Notes from our Talks Programme: compiled by Peter Keen

The Mikron Theatre Company (January 2002)

The Mikron Theatre Company is a familiar and welcome friend in the waterways world. One of its founders, Mike Lucas, was our visiting speaker for the first members' evening of the year. His presentation took the form of readings from his recently published book " I'd Go Back Tomorrow" which describes the origins of the company, its struggles to survive and its notable successes. As an actor he was able bring it all to life most convincingly.

Mike and his late wife Sarah began the company back in the early 1970s in an attempt to take theatre to a wider audience. Urban areas mainly already have theatres. but are a very small proportion of the overall population. People in remoter areas, and those who may not normally be interested in drama presentations, ought to have their chance too.

Approaches for support were made to various sources, including Robert Aikman and Charles Hadfield, well known waterway personalities, and eventually the play "Still Waters" was performed by a cast of 12 in a small room behind a London pub. After mixed reviews further performances were given in Little Venice, local schools and at waterway rallies, travel between venues being by narrow boat where practicable.

Whilst this way of working sounds ideal with the benefits of life afloat and the pleasures of live theatre performance, these are always balanced by the misfortunes associated with both occupations. Despite the latter, Mike's readings made it clear that, given the opportunity to follow a different direction, he would do it all again with no hesitation.

On the boating side the problem was to find a craft suitable for both personnel and theatrical materials. A number of vessels have played this role over the years including the 'Flower of Gloucester', an ex-Ovaltine boat and the 'Tysley' an ex-Guinness boat. The boat handling skills of the various members of the company (taken on for their acting abilities) have been tested to the limit with such misfortunes as forgetting to tie up, putting diesel in the wrong tank, falling in the canal with all the wages, running aground, getting tied up in weed growth and being hung up on a lock cill. Other problems were beyond their control like the strike by BW which locked off canal travel for a fortnight, chained up gates (BW again), and the fact that all canals are not built to the same loading gauge or lock size, which means that the Theatre cannot reach certain venues by water.

The drama presented is all written in-house by Mike and his colleagues, addressing such issues as the Story of the Huddersfield Canal (Where's our Cut?), the work done by women boaters during the war when the men had been conscripted to fight ( Imogen's War) , problems experienced in travelling the canal system (Don't start from here) and plays about contemporary issues and historical figures from waterways' history. Being now based at Marsden on the Huddersfield Canal, Mike has invented the 'Diggles', a race of furry creatures which, so he maintains, inhabit the Standedge Tunnel. They featured in his plays and occasionally appeared along the canal bank.

The present company, varied from year to year, is much reduced from the original number but to make up for this each actor must be multi-talented, able to act, dance, sing, play a musical instrument or three, cook, pilot a narrow boat, clear weed from propeller blades and empty toilets. Sounds horrendous, but the auditions are always oversubscribed.

Our thanks to Mike for an excellent evening of information and entertainment. We wish him and his company continued success in their efforts to take the theatre to wider horizons.

The Weaver Navigation (February 2002)

John Tackley, of the Weaver Navigation Society, and his colleagues, gave a smooth presentation about the waterway to our members.

As a result of increasing demand for an efficient transport method to bring coal to the saltfields of Cheshire and take out the refined salt, improvements to the River Weaver were discussed as long ago as 1663, but it was not until 1732 that they were put into practice, making it possible to sail from Frodsham to Winsford.

As with the Sankey Canal, the Navigation catered for the existing coastal sailing craft of the time, the Weaver Flats, broad beamed, bluff-bowed vessels to fit in the maximum of cargo.

Once the waterway was in use, and the revenue flowing in, the Trustees did not sit back but over the next 250 years gradually deepened and straightened the river, enlarged locks, built new quays and bridges and installed a tow path for the horses. New customers were found in the Potteries, where a steady supply of clay and safe means of transport for the many finished pottery items to national and international markets was needed.

The building of the Trent and Mersey canal in 1777 was a major blow to the Midlands trade on the Weaver but the construction of the Anderton Boat Lift in 1875 to link the two waterways together resulted in the development of both waterways to their mutual advantage. However, as with most of Britain's canals and navigations, trade declined over the years as industries faded away until, today, the Weaver's boat traffic is practically nil.

We were taken on a voyage from the head of navigation at Winsford downstream to Weston Point, calling at all locks and places of interest in between. We were not however in the present day, but some years ago when there was still boat traffic afloat. Winsford Bridge forms the limit of navigation, being a fixed structure. All early road bridges downstream, like the Sankey, had to be swing bridges to allow masted boats to pass.

Great railway viaducts stride across the Weaver valley, crossing the river no less than three times, but this time no swing bridges are needed as they elevated many feet above the water level, well clear of ships' masts and superstructure.

In Northwich were the boat-building yards of W.J.Yarwood which produced numerous types of craft from the narrow and wide canal boats to hefty steel-hulled coastal craft. Those in the know will tell of many of these boats which still ply the waters of the national network, as strong and sturdy as ever.

The Weaver was a dynamic waterway, with new cuts and new locks being installed where this could improve journey times, and the abandoned structures now form special areas of interest for waterway enthusiasts, historians and walkers alike.

John showed some dwellings which were built on an island. You knew if anyone was at home by looking for the boat tied up at the bottom of the garden. This was an excellent presentation and the Society is grateful to John and his team for their time and effort.

