Rochdale Christmas Closure

There is bad news for anyone hoping to travel along the Rochdale Canal between Manchester and Failsworth during the Christmas and New Year break in the stoppages programme. The canal between Piccadilly and Failsworth will be unexpectedly closed over that period.

BW announced that a car had been driven into the canal at Miles Platting in East Manchester. The vehicle is stuck in the lock chamber of Lock 81, which means that it is not possible for boats to pass through the lock. The Christmas holiday means that it is not possible to arrange for the vehicle to be recovered until 4th January. The whole of the lock flight between Manchester and Failsworth will remain closed during this period and the usual booked passage will not be possible.

Update 4th January:
The obstruction has been removed and the canal is now open to navigation.


Looking towards Lock 81, Rochdale Canal

New Life for Old Boat!

There is good news for those who are interested in older boats as work on the restoration of the historic wooden narrowboat Hazel moves to the re-planking stage.

In July, Hazel was winched from the water onto the bank at the WCBS boatyard on the bank of the Huddersfield Narrow Canal in Stalybridge, where the rebuilding work is taking place.

All the old timbers were removed. New base timbers were laid and the ribs attached. Work has now started on re-planking the boat's sides. A traditional boiler and steamer box has been built to enable the new side planks to be curved to shape. The planks are softened by steam in the steamer box so that they can be shaped to fit the curves of the hull sides.

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Hazel at the WCBS boatyard in Stalybridge. The steamer box is in the foreground, with one of the planks sticking out at the far side.


A traditional steaming boiler has been set up to create the steam.


The iron ribs have been attached to the new wooden base. The cabin is supported in place above.


The first steamed plank has been curved into shape and attached to the side of Hazel.


This photo shows how the plank is not only curved, but has to have a twist to make it fit the boat's shape. It is held in position with numerous clamps until it is no longer flexible.

Launched in 1914 as Mull, this horse-drawn wooden narrow boat was based at Northwich and carried up to 30 tons of coal or salt. She was renamed Hazel in 1939 following a change of ownership. She became a pleasure boat and in 1951 had an engine and full-length cabin fitted. In recent years Hazel has been in the care of the Wooden Canal Boat Society and has been on display at Portland Basin on the Ashton Canal. More information about the work on Hazel and other wooden boats can be found on the WCBS web site.

Facelift for lock in Rotherham

Ickles Lock on the Sheffield and South Yorkshire Navigation (Photo: Neil Arlidge)
Boaters using the South Yorkshire Navigation will notice improvements next time they pass through Ickles Lock, just west of Rotherham. As part of British Waterways' winter maintenance programme, Ickles Lock has had its gates replaced.

Both sets of old gates were craned out and replaced with new ones made at BW’s Stanley Ferry Workshop in Wakefield. New balance beams and cills and repairs to the lock chamber wall will also be carried out as part of the refurbishment project.

The upgrading of Ickles Lock will cost £125,000.


Gate being craned into position at Ickles Lock (Photo: BW)


Gate being placed precisely into the quoin at Ickles Lock (Photo: BW)

Closure of busy towpath on Peak Forest

A popular and busy section of towpath on the Lower Peak Forest Canal is to be closed for 18 weeks.

The blockage will be near railway bridge "A" which means the towpath will be closed between the junction with the Ashton Canal at Portland Basin and Stanley Lift Bridge in Dukinfield.

The closure will be from Monday 28th November 2011 to Friday 6th April 2012 to allow work to proceed on the United Utilities water quality improvement project.

An alternative pedestrian route from Portland Basin is to cross Dukinfield Aqueduct on the north (left) side, then cross the footbridge over the entrance to Portland Basin Marina. Turn right and walk to the top of Charles Street. Turn right along Astley Street then almost immediately sharp right down the lane to Stanley Lift Bridge (and the reverse).

Between Monday 28th November 2011 and Friday 25th May 2012 a temporary bridge will in place across the canal to provide access to these works. This bridge will have a restricted headroom of 6 ft 4 in for boats, which is lower than surrounding bridges.


Dukinfield Aqueduct, Peak Forest Canal

Marple Locks: Half Day Stoppages

There will be two half-day stoppages at Marple Locks on the Peak Forest Canal next week.

The entire lock flight will be closed on Tuesday 29th November from 12.00 noon to 5.00 pm, and again on Wednesday 30th November from 8.00 am until 1.00 pm.

The stoppages are to allow the verification of the SCADA gauge. SCADA (supervisory control and data acquisition) gauges monitor lock usage and water flow.

Wigan Stoppage

A stoppage has been announced on the Leeds and Liverpool Canal in Wigan.

The pound between Locks 86 (Henhurst Lock) and 87 (Bottom Lock) has de-watered overnight. This affects the canal between the junction with the Leigh Branch and Wigan Pier.

