P.S. In a few weeks’ time, on 9 October between 7 and 8.30pm, our West Midlands team will be holding an online forum for boaters, walkers, anglers and anyone else who uses and cares about the canals and rivers of the West Midlands. Find out what has been happening recently, discover what you can expect to see over the coming months, meet the team and put forward you questions.
Meteorologically speaking, we’re now a few weeks into autumn. Despite a cooler blast last week, the fine weather returned and teams around the network have had the joy of working out on the cut in what’s predicted to be a short Indian summer.
This, of course, also means that many of you have been cramming in extra cruising hours and may have seen some of the work we’ve been doing for boaters. In case you didn’t, here are a few examples:
Putting it back in the pot
Some readers may remember that a few editions ago we featured Lock 48 on the Trent & Mersey Canal where the dislodged gate needed to be reseated in its pot to operate correctly. A similar story, but with very different challenges, occurred earlier this week on the Gloucester & Sharpness Canal.
The canal was completed in 1827 and brought goods into the, then, most inland port in the country at Gloucester Docks. Because some of the ships carrying these goods were ocean-going it meant that the canal had to be both broad and deep and it once held the title of broadest and deepest in the world.
Another fun fact, thanks to Stroudwater History, is that at Saul Junction, it links to the Stroudwater Navigation which is the only such flat crossing between two different canal companies anywhere in the world.
This brings us nicely back on topic – the gate that needed maintenance is at the very same junction. Unlike most other canals, the Gloucester & Sharpness has a depth of five metres. But like most other canals, visibility is limited and so the dive team were mainly working by touch to reseat a two-tonne lock gate.
Not an easy job at the best of times but thankfully, with the help of some industrial-sized inflatable pillows (as you can see in the photo at the top of the page), the gate was successfully serviced.
Contracts manager, Rob Labus, picks up the story:
Handmade for Hunts
Hunts Lock in Greenbank on the Weaver Navigation reopened to boaters on 11 September after we drafted in a team of experts to help improve navigation. The specialisms ranged from divers and crane boat operators right through to engineers and carpenters, all of which had a vital role to play in fixing the faulty lock.
Divers carried out a ‘below the waterline’ investigation and removed the lock’s top paddles. They were sent to our specialist workshop for extensive repairs, including brand new steel work and timber, so the paddles would continue to enable boaters to enjoy the wonders of the Weaver Navigation.
Our team of carpenters freshly crafted wooden parts to the paddles, which were then carefully added to the new steel framework and finally put back in position by the divers. Accessing the site is tricky, we brought in a crane boat to lift the paddles and the steel rod that operates them, with the eventual cost of repairs totalling around £10k.
Do you know of the Weaver’s rich history? For centuries, the River Weaver was used for the transport of salt. Improvements along the river were planned as early as the 17th century, as sailing barges began navigating along the Weaver from the Mersey to Winsford, bringing coal in and salt out. Various Acts authorised improvements, allowing the salt industry to prosper, and throughout the 19th century, the navigation was consistently profitable which allowed for the formerly tidal Weaver below Pickerings Wharf to undergo substantial modification.
The area became known for the production of other chemicals on increasingly larger scales, and it became commonplace to see vessels of 500 tons or more navigating far inland. The extraordinary Anderton Boat Lift was designed to connect the Weaver Navigation with the Trent & Mersey Canal running more than 50 feet (15m) above. It opened in 1875 and, following a restoration 22 years ago, boaters are still able to use the lift today.
Darren Thomas, senior M&E engineer, said: “The Weaver Navigation is a fantastic place to visit by boat. The Anderton Boat Lift is one of the wonders of the waterways and something every boater should experience, while the history of the Weaver itself has created habitats for coastal plants and a rich array of birdlife, making it a fascinating place to explore.
“The repair at Hunts Lock, carried out by a team of specialists, shows just how many people are involved in keeping the waterways open for navigation. We hoped the divers would be able to carry out repairs underwater, saving time and money, but in the end the damage was too extensive, and we opted to replace both top paddles. Handcrafted in our specialist workshops, these new paddles will help control water levels for years to come.
“This repair is just one example of the hundreds of jobs we carry out every year to maintain our ageing network.”
Repairs at Hunts Lock, Weaver Navigation (1)
How many Olympic swimming pools?
37,774 is the answer, but what is the question? If you were told that this is 16,737 less than the previous year would it help? Probably not.
The question is, ‘how many Olympic swimming pools worth of water did we pump into or around the canal network in 2023?’. It’s a staggering amount that’s needed, in most cases, to keep navigations open for boaters.
