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| Pennine Waterways Newsletters 91 - |
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ P e n n i n e W a t e r w a y s N e w s l e t t e r # 9 1 J a n u a r y 4 t h 2 0 0 7 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Welcome to the latest e-mail newsletter from Pennine Waterways! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Locks and Quays Those of you who live in the Granada Television area, or who have access to Sky TV, may be interested to hear of a new series of the TV series "Locks and Quays", which starts tonight (4th January). This second series of ten programmes features Fred Talbot on a journey by narrowboat from Bugsworth Basin, by way of the Peak Forest, Ashton and Rochdale Canals to Hebden Bridge. Inserts featuring other canals, people or places of interest will appear in each programme. These include items about the Huddersfield Narrow and Hollinwood Branch Canals. The programmes are on ITV (Granada) at 7.30 pm on Thursdays. The makers, Centini Television, are hoping to make a DVD of the series available later. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Honour for Barry! One of Britain's best-known lock-keepers has been acknowledged in the New Year's Honours List for 2007. Barry Whitelock, keeper for more than 20 years of the famous Bingley 5-Rise Locks, on the Leeds and Liverpool Canal, is to receive an M.B.E.! See www.penninewaterways.co.uk/news/news2006b.htm#barry for more details. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Bridgewater Boat Fire A fierce fire has destroyed a narrowboat moored at Patricroft (Eccles) on the Bridgewater Canal. The fire, aboard the "Jack Daniels", broke out on Thursday (28th December). See www.penninewaterways.co.uk/news/news2006b.htm#boatfire for more details and dramatic photos of the fire. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Campaign against the DEFRA cuts The Government has confirmed that funding for British Waterways in England and Wales is to be £55.5 million, rather than the original budget of £62.5 million, a shortfall of £7 million. This news was issued in a low-key announcement on the afternoon of the last working day before Christmas. Another case of the Government burying bad news? Already many maintenance schemes planned for this Winter have been scrapped. These cutbacks increase the risk of further failures of lock gates, embankments, etc. The Inland Waterways Association's John Fletcher commented "Clearly the Government is not proud of this settlement." He encourages people to write further letters to their MPs. (http://www.writetothem.com) The previous PW newsletter reported that protests were to take place at various locations at the end of November. Photos and reports of the protests at Castlefield (Manchester) and Bugsworth Basin (Peak Forest) appeared here: www.penninewaterways.co.uk/news/news01.htm The next planned event protesting at the funding cutback to British Waterways and the Environment Agency will take place in London on 16th January and will include a floating protest on the River Thames outside Parliament. If you have not already added your name to the Online Petition to the Prime Minister, I would encourage you to do so now, as it is only open for a few more weeks. There are currently nearly 4000 names on the petition. Please go to http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/SaveOurWaterways/ to add yours! Visit www.saveourwaterways.org for the background to the present situation, for the latest news and for information on what you can do to help, including advice on contacting your MP. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Further Problems at Marple Any boaters who were hoping to get through Marple Locks on the Peak Forest Canal over the Christmas break, when the planned waterway stoppages were suspended, will have had their plans thwarted. On 8th December, investigations at Lock 15 at Marple found subsidence and extensive voids in the ground adjacent to the lock wall . Initially it was hoped that the lock could be repaired and re-opened in time for Christmas, when there were no other works in the area, allowing boats to move freely. However, the work needed was quite extensive and the lock chamber was felt to be unstable, so the whole flight remained closed. Due the scope of the works listed building consent will be also required. Due to the 8 week time constraint on obtaining the listed consent, the on-site works will commence during the planned winter stoppage on the Marple Flight during February 2007. These works are due to be completed by 18th March 2007 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Don't forget that you can receive notification of news as soon as it appears on Pennine Waterways website by using the RSS news feed service. See www.penninewaterways.co.uk/rss.htm for details of how to do this. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Previous newsletters can be viewed in an archive: www.penninewaterways.co.uk/pw-list If you wish to change the address to which newsletters are sent, please visit that page, cancel your old address, then join again with your new one. |