BW is investigating the cause and running water down to re-fill the pound, which is not currently navigable.

This is the stretch of water outside the windows of BW's North West offices!

Update, 22nd November, 8.30 am:
BW has discovered that there is damage to one of the wooden cills at Lock 87 that helps make the gates watertight. BW staff are carrying out repairs. The navigation remains closed.

Update, 28nd November, 10.30 am:
Cill repairs are now complete and this part of the canal has now been re-opened to navigation.


Looking from Lock 87 towards Lock 86 in Wigan.

Huddersfield Waterfront Progress

Former Sellers Engineering site looking east towards Chapel Hill

The photos in this article show the current situation at the former Sellers Engineering site where the tunnel beneath the site is being opened out and the Huddersfield Narrow Canal being brought back up to the surface as part of the Huddersfield Waterfront development.

Click on each photo to see a larger version of the image. Click on your browser's Back button to return to this page.

All the concrete tunnel roof sections have now been removed. The concrete struts will remain in place until the tunnel has been partly filled to bring the level up ten feet to the new canal bed level.


Wider section of canal under construction

The canal will run through most of the site using the tunnel's current profile, meaning the channel will only be around 3 metres wide. Towards the eastern part of the site a wider section is being constructed which will allow boats to moor and to pass. A new lock will be constructed just beyond this wider section to take the canal down to the level that ran through the tunnel.


Former Sellers Engineering site looking west towards Longroyd Bridge


Lock 3w - the gates and paddles have now been removed.

The lock shown in the photo will be partly filled to bring the bottom up to the level of the canal bed above the lock. Boats will pass straight through the lock to reach the new channel, with a new lock replacing this one to be built at the other end of the development.

When the development is complete, walkers will be able to follow a path alongside the canal right through to Chapel Hill. Please see the October report for more background information about this project.

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One Day Stoppage at Thorne

Boaters using the Stainforth and Keadby Canal this week should be aware of a one-day stoppage at Wykewell Bridge on the outskirts of Thorne.

Essential works will be carried out on Wykewell Lift Bridge between 8.00 am and 4.30 pm on Thursday 27th October. The bridge will be without power and therefore out of action during that time.

Name for New Waterways Charity announced

The new Canal and River Trust logo

It has been announced today that the name of the New Waterways Charity will be "Canal and River Trust". The announcement comes from the transition trustees. In Wales the Trust will be known as "Glandwr Cymru". The trust will take over the waterways of British Waterways in April 2012 and those of the Environment Agency at a later date.

In a statement, the trustees say: "The decision has been taken following extensive public and internal consultation and market research into the replacement for the name and symbol of “British Waterways.” They reflect the important step the Government is taking in creating a new successor organisation to hold the waterways in trust for the nation in perpetuity. The change also offers an opportunity to attract the attention of, and to appeal to, the wider public."

The design agency Pentagram, who created the British Waterways symbol in the 1980s, provided free design consultancy to develop the new national charity‟s name, symbol and imagery.

While many will welcome this news as a step towards building a positive public image for the new charity, it will disappoint those who are worried at the cost of replacing all the existing BW signage at a time when the government will be giving the charity each year one sixth of the amount it is prepared to spend on ensuring weekly bin collection.

The name chosen may be confusing for many people, as the charity will not have responsibility for the vast majority of rivers, with only a small number of navigable rivers being included in its portfolio comprising mostly canals.

This is a genuine news item,unlike this story which appeared on 1st April this year.

Huddersfield Canal closed for tunnel removal!

The Huddersfield Narrow Canal has closed to through boat traffic early this year because of a lengthy stoppage between Locks 2e and 4e in Huddersfield.

The stoppage began on 1st October and will continue to March 31st 2012, in effect closing the eastern half of the canal, while Sellers Tunnel is removed. British Waterways will take advantage of this longer-than-usual stoppage period to replace all or some of the gates on eleven of the locks on the east side of the canal, hopefully leading to fewer problems with water levels.

The work to be carried out in Huddersfield involves the opening up of the tunnel that was constructed below the former site of Sellers Engineering in 2000, bringing the canal back to the surface. This will require the new Lock 3e to be relocated close to the site of the original lock, just west of Chapel Hill.

Rather than construct a brand new channel, for most of the route the existing sheet-piled channel will be used. This will be partly-infilled to raise the canal bed to the higher level. The concrete struts that currently prevent the two sides from collapsing inwards can then be removed.

A short wider section will be constructed west of the new lock, enabling boats to pass.


The former Sellers site showing the tunnel being opened up.

In order to fit the work into the comparatively short time slot, a head start has already been made by removing the concrete roof sections that were placed between the supporting struts, as seen in the photos above and below. [Click photos to see larger versions.]


