Thursday, February 05, 2015

Open Lock Day

It was bitterly cold on Sunday morning as we walked along the towpath of the Caldon Canal up in the city centre from Hanley Park to Etruria.


We passed one or two other walkers out and about,  muffled up in hats, scarves and gloves against the bitter cold.

The canal passes Stoke College and student accommodation along the way.

It took about 20 minutes to reach our destination which was the Bedford Street lock.

The open weekend had been organised by the Canal and River Trust on the last weekend of its closure for the replacement of its middle gates, the re-fitting of the top gate and brickwork.

The Bedford Street Lock is a staircase lock which was built in the late 18th century to a design by James Brindley.  It opened in 1778.  I say lock but there are actually two locks.  It is known as the Bedford Street double lock and is apparently the last of its kind in North Staffordshire.

The engineers and craftsmen who were working on the project were our guides for the tour of the lock.  When we arrived the first 18 people were down in the basin of the lock so we waited for the second tour. 

We then donned hard hats and descended into the lock.  Our guide was the joiner who had made the replacement gates from English Oak sourced in the West Midlands. 

Apparently the bottom gate of the top lock acts as the top gate of the bottom lock.  This form of lock is used for steep gradients in this case the rise if 19' 3" or 5.87metres.

It was quite a way down!  Underneath the wooden flooring there was another 6 or 7 feet down to the very bottom which was why they could only take about 18 people at a time.

One of the men in our group had taken his boat through the locks on a previous visit and had struggled with the system.  One of the other guides was the present lock keeper and he explained how to navigate through the locks and gave lots of other information but by this time I was so cold that I didn't take in some of the figures and dates with regards the building and history of the lock.

Time for a warming mug of hot chocolate and a flapjack at the nearby Etruria Industrial Museum which is the former works of the bone and flint mill belonging to Jesse Shirley.  It is here that the Trent and Mersey and Caldon Canals meet.

There is a modern visitor centre and lots of activities were being enjoyed.  According to the information given the bone and flint mill is the only steam driven potter's mill in the world! The Museum does have steam days usually  Here is a  link  to more history if you are interested.


The Museum and cafe are only open to the public during events weekends of which there are several through the year.  The museum which used to be administered by the City council is now run by volunteers.  They ask for a donation of £3 per person entry which is very reasonable and all for a good cause in keeping this site of such rich industrial heritage in good shape for future generations to enjoy.


As we passed the locks on our way back along the towpath to Hanley Park there were more and more people arriving to view the staricase lock.  According to the news section of the Industrial Museum's website 361 people were recorded as visiting the lock over the weekend most of whom also visited the Museum.

22 comments:

  1. What an interesting opportunity!

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    1. It was a great opportunity - I thought it might be a bit daunting down there but it was ok:)

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  2. An interesting day out and something out of the ordinary. The locks are such a clever system. I bet if it was warmer there would have been a massive turn out of people over the weekend! Nice that you were able to warm up at the museum! x

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    1. The museum was so warm and inviting after being down in the lock - I really appreciated sitting in the warmth with my fingers around a steaming warm drink:)

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  3. How fascinating to see inside the lock and get to go down while the work is being done!! Fabulous! xx

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    1. I expect that they have to get the work done in these cold months so that they can open again for the boating season:)

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  4. The Open Day was a good opportunity to see for yourself what's been done to maintain this particular lock by going down inside with your guides. I'm sure the warm drink in the museum afterwards was very welcome!

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    1. I always look at locks full of water with trepidation but the empty lock was fine and it was interesting to hear all about its construction:)

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  5. A fascinating post Rosie.What an interesting thing to be able to do.

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    1. It was interesting to go down in the lock and hear about how they built it and how it is maintained. I thought I might find it a bit scary down there but it wasn't at all:)

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  6. It all looks very interesting. I have a memory of staring into a lock on an infant school trip many years ago. I was quite scared of what might happen if I fell in.

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    1. Oh, I know what you mean, Joanne. They are pretty scary places with the water in - I thought it might be a bit scary down there when it was empty but it wasn't at all:)

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  7. You probably saw my comment yesterday about me coming to Trentham for school holidays as a child to spend time with my grandparents. I am so enjoying popping up to the potteries again through your blog. Thankyou. have you ever been to Gladstone potteru Museum, and blogged about it? I love to see it (in a virtual way). Katharine

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    1. Hello Katherine, yes I did see your lovely comment from yesterday and did write a reply to you on my previous post. Yes, I have written posts about the Gladstone Museum which is about a 30 minute walk from where I live. If you look in the archives on the sidebar of this blog and look for August 2009 you will find the posts. I've also written others about the Middleport Pottery, Stoke Minster and the local parks and other museums. I hope you enjoy reading them - if you click on Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent in the labels on the side bar the relevant posts should pop up. Thanks for visiting and folllowing:)

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  8. I used to love taking my daughter to the open days, such a great place. Shame the council let it go but good to hear there are people volunteering.

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    1. Yes, the events are good there we've been to one or two. The volunteers are very enthusiastic:)

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  9. You certainly get around Rosie and always find something interesting at the end of your journey. The canal system is wonderful isn't it and the locks are an amazing feat of engineering.

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    1. Yes, the locks are fascinating and the history of canals so interesting:)

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  10. Dear Rosie

    Thank you so much for your thoughtful comment on my recent post. I felt that I should reassure you that I'm OK. I've been through a pretty rocky patch towards the end of last year and have had to make some difficult personal decisions but things are looking up for me now and I'm feeling more positive with each day. I'm working on some new writing and a new blog too, which I may make public, I'm not sure yet. I would love to continue our blog friendship and will of course let you know if I decide to go public.

    With love and best wishes.
    Jeanne
    xx

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    1. How lovely to hear from you Jeanne, it's nice to know that you are moving along in a positive way. I hope you enjoy your new writing. Do stay in touch. Take care, Rosiexx

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  11. Hi Rosie,

    What a fascinating place to visit. When I think about the amount of labour involved in the original construction of the locks and canals, it really was a huge accomplishment with minimal equipment. It is great that they are being restored and continue to be used and enjoyed.

    How I fancy a walk along a canal. It is so icy here that a walk outdoors is not possible. After a fall a couple of weeks ago, I am only venturing outdoors when I have to!

    Marie x

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    1. They are great relics of the industrial age and enabled so many firms and companies to move goods around more easily. Now the industry has turned to leisure and the places that were falling into disrepair are now rejuvinated. Hope your weather gets warmer soon:)

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