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Loss of Slipway in Northwich


Mike C

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For those who don't tend to look in the 'News' section of this forum you might be interested in this about the Slipway at Hayhurst Yard, Northwich.

 

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Mike

 

You asked me the other day whether I had any pictures of Hayhurst slip.

Not what you were after, but thought you might like this one:-

 

image0-5.jpg

 

Fitting a new counter block to Mabel.

Taken when various tunnels were closed preventing access to Dutton, & we were allowed use of Hayhurst slips for annual Hotel Boat maintenance.

 

Tim

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There is a formal consolation on the proposals. If you have comment on the loss of use of this slipway and its canopy then please send something to pdimoldenberg@quatro-consults.co.uk Email link

Brief comments are fine. Mine simply says. ‘This development should not mean the loss of use of the covered slipway’ With 'Northwich riverside development' in the subject area.

Edited by Mike C
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Hayhurst Yard in the mid-1970s.

 

6381963151_0a14a69714_z.jpg

 

6381962805_e8af72de95_z.jpg

In the background...

LMS tug Beeston, sister to the very lovely Sandbach, it's the one with the porthole on the front of the cabin. Beeston was hidden away in the Ashton Canal Warehouse in the sixties,unused. She's now at Ellesmere Port, rusting gently in the undergrowth.

We copied the design of the Hayhurst slipway , the main feature of which is the single winch used to haul two trolleys out of the water with the boat spanning the trolleys. Our main interest is in superannuated wooden boats, so 70ft craft got 3 trolleys under to spread the load, the 3rd ,unpowered trolley being just to support the weight . Hayhurst's winch is electric, ours was steam , now compressed air .

Bill

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We copied the design of the Hayhurst slipway , the main feature of which is the single winch used to haul two trolleys out of the water with the boat spanning the trolleys. Our main interest is in superannuated wooden boats, so 70ft craft got 3 trolleys under to spread the load, the 3rd ,unpowered trolley being just to support the weight . Hayhurst's winch is electric, ours was steam , now compressed air .

Bill

 

Just up the river was the Liverpool Lighterage slipway, long gone but I do remember it in use (just), that was powered by a Foden steam engine. Anyone know what happened to that?

 

Tim

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Liam,

 

Your wish is my command! I don't think any of the photos show Ariel, though, but I do have some showing the Liverpool Lighterage slip which Tim mentions, and another slip on the island just upstream.

 

6390557299_bb79f4178c_z.jpg

 

 

 

Proper shaft there ;)

 

 

 

Liam,

 

Your wish is my command! I don't think any of the photos show Ariel, though, but I do have some showing the Liverpool Lighterage slip which Tim mentions, and another slip on the island just upstream.

 

 

 

I think you would struggle to recognise the Ariel of those days !

 

Tim

Edited by Timleech
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Liam,

 

Your wish is my command! I don't think any of the photos show Ariel

 

Thanks Pluto but as you said, nothing that resembles Ariel in the earlier days there.

 

 

I think you would struggle to recognise the Ariel of those days !

Tim

 

You're probably right but I do have a few old snaps to go off that would give me an idea... such as this one (on the left, obviously, when being raised by John Jinks, photo courtesy of Jim Taylor). Hercules is on the right.

 

ariel_sunk.jpg

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The little flat seen in some of the pictures is the one John aquired. John sold it to John Hodgkinson who with a outboard powering it went on to cover 3000 miles in it, doing virtually the whole system!

 

What a great bloke John Jinks was - really still missed.

 

 

edited to correct mileage!!

Edited by Laurence Hogg
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Thanks Pluto but as you said, nothing that resembles Ariel in the earlier days there.

 

 

 

 

You're probably right but I do have a few old snaps to go off that would give me an idea... such as this one (on the left, obviously, when being raised by John Jinks, photo courtesy of Jim Taylor). Hercules is on the right.

 

ariel_sunk.jpg

 

When last in use by BW, I remember it as an open hulk with (IIRC) a crude bow, used for concreting work.

 

Tim

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Was there more than one Shackleton?

 

Yes.