The former Sellers site showing the tunnel being opened up.

Sellers Engineering has moved to a new site and their former site is being developed as the Huddersfield Waterfront Quarter regeneration scheme, which includes the new site for Kirklees College as well as offices, around 300 new homes, leisure facilities and restaurants.

The completed development will include a public square next to the canal and will enable walkers to follow the canal from Longroyd Bridge to Chapel Hill. There will still be the shorter section between Chapel Hill and Queen Street where a pedestrian diversion away from the canal will still be necessary.


Sheet-piling channel during construction in February 2000.


The concrete roof sections being put into position in 2000. (Photo: Costain Ltd)

To better understand how Sellers Tunnel was constructed, see the sequence of web pages that illustrate its construction just over a decade ago.

For an impression of what the scheme may look like, see this web site.

The removal of this tunnel and relocation of the lock after just ten years must make them candidates for the shortest-lived canal tunnel and lock!

The locks on the east side that will have gates replaced during the stoppage period are:
- Locks 1e, 7e, 12e, 28e, 28e, 32e, 37e, 38e, 39e and 40e will have their top and bottom gates replaced.
- Locks 8e and 40e will have their bottom gates replaced and Lock 34e will have its top gate replaced.
- The top gate of Lock 31w at Diggle will also be replaced.

Tree Closes Lower Peak Forest

The Lower Peak Forest Canal is currently closed between Marple Locks and Romiley, after a large tree has fallen across the canal near Hyde Bank Tunnel. The towpath remains open.

British Waterways say that the navigation will re-open at 3.00 pm tomorrow afternoon Thursday 15th September. Winding can be found below Marple Bottom Lock or between Chadkirk and Hatherlow aqueducts.

Any enquiries about this stoppage should be made to BW on 01782 785703.

Update 14th September, 4.45 pm:
It is reported that boaters have removed part of the obstruction and boats are now able to squeeze past with care.

Fallen Trees block Rochdale Canal

Two trees have fallen across the Rochdale Canal, closing it just west of Hebden Bridge.

High winds, which affected the area as the remnants of Hurricane Katia crossed the country, brought down the two trees close Bridge 18, Hebble End Bridge, near Stubbins Wharf. This is a short distance west of Lock 9 in Hebden Bridge.

British Waterways say that the navigation will re-open tomorrow evening Wednesday 14th September. Winding can be found below Lock 9 or below Lock 12.

Any enquiries about this stoppage should be made to BW on 01782 785703.

Update: The blockage has now been cleared and the navigation re-opened.


Stubbins Wharf, looking towards Hebble End Bridge

BW Recover Stricken Boat - photos

The Huddersfield Narrow Canal was closed today between Mossley and Stalybridge after a boat came to grief in a lock.

The boat, nb Dizzy, was entering Lock 9w from the short pound above, which was very low. The stern of the boat became stuck on the wooden cill that abuts the top gate. The water in the lock continued to drain away until the bow of the boat took on water and sank.

It is believed that one of the hydraulic tail gate paddles was obstructed and would not fully close. BW say this had not been reported to them by other boaters, although one boater has said he reported it a week earlier. In addition, the lock has considerable leakage around the tail gates. It is understood that the lock drained so rapidly that the crew were not able to rectify the situation in time. Fortunately, no-one was hurt in the incident.

The boat owner arrived and assisted BW ground staff in re-floating the boat. This was done by sealing the front doors and vents and carefully re-filling the lock. The well deck took on water but the boat floated as the levels rose.

Nb Dizzy in Lock 9w.


Nb Dizzy lives up to its name, pivoting on the lock cill.


The pounds above and below the lock were drained to facilitate the recovery.


Doors and vents sealed, the water level is carefully raised.


Nb Dizzy afloat once more, although low in the water, having taken on water.


The excessive leakage around the tail gates may have contributed to the incident.

Huddersfield Stoppage as boat sinks

Boaters on the western half of the Huddersfield Narrow Canal face possible delays after a boat sank in Lock 9w near Black Rock, Millbrook.

British Waterways, whose local maintenance depot is only half a mile from the lock, are draining the pounds above and below the lock in order to recover the boat. The pound below is half a mile in length so re-filling the pounds afterwards will take a little time.

Boaters are asked to moor above Lock 10w at Scout Embankment or below Lock 7w in Stalybridge town centre and await instructions from BW staff. It is expected that the pounds could re-open around 12.00 noon on Tuesday 16th August.

Update:
The boat has been re-floated and BW staff have begun re-filling  the pounds. The canal could be passable again some time on Tuesday morning, as long as the cill has not been damaged.

See photos of the stricken boat and the recovery operation.


nb Dizzy stuck in Lock 9W