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ P e n n i n e W a t e r w a y s N e w s l e t t e r # 9 2 M a y 1 2 t h 2 0 0 7 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Welcome to the latest e-mail newsletter from Pennine Waterways! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ My apologies for a long gap since the previous newsletter! I have been away boating in Ireland for a while and I have been extremely busy here since I got back. Some of the things mentioned are not new news but I include them for the benefit of readers here or overseas who may not have other ways of keeping up to date! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Liverpool Canal Link Work is now well under way on the construction of Liverpool's Canal Link between Stanley Dock and Albert Dock. The link will extend the Leeds and Liverpool Canal through the former docks area and past the Pier Head to one of the city's most popular tourist venues. Most of the area between Princes Dock and Canning Dock is now a construction site. In addition to the canal link, the new Museum of Liverpool and a Cruise Liner Terminal are also being built. The excavation has unearthed some relics of Liverpool's past, including a Victorian sewer, a 250-year-old river wall, ornate stones from 1673 from Liverpool's old Town Hall, and remnants of Manchester Dock and Chester Basin. Two new pages of photos have been added to the web site showing work on the Liverpool Canal Link. See www.penninewaterways.co.uk/ll/liverpool-link11.htm ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Continuation of Rochdale's Tale of Woe The catalogue of problems for the Rochdale Canal continues, I'm afraid. There was a planned stoppage over the winter for the construction of a new farm access bridge at Trub, near Castleton, to replace the temporary bridge and provide better access to the farmland. Shortly before the canal was scheduled to re-open, an "incident" occurred just below the new Lock 53, to the south of the M62 tunnel. A section of bank was "vandalised" -deliberately cut through - allowing water to escape. This was at a point where the canal is retained by a fairly narrow bank, with the field sloping downwards beyond. The water level dropped by more than a foot. British Waterways carried out temporary repairs and obtained a Court injunction against certain individuals prohibiting them from causing harm to the waterway. Arrangements were made to allow boaters through this stretch within restricted hours. However, in April, the bank was damaged again, with the repair being destroyed. British Waterways decided to prevent recurrences by sinking steel piling along this stretch, working from a boat, but had to wait for consent from Natural England, as the area is within a protected Site of Special Scientific Interest. Consent has now been given and work will start shortly. Unbelievably a further act of destruction has taken place, with all four balance beams of Lock 53 being sawn off. Many boaters have had their holiday plans ruined by these actions and, with the funding cutbacks, BW can ill afford the unexpected costs involved. See www.penninewaterways.co.uk/news/news/news2007.htm#castleton2 for photos and background. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Huddersfield Canal Lock Gates From a lock with its beams sawn off to a lock that has got its beams back! Lock 2w of the Huddersfield Narrow Canal in Ashton has once again got balance beams on its tail gates! When the canal was restored, a widened road left no room for traditional balance beams, so a hydraulic system was installed. Boaters will be relieved to know that the slow and heavy hydraulic gate and paddle mechanisms have been consigned to history! See www.penninewaterways.co.uk/news/news2007.htm#lock2w for photo. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Peak Forest and Macclesfield Canals Major repair work at Marple, on the Macclesfield and Peak Forest Canals has now been completed and the canals re-opened. See www.penninewaterways.co.uk/news/news2007.htm#marple-repairs ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Don't forget that you can receive notification of news as soon as it appears on Pennine Waterways website by using the RSS news feed service. See www.penninewaterways.co.uk/rss.htm for details of how to do this. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Previous newsletters can be viewed in an archive: www.penninewaterways.co.uk/pw-list If you wish to change the address to which newsletters are sent, please visit that page, cancel your old address, then join again with your new one. |
