The memorabilia came to light when a trawl to identify important canal artefacts and documents hidden away in the our yards across the South East also turned up memorabilia which may be of interest to canal lovers. None of the items have been assessed as being suitable to add to our national collection.
We now plan to auction items ranging from disused British Waterways signs, to copies of prints of a Grand Junction Canal distance table and cross section profile. Each will be available for people to view and buy via eBay and could make a great gift for Christmas.
Noteworthy items
Assessing which items are acceptable for sale has involved a range of experts and volunteers, including specialists in heritage and archives. Important artefacts are being retained and transferred to our national collection and archive. So far, this includes over 16 artefacts including the original Grand Junction Canal distance table and cross section profile.
Nigel Crowe, head of heritage at the Canal & River Trust, says: “It's great that canal lovers can own a piece of waterways memorabilia which could make some great gifts for Christmas.
“And more significantly, the trawl of offices and yards has unearthed some particularly noteworthy items with heritage value which we are transferring to the national collection and archive where they can be proudly made available for public display.”
The proceeds from the memorabilia sale will be used to help look after our waterways.
Anyone with questions should get in touch with [email protected]
Each item will be listed on eBay for seven days. Auctions for the first items will start on 4th November and the final lots will end on 10th December. To see the live auctions go to http://ebay.eu/Hh81Lj
