THE GOOD OLD DAYS
Canal Boat|November 2020
Robert Davies recalls childhood memories of a popular holiday destination and uncovers a reminder of the golden age of canals
Robert Davies
THE GOOD OLD DAYS

A town means many things to many people, but Stourport – similar to only a handful of towns around the country, owes its very existence to the building of the inland waterways. To its 20,000 or so present day inhabitants, Stourport is the place where they live, work and shop. For many others from the West Midlands, with its scenic boat trips, and permanent fair, it is an excellent place for a day out. For me and my family, well, it was where we spent our summer holidays, in a caravan during the late Sixties. And it was during those delightful times that I fell in love with the place. Its leafy tree-lined walks, the cows drinking at the river edge, the smell of the vinegar factory as you came near the basins, and even the magnificent cathedral like frontage of the power station, with its faded World War Two camouflaged chimneys. Little did I understand however, that this was a pivotal point for the canal and its basins, indeed for most of the canal system. There had been plenty of narrowboat traffic on the Staffordshire and Worcestershire canal between the two word wars.

But from 1945 onward, the trend was only downhill, and by the 1960s when the railway took over the bulk of the coal traffic to the power station, the end seemed in sight. So how did Stourport come to be, and more importantly – did the canal and basins have a future after the 1960s?

Denne historien er fra November 2020-utgaven av Canal Boat.

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Denne historien er fra November 2020-utgaven av Canal Boat.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

FLERE HISTORIER FRA CANAL BOATSe alt
HIGH AND MIGHTY
Canal Boat

HIGH AND MIGHTY

Acorns make the perfect store food for jays’ larders

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3 mins  |
November 2020
TAKING THE PLUNGE
Canal Boat

TAKING THE PLUNGE

Why Chris and Sarah Atkin will never forget tying the knot

time-read
4 mins  |
November 2020
LABELLED WITH LOVE
Canal Boat

LABELLED WITH LOVE

Helen Tidy enjoyed one weekend moored next to The Beer Boat ... simply the perfect solution to collecting bottle tops for her next project

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5 mins  |
November 2020
MIDDLE THAMES
Canal Boat

MIDDLE THAMES

In the second part of our guide, we follow the Thames upstream from Reading through the steep sided Goring Gap and quieter countryide to reach Oxford

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5 mins  |
November 2020
THE GOOD OLD DAYS
Canal Boat

THE GOOD OLD DAYS

Robert Davies recalls childhood memories of a popular holiday destination and uncovers a reminder of the golden age of canals

time-read
10+ mins  |
November 2020
FIT FOR PURPOSE
Canal Boat

FIT FOR PURPOSE

Terry Hibbard from Harworth Heating offers his expert opinion following our feature on onboard stove safety

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3 mins  |
November 2020
BUCKING UP...
Canal Boat

BUCKING UP...

We join Waterway Recovery Group’s first canal restoration working party in six months - as WRG’s volunteers help the Buckingham Canal Society get the project back on track after lockdown

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10 mins  |
November 2020
ART ON THE WATER
Canal Boat

ART ON THE WATER

Graphic artist Katie Ruby lives and works on 32ft narrowboat Poppy

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2 mins  |
November 2020
Canal Boat

GO WITH THE FLOW

What makes a boat truly stand out from the crowd? Sometimes you just need a little finesse and a taste for adventure

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9 mins  |
November 2020
Canal Boat

A GLASS HALF-FULL AT BUCKBY WHARF

Tim Coghlan raised a glass on the Grand Union Canal as The New Inn reopened to the relief of regulars

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10 mins  |
November 2020