Green Park to Sydney Wharf Bridge 188

Oleanna was rocking around a touch this morning due to loosened ropes, but the river looked like it had behaved itself overnight. A damp start to the morning, so we had tea in bed and hoped it would brighten up before we got to the locks. We didn’t want to be too early anyway hopping that we’d get some assistance from volunteers on our way up.

At 10:15 we pushed off and headed for the bottom of the flight. With walkie talkies in hand I walked up to the bottom lock. A breasted up pair were just about to enter the lock to come down, masses of crew.

It turned out to be the Bywater Hotel boat and butty, they were heading with their full compliment of guests to Bristol hoping to stop for the night on route. They may be lucky and time their arrival at Keynsham to grab the space on the pontoon that would be vacated by a hire boat today.

No need to radio to Mick there was plenty of time to signal to him what was happening. They were soon down and the lock was all ours and we’d timed it just right to have both volunteers lend us a hand. One chap stayed with us whilst the other walked up to Bath Deep Lock to open the gates and then head up to the next lock to let some water down so that we wouldn’t empty the pound in between.

A couple of bike riders came and asked lots of questions about how the locks worked etc. They then decided to follow us up to the Deep Lock.

The gates had been wound open enough for a narrowboat to enter, but no more. Each gate takes 120 turns to open it fully. I was grateful as I did the closing. From the instructions I’d been given the other day I knew using a rope wouldn’t be a good idea, but Mick had already passed the centre line round a riser. The Lockies joined us and explained how the lock would work, which I then conveyed to Mick via the radio. All well and good being told not to use a rope but then having a paddle lifted before you could get it back from the riser was a touch annoying. As Oleanna rose Mick flicked the rope upwards on the riser and then had to fight to get it loose at the top.

The effect of the paddles was as they had suggested. Using the paddle on the opposite side of the lock to your boat has the effect of holding it to the side, the water comes out from four points along the side of the chamber. Then as the level rises the stern starts to cross over, this is when the other paddle is lifted to compensate.

I was hoping to get some good photos but our friendly cyclists had come along to watch also, standing right in front of me! As nice as their cycle helmets were I’d rather have got a few photos of Oleanna.

The Lockies helped us up the rest of the flight. The off side paddle in the forth lock up however refused to shut. No matter what the Lockie did it wanted to stay up by a good foot. In the end we closed the gates and could see what the problem was. The rod that leads from the paddle gear to the actual paddle should run through a bracket which is fixed to the gate. This bracket is made up of two pieces shaped so that the rod passes in between them. The outer part of the bracket was lost and the rod had slipped behind the one still attached to the gate, here it was jamming.

Mick used a boat hook to nudge it over and it was free again, but still not in front of the bracket. It would work for us, but how long before it would jam again? The Lockie said he would pass it on to the local team. A quick stop off to dispose of rubbish in the next pound. It is so nice having a full compliment of recycling bins. Just a shame boaters still just leave bags for someone else to put in the right bin!

We’d chanced coming this far as we hoped there would be space for us before the next bridge. No spaces were immediately obvious, so we loitered on the lock landing hoping. Tilly peered out the windows willing someone to move! Right at the far end there was a space so we took it. The lure of the steps to the road meant Tilly was still locked inside, she stared some more.

Feline power eventually worked and the boat behind us moved off, we pulled back knowing that the trees alongside would be more appealing than the steps now. Freedom!!! At long last!!! Trees, smells, walls, friendly cover and ‘Thank you for coming home’ Dreamies again. All was right with the world. I even got a fresh pooh box too!

Time to dig out my scenic brushes. Check them over and see if I needed anything else before we left Bath. This meant lifting the rear steps off thier brackets to access the cupboard below the Alde boiler. The wine cellar hadn’t been restocked yesterday with this job in mind. Blimey there must have been a whole Tilly’s worth of fur down there along with three mice, 1 fish and a bedoingy ball (all cat toys).

The advantage of getting my brush bag out was being able to see the back of the boiler and check things over. Something was leaking a touch, water not gas, a damp patch around a hose going through a shelf. Mick was called in and he tightened things up hoping that this would do the job.

Steps back in position the cellar could be stocked with wine and cat food again. After hearing of two people falling from the back deck whilst their steps have been out this year it was nice to get them back in and safe. I made a list of things that would be handy to have when painting Panto and headed into town.