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ P e n n i n e W a t e r w a y s N e w s l e t t e r # 9 3 J u n e 1 9 t h 2 0 0 7 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Welcome to the latest e-mail newsletter from Pennine Waterways! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Rochdale Canal Damage You may recall reading of the deliberate damage that had been done to the Rochdale Canal in the vicinity of the M62 crossing, near Castleton. This included the bank being dug through, letting water out, and the balance beams of the nearby lock being sawn off. It was not possible to say too much about this, as a court case was pending. However, a local farmer has now been convicted of breaching an earlier injunction, and has been given a suspended prison sentence. It is understood that another court case is imminent relating to a different charge. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Ashton Canal A moment's inattention led to the Ashton Canal being closed for three days, after a boat lifted a gate out of its fixings. It is believed the bow of the boat became stuck between the gate and the balance beam as the boat rose in the lock. See www.penninewaterways.co.uk/news/news2007.htm#june07 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Horse Boat to Liverpool The historic boat "Maria" was horse drawn to Liverpool to co-incide with the World Canals Conference. The journey from near Ashton under Lyne was done in stages. "Maria" was towed by Queenie and crewed by members of the Horseboating Society. See www.penninewaterways.co.uk/news/news2007.htm#horseboat Further photos can be seen in the Gallery section of the Horseboating Society website www.horseboating.org.uk "Maria" has now started back on her return journey. Dates and places can be found on the Horseboating Society website. A large number of other boats also made the journey to Liverpool, many of them venturing out through Langton Lock and onto the Mersey to reach the South Docks. This is the last time that an organised flotilla will make this journey, as the Liverpool Canal Link will open next year, providing a direct route from Stanley Dock to Albert Dock, via the Pier Head. (See www.penninewaterways.co.uk/news/liverpoollink.htm#may07) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Huddersfield Narrow Canal To mark the 250th anniversary of the birth of Thomas Telford, a plaque was unveiled at Standedge Tunnel by James Sutherland, who had travelled through the tunnel aboard Ailsa Craig in 1948. See www.penninewaterways.co.uk/news/news2007.htm#plaque ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Don't forget that you can usually receive notification of news as soon as it appears on Pennine Waterways website by using the RSS news feed service. See www.penninewaterways.co.uk/rss.htm for details of how to do this. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ |
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ P e n n i n e W a t e r w a y s N e w s l e t t e r # 9 4 S e p t e m b e r 3 r d 2 0 0 7 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Welcome to the latest e-mail newsletter from Pennine Waterways! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ This is the first Newsletter for a while because I have been away boating in Ireland for a few weeks and also because the mailing list has had to change to a new server. Because of the anti-spam precautions of the new server providers, an automated message was sent out inviting all subscribers to "confirm" their subscription to the Newsletter. This sounded rather impersonal and had only a limited response. I then sent out a message myself, in my own words, and more of you responded by confirming your subscription. Of those email addresses that have not been confirmed, a lot will have been obsolete addresses. I have waited until a large number of subscribers have responded before sending out this Newsletter. If you change your email address, please visit the link at the end of each Newsletter, where you can add your new address and cancel your old one. This will prevent a future accumulation of obsolete addresses! Most of the items on this Newsletter are no longer news, but may be new to some of you, and are included as summary of what has been happening. There is also news of a new section of Pennine Waterways! Read on.... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Ashton Canal In July, a second act of carelessness by a boater closed the Ashton canal once again - this time for nearly three weeks. The tail gates of Lock 10 in Clayton were so badly damaged by a boat impact that they had to be taken away to Stanley Ferry for repairs. Lock 10 is the deepest narrow lock in the country (see below) so the gates are pretty tall! See www.penninewaterways.co.uk/news/news2007a.htm#june07 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Standedge Tunnel Due to technical problems with the tug and passenger module, passengers will be unable to be taken on the through trips in Standedge Tunnel for the time being. Boats will still be towed through the tunnel but their crews will be taken across the top by taxi. The short passenger trips into the tunnel from the Marsden end are still running. It seems that the problem is with batteries not re-charging sufficiently. Already an additional charging point has been installed inside the Diggle portal but some of the batteries are discharging too quickly. New batteries are on order at great expense. It is not known at present when "normal service" will resume and boat crews will be able to travel through the tunnel again. this has been a big disappointment to those whose boats have gone through the tunnel this Summer. See www.penninewaterways.co.uk/news/news2007a.htm#passengers In August, members of the Institute of Civil Engineers marked the 250th anniversary of the birth of Thomas Telford with a visit to Standedge Tunnel. See www.penninewaterways.co.uk/news/news2007a.htm#telford250 