Do they think we are all stupid?

[Steve kay]

Well this keeps us somewhat distracted in these interesting times. There are the makings of a book, probably entitled "Cut Side Pubs We Remember Entering" largely because there were times we don't remember leaving. I'd delivered coal by boat to the Bird In Hand a couple of times. When the Churnet Valley just had a few sand trains and the river and towpath weren't opened up to walkers, the Black Lion at Consall Forge really did seem to inhabit a secret universe.

No longer on the cut, but here in the Marches, a few pubs like that remain. Aunty Isobel at the Cornwell Arms at Cloddock has a sort of a bar but is still much more like the family front room than a pub. The Sun at Leintwardine had the utterly traditional landlady sitting to welcome you, if you had ever been there before you'd know that you were meant to turn left to get your own beer before going to sit down. That pub was rescued by the community and whilst a bit tidier the last time I went in was still pretty original. It has now got a bit liberal, so you are invited to get your supper from the very good chippie nearly next door. (You can cross the road and look to see what machines are outside Nick Williams' workshop. Last time I peered under the tarpaulin there was a Hispano Suiza chassis as well as a big Morris. I have not suggested that.)

Perhaps Hedd lives too far to the West, or as it was all at least a quarter of a century ago is too young to remember the Steam Weekends at the Hollybush, which marked the end of the hotel boat season but attracted a great range of steam and many historic boats on the cut and down on the Weaver. I think the Cheshire Constabulary decided to ignore the whole thing, traction engines pulling truck loads of passengers, trips on the back of Peter Foude's Sentinel, and the Kerne giving rides to rather more than twelve people on the river. It was certainly the only pub I'd ever used which had a formally named "Steam Committee Room." 

Right, to work. The dear lady wife has requested an inventory of all the tins of paint in the stores, and an indication of which ones might still be useable. I'm going out, I may be some time!

[Hugh Barnes]

I guess I'm not surprised, Mow Cop was a hamlet on the canal side and probably relied on canal traffic for much of its income. That, of course, dwindled when commercial traffic finished.

There were a couple of other pubs like that, I knew. The Exhibition at Over, run by the wondeful Mrs. Pullen, who in her 90s, still cycled into St Ives (Cambs) once a week to do her shoppng. As you entered the 'bar' (basically the front room of her house), she would come in and offer the gentlemen a pint of bitter and would then ask any ladies in the party what they would like. When returning with the drinks, if there were 3 of you, she would always offer to make up the 4th for a game of dominoes... That's now a private house. The Harvest Home in Fen Ditton was another similar ..

Happy days...

[Bruce Nicholls]

David Jones was somewhere between Arthur's boss and his patron. Bruce, which boat was yours?

Steve, Mine was not a Taylors boat. It was a 24ft mahogany on oak narrow beam canal and river cruiser built by Davison Brothers at Sawley Lock on the Trent in 1964. Originally with a 2 stroke petrol inboard based on a marinised twin cylinder Excelsior motor bike engine I fitted a 6hp single cylinder diesel. We cruised the canals and rivers, the Broads and latterly the west coast of Scotland, Caledonian Canal and Clyde estuary. Owned by me from 1980 till 2012.
Remember the Bird in hand well. Spent several memorable evenings in there.

[Steve kay]

Further indication either of the fact that it is a small world, or that some us choose to live in one, Roly who is a valued contributor to this forum, is also the editor of HA7C's publication "Crankhandle." This was circulated electronically today, and included an obit for well known Sevenist Ian Sly. I had bumped into Ian Sly from time to time at events, but had no idea of his history. He had in fact worked a long time ago for Tony Jones of Stroudwater Carriers, and Roly has used a picture of Ian Sly on the counter of Comet, working up locks that look like somewhere on  the BCN. Roly, would you be able to put a picture of a Seven owner steering a Little Woodwich on the forum?

Comet had been paired with Betelgeuse, which in time was used as the horse drawn trip boat for Nen Batten, Chester Packet, but that threatens a whole new range of canal anecdotes so it must be time to stop!

[Hugh Barnes]

No! Don't stop, I'm loving the canal reminiscences. I was last on the cut a couple of years back and enjoyed a lunchtime stop at the Anchor at High Offley, a truly delightful place. Me, my pal and a couple of old boys who lived locally. Just a delight...

I first went on the cut in 1963. My father, who loved industrial archeology, was a bit of a trend setter when we rented a mid-cockpit cruiser, Paulabelle, from Belle Line cruisers in Fenny Stratford and went up into Gas St. In those days, the cut still had plenty of working pairs to keep an enthralled 11 year old entertained. Going up the Aston flight was amazing, with Aston Gas works just like a cathedral and the Farmers Bridge flight, where we got something stuck under a bottom gate and managed to empty the pound above the lock. We were rescued by the lock-keeper who was walking his flight last thing at night. We eventually moored in Gas St at about 10 at night in darkness. Onwards to Wolverhampton and through the middle of the steel works. The journey there was extraordinary through a maze of 'works' - - tall buildings right on the cut side on one bank, the other bank only being different by the addition of the tow path. The occasional open door gave us sights of what appeared to be Dante's Inferno. I find it hard to go back to Birmingham now with the changes to where Gas St once was...

I still keep a couple of windlasses handy, just in case I get a call....

[Colin Wilks]

   
Steve

Will this do? I am steering the large Northwich, the Nuneaton paired with the large Woolwich Brighton on the Weaver in 2016. I think we were overtaking Towcester and Bideford at the time.

[Steve kay]

Now that looks good. Ropes and lines all as they should be, a suitable angle visible behind the counter, no one pretending to steer Brighton, you and your gang obviously know how to do it properly. Short pipe on as you're running empty though that might not be nessecary to get under Acton Bridge. I see you are fortunate enough to be spared a Chip Fryer, is that a JP2 or a National? Pity that there's no chance of a Seven gang meeting to talk about proper boating, though if the Cheshire Constabulary saw a bunch of old chaps with polished windlasses in the back of their belts shufling towards a cut side pub they'd decide to look the other way!

[Colin Wilks]

Chip fryer is a new term of abuse to me! We have a HRW2 Lister with a PRM250 gearbox. Barry, the guy with the camera, used to have Stamford and would give his eye teeth for a JP2. Nuneaton had a National DM2 originally and we looked at buying one I found a few years ago. Didn't go ahead as I was advised that whilst it would be nice to get back to "proper" and a National would be OK running empty, but we load coal in the Midlands (18 tonnes on the motor, 22 on the butty) which we deliver on the Thames, K&A and Wey, and a National would not be up to dragging a load after all these years. We could fit a Russell Newbery of course, although crazy money and quite a lot of the components are now made in China I think, so doesn't quite seem right.
Perhaps we could arrange a "Sevens to the Cut" run and convene at Braunston for the historic boat gathering at the end of June each year? Food for thought in these strange times.

[Duncan Grimmond]

The mention of Gas Street, I assume in Birmingham, brings to mind the "Opposite Lock" a motor club by the canal lock (did you see what they did there?) which also hosted jazz gigs. I went to see Memphis Slim play there in !971 or 2...never to be forgotten!

[Alan]

Didn’t see you there - the Opposite Lock was a regular haunt while I was at university in Birmingham