If all of those pools were laid end-to-end they would stretch from London, past Rome, and on to Lecce in the ‘heel’ of Italy. I think you get the picture…
You might be wondering why there’s such a difference between two consecutive years. The reasons for year-to-year variations in pump usage are varying and complex. Although, as you’d imagine, the weather has a large impact. In 2023, we had 111% of the annual long-term average (1991-2020) rainfall but, in 2022, we only had 90%.
It’s also important to note that pumping water is energy intensive. In 2023, pumping alone made up 40% of our electricity usage coming in at a cost close to £2million. With increasingly frequent extreme weather, whether this be drought conditions or damaging storms, we’re always keen to do as much as we can to keep water in the cut. If, on your cruises, you see anything that might be losing excessive water then please do let us know via our contact form.
Gloucester Docks new pumps
Working for boaters – in numbers
With over 2,000 miles of canals and rivers it’s nigh on impossible to list all the things we’ve been doing over the last fortnight to keep navigations open (I’m sure you haven’t got a spare couple of days to read the entire list!) but a scan of our stoppage notifications shows that we’ve…
Carried out 12 general lock repairs such as repairing quoins, brickwork and beams
Repaired seven bridges
Removed six wind-blown trees that were impeding navigation
Repaired two pump out stations
Repaired two Elsans
Carried out two dive survey/repair
Fixed (or in the process of fixing) two embankments
Fixed one customer service facility (such as toilets)
Repaired one culvert
Worked on one dredging project
Carried out/facilitated one bathymetric survey (a water-based survey that maps the depths and shapes of underwater terrain)
Conducted/facilitated eight bridge inspections
Since we started sharing these statistics (12 July 2024), the totals are:
Removed 79 wind-blown trees that were impeding navigation
Carried out 59 general lock repairs such as repairing quoins, beams and brickwork
Repaired 29 bridges
Fixed 19 lock paddles
Repaired 19 pump out stations
Fixed 14 customer service facilities (such as toilets)
Fixed (or in the process of fixing) 14 embankments
Repaired 13 Elsans
Repaired eight sluices
Worked on eight dredging projects
Carried out eight dive survey/repairs
Carried out/working on five piling projects
Removed four sunken boats
Carried out four boater safety activities (such as placing buoys around hazards etc.)
Repaired four culverts
Carried out/facilitated four bathymetric surveys (a water-based survey that maps the depths and shapes of underwater terrain)
Worked to control three invasive species (Pennywort, duckweed etc.)
Removed two sunken cars
Two stoppages due to nesting birds
Annoyingly had to clear one lot of illegal fly tipping (well, one that required a stoppage, there were plenty more!)
Conducted/facilitated 68 bridge inspections
The above list doesn’t include any work conducted purely on towpaths, water management, major reservoir projects and so on – it’s just a flavour of what we’ve been doing to help boaters keep moving on the cut!
Pontcysyllte maintenance
Maintenance, repair and restoration work this weekend
As someone who’s out on, or by, the water more often than most, you’ll know that there are times when we need to fix things that unexpectedly break. So, below, you’ll find a list of navigations that have ongoing restrictions that may affect you if you’re planning to get out on the water this weekend:
When restrictions to navigation happen, we get them up on to our website as soon as we can – always best to have a scan before you set off. You can find out how to get stoppage notification alerts on your smartphone in this article.
If you have any questions about a specific closure, or spot an error in our system, please get in touch.
Amy, social media exec, at the tiller on John Dodwell's HELEN
Buddies on boats
I met Boating Buddy, John Dodwell, at Aynho Wharf on the Oxford Canal, to spend the day boating with him and Amy, from our social media team, to Tooley’s Boat Yard in Banbury.
As most will probably know already, many of those who work and volunteer for the Trust are liveaboard boaters. For those that don’t, we have the Boating Buddy scheme. A Boating Buddy is one of our private boat owners who offers to take Trust staff out on the canals, giving firsthand experience of the absolute joys and sometimes challenges of spending time afloat.
But being a Boating Buddy is just a small insight into our host for the day.
John is the owner of the historic boat Helen, a 1942 BCN icebreaker/tug. His campaigning for canals stretches back to the late 60s when he was representing the interests of canals amongst parliamentarians in Westminster aged 22, ahead of being the IWA general secretary from 1970-73. More recently, he was one of the inaugural trustees of the Canal & River Trust, serving two volunteer terms when our charity was formed back in 2012.
The Oxford Canal was stunning. A beautiful day, with beautiful countryside and wonderful heritage. The Oxford Canal has, of course, long been stunning. But, as John explained, back in the 1960s, although navigation was possible, the canal was shallower and canal’s towpaths hardly existed, having eroded away.
I had seen talk online of overgrown towpaths and vegetation and we’ve recently put new measures in place to improve this and, going on today’s cruise, it was impressive to see the canal in good condition. I’m not sure how recently the team had been through, but the grass towpaths had been cut from ‘hedge to edge’ and although the bank was eroding away in a couple of places, we passed a number of works where the edge had recently been restored or where work was in progress. There was a conversation about some of the saplings along the canal edge – if they were this year’s growth.
