S.R. Broadbridge's BCN - was there ever a Volume II?

[stort_mark]

Volume 1 ends in August 1846, and I've been waiting since 1974 for the sequel...

 

Anyone know whether a start was ever made on Volume II? Would be good to read the rest of the story.

 

Ans whatever happened to Mr or Ms Broadbridge?

 

 

[AndrewIC]

I don't believe vol 2 was ever published. I have copies of most of the David & Charles waterways books, and there are a few "forthcoming titles" listed in them that appear never to have seen the light of day (one on the Manchester Ship Canal).

[Heartland]

Volume 2 was never published, although there are rumours that a draft was started. Broadbridge did write other articles, however.

 

Ray Shill

[tarboat]

Stan Broadbridge died in the late 1970s. I occasionally boated with him around 1975 and from what I remember he told me that the sales of the original volume were not good and the publishers were unenthusiastic about publishing volume 2.

[AndrewIC]

That's a real shame, considering the variety, complexity and amount of change over time of the BCN

[stort_mark]

Yes, a real shame.

[Joseph]

I'm slightly hijacking this thread, but does anyone know if there were canal books that were announced but not published - and for which manuscripts MIGHT still exist?

 

I can think of two D&C ones. The late Peter Stevenson wrote the first chapter of a book on the Derby Canal. And a Mr H Robinson, who I think died in 1981, wrote a book on the Shropshire Union Canal. I met him at an event a long time back and he said that the MS was complete, but D&C were messing him round somewhat. It seems to have vanished.

 

Any others, anyone?

 

J

[Pluto]

I have an incomplete manuscript for a book on the Cod Beck and Bedale Navigations which was passed to me in the hope I would have time to complete it. Anyone like to take it on?

[AndrewIC]

Sadly not, but I did once go looking for the site of Leeming Lock.

[hecla777]

Perhaps we ought to ask the current D&C organisation (F&W Media) if they know or David St John Thomas, he may be able to say if the texts were actually written and where they went?.

 

Martin O'Keeffe

[pete harrison]

I'm slightly hijacking this thread, but does anyone know if there were canal books that were announced but not published - and for which manuscripts MIGHT still exist?

 

Any others, anyone?

 

J

A complete history of all Yard Numbers built by W.J. Yarwood & Sons Ltd., Northwich (as well as the shipyard predecessors) was extensively researched and written up in manuscript form by Clive Guthrie. Unfortunately Mr Guthrie passed away on 18 February 2007 whilst three copies of his manuscript were being proof read, one of which was by me - and I still have this copy.

 

Mr Guthrie's son was intent on completing his fathers work which only required the placing of relevant photographs, but alas this did not happen and I fear his collection is now lost.

[Richard Fairhurst]

There's an (infamous?) set of memoirs by a working boatman, mostly on the Shropshire Union system in the first half of the 20th century, and including gems such as a passage through Berwick Tunnel.

 

I've read edited extracts but not the whole text; I understand the full manuscript is in the hands of a well-known waterways personality, but whether the boatman's family will ever allow him to publish them is another thing. It would be a crying shame if not - from what I've seen, it has the potential to be the best waterway book of the past 20 years - but given that interest in waterways history is (sadly) declining, it ought to be done soon.

Edited November 6, 2013 by Richard Fairhurst

[Hugh]

There's an (infamous?) set of memoirs by a working boatman, mostly on the Shropshire Union system in the first half of the 20th century, and including gems such as a passage through Berwick Tunnel.

 

I've read edited extracts but not the whole text; I understand the full manuscript is in the hands of a well-known waterways personality, but whether the boatman's family will ever allow him to publish them is another thing. It would be a crying shame if not - from what I've seen, it has the potential to be the best waterway book of the past 20 years - but given that interest in waterways history is (sadly) declining, it ought to be done soon.

Agreed whole-heartedly!

 

There is also a manuscript of the second part of Leslie Morton's autobiography. The first half (covering his life at sea - as I recall) is entitled The Long Wake. It stops just as he is about to embark on his canal career.

 

The second half was in the hands of a relative who was typing it out. I tried on several occasions to encourage him but to no avail. That seems a great pity as it would be a fascinating story. I now seem to have lost his contact details which is an even greater pity

 

Hugh

[Joseph]

Hello Richard

 

I think that there were plans to publish this autobiography - very welcome if so.

 

Regards

 

Joseph

[Heartland]

Some other canal titles is preparation 1972

 

Bude Canal- H Harris and M Ellis

Exeter Canal -Kenneth R Clew

Forth and Clyde Canal- Graham Matheson and D.Light

Stroudwater Canal- M A Handford

Yorkshire Derwent and Pocklington Canal Baron F Duckham

 

Did any make it onto the shelves?

 

Ray Shill

[AndrewIC]

The Bude Canal certainly did. I'll have a trawl later...

[AndrewIC]

The following were definitely published by David & Charles in the "Canals of the British Isles" series:

 

The Canals of [the]...

• East Midlands
• Eastern England
• North of Ireland
• North-West England Vol 1
• North-West England Vol 2
• Scotland
• South & South-East England
• South of Ireland
• South Wales & The Border
• Southern England (pub Phoenix House 1955)
• South-West England
• West Midlands
• Yorkshire & North-East England Vol 1
• Yorkshire & North-East England Vol 2
• British C

 

The following were definitely published by D&C in the "Inland Waterways Histories" series:

 

The...