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Sheffield and South Yorkshire Navigation Following the heavy rainfall in July a number of waterways were closed for a while. The last to re-open was the Sheffield and South Yorkshire Navigation, where, once the flood waters had gone down, some of the river sections were blocked by mud and silt and some of the locks were damaged. The Sheffield to Rotherham section was re-opened on 9th August, after a month's closure, but BW had to ban boats with a draft of over 2ft 6in until more dredging is carried out. See www.penninewaterways.co.uk/news/news2007.htm#floods3 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Macclesfield Canal moorings Some boaters on the Macclesfield Canal have been upset by the closure of a popular mooring spot at Kent Green, where a fence has been erected along the water's edge. This was on the instructions of the Ombudsman apparently following a complaint from a new resident. See www.penninewaterways.co.uk/news/news2007a.htm#kentgreen ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ New on Pennine Waterways - The Sankey Canal 2007 marks the 250th anniversary of England's first industrial canal, the Sankey Canal (also known as the St Helens Canal). The Sankey opened 6 years before the first part of the nearby Bridgewater Canal. It was never connected to the main system other than via the tidal Mersey estuary, so it was designed to be used by Mersey Flats (sailing barges). To mark the anniversary, I have added a new section to the website! This includes a history of the canal, a Virtual Journey along the whole route in photographs and a new feature for Pennine Waterways - a selection of interactive satellite views using Google Maps. See www.penninewaterways.co.uk/sankey ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Deepest Locks Another new feature on the website is a table of the deepest locks in England. Tuel Lane lock in Sowerby Bridge is, of course, the deepest, but another Rochdale lock comes in third place! Lock 10 on the Ashton comes 4th and is the deepest narrow lock. Quite a few locks from the Pennines area are on the list, unsurprisingly! This list complements my lists of longest canal tunnels and highest canal summits. See the full list at: www.penninewaterways.co.uk/locks.htm ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Don't forget that you can receive notification of news as soon as it appears on Pennine Waterways website by using the RSS news feed service. See /www.penninewaterways.co.uk/rss.htm for details of how to do this. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ |
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ P e n n i n e W a t e r w a y s N e w s l e t t e r # 9 5 D e c e m b e r 3 0 t h 2 0 0 7 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Welcome to the latest e-mail newsletter from Pennine Waterways! I hope this Christmas and New Year edition will make up for there being no Newsletter for a while! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Manchester Bolton and Bury Canal After years of waiting for anything to happen, there is now good progress being made on the first section of the MB&B restoration from the River Irwell to Oldfield Road in Salford. A tunnel is being excavated under the Salford Inner Relief Road, which was built across the line of the canal. The tunnel is to be named after the late Margaret Fletcher, who sourced the necessary £350,000 to pay for the design and construction of the tunnel under the road as it was being constructed. The staircase locks at the entrance from the River Irwell were to have been replaced by two new single locks on the west side of the railway, but the discovery of a major Victorian sewer means than a single deep lock will be built instead, so that the canal channel can pass above the sewer. The Manchester Bolton and Bury Canal Society's John Fletcher has been busy photographing the progress and his photos appear here: www.penninewaterways.co.uk/mbb/mbbc42.htm ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Liverpool Canal Link The Liverpool Canal Link, which will enable boats to travel from the Leeds and Liverpool Canal past the Pier Head to the Albert Dock and Southern Docks, is progressing well and should open in late 2008. Photos of the construction can be seen here: www.penninewaterways.co.uk/ll/liverpool-link13.htm It is hoped to add further photographs to this section during January. Web Cam images can be seen here: www.britishwaterways.co.uk/liverpoolcanallink/webcam/south.php www.britishwaterways.co.uk/liverpoolcanallink/webcam/north.php ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Leeds and Liverpool Canal Marinas Boaters looking for permanent moorings for their boats on the Leeds and Liverpool Canal will soon have even more choice as new marinas are created. Reedley Marina will occupy 16 acres at Barden Mill, between Burnley and Brierfield. Work should start in January and be completed by August. The 92-berth marina will be built from environmentally friendly natural materials like Coir and 15,000 trees and shrubs will be planted to protect the area from the wind. If the marina proves successful there is potential to extend it to 200 berths in the future. A 200-Berth marina is to be built at Red Lion Bridge, Scarisbrick, near the western end of the Leeds and Liverpool Canal. It is believed that the developer also owns the Fettlers Wharf marina on the nearby Rufford Branch. It is reported that negotiations have started with a view to creating a new marina at Lydiate, on the outskirts of Liverpool. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Sustrans Wins Big Lottery Fund Vote The "Connect2" project being put forward by Sustrans has won the £50 million Big Lottery Fund vote. This will help to create better routes for cycling and affects the towpaths of certain canals in the Pennine area: - Bridgewater Canal - towpath through Sale: improved quality and number of access points as well as improved surface of towpath. - Rochdale Canal - towpath between Middleton Junction and Smithy Bridge to form the spine of a network of "safe and attractive walking and cycling routes" with connections to connect the centres of Rochdale, Oldham, Middleton and Heywood. - Leeds and Liverpool Canal - sections of towpath between Clayton-le-Moors and Rishton to be part of a continuous off-road route between Blackburn and Burnley. - Peak Forest Canal - the towpath to be improved between Ashton and Hyde, together with link routes to nearby communities. (N.B. This is a reserve scheme in case one of the main schemes cannot be proceeded with.) More information can be found here: www.sustransconnect2.org.uk/ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Canal Funding DEFRA's spending review is taking place and it is thought that more money could be cut from the budgets of the organisations it funds, such as British Waterways and the Environment Agency. The figures will not be known until February, but the Waterways Minister has said that BW was likely to receive "flat cash" - a similar figure to last year, with no allowance for inflation, which effectively means a cut in real terms. The Save Our Waterways campaign has re-launched its website and is encouraging people to contact their MPs again, to keep the issue in their consciousness. The site also looks at the effect that the current cutbacks in maintenance are having on some of the waterway structures around the country. See www.saveourwaterways.org On 11th December, MPs debated waterways funding in Westminster Hall. The debate can be watched here: www.parliamentlive.tv/Main/VideoPlayer.aspx?meetingId=551 During the debate, David Heyes MP brought up the subject of the pile of stones that has been propping up a retaining wall on the Ashton Canal since 2002. See www.penninewaterways.co.uk/news/news2002.htm#wallcollapse ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Previous newsletters can be viewed in an archive: www.penninewaterways.co.uk/pw-list If you wish to change the address to which newsletters are sent, please visit that page, cancel your old address, then join again with your new one. Best wishes for 2008 to all readers! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ |
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ P e n n i n e W a t e r w a y s N e w s l e t t e r # 9 6 J u n e 9 t h 2 0 0 8 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Welcome to the latest e-mail newsletter from Pennine Waterways! I am sorry that it has been a while since the last e-mail newsletter. If you wish to be kept up to date with news, please visit the website regularly, or subscribe to the RSS news feed (see http://www.penninewaterways.co.uk/rss.htm). I have also been putting the same news onto a blog site: http://waterwaynews.blogspot.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Liverpool Canal Link The Liverpool Canal Link from the Leeds and Liverpool Canal to the Southern Docks is now showing dramatic progress. The section across the Pier Head should be complete by September and the other sections of the Link should be finished by the end of the year. Allowing for a period of testing, it is intended to open the Link to navigation in Spring 2009. The latest photos of the construction (taken toward the end of May) can be seen here: http://www.penninewaterways.co.uk/ll/liverpool-link15.htm ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Manchester Bolton and Bury Canal In May, members of the Manchester Bolton and Bury Canal Society were celebrating the "breaking through" of the new Margaret Fletcher Tunnel under the Salford Inner Relief Road and Manchester to Liverpool railway. The new tunnel is named after Margaret Fletcher, the late chairman of the Canal Society, who successfully secured funding for its design and construction. The tunnel will emerge into a new deep lock replacing the original staircase locks leading from the River Irwell. See photos of the tunnel breakthrough here: http://www.penninewaterways.co.uk/news/index.htm#middlewood1 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Horsedrawn Boat Journey Members of the Horseboating Society once again took the horsedrawn narrowboat Maria across the Huddersfield Narrow Canal and back in May. This included legging the boat through Standedge Tunnel in around 3 hours. http://www.penninewaterways.co.uk/news/index.htm#horseboat2 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Water in Droylsden Marina The first section of the Hollinwood Branch Canal in Droylsden, which