 

The BCN had an iceboat called Shackleton. which was motorised in 1937 and survived in converted form until at least the 1980s. There was a picture of it in one of the magazines (of course I can't find it at the moment or remember which magazine) of it as an empty hull at Ellesmere Port prior to breaking up. it certainly had a similar elongated counter to the boat pictured at Northwich.

 

The story goes is that at one time someone wanted to buy it and being unable to do so he got Malcolm Braine to rebuild the old Worcester and Birmingham IB92 into a longer and motorised boat which he also called Shackleton. This is the boat which still exists today but looks like its going downhill a bit. Clicky

 

Paul

Edited by Paul H
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Yes.

 

The BCN had an iceboat called Shackleton. which was motorised in 1937 and survived in converted form until at least the 1980s. There was a picture of it in one of the magazines (of course I can't find it at the moment or remember which magazine) of it as an empty hull at Ellesmere Port prior to breaking up. it certainly had a similar elongated counter to the boat pictured at Northwich.

 

The story goes is that at one time someone wanted to buy it and being unable to do so he got Malcolm Braine to rebuild the old Worcester and Birmingham IB92 into a longer and motorised boat which he also called Shackleton. This is the boat which still exists today but looks like its going downhill a bit. Clicky

 

Paul

 

Ah right, that explains it. The one you have linked to is the one I recognise. It lives between Sandbach and Middlewich just above the lock (can't remember the name) by the sewage/water treatment works. Got some pictures somewhere of it during conversion.

 

Thanks

 

Edit: http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?hl=en&ll=53.154454,-2.404874&spn=0.000003,0.003613&hnear=Stafford+ST19+5RH,+United+Kingdom&t=h&z=19&vpsrc=6&layer=c&cbll=53.154347,-2.404929&panoid=W_dt_kmfIvUZepzCpNjOrA&cbp=12,88.43,,1,-1.99

Edited by Speedwheel
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When last in use by BW, I remember it as an open hulk with (IIRC) a crude bow, used for concreting work.

 

Tim

 

I am the gaurdian of a private collection of images amongst which are three slides of ARIEL taken at Middlewich in September 1972. These images show ARIEL as described above (counter sterned hulk with a crude fore end).

 

The slices of ARIEL that were rebuilt into another boat in the 1990's (also named ARIEL) have been tied in Bristol's Floating Harbour for several years. This ARIEL still incorporates the crude fore end.

 

The little flat seen in some of the pictures is the one John aquired. John sold it to John Hodgkinson who with a outboard powering it went on to cover 3000 miles in it, doing virtually the whole system!

 

I remember this flat as the pleasure boat WATERWAYS, index 79025. It even attended one of the working boat gatherings at the Black Country Museum in the early 1980's.

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I am the gaurdian of a private collection of images amongst which are three slides of ARIEL taken at Middlewich in September 1972. These images show ARIEL as described above (counter sterned hulk with a crude fore end).

 

The slices of ARIEL that were rebuilt into another boat in the 1990's (also named ARIEL) have been tied in Bristol's Floating Harbour for several years. This ARIEL still incorporates the crude fore end.

 

 

 

I remember this flat as the pleasure boat WATERWAYS, index 79025. It even attended one of the working boat gatherings at the Black Country Museum in the early 1980's.

 

Hi Pete, would it be possible to see these three pictures in any way, please?

 

Thanks

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I commented to the consultation and received an email from the PR company saying that BW intends to make the drydock and wet dock available below Hunts lock, however they have missed the point that these sites have been used by private boats in recent years anyway and that the site has foot access only with no road access as it is on a island in the river and a road bridge would be prohibitively expensive.

I have told them this in return to their response, however I fear that they may not be listening. Has anyone else sent in any comments and had this response from them?

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I commented to the consultation and received an email from the PR company saying that BW intends to make the drydock and wet dock available below Hunts lock, however they have missed the point that these sites have been used by private boats in recent years anyway and that the site has foot access only with no road access as it is on a island in the river and a road bridge would be prohibitively expensive.

I have told them this in return to their response, however I fear that they may not be listening. Has anyone else sent in any comments and had this response from them?

 

I think the dry dock (above) Hunts Lock, unless there's another one on the island that I'm unaware of!) would be prohibitively expensive for ordinary pleasure narrow boat or cruiser owners to use, even if BW do make their charges a bit more user friendly than at present.

 

Tim

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