• Ballinamore & Ballyconnell C
• Birmingham C Navigations Vol 1
• Bude C
• Dorset & Somerset C
• Grand C of Ireland
• Grand Junction C
• Grand Western C
• Great Ouse
• Kennet & Avon Canal
• Leicester Line
• London’s Lost Route to Basingstoke
• London’s Lost Route to the Sea
• Lost C of England & Wales
• Nutbrook C Derbyshire
• Oxford C
• Royal Military C
• Somersetshire Coal C and Railways
• Thames & Severn C
• Trent & Mersey C
• Waterways to Stratford
• Yorkshire Ouse

The following titles were listed as "in preparation" in one or more of the published volumes above, but appear never to have made it into print at all:

 

The...

• Aire & Calder C (2 Volumes) (W. N. Slatcher)
• Derby C (Peter Stevenson)
• Forth & Clyde Canal (Graham Matheson & D. Light)
• Manchester Ship Canal (Edward Paget-Tomlinson)
• Nene (Ronald Russell)
• Shropshire Union Cs (H. Robinson)
• Stroudwater Navigation (M. A. Handford)
• Yorkshire Derwent & Pocklington C (B. F. Duckham)

The following titles were also listed as "in preparation" in one or more of the published volumes, and may have made it into print via other routes:

• The Severn Bore (F. W. Rowbotham) - Published D&C 1964, but not listed in any of the other books after publication.
• The Tamar Valley (F. L. Booker) – Published in the “The Industrial Archaeology of…” series, D&C 1967
• The Exeter C (Kenneth Clew) – Appears to have been published by Phillimore 1984.
• The Leicester Navigation (Philip Stevens) – This volume was listed as “in preparation” in several of the titles above which also listed "The Leicester Line" as already having been published. A book by Stevens titled “The Leicester & Melton Mowbray Navigations” was published Sutton 1992.
• The Warwick Canals (Alan H. Faulkner) - Published Railway & Canal Historical Society 1985

[RLWP]

Publishing stuff on the internet is pretty easy...

 

Richard

[Fire-999]

Stanley Robertson Broadbridge (my Grandfathers great Grandson) died of Cancer in Camberwell London on 29 November 1978 and was survived by his wife Eva, sadly he never published a second volume.

 

HISTORY

 

He was born in Barnet on 16 April 1928 and died in Camberwell London on 29 November 1978 age 50 from cancer

 

Served in WWII in Bomber Command and was awarded the DFC

In 1950 at his wedding to Eva Pollington in Littleborough Whitworth Lancaster he was still in the RAF

He was economics lecturer at Leigh Technical College Lancs 1957-1964

North Staffordshire Polytechnic from 1965-1977

General Secretary to the National Association of Teachers in further and higher education since 1977 until his death

Edited January 21, 2014 by Fire-999

[Joseph]

Sorry to hear about Mr Broadbridge's early demise - a sad loss.

 

It's still not clear if he wrote a second volume in full or in part. Any thoughts, anyone?

 

Joseph

[Tim Lewis]

Stanley Robertson Broadbridge (my Grandfathers great Grandson) died of Cancer in Camberwell London on 29 November 1978 and was survived by his wife Eva, sadly he never published a second volume.

 

HISTORY

 

He was born in Barnet on 16 April 1928 and died in Camberwell London on 29 November 1978 age 50 from cancer

 

Served in WWII in Bomber Command and was awarded the DFC

In 1950 at his wedding to Eva Pollington in Littleborough Whitworth Lancaster he was still in the RAF

He was economics lecturer at Leigh Technical College Lancs 1957-1964

North Staffordshire Polytechnic from 1965-1977

General Secretary to the National Association of Teachers in further and higher education since 1977 until his death

 

Would be interested to know how he won a DFC in Bomber Command seeing as he would only have been 17 when the war ended!

 

Tim

[stort_mark]

On 05/02/2014 at 13:54, Tim Lewis said:

 

Would be interested to know how he won a DFC in Bomber Command seeing as he would only have been 17 when the war ended!

 

Tim

 

Tim,

 

I think the information given about Broadbridge by his great grandson (?) was maybe a bit mixed up.

There's no SR Broadbridge in the RAF records that I can find, and difficult finding any more records or information on him. A real pity as it would be interesting to know if he prepared a draft Vol 2!

 

Mark

[John Brightley]

On 5/1/2017 at 18:11, stort_mark said:

 

Tim,

 

I think the information given about Broadbridge by his great grandson (?) was maybe a bit mixed up.

There's no SR Broadbridge in the RAF records that I can find, and difficult finding any more records or information on him. A real pity as it would be interesting to know if he prepared a draft Vol 2!

 

Mark

When I was involved with the BCN Society in the 1980's several members who I think had known Mr Broadbridge were certain Volume 2 had been completed but never published. 

It's possible some of the older members of the BCN Society or IWA Birmingham Branch might know more.

[Heartland]

I have not heard of a copy of completed text, nor has anybody in the BCN Society mentioned it. I suspect that the research, though started was never finished. The problem with a volume two, is that probably a volume three might have been required as the history became very complex from 1846.

[stort_mark]

What an amazing project that would be, to complete the research and publish Vol II. (and III)