is being opened as part of the Droylsden Marina development, is now in water. Photos and more information can be found on the Hollinwood Canal Society's website: http://www.hollinwoodcanal.co.uk ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Round-up of other 2008 News Just a few brief notes about some of the things that have been going on since the last newsletter. The New Year started badly with another round of heavy flooding affecting the waterways in Yorkshire. Report and photos here: http://www.penninewaterways.co.uk/news/index.htm#floods4 The farmer who had been involved in a dispute that has resulted in disruption on the Rochdale Canal near Castleton for several years was imprisoned in February for breaking a court injunction not to cause further damage to the canal. More details here: http://www.penninewaterways.co.uk/news/index.htm#castleton6 In March the Huddersfield Canal Society brought out a brand new Towpath Guide to the canal. More details here: http://www.penninewaterways.co.uk/news/index.htm#towpathguide British Waterways announced in March that they were considering changing the way that boats passed through Standedge Tunnel, considering a system which could make the operation cheaper and more efficient. http://www.penninewaterways.co.uk/news/index.htm#tunnelpassage Electrical faults have plagued the area's canal this year, with Grimshaw Lane Lift Bridge and Todmorden Guillotine Lock on the Rochdale Canal playing up in March: http://www.penninewaterways.co.uk/news/index.htm#rochdale01 Problems with Plank Lane Lift Bridge on the Leigh Branch in April and with Salterhebble Guillotine Lock on the Calder and Hebble in May have resulted in limited opening periods for both structures: http://www.penninewaterways.co.uk/news/index.htm#planklane2 http://www.penninewaterways.co.uk/news/index.htm#salterhebble2 In the last few weeks, strong winds brought down trees that temporarily blocked the Rochdale, Peak Forest and Leeds & Liverpool Canals. The Huddersfield Narrow was closed for a few days in June when the cill of a bottom gate broke. http://www.penninewaterways.co.uk/news/index.htm#hnc ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Past the Million! A million visitors can't be wrong! The visitor counter on Pennine Waterways has recently recorded the one millionth visitor to the site. Since I installed the Sitemeter counter in December 2002, more than 1,007,200 visitors have looked at 4,765,000 pages! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Previous newsletters can be viewed in an archive: http://www.penninewaterways.co.uk/pw-list If you wish to change the address to which newsletters are sent, please visit that page, cancel your old address, then join again with your new one. |
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ P e n n i n e W a t e r w a y s N e w s l e t t e r # 9 8 J a n u a r y 1 1 t h 2 0 0 9 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Welcome to this Winter's e-mail newsletter from Pennine Waterways! As the newsletter is now appearing something like quarterly newsletter than monthly, those who wish to be kept up to date with news should subscribe to the RSS news feed (see www.penninewaterways.co.uk/rss.htm) or visit the website regularly. I have also been putting the same news onto a blog site: http://waterwaynews.blogspot.com These emails will continue for the benefit of those who like to hear about what is going on but who don't need to know urgently! The following is a summary of some of the waterway news from the Pennine waterways since the last newsletter. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Manchester Bolton and Bury Canal In September, the Middlewood Locks section of the Manchester Bolton and Bury Canal Society was opened. This vital part of the canal includes the link from the River Irwell, a new deep lock to replace the first two original locks, plus the restored third lock. A flotilla of boats assembled on the river to enter the canal after the ribbon-cutting. http://www.penninewaterways.co.uk/mbb/mbbc46.htm Photos of the completed canal channel between the River Irwell and Oldfield Road can be seen here: www.penninewaterways.co.uk/mbb/mbbc44.htm ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Self-Steer at Standedge Tunnel One of the bog stories this year is the decision by BW to change the system for boats to pass through Standedge Tunnel. When the canal re-opens in March, most boats will be allowed to motor through under their own power, but under the supervision of a BW "chaperone" to satisfy safety requirements. This will mean that passages will take place on more that the two days a week that has been the case for the last couple of years. It is also planned to introduce through trips for passengers on the first Saturday of the month during the Summer months. For more about this story, including full details of how the new tunnel system will operate, see: www.penninewaterways.co.uk/news/index.htm#tunnelpassage2 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Mile Posts for Leeds and Liverpool The Leeds and Liverpool Canal originally had cast iron mile posts along the route, but many of these have been lost over the years. A new project has begun which aims to replace those taht are