The Mole of Edge Hill (April 2002)

Our planned Speaker for our last meeting of the Season was unable to come, but we were very fortunate to obtain, at short notice, a team from the Friends of Williamson's Tunnels group - Claire Moorhead, the Treasurer, ably supported by Steve Moran and Ian Scott, other staunch members of the group. After telling the history of Joseph Williamson and his tunnels, they went on to describe the moves towards their preservation and the progress made so far.

Joseph Williamson is reputed to have been born in Warrington in 1769 and, whilst still in his early childhood, took himself off to Liverpool to seek his fortune. There he was employed in the factory belonging to a Mr. Tate, tobacco importer, merchant and manufacturer.. He was obviously a very conscientious worker and was promoted up the ladder until he was running the whole company. He was so highly regarded that he was able to marry the daughter of the family, went into partnership with her brother on the death of Mr. Tate, and eventually bought him out to become the sole proprietor of the Business.

Joseph had a few strange ways about him. On his wedding day immediately after the ceremony, he packed his new wife off home to prepare his dinner whilst he went out for the day with the local hunt. Even allowing for the changes in attitude since that time it seems a strange way to treat your new wife. Business obviously prospered, and Williamson began investing in property, building houses and other buildings along Mason Street. Even here his eccentricity made itself felt with strange roof lines, windows spanning more than one floor and devious routes between rooms.

Following the end of the Napoleonic Wars large numbers of soldiers and seamen found themselves unemployed , with no support from a suddenly ungrateful country. The hundreds of other men employed in war work , especially in a port like Liverpool, also found that the reason for their jobs had gone and so had the jobs. In stepped Williamson to offer employment. Having built his houses on sloping land he had his men construct terraces and arcades facing the river, and from that it was only a short step to tunnelling back below the buildings.

The tunnelling bug took over. With no clear plan, often at a whim, Williamson instructed his workers to dig tunnels through the solid sandstone, vaulting them over with brick to make them secure. He used the excavated sandstone to exchange with other contractors for the bricks. The tunnels varied in shape and size, from just wide enough for a man to pass along to a huge 'banqueting hall', enormous tanks to store water, wine bins and numerous cellars. They meandered aimlessly through the rock, sometimes connecting into others sometimes reaching dead ends. In places there are double or even treble tunnels stacked one above the other. Clearly there was some engineering skill somewhere, though whether with Williamson or his workers is not clear.

When Stephenson came along to dig his great Edge Hill Cutting, his navvies were terrified one day when they broke through into one of Williamson's tunnels to be confronted by the faces of 'underground devils', Williamson's men.

Another personality to visit Liverpool was the Prince Regent of the time, he of a somewhat dubious personal lifestyle. It seems that at a special function, none of the councillors or other officials could bring themselves to approach the Prince. Up stepped Williamson, to welcome him to the city and act as his guide. He later said that Williamson was the only Gentleman he had met in Liverpool.

With Williamson's death his property was dispersed, the tunnels fell into disuse and the location of many were lost. Although there were a few entrances in the open air, many were entered through the floors of houses and these tended to be blocked off. So the tunnels moved into legend, many knew of their existence but few could actually say where they were.

In 1996 the Friends of Williamson's Tunnels were formed with the intention of clearing out all the tunnels and making them available to the public as a unique part of Liverpool's heritage. They have located several entrances to the system, prevented unsuitable development on the sites, investigated archives and interviewed locals to further the work.

A few lucky people have actually been able to go down short stretches of the tunnels but only the fit and properly equipped with adequate guides. A large tank of particularly clean water has formed a trap for the unwary who, not appreciating its presence, have walked straight in, leaving an interesting collection of waterlogged torches and lamps as they scrambled to get out.

Over a century of infilling has taken place, so many of the tunnels are now much shallower than they were originally. Limited excavation has taken place to reveal some of the more imposing structures but the enormous tonnage involved means that a proper system will be needed to lift the debris back to the surface once more. Claire took us through a few of the more interesting features.

A double decked arch is visible at the surface and will probably form the main entrance to the system when cleared. Below this are what seem to be staircases although they lead nowhere at the moment. The Banqueting Hall has already been mentioned, a huge room, even though partially filled with debris. Here Williamson invited some guests to dine off simple fare such as his workmen would eat. When some left in disgust he led the remainder to another room where a sumptuous banquet was set out for them, his true friends.

The Bishop's Mitre is the name of a tunnel vaulted over to form the shape of a mitre but this one in over thirty feet tall and seven feet wide. Since it was rendered along all the walls it is assumed that it was used as a water storage tank. A photograph at the National Railway Museum show a huge hall with tunnels at three levels, a future target for the excavators. Yet another large tunnel has a great pillar built down its centre, known as the Great Divide.

Williamson is still in Liverpool. The location of his grave in what was the churchyard of St.Thomas' Church is known. Although development is going on all around it, the Friends would like to see it protected and incorporated into what they hope will be one of the most interesting of Liverpool's tourist attractions.

Williamson's tunnels are to be found to the South of St. Mary's Church, atop Edge Hill, at the end of Edge Lane (the road into Liverpool from the terminus of the M62).

SCARS wishes the Friends of Williamson's Tunnels success in their project and look forward to being invited to the great opening ceremony.

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