I followed up with area operations manager Lee King, and it turns out: “ash, elder and willow are particularly rigorously growing, although nothing should be older than a year’s growth and that each will be cut before the end of February.”
The locks were reasonably well balanced and, with Helen being deep draughted, she is a good barometer of canal depth. We had to pole-off from one lock landing, and John will have duly noted this – feedback which will have been passed to another of his Boating Buddies on the Oxford Canal that week, Paul, a dredging manager at our charity.
We bumped into Frankie, an operative on the Oxford Canal, at one of the locks. There had been a report that morning of a fault at the lock, but all was in order with the gates and paddles. We left Frankie retrieving a fender that was caught up on the lock weir.
A short way further on, we had reports that one of the Trust’s operatives had just gone into the water to help a boater who had fallen in. Whilst we didn’t see the event unfold, we were glad the report was that all were OK and hopefully drying off and changing into new clothes at the Trust base a bit further on.
I have to say, spending the day on such an historic craft with such an esteemed host was an absolute pleasure. The people you meet along the canal are a complete joy, and there’s nothing like a 1950s Bolinder engine to attract attention and start conversations – including, as it turns out, one holiday maker who had travelled all the way from Fiji to spend time on the Oxford.
Social media is an ever-increasing customer contact channel of choice for many boaters, so to see and operate the canal first-hand was invaluable.
If you’ve been on the Oxford Canal, you’ll know that it’s a contour canal. That’s to say it closely follows the contour line of the land it traverses, in order to avoid costly engineering works such as building embankments or tunnels. Well, talking of contours, take a look at the boat in the next article…
Here we go loopty loo
There are many types of boats on the network – short, wide, long, wooden, steel and so on. It’s a sure bet though that you’ve never seen one like you’ll find on the Sheffield & Tinsley Canal.
The Looping Boat is a major new public artwork by British artist Alex Chinneck that celebrates the history of Tinsley, Sheffield’s historic waterways and industrial heritage.
The first artwork on water by Chinneck, The Looping Boat takes the form of a 13-metre-long canal boat, whose body behaves in an extraordinary way, performing a six metre-high, gravity-defying, loop-the-loop.
Painted in traditional canal boat colours by a specialist canal boat signwriter and featuring the Tudor Rose (the assay mark of Sheffield), the boat also bears the name ‘The Industry’, after the first vessel to navigate the Sheffield & Tinsley Canal when it opened in 1819.
Located on the Sheffield & Tinsley Canal, between locks 4 and 5, near to Meadowhall Shopping Centre, the static artwork appears to be floating on the canal and is positioned away from the navigable channel of the canal.
180-degree view
Visitors can enjoy a 180-degree view of the artwork from the towpath, or from the water if you’re on your boat but you cannot enter the artwork, which is located on the offside of the canal.
The project is co-funded by British Land and by energy company E.ON, who committed to creating a public artwork as part of its redevelopment of the Blackburn Meadows site, the artwork is welcomed by us. Members of the Tinsley Art Project Board commissioned the artist. The Board includes Sheffield City Council, Tinsley Forum, Canal & River Trust, and the project co-funders British Land and E.ON.
How do you keep your boat warm?
With winter officially starting in just over ten weeks, your thoughts might have started to turn to heating your boat during the colder months. Well, you’re not the only one. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) is conducting an online survey to understand the use of solid fuels within the inland boating community.
Message from Defra:
We would be grateful if you could complete a short online survey. The survey is intended for boaters on inland waterways who use their boats for residential or leisure use (not commercial operators, or small unpowered craft such as canoes, kayaks or very small sail boats). You must be a legal adult to complete this survey (18+).
The survey is voluntary, and anonymous and should take around 10 minutes to complete. The survey link works best on Google Chrome. In order to reach as many people as possible, this link is being shared via multiple sources. We kindly request that you only complete the online survey once.
This survey will remain open until 31 October 2024.
Your responses will be used by Defra only for the purposes of this research and will be treated in complete confidence. Any information provided during the survey will be held securely.
If you have any questions about the study, please contact us by using the following email address: [email protected].
Thank you for assisting with this study.
Autumn on the Lancaster Canal
Events for boaters
This autumn, you’ll be able to come along (mostly from the comfort of your armchair) and meet our regional teams as we review the recent past and discuss our upcoming plans. There are also a few national forums in the near future:
5 October, Accessible Waterways event
9 October, West Midlands Forum
16 October, Disabled Boater Forum
17 October, Wales & South West Forum (South Wales)
23 October, Wales & South West Forum (West of England)
