Society Activities and Events
Section 1: Information & Education
by Peter Keen, Hon. Secretary
1: Talks and Walks
After canvassing member opinion and establishing the demand for presentations, Committee has continued to work hard to put together a programme of speakers on topics related to canals, other transport methods or the North West.
2008 saw Chris Coffey's talk on Waterways in Merseyside with the Sankey featuring prominently, along with its commercial users. He also showed film of the voyage of the Narrow Boat Progress, up the Mersey to Howley Weir, a historic first for a narrow boat, and film of a 1980 engineer's inspection journey along the canal. His presentation was part of a programme taken to many parts of St. Helens, providing excellent publicity for the canal and SCARS.
October saw the arrival of Dave Slater of the Lancaster Canal Trust to up-date us on the Northern Reaches restoration. Previous talks by members of the Trust have been about plans and wish lists, but this time Dave was able to describe the progress which has been made in actually beginning the restoration. Those who had given it any thought had assumed that work would commence at the southern end of the northern reaches, and gradually extend the watered section northwards to Kendal. However it seems that the opposite will take place starting with the regeneration of the centre of the town with offices, leisure facilities and accommodation being built around the old canal terminus.
It was good to see yet another restoration programme move into the practical phase. The section of the Sankey Valley park containing the Blackbrook Branch of the Sankey Canal is a hidden gem, very popular with the locals but unknown over a wider area. This may change in the future as the section beside the canal becomes known for its great historical value. It was here in the mid 1700s that St. Helens' industrial birth took place with iron and later copper being produced, using the Sankey Canal as a transport route to the wider world. Rick Rogers of St. Helens Planning Dept came along to tell us about the current archaeological investigations on the site of the iron slitting mill. He described what had been found so far and gave details of future plans to make the site of regional and national importance.
The talk by Jamie Quartermain on the history and development of Liverpool's Old Dock was quite fascinating. As Project Officer of Oxford North Archaeology, he was able to tell us of the way the historical records matched up to the current situation, and was able to say exactly how the dock was built. Like the Sankey, the dock was a pioneer and some of the methods used in its construction were never used in subsequent dock building elsewhere. The connection with the Sankey is strong in that the engineer was Thomas Steers, the predecessor of Henry Berry, and it is likely that the latter was concerned with building the new docks which replaced the old one.
Tony Hirst came in February to speak on the Hidden History of the Waterways. As a former Director of the Boat Museum in Ellesmere Port, no one was better qualified for the task. His talk covered the area to the south of Manchester and to the north of Birmingham which offered great scope for a person as knowledgeable as he is. He discussed the Cheshire and Shropshire canals, with their engineering gems such as the Anderton Lift, aqueducts, tunnels, locks, bridges, unique buildings such as the warehouse at Wappenshall and inclined planes.
Moving eastwards to the Caldon Canal, he then showed the changes which had take place within the Birmingham Navigations system, especially in the town centre before finishing off along the Montgomery Canal at Frankton Locks. A veritable feast.
Committee members had been out and about recording various aspects of canals in the north. The new canal across the Pier Head in Liverpool was visited and written of in Canal Cuttings, as was the Pocklington Canal in Yorkshire, one coming to life for the first time and the other being brought back to life after a period of disuse. The Upper Reaches of the Lancaster Canal also featured, demonstrating just how much of the canal has survived but identifying the major obstacles to restoration.
Northern Canals Association
SCARS continues to maintain contact with the NCA for mutual help. The April meeting took place in Salford beside the development site which was to become the new section of the Manchester Bolton and Bury Canal. After an introductory talk attendees were taken on site to view the new locks, channels and the Margaret Fletcher Tunnel, made necessary by the construction of a new ring road across the course of the canal.
2: Heritage
Heritage this year has been concerned with two main areas, recording and protecting the canal and its associated artefacts.
Since the Society began, much information has been gathered or sources located. In some cases data could be copied and added to the SCARS archive, whilst in others, all that could be done was to record the item along with its repository.The difficulties with such a growing wealth of material lies in its storage and its availability. The Society has no permanent base and cannot therefore dedicate space for archive material. This must therefore be stored by individual members, be it as documents, maps, photographs or in any other format. The problem is that other Society members are unaware of what has been assembled, what form it takes and how to access it.
Following consultation, a record sheet has been drawn up so that members can fill in details of what they have in their possession including original sources and conditions of access. Any conditions regarding availability and publication would be honoured. By knowing the existence and location of information researchers would be able to make progress without wasting time duplicating research which has already been completed. Copies of the Record Sheet are available on request from the Hon. Sec.
Within the three Local Authorities through which the Sankey Canal flows, there are very few structures which are designated as 'Ancient Monuments' or 'Listed Buildings'. Such buildings are protected from alteration or demolition, and in the majority of cases this protection has proved to be effective. Along the Sankey itself only the New Double Lock, the Sankey Viaduct (a railway structure) and Winwick Maintenance Yard are Listed. Rather than apply for the listing of individual structures the Society has applied for the listing of the whole canal, its locks, cottage sites, bridges and any other associated structure or artefact. A large amount of supportive material has been submitted to English Heritage, the body which grants the required status, and a decision is awaited. The 'Listing' of a structure is of course no guarantee that it is safe from damage, officially or otherwise, but it does carry some weight if it is found to be under threat.
The Society has also been involved in hands-on archaeological investigation into the Slitting Mill site at Blackbrook and the Lock Keeper's Cottage at Bradley Lock. Research has been carried out into the authenticity of a "bridge keepers cottage" and it has been fortunate to be able to receive the donation of historical photographs from members of the public.
One area in need of attention is the Society's representation at the St. Helens Heritage Days. This group of local organisations is working hard to increase awareness of heritage matters within the St. Helens boundaries. Unfortunately SCARS has been unable to support recent events owing to the difficulty of finding personnel.
Society members are most welcome to participate in any of the above activities, all it needs is a word with a Committee member to obtain the details.
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