missing, starting with those between Shipley and Bingley. The new mileposts are replicas of the original design. The form for the post itself was found in a BW workshop. More information, with photos, can be seen here: www.penninewaterways.co.uk/news/index.htm#mileposts ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Liverpool Canal Link The Liverpool Canal Link from the Leeds and Liverpool Canal to the Southern Docks is now almost complete. The section across the Pier Head has been completed and has been in water since October. The locks at Mann Island and Princes Dock should have been completed round about now, with the channel through the old Trafalgar Dock following soon. A good range of photos of the route, taken at the end of October, can be found here: www.penninewaterways.co.uk/ll/liverpool-link21.htm and on the pages that follow. After a period of testing it is intended to open the Link to navigation in Spring 2009. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Liverpool extension for Bridgewater licence holders Boats based on the Bridgewater Canal are allowed to travel to certain points on the BW system for a period of time each year without needing a BW licence. In return, BW-licensed boats are allowed to use the Bridgewater Canal for a number of days each year. From 2009 until 2013 boats licensed on the Bridgewater Canal will be able to continue beyond their present limit at Burscough all the way into Liverpool to take advantage of the new Liverpool Canal Link. Read more on this story here: www.penninewaterways.co.uk/news/index.htm#bridgewaterlicence2 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Prince Charles visits Sowerby Bridge Canal Wharf In late November, Prince Charles visited Sowerby Bridge Wharf to see for himself the extensive conservation and regeneration of the area. The project to regenerate the wharf area was established by his charity, The Prince's Regeneration Trust, in 1996, at a time when the wharf was in a state of decline and the warehouses facing dereliction. The focus of the project was the regeneration of the Grade II listed Salt Warehouse and the Grade II* listed No. 4 Warehouse. The Prince toured the warehouses and met those running businesses there. He saw the wet dock and named a newly-built canal boat. He spoke to local Sea Scouts who had initially saved the Salt Warehouse from collapse by renovating part of the structure and erecting a temporary roof, before the start of the regeneration project. Read more and see photo here: www.penninewaterways.co.uk/news/index.htm#princecharles ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Ashton Canal finally re-opens In December, the Ashton Canal re-opened after being closed for two months due to a damaged gate. The canal was closed on 15th October after damage to the gate caused its operation to be considered dangerous. British Waterways staff investigated whether it could be quickly repaired but found that a new gate was required. A new gate was ordered to be manufactured as soon as possible. British Waterways issued a stoppage notice warning that the canal was likely to remain closed for at least a week. However the stoppage was extended several times due to various delays. On Nov 14th BW announced that the replacement gate has been manufactured and delivered to the local depot. Work to install the gate was to start the following week with the canal expected to re-open on 28th November. However, on 28th November, BW announced that work had been delayed "due to unforseen circumstances" and that the canal should be re-opened by 10th December. Following a further delay the canal was finally re-opened on 12 December. The stoppage affected boaters doing the Cheshire Ring and the South Pennine Ring. It caused potential difficulties for boaters attempting to reach places before the winter stoppage programme began on 3rd November. Some concern has been expressed about the length of time taken to complete this repair on the Ashton Canal compared with the speedy repairs that are carried out on more popular canals further south. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Winter Stoppage Programme British Waterways' Winter Stoppage Programme has been a bit fluid this year, with a number of stoppages being cancelled or the dates changed. In addition to the usual repairs, lock gate replacement, etc. BW is pursuing a programme to install a second lock ladder in locks that only had one ladder on the Rochdale Canal and the Leeds and Liverpool Canal. However several of the stoppages for ladder installation planned for this winter have been cancelled. The areas affected by the cancellations include the Rochdale Nine, the locks between Failsworth and Walsden on the Rochdale Canal and Greenberfield Locks on the Leeds and Liverpool. The list of stoppages can be seen here (and is updated whenever a change is announced): www.penninewaterways.co.uk/news/stoppages.htm ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Previous newsletters can be viewed in an archive: http://www.penninewaterways.co.uk/pw-list If you wish to change the address to which newsletters are sent, please visit that page, cancel your old address, then join again with your new one. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ |