as a water-

taxi or ferry to beat the queues! We

hit a queue of our own at Caversham

Lock. as boats were now massing for

the final approach to Beale Park, and

had to hover in mid-stream for about

an hour and half to wait our turn..

At the festival venue over 500 boats,

including Dutch barges and working

boats, had formed a temporary

waterborne village. As this was our

first visit to the show by water, it felt

quite different to be residents of an

instant community. Arriving on site in

the early evening, we made a splash

as we moored up on our trot of six

boats abreast when the Captain fell

in! Fortunately we were in the

bankside shallows so he heaved

himself out with no ill effects beyond

wet clothing but the crew was in

shock for 24 hours.

LCT’s presence at the show has been

documented in Pat Clapham’s lively

report (WW Autumn 2010 edition).

We stayed on as the festival ended

and spent a quiet day exploring

Pangbourne and the zoo, gardens and

model boat collection at Beale Park

itself. The journey home began

through familiar territory as we had

done this section of the Thames

before, though this time we

continued on the river instead of

going via Isis Lock onto the Oxford

Cana l . There

were superb

meadow vistas as

w e p a s s e d

Godstow Priory

and we were

fascinated by the

opera t ion o f

King’s Lock which

still retains its

slightly unusual

manual paddle

gear.


Why Did The Chicken

Cross The Canal?

Fran and Mike’s Cruise

Part 2

Moored under the trees near Days

lock on the Thames

23

We hit a bottleneck

on the narrow

Duke’s Cut and had

to merge into the

queue going north

on the Southern

Oxford as, despite

t he s t a g ge red

withdrawal from

Beale Park, there

wa s s t i l l an

unusual ly large

number of boats

using the navigation.

It was slow going

through the locks, though at

Somerton Deep Lock the delay was

due more to animal antics than

congestion. Having just assisted a boat

crew going in the opposite direction

and found the gear very stiff, we were

glad to spot another boat approaching

who might help us through.

While the boat was in the lock, a

chicken emerged from the hedge and

scuttled to the canal edge by the lock

gate. Teetering on the brink, it was

panicked into trying to fly to the other

side but, being a chicken, it missed.

The lady from the other boat knelt to

scoop it out, whereupon it scuttled

into the hedge on the other side and

remained there with its head stuck

into the bushes, presumably

embarrassed by the whole incident.

All this mayhem had excited the dogs

from the other boat, one of which

attempted to run back across the

across the narrow lock gate ledge and

it, too, promptly fell in. More scooping

and scuttling and by this time we were

all in stitches, falling about with mirth.

Back at Braunston we had to post off

our generator for repair again, it

having failed once more, so the Crick

Tunnel passed by in a flurry of hand

washing as we could not use the

machine. We were the star turn for a

coach party of gongoozlers at the

Foxton flight who quizzed us about

the serenity of ‘barge’ life. Next day at

Kibworth was a very different story as

we had problems with drained pounds

and leaks and had to do a lot of

juggling with paddles and gates to

make forward progress. All this in the

rain, so not very serene!

The news from the Leeds-Liverpool

regarding water shortages and

closures was still not good, so we had

decided to return via a quicker and

shorter route by way of the Rivers

Trent and Aire, approaching Skipton

from the east. At this point the crew

mutinied, daunted by the prospect of



Newark lock and castle on the Trent

24

tideways, huge locks and seagoing

vessels dominating the waterway.

Fortunately, a post on the Canal

World website resulted in the arrival

of Hairy Neil who crewed the boat

from Loughborough to Leeds while

Fran went home.

The Trent is far more rural than the

Thames with very limited mooring

and so tends to be a through route

rather than a destination in itself.

The tidal section requires a degree

of planning to ensure that you time

your passage to be with the tide and

not against it, and have the necessary

charts to make sure you are in the

main channel and avoid the shallows

and sunken islands. From the last

Trent lock down to Keadby, where

you leave the Trent and join the

Stainforth and Keadby canal, takes

about 9 hours cruising time with an

overnight stop at Gainsborough.

Here, the rise and

fall of the river

with the tide can

be up to 9 feet

and so the use of

t h e f l o a t i n g

p o n t o o n i s

mandatory. The

captain and relief

crew arrived in

Leeds after 6 days

having followed an

itinerary which

included a good

number of real ale

pubs, of which the

Eight Jolly Brewers at Gainsborough

was deemed the best.

From Leeds it was a short three day

hop back to Skipton. Although we

had done this stretch several times

before, we had a new experience at

Field Triple Lock where we crossed

over in the middle chamber with a

boat going the other way. The

Bingley Three and Five Rises are

always different; this time we had

some Aussie tourists watching our

ascent who were full of questions

and amazed at these engineering

wonders of the waterways.

Journey’s end was on September 28,

three months to the day since we

had set out on our epic voyage.

Doing the National by boat was an

experience we would definitely

repeat, so next July will see us

mooring up in Burton-on-Trent.

M&F V


Some of the 500 boats at the IWA National

25

Lune Aqueduct Update

British Waterways submitted detailed

plans to the Hertigage Lottery Fund in

September following two years of

studies and surveys to develop a plan

to restore the iconic Aqueduct into its

former glory. In December their pro-

posals were given the green light with

the awarding of a £1m HLF grant

Nearly 250 years since the birth of

famous canal engineer John Rennie

who revolutionised canal engineering

and created arguably his finest struc-

ture, the Lune Aqueduct is set for a

21st Century makeover.

The Lune Aqueduct has been awarded

a grant to transform the 200 year old

Grade I listed structure which carries

the picturesque Lancaster Canal over

the River Lune. British Waterways will

match fund the project with £1.25mil-

lion funding with contributions from

Lancaster City Council, Lancashire

County Council and Lancaster Canal

Trust.

The proposed programme of works

will be split over two phases com-

mencing immediately and will include;

Phase 1 Engineering Works (January –

March 2011)

- Installation of a reinforced concrete

canal lining to seal leakage at the inter-

face between the aqueduct and the

North embankment.

Pha se 2 Eng i nee r ing Works

(November – March 2012)

- Repairs to the aqueduct’s masonry

canal trough to seal leakage, structural

repairs and replacement of canal bank

protection on adjacent embankments.

The above engineering works will be

completed during the traditional win-

ter stoppage season. Additional Works

to the structure will either be done

during this stoppage season or if the

possible, during the regular boating

season. The additional enhancements

will include;

- The restoration of historic masonry

and stonework, inc. balustrade repairs,

vegetation removal, repointing and

graffiti removal.

- Access improvements between the

canal aqueduct and the River Lune as

well as resurfacing canal towpaths, re-

placing fencing and providing interpre-

tation signage.

- Landscaping a 2km area of the river

corridor, which will increase the

prominence of the aqueduct against

the landscape.

- Educational, training and volunteering

activities


B ritish

Waterways

Update...

27

- Create a visitor car park

- We will also employ a full-time pro-

ject officer on the site to oversee a

range of activities on site over a

three year period and to contribute

to volunteer development on the

canal.

The scheme will be completed with

an interpretation plan tied to the ca-

nal heritage and environment which

will include a teaching resource

aimed at the local schools.

The plans will add value to the herti-

age rich city of Lancaster and make

the Grade I listed aqueduct more

accessible and visually appealing to

visitors, in addition to underpinning

the structural integrity of the historic

aqueduct for decades to come.


MILESTONE RESTORATION

The wooden replica plaques are now ready

for fixing on the milestone at Ingol, but first

the stone itself has to be treated and then

coated with white Snowcem or similar

material, which means that fine weather,

free from frost, is needed. As soon as this

has been done, the plaques can be fixed

and the restored stone displayed for

inspection by British Waterways who, if they

are satisfied with the work, have indicated

that they will give us permission to carry

on with the rest. The whole job, will, of

course, take several years to complete,

but meanwhile most of the stones have

been located thanks to the efforts of

Messrs Gavan and Slater and the kind co-

operation of the County Archivist and his

staff at the Record Office, Preston, who

have placed their set of early Ordnance

maps at our disposal for this purpose.

The plaques are intended to replace

the old iron ones which were removed

during the war and later scrapped.

North of Lancaster the task will be

easier, where the distances are cut in

the stone and so

need only painting in.

Arrangements are in

hand :with our

member John Todds,

of Bolton-le-Sands, to

form a small working

party to commence

restoration north of

Lancaster.

40 Years ago In edition 13 of Waterwitch for Autumn 1970 the following article appeared.

We have also found a photo of this event which is also reproduced.

28

THAMES ROWERS

CRUISE THE CANAL by Cliff Colborne;

photos by Sue Milton

In July, a small flotilla of Thames

Traditional Boat Society craft visited

the Lancaster Canal as part of their

annual summer cruise.