Parts of town were blocked off, a regency drama was being filmed. A chap sat at the front of a carriage looking at his mobile waiting for his queue to move, the horse patiently waiting too. Looking in from further round it looked like market stalls had been set up with a lot of fabric everywhere. It all looked a touch cheap to me, but maybe film cameras alter things, or maybe it’s just a cheap production.

I managed to time my shopping well, everything bought that I needed and the rather nice looking wool shop having closed before I got there.

6 locks, 2nd deepest, 1.23 miles, 2 volunteers, 1 river left, 1 clean pooh box, 1 clean pooh bucket, £1.53 card, 0 wool, 500 grams brown rice flour, 5 new brushes, 1 cheap compass, 1 film crew, 1 location lock down, 1 clean and tidy cellar, 1 happy cat.

https://goo.gl/maps/dKTQgL1MZF68cxF76

Barlaston

Whilst googling Barlaston the other day a photo came up of Barlaston Hall, ‘That looks nice’, I thought. I mentioned it to Mick. He looked it up on the map, ‘It should be just about there’. He pointed out of the hatch and sure enough behind the railway and some trees we could make out the brick work of a rather nice looking big house.

Whilst I was working he went for a walk and came back reporting that the hall looked as though no-one was in, maybe it wasn’t occupied. He’d also been to have a look at the nearby village that had been built for workers at the Wedgewood Factory, a similar style of village to New Earswick near York, built for Rowntree employees.

It all sounded far too interesting not to have a look myself, so on Monday we did his walk in the opposite direction. We walked back along the towpath to Oldroad Bridge, here we crossed the canal and walked up to the level crossing.

Wedgwood Station was opened in 1940 to serve the Wedgwood Factory, but in 2004 the line was temporarily closed for major works on the line. When the line reopened the station didn’t, the platforms now in need of repair. According to Wikipedia the area is now served by a rail replacement bus service, times can be found on the National Rail Journey Planner.

The new electric factory was built in the 1930’s, moving the factory from Etruria out to Barlaston where it was built in the grounds of Baralston Hall, which the Wedgwood family had bought. The road runs straight from the station up the hill, lined with giant oak trees. Younger trees are planted in between ready to take over when the older ones give up. The factory sits to one side of the road followed by the village.

The houses are much bigger than I’d imagined. They give off the impression that they are even bigger, double fronted even. But this isn’t true, each building is actually four houses the end properties having their front doors tucked around the side. A rather nice place to live with work a short distance down the hill, just a shame that the convenience store is now closed, possibly no longer that convenient for those with cars.

Crossing the road we followed a vague footpath through long grass further up the hill. The sky blue and the view improving across the valley with each step. This brought us out onto the road near to what was most probably stables for the hall. One converted barn currently up for sale here.

High hedges mostly of rhododendrons enclose the road. St John The Baptist Church has a wonderful Lych Gate which invites you into the grave yard. The tower is 12th Century, the rest of the building rebuilt in 1888. Inside there are memorials to the Wedgewood family but sadly the church closed in 1980 when large cracks appeared in the masonry due to subsidence. The windows have been replaced with perspex and grills and the face of the clock on the tower is smashed.

Next door is the Hall, what we’d really come to look at. The photo on Google really didn’t do it justice. A Grade 1 listed Palladian house built 1756-7 is attributed to Sir Robert Taylor with his trade mark windows.

A circular lawn sits in front of the main entrance, the other side of the building having a view that stretches to the canal and beyond for miles right across the valley. Wow!!

Woods stretch off to the side, providing spinney like places to play in as I’d had when I grew up in Fulford, York. Our garden bordered on one side by a bank of rhododendrons just like here. This all felt very homely, the house however a couple of hundred years older than the one my Dad had built, it is also about ten times it’s size. But what a house!

As we walked down through the fields below the views showed themselves even better, the view of the house wasn’t so bad either.

One field away from the railway a large pond sits, not quite a lake and possibly no longer part of the land that accompanies the house. What a place!

Yesterday when trying to find out more about the house we’d come across sale details. The house has had a LOT of restoration carried out to it. Wedgewood cared for the hall until the 1960’s when it then fell into disrepair and was vandalised. Lead was removed from the roof, major subsidence from coal mining occurred and the fact that it had been built over a fault in the geology meant that it was only a matter of time before 4 inch large cracks appeared in the brickwork.

