Photo-a-Day  (Thursday, 29th November, 2012)

Great photo David - a lovely peaceful scene and well composed. I don't know this stretch of the canal at all. Keep promising myself a walk down the canal but not able to walk far since having both hips replaced.

Glorious!!!! What a lovely sunny day and such colourful barges. Well done David, cheers!!

It is quite QUIET, David.
Just the one duck?
Is the `Festival` of canal boats still held in Appley Bridge?

Yes, it looks QUITE QUIET.

I caught that view on video when the canal was frozen over.

http://youtu.be/hqBa8GquBv8

Was a member of DVCC from about 1982 to 1994 and ran the rallies there with help for the last 4 years .The last was run about 1995.The name of the place was originally Green Slate wharf when it was used for loading boats with stone from near by quarries. My boat was NB Marrow.Maybe some will remember it.The Waters Edge was the British Legion.

thank for such great memories. It was wonderful sailing along this canal when we were part owners of a narrow boat ( a barge is usually towed with a load on it.

what a lovely serene piccy

Thanks for spotting the spelling mistake,I Hadn't quite noticed it or probably kept quiet!.

Ron do you remember Freddie Lathom he was one of the original members of DVCC, his son still lives on a boat in Crooke

I remember it Ron. We had a great lunch in the British Legion.
We also had a sail on the canal.
Fantastic Boat The Marrow.
The picture brought back the memories.

Yes Mick .He was President for most of the time I was there. When the weather picks up will try to find his son . My Son has mooring at Crook.

What year did the demolish the British Legion and build the Waters Edge?

Phil.They didn't demolish the Legion they just put cladding over it,and refurbished it.The old legion is just below the surface. It would be about 1983.

Just to avoid confusion... Lizzie and maggie's responses refer to 'barges'. The boats in view are not called barges, they are narrow boats (with some cruisers also visible - the blue and white 'plastic' boats). Narrow boats are 7' or less wide - the width of locks and bridge holes on much of the English and Welsh canal system. The term 'barge' is used for craft built for the 14' locks of much of the rest of the English system. Craft between 7' and 14' are known as 'wide boats'.
The narrow boats in the pic are probably all new builds, rather than conversions of former working boats. As both narrow boats and barges pre-date steam or diesel engines, they would originally have been towed from the towpath by horses or men. A horse would be capable of pulling a fully-laden barge or two narrow boats. When steam and, later, diesel engines were fitted to these boats the traffic they were used for would determine how they were operated. Some powered boats operated as a single unit, and others towed an unpowered boat.
A pair of narrow boats would usually be referred to as a 'boat and butty'. An unpowered barge, however, was usually called a 'dumb barge', whilst the barge towing it was called the 'motor' or, on some canals, the 'packet' boat.
Locally, barges were sometimes called 'flats', as many were built along the same lines as the sailing flats of the Lancashire and North Wales coasts - which were able to serve places without harbours by simply sailing close enough to the shore to be left high and dry for loading/ unloading when the tide went out. A flat bottom would be needed for such work.
The men working these craft were known as 'flatmen', and the rest were 'boatmen' - not 'bargees'!

I stand corrected David. I should know being a fan of Mr Jones and his Rivers series!!! Cheers!!!

Wow what a brilliant photo.Made me feel warm just looking at it and so colourful.Well done

A barge is a flat bottom boat (no keel), whether its broad beam or narrow..

Art, technically, you are almost correct... but it has become accepted usage that barges should be differentiated as I've described. You are 'almost' correct because many barge types do have inbuilt keels - you need only to think of the Humber Keel....

In answer to Ron D.
I new Freddie vey well and his 2 sons.
Last time i heard his yougest son was at Appley Bridge, near the locks,but it was some time ago. Maybe he has moved,let me know how you get on,i will also look for him