Canal News
Waterscape
Fradley Junction
Burton upon Trent
Staffordshire
DE13 7DN
T: 01827 252000
Fradley Junction, Trent and Mersey Canal, Staffordshire
This is the junction of the Coventry Canal with the Trent and Mersey. The famous Swan Inn is the white painted section in the 200 year old (listed) brick building.
Some refer to it as the “Mucky Duck”.
© Copyright Roger Kidd and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.
Boaters, walkers and families alike find much to interest them at Fradley Junction – the spot where the Trent & Mersey and Coventry canals meet.
The junction is particularly busy during the summer months, with guided walks taking place along the towpath and boaters having a well-earned break at the café or nearby pub. Children are kept busy at the Fradley Pool Nature Reserve, with pond-dipping, bird-watching and various other nature-related activities on offer.
Services offered:
• Leisure attraction
• Nature reserve
• Visitor centre
• Restaurant
• Cafe
• Pubs + bars
• Boat hire
• Food
• Family friendly
Model boat fair
03 March 2012 – 04 March 2012
Model Boats Pelsall
National Waterways Museum
South Pier Road
Ellesmere Port
Cheshire
CH65 4FW
Related Waterways
Shropshire Union Canal »
Model boat fair at the National Waterways Museum, Ellesmere Port. See model boats being demonstrated in the docks, view them up close on display and shop for the latest in model boat parts.
For more details, call the museum on 0151 355 5017 .
National Waterways Museum, 4 March
The bottom lock at The National Waterways Museum is being drained so our team can carry out lock gate replacement.
Come and join British Waterways on Sunday 4 March for a unique behind the scenes look at the locks. British Waterways teams will lead tours around the works, answering your questions about how lock gates are hand-crafted.
The team will also be able to tell you about how we care for and maintain the historic lock structures and the local area.
Unlocking the history
The locks at the museum site are designated by English Heritage as a Grade II listed structure and point of the Shropshire Union Canal. The locks open into the Manchester Ship Canal, which leads onwards to the River Mersey. The site was a working port until the 1950s and is made up of a system of locks, docks and warehouses, together with a pump and engine room.
Shropshire Union Canal at Barbridge, Cheshire
Seen from beneath the arch of Bridge No 100 (Bremilow’s Bridge) across the Shropshire Union Canal (originally the Chester Canal), which carries Stokehall Lane. Note the width of the bridge hole – far more than bridges further south on Telford’s narrow Birmingham and Liverpool Junction Canal. From here northwards, locks are fourteen feet wide, and boats up to a beam of ten feet are still able to navigate the canal to Ellesmere Port. © Copyright Roger Kidd and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.
The canal was designed and engineered by William Jessop and Thomas Telford as part of an ambitious project aiming to connect to three nearby major rivers – Severn, Mersey and Dee. The section from Whitby Locks to Chester opened in 1795, linking two of the rivers. The connection to the River Severn was never completed.
Time: 11am-4pm
Location: National Waterways Museum, South Pier Road, Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, CH65 4FW
Can you help British Waterways look after Gloucester’s waterways?
The Gloucester and Sharpness Canal
The Gloucester and Sharpness Canal at Frampton on Severn viewed from the swing bridge. Frampton on Severn church is on the right. © Copyright Philip Halling and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.
22nd Feb 2012
British Waterways is looking for people who can dedicate some of their time to helping them care for Gloucester’s canals, river and dock. There are ten different roles available, all based in the Gloucester Dock office, which range from fundraising and heritage, to environment and even film making.
Lucy Bowles, British Waterways’ volunteer coordinator, says: “We’re in the midst of a really exciting time on the waterways. This summer the Gloucester & Sharpness Canal, River Severn and Gloucester Docks will all be handed over to a brand new charity, the Canal & River Trust. This means we have new opportunities to work with the people who love their local waterway and have time or skills they can offer to help these 200-year-old treasures.”
The opportunities available are:
– Environment assistant
– Orchard creation volunteers
– Environment library assistant
– Film creator for internal communications
– GIS research volunteer
– Fundraising assistant
– Gloucester Docks and Saul lock keepers and rangers
– Volunteering development officer
– Heritage team assistant (to cover Gloucestershire, Worcestershire and South Wales)
There will be an informal drop-in session at The Dock Office, Commercial Road, Gloucester GL1 2EB anytime between 2pm and 5.30pm on Wednesday 22 February where you can find out more about the positions advertised.
Alternatively, you can visit http://www.waterscape.com/volunteering or call Lucy on 07824 327 274.
Guy Douglassv, who volunteered with the environment team last year, says: “By volunteering with British Waterways I noticeably improved my job prospects, through gaining valuable experience in the water management industry. After graduating, I joined the environment team at Gloucester and contributed towards many challenging and interesting projects. The team were really enthusiastic and helpful, constantly sharing their specialist knowledge and encouraging me to get involved. It also me more confidence and material when attending interviews, and it lead to me getting two job offers which I had never anticipated before the placement took place.”
Chasewaterstuff's Railway & Canal Blog 