Notes from our Talks Programme: compiled by Peter Keen

The Sankey Canal : A personal view : by Frank Marsden

The Society's meeting programme kicked off in September with a visit by Frank Marsden, an active member of the St. Helens Rambling Society, who came along to present the Sankey from a slightly different perspective to the usual.

Rather that concern himself with the historical references and restoration details most Members present were well versed in, Frank took us on a journey along the canal at all times and in all seasons, displaying a talent for seizing the right moment to capture some excellent photographs.

As the main feeder of the northern section of the canal, Carr Mill has always been important to Society members but Frank's views showed a different world, the great brick arches carrying the Rivington Aqueduct towards Liverpool, winter scenes with frozen water, reed beds alive with wild flowers and a particularly appealing sunrise.

Progress down 'Happy Valley' and along the Black Brook brought references to kingfishers, dippers, wagtails and dragonflies. The old canal linking Carr Mill with Stanley Slitting Mill leads on to Stanley Bank Meadows, an excellent habitat for orchids, whilst Stanley Basin, beside the Blackbrook visitor centre is home to a family of terrapins.

Progress past the Old Double Locks, Callands Farm and Havanah Flashes were again illustrated through the seasons, the latter being especially spectacular in the winter. Further on still, between the stone shelter and Penkford Bridge the walker can, at the appropriate times of the year, see large groups of frogs and toads and the occasional water vole.Little wonder that this section of the canal is the haunt of weasels and owls.

Illustrations of the Sankey Viaduct with detail of the stalagmite formations hanging from the arches, were a contrast to the flowers of the Himalayan balsam and the fleabane (the dried leaves of which were used as an insect repellent in the past). More orchids are to be found on Mucky Mountains, the alkali waste tips overlooking the canal at Bradley Bridge.

Beyond this point, Frank made various detours away from the canal to view sites of interest, just as a tourist to the area would want to see the wider canal corridor. First stop was at Bradley Hall's 13th Century Gateway and the surviving sections of its considerable defensive moat, followed by a quick visit to Vulcan Village, Winwick Church then on to Bewsey Hall.

Back to the canal south of Bewsey where it forms part of the Sankey Park, home to large numbers of swans, and, unfortunately, the occasional mink. Frank showed the cooling towers of Fidlers Ferry power station, pointing out that one was slightly different to the others, being a replacement for the one which had been blown down by strong winds in the 1980's.

A fitting end to the talk was the Jubilee Bridge across the Mersey, this time to be considered not as a transport link but as a roosting place for large flocks of starlings. Whilst this is not to the taste of the local people it is not to be ignored by local kestrels. A sunset view of massed starlings taking flight from the bridge concluded a fascinating talk. Frank is to be congratulated on both this and his camera skills.

Waterway Movies by John Haycock

SCARS and IWA Merseyside Branch were fortunate to secure John's services at the October meeting to show cinefilm and slides of some of the region's rivers and canals to a packed house.

He began with film shot in the 1950s when there was still significant commercial traffic on the canals and there was very little provision for leisure. The post-war pioneers made use of the redundant ships' lifeboats which had become available, building decks and cabins to make then inhabitable and mobile. Since they were of 9'6'' beam they were restricted to the broad canals. Sequences of Litherland Boat Yard illustrated some of the work carried out and some of the launching ceremonies which did not go 'by the book' and needed some improvisation.

The condition of the canals at this period was poor, yet the films shown included busy scenes at the Anderton Lift, many hundreds of barrels awaiting shipment on the banks of the Weaver, coasting vessels serving the Cheshire chemical industry, specialist oil transporting craft and the inevitable coal carriers.

There were also scenes of locations which are either no longer accessible, or have disappeared completely. The top flash at Winsford was then of navigable depth but today is so silted up as to make this impossible. The top locks of the Runcorn flight were shown in working order, as were both locks at Appley Bridge on the Leeds and Liverpool, whilst coal barges were still serving the wharf at Wigan power station.

The opposite also applied in that, at that time the Rufford Branch was a dried-up ditch, in water only above the top lock gates. John's father and colleagues proceeded to restore lock chambers and gates, resulting in the present availability of the branch for travel between the Leeds Liverpool at Burscough and the Ribble via the Douglas Navigation - and thence, by the new Ribble Link, to the Lancaster Canal at Preston.

Attitudes then were still strongly against retaining waterways. Child deaths by drowning nearly resulted in the culverting of the southern section of the Leeds Liverpool Canal above Stanley Docks but the intervention of Harold Wilson in his Prime Ministerial role may well have prevented this from going ahead. This decision would have been influenced by a number of campaigning cruises on that stretch of the canal, objecting to the proposals.

Other events were well illustrated including a rally centred on the then derelict flight of locks at Marple, a sponsored tow path haul (with apparently more people on the boat than hauling it), and trips as far afield as the Llangollen Canal, the Manchester Ship Canal, and the Bridgewater Canal at Lymm and Worsely.

The talk was wound up with a series of slides on the recent river festivals based on the Albert Dock in Liverpool. These demonstrated the ability of narrow boats to negotiate the waters of the open River Mersey, given the correct state of the tide and suitable weather conditions.

John's talk was most entertaining, reviving happy memories of past times for many of those present and was very much appreciated by all.

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