The TTBS exists to promote the

preservation, building and use of

traditional wooden unpowered craft.

Those visiting included seven clinker

skiffs, a gig (which is similar but of

different construction), a clinker

dinghy, a genuine Canadian canoe,

and another canoe built by a

boatbuilder member which can be

paddled, rowed or sailed.

They were owned and crewed by a

total of twenty-one Members, of

whom five couples camped in their

boats. Others had tents, some were

in campervans, and a few stayed first

at Olde Duncombe Guest House,

and later at Longlands Hotel,

Tewitfield..

Sue and I had recce'd by road the

previous year, and again by

narrowboat via the Ribble Link in

May, to identify launching sites and

find the very few places to camp

where the towpath was wide enough

without obstructing it for walkers

and cyclists, plus pub stops for

lunches, tea and coffee breaks, and

evening meals when not cooking on

board.

We also sought interesting places to

visit on free days. The Lancaster

Canal Guide was invaluable, with

much information not found in

Nicholson's which we also used.

We trailed the boats by road on

Saturday 24th or Sunday and

launched at the very helpful Moons

Bridge Marina, before rowing back to

The Hand and Dagger for the first

night's camp, because new Landlords

Michael and Karen had been so

helpful on our recce by agreeing to

let us store the cars trailers for a

week. We had booked the rear

restaurant area for a group meal

there, which was excellent value and

quality. After a rainy night, several

campers chose to return for

breakfast as well.

On Monday, we rowed the 7 miles

to Owd Nell's Tavern, mainly in rain,

where as well as sampling the wide

range of brews, several crews bought

lunch. Garstang was scheduled for a

tea or beer break and exploration,

but due to the lack of moorings

which we could watch from the pub

(whoever thought of blocking the

entire frontage of Th'Owd Tithe

Barn with long-term moorings?), we

continued to Grieve's Farm by Bridge

73 for the second night. Here, we

were able to moor all the boats on a

good, mown towpath with the tents

and campervans together on the

small caravan site.

We had been very lucky to find this

during the recce, as there's no


29

mention of it in the Guide, and the

other sites mentioned in our older

edition have now become permanent

holiday parks. The Proprietors

couldn't have been more helpful, and

had agreed the use of some hard

standing for barbecues, the adjacent

function room to eat and shelter

from the wind and rain, and use of

facilities by the whole party, as well

as letting us temporarily store our

campervan and trailer

On Tuesday, we rowed on to the

Canalside Craft Centre at Galgate,

where some bought lunch or hot

soup while others visited the pub or

ate aboard. In the afternoon, we

sculled down the Glasson Branch,

where another Member's skiff joined

us, having launched at Thurnham Mill

where its crew were staying. Several

of the locks had paddles not working,

just as they had been back in May.

Do BW do no repairs? (And why is

their local office at Galgate Marina

disguised as a cottage, without

signage?)

After crossing the choppy Glasson

Basin, the boat campers used the

grassy overnight moorings on the far

side, and the tents and campervans

pitched discreetly where the long

term moorers park. Most people

wandered around the dock, studied

the interpretive signs, visited the

herring smokehouse, and

walked up to the viewpoint.

Again some patronised the pubs.

It rained again overnight. After

drying the tents and covers, we

returned up the branch on

Wednesday. On reaching Galgate,

boats were moored and tents set up

on a wide bit of towpath near the

Craft Centre. Lunch and beer

arrangements were repeated, and the

afternoon was free for those who

wished to take the bus to Garstang

for the exploration and shopping

previously missed. Others used the



30

Spar store in Galgate.

Thursday 29th remained dry but

chilly, and we rowed the four miles

to Lancaster for lunch at the Water

Witch. With the Ribble Link

closed due to water shortage

on the Leeds & Liverpool, the

moorings, as elsewhere, were

almost deserted. We sat

outside in the sun! After a

couple of hours, during which

some made a preliminary foray

into the town, we rowed on

between the fine historic buildings to

the Lune Aqueduct, where we

moored awhile to view it from

below.

Unfortunately some o f the

balustrade had been vandalised since

May, and replaced by ugly red plastic

fencing. A skiff's sculls are slightly too

long to row across comfortably, so

one Member decided to hand-tow,

ending up with about six of them in

long string, while their crews

relaxed!.

