Canals around Coventry

David, You are indeed right. If you have a look at old-maps.co.uk for 1887 this shows the now abandoned section together with the remaining section (now parallel to the M6). I'm no expert but the Oxford canal is a contour canal and the abandoned route seems to follow the contours and was probably the original course. The straight route being in a slight cutting. The new route doesn't seem to offer much of a distance saving so I suspect there was some other reason for it. Both routes seem to have remained open until the loop was severed by the M6 which opened in 1971. Peter.

Thanks for replies. I notice on the 1887 map the Boat Inn section is named the "Old course" indicating that it was no longer in use at that date. The basin or winding hole can also be seen. My earliest memories of the area would have been about 1942 and at that time its length between the Boat and the Limekilns was badly silted. There were a few small lengths with a depth of no more than 2ft where we caught small roach and perch. The winding hole was quite deep and held a good stock of tench and jack pike. At its junction with the main canal the map shows a brickworks and limekilns, they were long gone in '42, the small bridge over the Wyken arm was still there, maybe it still is. As an ex mineworker I was interested in Wyken Colliery on the map and the indicated shafts. Those shafts were no more than 8ft across and 50ft deep. They had been bricked over the brickwork in the form of a dome. Some of the brickwork had fallen in exposing the shaft. Mine ventilation was done in those days by lighting a big fire at the bottom of the upcast shaft the rising air created a circulation of air through the workings, very dangerous. In comparison at Newdigate where I worked the shafts were 30ft diameter and the coal a thousand yards deep with a huge fan in the side of the upcast shaft. Good working conditions compared with what the Wyken miners experienced.

Hi, now as I understood it, what you refer to as the arm running alongside the Boat Inn was 'the' canal, it entered from the double loop bridge into an 'L', the canal ran straight up towards the Boat Inn, the bottom part of the 'L' formed the basin, it did do a loop round the inn, then across Woodway Lane by the side of Lesters woodyard and on to Ansty. at some point. I believe shortly after it opened, a further section was added, from its point of entry at the double bridge in a straight line to just beyond Woodway Lane and connecting up there, thereby making the old canal disused, although to us it may seem very little saving, to horse boats it may have saved a lot of troublesome manoeuvring. Also when the canal was planned, it was mainly about coal, so if Wyken Colliery did not pan out as they first thought it would, then the boats could bypass the Colliery altogether. Eventually that's what did happen for the basin became disused as well. All this is what I believe I was told way back in the 1930's. The last time I stood on the double bridge was in 1944, but you could clearly see the course of the original canal and the basin, both were choked with reeds and weeds. Further thought, the field on the right of the basin, looking from the canal, there was a fenced in pond, that was the old brickworks. The disused railway that runs past the basin head, towards Henley Road, and the end of Lady Lane there was a further brickworks. There were at least eight disused ponds in an half mile area, the ground sinking from the Colliery workings, we kids were continually warned of the danger.

Yes Kaga, I well remember the double bridge that spanned the Wyken arm, perhaps it's still there. In places the stone and iron was cut deep with the thousands of ropes that had been pulled round it. And yes, looking toward the Boat Inn the old canal was silted and covered with all manner of wild vegetation.The last 30 yards or so before the Boat bridge was clear of weeds but very shallow. Beyond the bridge was another small arm that appeared to have no use whatsoever. As I said there was a few but not many short lengths where a little water remained where would fish. The winding hole itself was also weeded but on the Boat side there were a couple of clear areas with a depth of around four feet. Yes the several ponds and sink holes in the area were caused by shallow workings and bad mining practice. They were populated, in the various seasons, with newts, tadpoles, waterboatmen and small fish. A magnet for us children.

Kaga. Sorry to mix things up but you asked about the cottages at the old Wyken canal arm on another thread. Last time I was there was about year 2000 and I went by boat. I am 99% certain that they had gone then, there were new buildings about that I hadn't seen before. Those cottages were built about 1860 to house the miners at the then new Wyken colliery but the pit closed about 1880 so the miners crossed over to the new Alexandra pit, that closed along with Craven in the 1920s. They were all owned along with the Wyken canal cottages by the Warwick Coal Company. That company opened Coventry Colliery, later taken over by the NCB. When the pit finally closed in 1996 its tank engine was gifted to Quantor Railway Company and I believe it still gives children rides as Thomas the Tank Engine. Sorry for rambling on. I'm off now.

Norman Conquest, that's excellent imfo, that confirms what I thought I was told so many years ago. I'm pretty certain the Craven closed in 1926, thanks again Kaga.

CRAVEN There were a couple or three cottages stood on the side of the canal, no more than a yard from the waters edge. Two middle aged ladies talking one morning in one of them, suddenly a small black dog leaps up to the window outside making an awful din, barking etc, it did this a couple of times, so the ladies opened the door to shoo him away, but found a few yards away a small girl holding on to her friend who had fell in the cut and was drowning. The ladies hauled the girl out, and pumped the water from her, stripped her of her clothes, wrapped her in towels and blankets, told the other brave little girl her friend was going to be alright, but to go and get her mother and some dry clothes. Some years later around 14 I went out with the girl that fell in, she told me the little dogs name was Craven, after the cat on the cigarette packet, and it had saved her life. Many years later the said girl, now a married woman, got into a scandal, and left the street. Recently I have learnt that all her family are now deceased, so I can tell the story.

Paulguy, If you google Elephant and Castle, Tusses Bridge Cov, there is a good shot of the house next door to you, and the old bridge, regards Kaga.

Norman Conquest posted 172 on this topic the link (Friendship) seems to have been taken off Can any one help, thank you Kaga.

I've asked Norman C if he can help

Many thanks for your help Kaga Simpson and Midland Red

Much has been written about the narrow boats and the people that worked them, but little about the men that kept the waterways clear, and the conditions they lived in. Without the lengthmen canals could not have existed, for they kept the canals, towpaths and hedgerows in repair. Essential for horse and man. First they lived in tied cottages that went with the job, so if transferred to a different length, one had to uproot. Most canal houses. were small and cramped, sitting alongside the towpath, most were cold, damp and draughty, no electricity or gas, and some no water, our water was a quarter of a mile away, fetched by a yoke across the shoulder and two buckets. toilet was two hundred yards down the garden, at night a flashlight and wild animals for company. We also lived a mile from any other house so shopping was a nightmare, school meant walking over a mile and then two bus rides away, social life took longer to get to than time spent. Only the narrowboats passing by for company. Riding a bike along the towpath could lead to a dip in the canal (if drunk often) our only consolation we could trade, eggs and goats milk for coal, or whatever the boats were carrying. But they were a dedicated bunch, and often had been born on the 'cut'

A forum leader has asked me to refresh the Friendship link

Norman Conquest, thanks, yes I asked for the link I could not get the last link but did this one, but I had read it before, did not give me the story I was looking for, but I think this should be on the canal and railway topic, and so should my picture of canal boats on page 4 post 53 on this topic, if moderators so wish.