Canals around Coventry

Kaga here is a link for you to search through photos taken back then of the boats and canal, if you click on the photos of Robert Longden he took them around Hawkesbury Junction, when you click on a photo it will say visit page if you click on to the page it should come up with extra photos and information. I did have the whole of his photos on a link on here where you could buy photos of his, from his family, but it seems to have gone. Hope it brings back happy memories, the young girl in the boat Hambridge that family still lives here in Longford, if you click off the X of the Hambridge girl it will reveal more photos.

Morgana, once again great photos, I got the link photos but could not find the Hambridge girl, and do you know anything about the little girl? thanks. Kaga.

[link to photo no longer available] I used to live a few doors up from the Hambridges in Grange Road, I know they came off the boats, not sure if its Mrs Hambridge when she was a girl or a sister in law, as I never knew her first name, lovely lady, her daughters use to come around my house, her sons too. Her children were called Percy who married Evelyn McDonald another family off the boats then there was, younger ones John, Debbie, Yvonne. They all worked the boats, Granthams are another family still around Longford that worked the boats.

Now the way I see it, when the canals were first built they knew they needed maintenance, so every six miles or so they built a canal cottage for a worker, attached or close to they built a brick shed for all the tools he would need, they also built a small stable 1/2 horses for rest and overnight, they also narrowed the canal at that point to one barge width, here they made a grooved steel girder either side, if the canal was breached planks were lowered in the grooves so sealing off the other lengths, they also put a wider plank alongside canal on a swivel, the lengthman had a pole with hook, hooked it over the plank pulled it across and had access to the other side making sure he pulled it back because of boats use. He also had a small working barge again with smaller tools. On larger sites they had dredger and ice-boat they called in when wanted, the lengthman's job was to travel the whole length of his area every day and make repairs.

Arthur Simpson 'Mr Canal' took over one of those lengths, just over one mile the other side the village of Ansty on the Oxford canal, Canal Cottage was surrounded with fields, only access was canal towpath so he loaded his family and all his possessions including his piano on to a barge and sailed to canal cottage. His three boys thought it exciting and hilarious, every time they met a barge or fisherman they played the piano and acted the fool. (He did that three times during his time with the company). But the house had no phone no gas, no electric and no water, when they needed water, they put a yoke on their shoulders, chains and buckets and walked a quarter of a mile to a 'well' at the side of the towpath, the house was built over an old 'arm' of the canal so was always cold and damp, the boys found they had to walk three miles to school, and the nearest house, shop, pub, and bus stop was over a mile away, the only thing they could have delivered was coal, by Joe Skinner you see in the photos. In 1947 the winter was so bad that even the ice-barge gave up, it took the three boys three days to dig a way to the shops, of course they stocked up with as much as they could carry. A regular fisherman had a five year old daughter, not knowing his name, always called him 'Mr Canal man'.

Wyken Basin. The bridge was over the narrow section of the arm. If a boat had come from Sutton Stop direction horse would be on starboard side of the boat. If the boat was to return that way horse would cross narrow bridge so to pull from port side. I only hope that I have posted this on correct thread as I am getting a bit confused. Well I am 82. Norman

Kaga. My sister has often spoken of a Mr Canal. I will try to get in touch with her for more info. She owned a narrowboat for more than 40 years and moored it at Wyken Basin. Difficult for me to reach her now as she is stuck in a 1950 time warp, no phone, no pc and stone deaf but I have sent an email to her son. Norman.

Norman Conquest, bangon about the bridge and horses, I knew it was something like that, great shot of the basin now, but of course in the 30s there where no bushes, just grass, but I'm wondering with all those motors churning the wash along the banks, with no lengthmen, how do they repair? I am also having a job to get in touch with my younger brothers for information. Theylived at canal cottage, 50-60s.

Hi Kaga. I think pleasure boats are limited to 4mph to protect banks from the boat wash, but I suppose that is faster than a horse drawn barge. Think canal repairs are responsibility of Inland Waterways who are financed by the boat licences. I have no idea what Inland Waterways charge as I have never owned a canal boat. Norman.

It's great to read all of Kaga's tales of the canal and to get other peoples contributions of the history of the area I used as a playground as a kid. I was amazed but not surprised when I zoned in on the Wyken Basin on Google Earth, what a change from when I used to wander around that area in my younger days. That basin could be dangerous with mats of weed growing around the edges, dry on top looking for all the world like solid ground until one stood on it. I almost fell in like that, got a bit of a fright but didn't go right in, good reflexes I suppose. There was another basin like the Wyken Basin across the other side of Deedmore Road that was part of my playground but must have been on private ground as me and my mates were often chased away by an angry man. It too was in a dilapidated state with plenty of reeds and weeds but I don't remember it connecting to the main canal like the Wyken one did. I bet Kaga knows the history of it. Cheers

Yes Kaga is the expert on canals but I do remember the pool back of the pub in Deedmore Rd. Although weeded over it was the best fishing around. The pub would charge for fishing there but I think that was just a scam as they probably didn't own it. There was a canal arm very close by that went under Deedmore Rd. Wait for Kaga to get up for more info'. Norman.

Norman, Inland Waterways is no more, the canals are now operated by the Canal and River Trust which is a charity. A lot of the actual work on the canals i.e. maintenance (except the heavy stuff) and lock keeping is done by volunteers. I have just finished my first season as a volunteer lock keeper. I work between Hatton and Lapworth and usually do one day a week. The season has drawn to a close now and will start again next April. Still, that gives me another day to work on my bikes

What happens to the boaters licence/tolls? Average of, I think, about £160 per annum. My sister owned a narrowboat for many years and she thought licence fees were for general canal maintenance. I have a quarter share of a boat on The Norfolk Broads, our tolls are collected by the Broads Authority and are used to maintain river and broads banks, quay headings etc. Perhaps things have changed, Matchle55, it wouldn't surprise to learn that canal tolls go straight into government coffers and get volunteers to do the work. Norman

hi kerbstone, car park, layby to you. The main basin, only coal, get your boat in, get it loaded, get out, business. Try to imagine 100 years ago, horsedrawn boat, a long journey to go, now the pool, arm, whatever we call it these days, tie up there, pub, food shops, school, church, probably hay, ropes etc, stay two hours or two weeks, rest the horse, so it was more a widened strip of water to berth, a few boats for a short stay. Now, there was no seasons for those guys, either you worked or you starved, so in winter there was the horse drawn ice-breaker, a metal boat, duck board in the bottom, a pole riveted along each side of the boat, up to six men, 3 back to back, hands on pole and rock the boat, thus breaking ice. One morning I was following behind them when one of the guys shouted, 'hold up we've got a floater' (man in the ice), we were directly at the entrance to the basin, they put the man on the bank, one of the guys went of to A.G.Rd to inform the police, and I was invited aboard to stand between two of them and rock the boat, and we carried on the journey. The guy turned out to be a local business man. Norman I think in the early thirties it was the Oxford Canal they paid dues to, then it became Inland Waterways, no idea when and why or how much.

morgana, haven't forgotten the Hambridge girl, believe my grandmother was a Hambridge girl, but am waiting for my younger brother to confirm. They were one of the largest boat families at that time, but I always thought they came from Thrupp, where the canal meets the river? Thanks for the photos. Family secret. Under the slope and road of the New Inn bridge (Dovedale side) opposite to the old gasworks there was a man built cavern, in there is a piano, sideboard and bagatelle table, or was around 1964.