Wedgwood twice tried to get the hall demolished, but in 1981 a rescue plan was put into action by SAVE Britains Heritage (big article here). The hall had been offered for £1. If in the following five years the hall was not completely restored then Wedgewood would have the right to buy it back for £1. The subsidence from extensive coal mining in the valley was put right, the Coal Board ending up paying £120,000 in compensation and funded preventative works. With more funding from English Heritage and a loan from the National Heritage Memorial Fund work commenced. The hall is one of the biggest success stories in English heritage.

By the time we had walked back to the railway station we had concocted a plan. If we were to sell our house in Scarborough, NB Oleanna, scrape together all our savings we’d have just enough for a reasonable deposit. But that would mean we’d have no income and I doubt one panto design a year would be enough for a bank to give us a mortgage. So where could we get the remainder?

One way would be to share the house with our family. Siblings could sell their London properties, this would most probably mean we’d not have to sell our house in Scarborough, instead someone from the family could move to the seaside away from smoggy London. The Hall would be large enough to house more than Mick, Tilly and myself, so other siblings, now no longer living in London could also move in.

With four reception rooms, 7 bedrooms, 5 bathrooms, 2 attic rooms, a study, galleried landings, 3 garages, stables, an orangery, a self contained flat, 1 large kitchen, wine cellar (bigger than under our back steps) we’d most probably have to arrange to have a family get together once a month so as to see each other.

What would we do with Oleanna? Well the pond/lake could be dredged and could become an end of garden mooring. We’d need to build a couple of locks to reach the Trent and Mersey canal,, but these would mean we’d be able to get under the railway line. The station would be the next thing to improve, if we won the Euro millions, we’d be able to have work done to the station and make it into a request stop.

All perfectly possible. We just need to dissuade the people who have put an offer in already.

I think we have a plan!

Littleborough to Slattocks Top Lock

The voice of Houdini (our emergency phone which acts as an alarm) wasn’t required this morning as both of us were wide awake due to the bickering of the Canadian Geese. Blimey they were noisy. But it did mean that we were up and ready to set off ahead of time along with Clare and Graeme.

The sun was out and the hills glowed around us as we pootled along the long pound towards Rochdale with Oleanna taking the lead. Two swing bridges to negotiate before we reached any locks.

I hopped off to do the first, Clare who’d been walking came and helped, they would do the second one. A couple of ladies were picking up rubbish and warned that the bridge landing would be too shallow at the next bridge so to carry on before picking crew up. They were doing a good job as once we passed them the rubbish started to build up.

Views stretched out across the valley. Large red brick buildings with clock towers upstaging the terraced houses. But soon these vanished and barbed wire took over as we came into Rochdale. Graeme and I went on ahead to set the lock, Clare needed a push off from the side once the lock was full the bow having grounded.

Today we would start to get our rhythm at the locks worked out. The next few days we’ll get plenty of practice to hone our method. With the next lock within reach, once the paddles were lifted I walked down to the next lock to set that ready, leaving Graeme to close up.

When I arrived at Moss Lower Lock there was one chap sat watching, by the time we left there were another three plus one man and his dog. Five years ago we’d had very helpful advice from the chaps drinking cheap lager here, they were most worried that we didn’t harm the ducklings. Today there were none, so the chaps kept quiet and chatted amongst themselves, maybe it takes a few cans to get them to be more vocal.

Mick left the lock first, Graeme and I closed up behind, I walked over the road bridge to follow the towpath under it. The wide bridge an ideal place to stop and pick up crew. But Mick had headed on, to leave space for NB Mr Blue Sky, he was on the off side some distance away. How on earth did he expect me to get there? There was no obvious means. so it was decided that I’d get a lift over by boat.

Easier said than done, a bywash made positioning that bit harder and submerged obstacles clanked at the prop, but we got there in the end and I stepped back onto Oleanna. Mick all the time stood patiently with a slight look of bewilderment on his face. He’d abandoned me! But then he pointed out the bridge now behind us. The wide bridge was infact two. The modern road bridge with an old canal roving bridge right up against it. Yes, I could so easily have wound my way up and over the bridge to reach him. In my defence this was not evident in the slightest from beneath the bridge.