The crews camped by the picnic

tables before Hest Bank, but were

dismayed to find the loos closed due,

apparently, to a dispute between the

local authority and BWB as to who

should fund repairs. What should

have been the landing stage

for the Hotel (where many

of us ate) was reserved for

the Packet Boat, as indeed

were several other good

spots. We wouldn't have

minded if the boat were

actually running, but when

we saw it neglected on its

mooring we were sad and

annoyed in equal measure.

We campervanners crossed the

railway and hid beyond the houses

virtually on the beach. In fact, we

stayed there for two nights, as Friday

was planned as a free day to either

laze on the beach or visit nearby

attractions.

As it rained all day, there were no

takers for the beach option, though

s e v e r a l pe op l e wa l k ed t o

Morecambe. Others took buses



31

there, or to Lancaster for the

Maritime Museum, or Carnforth for

the Brief Encounter experience and

the fascinating exhibition in the old

station. A couple even took a return

train ride to Barrow in Furness just

to be in the dry!

Our final day was dry, and we

enjoyed the occasional views across

the vast sands of Morecambe Bay and

towards the crags of the Lake

District. Mid morning found us in

The Canal Turn at Carnforth for

coffee (or beer) before rowing the

final four and a half miles to

Tewitfield, where we were booked in

for an end-of- cruise lunch at

Longlands Hotel.

The afternoon was spent walking up

the locks, pulling out the boats which

were not being slept upon, fetching

cars and trailers from the Hand and

Dagger and preparing for the

morrow's departure for Lake

Windermere and the second week of

our cruise.

Unusual though the sight of our

boats was, this was not the first visit

by alien craft. One Member rowed

the Canal by skiff in the heat and

drought of 1984 from Carnforth to

Preston, eating and overnighting in

mainly expensive hotels. He

described its beauty and the

friendliness of everyone, but also its

shortcomings: reeds and yellow lilies

from bank to bank in places, and

constant fouling on stones and gravel.

The intended slipway at Catforth was

unusable as the boatyard had closed

and a large residential narrow boat

was moored across it.

About fifteen years ago, a party

including some of this year's

participants had sculled and camped

from Tewitfield to Moons Bridge,

mainly in the rain. Then as now they

expressed sadness at the loss of line

beyond Tewitfield, but we all hope

that after another fifteen we

shall be able to continue up the

locks to Kendal. Mind you,

some of us will be over 80 by

then. Hope the locks won't be

too heavy!


32

100 Club 2010/11 Membership

If your name is not on the list you are not in! This is the list that came into being for the monthly draws from last July. If you think you should be in, but your name is not on the list, or if you want to join, please get in touch with me. I would also appreciate Nos 17, 21, 35 & 36 contacting me as I do not have your details but you have paid your subscriptions. There is also one anonymous mystery person who has made a payment but I do not know who you are. The 100 Club provides 11 monthly draws of £25, £15 & £10 and 1 draw, made at the AGM, of £100, £50 & £25

