This morning we went to the main service at the nearby parish church for Hillmorton. Although the main centre of Hillmorton is the other side of the railway lines, the church is just a short walk from the bridge above the bottom lock.
A church has been on this site since at least the 12th century but the present building was started in the 14th.
The layout is quite traditional but has been adapted to present day needs quite recently. It has an excellent audio visual system which, apart from a couple of glitches, was worked very smoothly - the control desk looks quite complex!
At the back there is still a West Gallery which once held the band and singers from the 18C until they were replaced by the organ in the mid 19C. It is slightly unusual in being fitted with a barrel that can play one of 10 tunes in the absence of an organist (must have become rather boring or well known, depending on taste!)
Today, a couple of modern electronic instruments at the front of the nave are being used, and this morning the NSM curate also led the hymns and songs with her guitar.
The service was less liturgical than we are mostly accustomed to but in formal parts were interspersed with the key parts of the set pattern. The talk was quite lengthy and detailed, setting out he approach to life after death that comes from an Evangelical perspective (there are others LTRU!)
Afterwards there was coffee and a good array of cakes and savouries - we spent most of the time chatting to another visitor, a liveaboard boater that is moored above the locks awaiting some important work to be done on his Russell Newbury engine - the main specialists in this type are based on the arm mid flight. We then walked back to the boat - by now it was about time for lunch.
Lunch over, Mike began by moving the boat a short distance to the water point. Fortunately there are two taps as another boat was also just pulling in to fill up. The bank and water depth here are surprisingly poor as this is a very popular water point (these locks are usually considered to be the busiest on the network)
Once full we set off towards the lock. Just before is the start of another former loop - the canal originally went straight from the bottom lock but the shortened alignment bears off to the left.
This flight has pairs of locks - installed at the height of traffic to reduce the delays that otherwise were aa frustration to speeding boaters. As always, delivery poeple were pressed to complete their journeys as speedily as they could. Even today, at busy times there can be queues but not today, although a constant stream kept the wo volunteer lockies busy.
An information board between the bottom and middle lock has some interesting facts about the area. One, that caught pour attention, was about the famous socialite Unity Mitford who for a time was Hitler's girlfriend (along with Eva Braun!) She and her sisters developed strong political views - but each of very different directions. Unity became an ultra Nazi and white supremacist, which fitted well with the views emerging in the period just before the war.
When Britain declared war on Germany, Unity was distraught and shot herself in the head in a failed suicide attempt. However, as soon as possible she was repatriated to convalesce. And here comes the local connection as for some time she was looked after by the vicar in Hillmorton parsonage. In the end she succumbed to the consequence of her self harm.
We were aided in our ascent of the locks not only by the lock keepers but also good timing with boats on the way down. As a result we emerged from the top in under half an hour from entering the bottom. Moored nearest to the lock was the boater we met earlier and we exchanged a cheery wave.
Hillmorton Wharf, just after the railways lines pass over the canal, is undergoing re-development (it needed it!) There is still plenty to be done but the older building which we have always noted as a canoe centre, is now converted to residential use and the plot between it and the main road is being filled in with further housing. We left Take Five in the small marina many years ago - it looks as if there will be yet further changes (for the better) when pass here another time.
Old maps show that the site next to Bridge 74, Kilsby Road, was once a farm. The delightful buildings were converted some time ago to a series of homes.
Just before the start of the Barby Moorings we notice this new house which we did not think we had seen before. Looking at older Google Street Views conforms that the earlier bungalow has been replaced by this larger modern design. It is possible that we missed it last year when we came this way but certainly no longer ago.
Some of the local residents were still enjoying a late lunch!
This was followed by the entrance to the main Barby Moorings marina - the much older waterside moorings (each with a significant plot of land) are still very much in use.
Not for nothing is this section of canal now named Barby Straight.
Between Hillmorton and Napton Junction, the towpath is frequently unsuitable for mooring as the sides were built with sloping flat stones. Just after Barby wood bridge is one of the rare spots that is marked on Waterway Routes. It is a good long stretch of Armco and were were highly delighted to find that most of it was free. We quickly pulled in to the first length! (We will try to remember tomorrow to include a photo to show why mooring is an issue)
3.3 Miles - 3 Locks
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