NB Mr BS went on ahead to the next locks. We soon had to stop. At Bridge 62 I hopped off with the centre rope, the engine was turned off and the weed hatch cover was undone. Our first collection of rubbish! Coming the other way five years ago, dealing with low pounds we would have been able to furnish a whole house and have quite a good wardrobe from what came off Lillian’s prop, so we know this won’t be the only time the weedhatch cover has to come off.

At Blue Pits Higher Lock Clare and Graeme were waiting patiently for us. As we descended we discussed only opening one gate to leave, that would be the one in front of NB Mr BS. Graeme would then either head off to set the next lock or get on board, Mick would bring Oleanna out of the open gate and I would then close up behind. This makes less work closing up, that is unless a gate opens itself again!

New houses sit alongside Lock 52. This is where there used to be a glimmer of a view across to where Mick’s sister Anne lived at Buckley Barn Cottage, known as BBC in the family. Today the trees have grown blocking the view totally. We still waved.

Below the lock a long jolly mural covers the wall. Cats, boats, chilled medication it’s all there.

One last lock before we reached Slattocks. As we pulled in just after the petrol station (handy for a jet wash) there was a really tantalising smell of toast and cheese. A roadside caravan food stall was doing very good business and nearly had our custom too. But we were good and retired indoors for our lunch.

The towpath was at a suitable height for me to have a go at the gunnels. Last year I’d only managed to attack the starboard side before winter hit. This now shows as the scrapes along the gunnel on the port side have allowed water in and rust has done it’s thing, now being chipped off at ease. So I set too with a scraper, followed by sand paper and then a coat of fertan. Clare was also out touching up their gunnels so we managed to have chats to break up the sanding back. Next opportunity I’ll do a coat of primer where needed, this may well not be until we get to the flashes on the Trent and Mersey where the towpath is good and low. But at least the fretan will stop the rust from progressing.

5 locks, 6.57 miles, 2 swing bridges, 0 held up, 1st trip down the weedhatch, 0 ducklings harmed, 12 at our mooring, 5 old soaks, M62, 1 wave, 1 huge patch of rust, 1 hour sanding, 1 coat fertan, 1 lasagne, 0 shore leave, 2nd amendment of 4ply sock pattern looking hopeful.

https://goo.gl/maps/peRQpg1ZohbUN4vm8

Lock 31

Time for a tidy up and to put the oven on at 10:30am.

Years and years ago we had invited Mick’s niece Ruth to join us for a Sunday roast in Scarborough. This was to include Mick’s other niece Fran, several dates were muted, but the plan never came together. So far Fran has managed a couple of roasts with us, but Ruth has missed out.

Five years ago Ruth and James helped us up through Rochdale, Ruth being local she could sweet talk the locals for us. That day was busy and we ended up being invited round to theirs for food. So as we were in the area we had to invite them over for the long awaited roast.

This trip over the Pennines we are letting them off assisting, as Ruth is seven months pregnant. It was lovely to see them as we’ve not been together for a couple of years. Plenty of news to catch up on from both sides.

The joint of pork, having sat in the fridge uncovered overnight, almost had good crackling, the nearest I’ve got so far on a boat. I think the LPG keeps the air in the oven a touch too damp. This was followed by the last of our apple and blackberries from the freezer made into a crumble. Very tasty even if I do say so myself.

I took advantage of them having visitors to have a better look around. Today I made a new friend. It’s a shame there was a wall in the way to bring it home and I suspect it might have been too much of a mouthful!

0 locks, 0 miles, 2 plus 1 bump visitors, 1 shoulder of pork, 20 roast potatoes, 16 carrots and parsnips, 1 head brocolli, 8 garlic cloves, 1 apple and blackberry crumble accompanied by chilled medication, 1 lovely afternoon, 1 swooshy tailed friend.

Back in 2014, during our first summer afloat, we got the news that my sister-in-law had been diagnosed with breast cancer. She has been on quite a journey but is now very well and enjoying life to the full. To celebrate this and also to help other people, she and my brother will be taking part in this year’s London Moonwalk on 11 May. The Moonwalk is a marathon length walk through London at night in aid of breast cancer. It is quite a challenge which they have been training hard for.
If you would like to help them celebrate and help others by making a financial contribution please visit their sponsorship page at https://moonwalklondon2019.everydayhero.com/uk/jac-and-Andrew