Cath Davenport (100 Club Organiser) Tel (015395) 67250

1Jack Skimming 26 David Currington 51M E Fitzherbert Brockholes 76William Stock

2Gerry Stokes 27 John Davenport 52David Currington 77Blank

3Bob Seed 28 Nellie Geere 53Keith Bye 78Blank

4Blank 29 Mark Houghton 54Angela Acott 79W James Waring

5Sheila Slater 30 Frank Sanderson 55Nellie Fogg 80Eric Golden

6Cath Davenport 31 E Ann Allwright 56Peter Jones 81Dilys Golden

7Mike Wilkinson 32 Frank Hodson 57Keith Midgley 82Jeff Dunn

8Nick Brown 33 John Muncaster 58Gillian Greer 83Adrian Hughes

9Martyn Clapham 34 John Muncaster 59Beryl Bowcott 84Blank

10Gerry Stokes 35 Dadson 60Peter Thomas 85Blank

11David Shepherd 36 Bates 61Helen Thomas 86Blank

12Richard Ogilvy 37 Blank 62Tony Fisher 87Blank

13Don Cook 38 Blank 63Kathleen Hughes 88Angela Seed

14Fred Butterworth 39 Blank 64Ken Broadhurst 89Frank Sanderson

15Pat Clapham 40 Neil McGarry 65Ken Broadhurst 90Sue Sanderson

16Edna Sibbert 41 Alec Hornby 66Cath Davenport 91Alistair Gregory

17D E Penny 42 Janet Hornby 67Elsie Gregg 92Mark Houghton

18John Bailey 43 Reg Phillips 68John Caley 93Richard Trevitt

19Gerald Rigby 44 Elizabeth Jackson 69Hal Bagot 94Blank

20Bill Wappett 45 Gordon Clapham 70 Ian Hill 95John Taylor

21P J Best 46 Sandra Henstock 71Bill Dixon 96Blank

22Joan Wilkinson 47 Joyce Woodhouse 72Sue Dixon 97Blank

23Liz Phillips 48 Anthony Greer 73Kathleen Hughes 98Blank

24Howard Broomby 49 G. Alan Wilson 74William Stock 99Blank

25Angela Broomby 50 G W Jones 75Doreen Stock 100Blank

33

THE

LANCASTER

CANAL

100 Club Prizes: 1st £25; 2nd £15;

3rd £10. Winning Numbers since

last Issue

Members of the 100 club may remember that there were delays by our Bank when transferring account details of our new Treasurer (nothing new there then!) Numbers were drawn but not published until this matter was resolved. All winners should now have been notifies but below are the winning number for all members to see.

1st 2nd 3rd

21 7 90 July

6 100 62 August

35 5 13 September

50 36 22 October

95 14 83 November

98 48 9 December

January 99 64 50

34

President

C.H.Bagot J.P. F.R.I.C.S.,D.L

Vice - Presidents

John Gavan

David Slater

Chairman

Richard Trevitt 2 Fern Bank, Lancaster. LAI 4TT (01524) 846303

Vice - Chairman

Helen Thomas 7 Bay View, Over Kellet, Carnforth, LA6 1DR

(01524) 735504

Secretary

David Currington 12 Sedbergh Road Kendal LA9 6AD (01539) 732599

Treasurer

Peter Smith 14 Blencathra Gardens Kendal LA9 7HL (01539)

Membership Secretary

Alan Mather 15, Claughton Ave Bolton BL2 6US

Public Relations Officer

Trisha Buzzard 07802438412

Waterwitch Editor

David Currington 12 Sedbergh Road Kendal LA9 6AD (01539) 732599

Working Party Organiser

Richard Trevitt 2 Fern Bank, Lancaster. LAI 4TT (01524) 846303

Grants Officer

Chris Jones Apt 305, Liberty House, Yard 5, Highgate, Kendal,

Cumbria LA9 4BU 07816 874563

LANCASTER CANAL TRUST Officers and Committee

August 2010

35

Beetham Parish Council

Bury & District Anglers Association

Catterall Parish Council

C.A.R.P. Ltd

Lancaster Canal Boat Club Natland Parish Council

Newton with Clifton Parish Council Preston Patrick Parish Council Ramblers Association (Preston Area)

Water Farm Boat hire South Lakeland District Council

Westmorland & North Lancashire

Waterwitch is copyright 2011, published by

The Lancaster Canal Trust (Registered Charity No. 240957)

c/o David Currington, 12 Sedbergh Road, Kendal, LA9 6AD

The Lancaster Canal Trust may not agree with the opinions expressed in this magazine but encourages publication as a matter of interest. Nothing printed may be construed as policy, or an official announcement, unless so stated - otherwise the Trust accepts no liability for

any matter in the magazine.

The editor retains the right to edit any article or letter submitted for publication.

The deadline for contributions to the next edition of

Waterwitch

will be 30th April 2011

Contributions may be e-mailed to

[email protected]

Or by post to

David Currington

12 Sedbergh Road

Kendal, Cumbria

LA9 6AD

Trisha Buzzard

07802438412

Publicity Officer & Trip Boat Committee

Alan Mather

Acting Boat Operations Manager

(01204) 521031

BerylBowcott

Chairman Recruitment & Promotions

Sandra Henstock

(L.C.B.C. Representative) (01253)764171

Affiliated Members

Printed by Kent Valley Colour Printers, Kendal. (01539)741344

Visit LCT website at: http://www.lancastercanaltrust.org.uk/

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEMBERS & OTHER TRUST OFFICERS

Corporate Members Arlen Hire Boats CARP

36

Déjà vu Hincaster Horse Path

East Accommodation Bridge

during clean up in 1980

East Accommodation Bridge

just before clean up in 2008

T’was ever thus!

See you again in 28 years!

waterwitch #145 spring 2011

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