9th March 2017
As part of the build up to the Feeder Lock Open Days, the Canal & River Trust arranged for the new locks gates to be delivered to the lock on board Dawn Rose.
The C&RT Press Release is at the bottom of this page.
This is the story of this fabulous event in pictures and videos.
A lovely Tuesday morning and the Dawn Rose crew were ready in Shireoaks Marina.
A wagon arrived with the new lock gates and all the other bits necessary, like balance beams, cills, jackheads and all the timber for patching the top gate.
This shows the cup at the bottom of one gate. This fits over a pin on the bottom of the lock and pivots on it when the gate is being opened or closed.
You can see that they brought the right gates. They are not standard sizes, they have to be made to measure; these locks were built in 1773.
You can see the weight. The big timbers on top are the balance beams.
Soon the first gate was being swung into position by the HIAB.
Colin Storey from C&RT was directing operations.
Our own David Bownes, whose knowledge was fundamental to the building of Dawn Rose, kept a careful eye on the proceedings.
This is the second gate going on.
It was soon snugly in place.
Some timber was then stowed further down the boat. The HIAB was on a 14m extension here.
Finally the cills were loaded.
David operated the bilge pump because lots of water had flowed to the front of the boat with the excess weight there.
It’s now Wednesday and Andy Kershaw arrived to cover the event for Radio Sheffield.
He interviewed Adam Seeley from C&RT and our own Michael Edwards. To hear the interview, click here. It starts at 01:37:00.
The crew then towed Dawn Rose out of the marina ready to start the official pull.
Andy and Claire Risino from C&RT had the honour of being the first to pull the boat. For Claire’s excellent video on Facebook, click here.
Andy asked Adam to make a video on his phone.
He then interviewed Adam. To see this video on Twitter, click here.
Please note that you will need to turn up the sound. To do this, click on the video and push up the sound bar on the right.
At this point, Tom Ingall from Look North arrived with a cameraman.
They were just in time to film Dawn Rose going under Shireoaks Bridge. This was a bit tricky because there is no towpath, so Andy had to pass the rope up to Michael.
Tom then took his turn at towing along with our own John Metcalfe.
Directing two people pulling a ten ton boat with no brakes is not simple; however Michael has it off to a fine art. He had to be careful because the little black thing clipped onto the top of his shirt was a live microphone.
Last year, he directed people pulling Dawn Rose all the way from Shireoaks to the River Trent and back. If you would like to join in with this year’s Sponsored Boat Pull and raise lots of money for your charity, click here.
They soon arrived at Boundary Lock.
This shot demonstrates perfectly why such a long tow rope is needed in order to get round bends.
Upon arrival at Cinderhill Lock, another film crew arrived from Puzzle to make a feed for Facebook.
Claire was soon back in harness (well it was International Women’s Day!) passing one of several press photographers.
Later Tom took over again and interviewed Michael whilst both were towing. Tom later also put a piece on Twitter, click here to see it.
Again that you will need to turn up the sound. To do this, click on the video and push up the sound bar on the right.
Meanwhile a crane was ready at Feeder Lock to unload the precious cargo.
Dawn Rose moored on the off bank….
….. and the first gate was soon being unloaded. Note that it had turned blue overnight. This was the action of the rain on the green oak.
The second gate was soon offloaded as well.
Dawn Rose did not go away empty handed. This gentleman from C&RT cut the old balance beams in half.
They were loaded back onto Dawn Rose. David intends to use them later.
The following day, John Lower went to have a look and the gates had been installed. Photo © John Lower
Canal & River Trust press release from 2nd March.
‘People Power’ to deliver £20,000 new lock gates to the Chesterfield Canal
Special free open day planned for 11th and 12th March
A set of new oak lock gates, the equivalent weight of two shire horses, will travel the last 1.5 kilometres of the journey to their new home at Turnerwood’s Feeder Lock 38 by being pulled by just two eager volunteers.
