Lock furniture and a lovely mooring

Monday, 02 January 2012 21:55

"Lock furniture" is not sofas, tables, chairs or even benches. I have seen all of these at one time or another on the inland waterways, canals and rivers. I have already mentioned the paddle gear on this old Warwick and Napton Canal, aka the Grand Union Canal. For a start they are a strange shape - but rather lovely. This is the sort of lock furniture I mean:

Close up of waist of paddle

The makers of this paddle gear, (installed when the wide locks were built), are rather interesting .....

Ham Baker and Co. Ltd, Westminster was founded in 1884 with a London postal address and a manufacturing base in Oldbury, near Birmingham. Oldbury was also the home of Thomas Clayton carrying company (http://www.spurstow.com/rogerfuller/historic/tc(o).htm) - later to become Fellows Morton and Clayton - the well known FMC Fleet of narrowboats.

Ham Baker manufactured water related products including fire hydrants, sewer ventilation pipes, lamp posts and particularly the Dolphin lamp standards on the Victoria Embankment in London. They are still trading after a number of "take overs" (http://www.hambaker.co.uk) and specialise in "innotive products for the water and waste water markets". But will enthusiasts still admire their work, as we did at the locks, in another 100 or so years? I wonder what the paddle gear on the original narrow locks was like? 

However, to finish our cruise after the Fosse Locks - 

Radford Railway Bridge is rather beautiful as railway bridges go

Just below is Radford Bottom Lock - in a bit of a cutting and with work boats moored below. Bull Bridge crosses the canal below and a little way along the road is a farm shop - useful if you moor on the visitor moorings beyond the bridge. 

Work boats below lock

Farm shop ad - not rubbbish?

We chose not to moor here this time, as we had in the past, and went further along the canal, passing this sad sight on the way.

Sunk burned out boat

Narrowboat Pieces of Eight was the first JD Boats Gailey share boat, (http://jdboatservices.web.officelive.com/aboutus.aspx). She had 8 owners instead of the 12 we had on Twelfth Night. It is now in private ownership - like Twelfth Night.

Pieces of Eight moored below Radford 

We moored in front of Pieces of Eight, leaving a decent gap and on the off side bank was Radford Semele Church of St Nicholas. Sadly, in March 2008 it was burned down (http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1216743) and has been under wraps for restoration ever since (http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1216756). This is the church where my Great Grandparents were married but I have never been inside - just to the Lych Gate 10 years ago, as it was not open. It will never be as they saw it now, but one day I hope to visit it.

St Nicholas under wraps

Moored below Radford Semele

Grand Union Canal, below Bascote Locks to Radford Semele
2 hours 16 minutes, 3.37 miles, 8 locks