The rundown old gates are being replaced as part of Canal & River Trust’s annual £43 million maintenance programme. The charity, which cares for 240 miles of waterways in the East Midlands, carries out an annual programme of restoration and repairs to the nation’s waterways during the winter to minimise the inconvenience of navigation closures to boaters during the busy summer season.
The new gates will be loaded on the Chesterfield Canal Trust’s boat ‘Dawn Rose’ and pulled by just two people along the one and a half kilometre stretch of historic canal from Shireoaks Marina.
The two new gates, expertly crafted and made by hand at the Canal & River Trust’s workshop in Wakefield, will then be lifted into place in the lock by a crane.
Both of Lock 38’s double bottom end gates, called mitre gates, are being replaced having been working hard for boaters for over 20 years. The top gates at Feeder Lock 38 and bottom gates at the next lock up, Lock 37, will be replanked to stop them leaking. The frame of the lock gates are fine, so by replanking them the charity can extend the life of the gates by at least five years. The works are running for three weeks from 27th February.
Lock 38 is one of 67 narrow locks on the 46-mile canal, which officially opened in 1777 and saw cargo such as coal, agricultural goods, iron, pottery and ale pass through its gates. The Chesterfield Canal Trust’s 70ft boat ‘Dawn Rose’ is the first new Cuckoo boat, a type of horse drawn cargo boat unique to the Chesterfield Canal, since the 1930s.
Julian Rasen, construction supervisor for the works, says: “Replacing and repairing the gates at these locks on the Chesterfield Canal is part of the essential maintenance needed to enable the local canal network to be used and enjoyed by thousands of boaters, cyclists, anglers and walkers every year. As the gates can’t be delivered straight to the lock by road, we’re delighted to be able to work with the Chesterfield Canal Trust in getting these hand crafted gates to the site by boat as they would have been in years past. It’s certainly a way to mark the occasion and celebrate the 240-year-old canal.”
Robin Stonebridge, chair of the Chesterfield Canal Trust, says: “Our volunteers know all about the hard work that goes into keeping our canal history alive having spent nearly four years making the ‘Dawn Rose’ using only traditional hand tools. Although traditionally a horse drawn boat, our volunteers are stepping in as our horse is still being trained! It’s wonderful that we can support the Canal & River Trust as they care for our much loved Chesterfield Canal.”
On Saturday 11th and Sunday 12th March between 10am and 4pm, people will have the rare opportunity to walk down into Lock 38 to see the canal from a very different angle during a free public open event. Visitors will be able to learn more about the history of the canal and see the new gates in place. Then for one night only, on Saturday 11th March between 6:30 and 9pm, the Turnerwood flight of locks will be transformed by hundreds of giant candles, ingenious engineered fiery sculptures, and come alive with music, dance and spoken word performances in a unique event to celebrate the Chesterfield Canal.
Richard Parry, chief executive of the Canal & River Trust, says: “We care for a remarkable network of historic waterways which are still working just as they were designed to 200 years ago. Keeping them open and safe requires a huge amount of planning, investment and craftsmanship and involves a wide range of experts, from civil engineers and hydrologists to heritage experts and ecologists.
“By showcasing this work to the public, and giving them a different perspective at the evening showcase, we can give people a glimpse into the craftsmanship of the waterways’ original 18th Century design but also show how the charity is giving them a new lease of life by using the space for arts and cultural events which bring communities together. We hope this will inspire more people to support us in unlocking the potential of every stretch of our canal and river.”
The free public open weekend is on Saturday 11th and Sunday 12th March, 10am to 4pm both days. Turnerwood Flight Night-time Transformation is a free event and runs from 6:30pm-9pm on Saturday 11th March.
Shireoaks Row, S81 8LW. Shireoaks is approx 0.6 miles walk from Turnerwood feeder Lock.
Shireoaks train station is right next to the canal. Sturdy footwear is recommended for walking in the drained lock chamber, if footwear is deemed inappropriate entry will not be allowed.
Please wear warm clothing and footwear and bring a torch to the evening of arts.