Marston

Today's Canal : Coventry

When  we started to get up this morning the forecast light rain had just arrived but before we could set off a very heavy downpour began. With no great hurry, we opted to sit out the rain. This proved to be the best decision as by half past ten it cleared and we did not get wet at all.

Opposite our overnight mooring used to be Bedworth Golf Club but it went out of business in 2006. The site remained unused for several years but in 2014 a developer started to negotiate for planning permission for a medium sized housing estate. It cannot have been for some time that construction eventually got underway and we could just see some signs of work in progress. A few streets are not complete but there is some way yet to go.

At the north end of the development site we could just discern the start of a short arm, now abandoned. At one time, Bedworth had numerous coal mines but now there is little to see, other than perhaps in the names of some local streets, such as Colliery Lane North.

The start of the former Bedworth Hill Arm now provides a useful winding hole - midway between Hawkesbury Junction to the south and Marston Junction to the north, each a mile and a half or more away.

Adjacent to the arm is a bridge - the sloped access on the left of the photo (the arm is to the right) is a suggestion that made it easier for horses to turn right here to pull boats into (or out of0 the arm, most likely to be laden with coal.

One of the most well known and photographed spots on this canal is Charity Dock with is ever-changing eclectic mix of oddly dressed mannequins.

Nice to see that at least The Stig is still here, even if Top Gear is no more.

We thought that we had found out about the name Charity Dock and written about it in a much earlier blog but we cannot find any trace. So, starting again, we think that we have perhaps not found this information before now, taken from here.

Charity Colliery was sunk on land owned by the Rev. Nicholas Chamberlaine charity in Bedworth. The first shafts were sunk in 1776 and these were referred to as Charity Nr. 1 Colliery, and the location of these was at Coalpit Fields in Bedworth. Another set of shafts were sunk in 1830 and this was called Charity Nr. 2 Colliery also in Coalpit Fields. The Charity did not mine the land themselves they let out the mineral rights and took Royalties on every ton of coal extracted. It turned out to be a very lucrative business and allowed the charity to erect a school and almshouses in the town. The second colliery Charity Nr. 2 when sunk in 1830 was to provide employment for ribbon weavers who were out of work because of a depression in the silk trade. 

And so we passed Marston Junction, the start of the Ashby Canal. We were due at Trinity Marina on Thursday to leave the boat there for a couple of weeks whilst we return home for a diary-packed series of meetings and appointments. However, last night we found that the journey to collect the car from Cropredy is longer than anticipated and so today Christine rang to arrange to arrive tomorrow afternoon. For now we leave exploring the Ashby until the next trip.

Griff Colliery had a long history of coal mining and was one of the more important in the area. Its seams were close to the surface and much we extracted by open cast methods. It closed in the early 1950s along with many other pits across the country. The Coventry Canal connected to Griff via a slightly longer arm than the others and the photo is of a turnover bridge close to the junction.

We came across this remarkable, and horrendous, story about life at Griff.

Ernest Thomas Green, died on 2 Nov 1913, (accident: 23 Sep 1913), aged 22. He was an Incline attendant, His duties were to attend to the self-acting incline in the gate road and to assist in lowering single tubs from the flat sheets to the incline top, a distance of 29 feet with a gradient for the full load of 1 in 9. When taking a tub down deceased was in front with his face towards the tub, and the loader was behind the tub. It went rather faster than usual owing to one of the back wheels having become partly loose on the axle, and the locker in the opposite wheel having little effect on it. Deceased's head and chest were crushed between the moving tub and another standing at the blocks on the incline top. To go in front of a tub down an incline roadway was a breach of Special Rule 88, and General regulation 26. Deceased resumed work on October 12th and continued for seven or eight days. He was again medically attended and died from septic meningitis and pleurisy on November 2nd. (see)

There is a loop line between Nuneaton and Coventry. Whilst it does carry freight - this container was part of a very long train - there is an hourly passenger service each way between Nuneaton and Leamington Spa.

We continued to Bridge 21 where, just the other side from this photo, there is a good winding hole and after turning around we moored nearby for lunch.

Spotting canalside houses for sale can often give some additional insight into the through which we are passing. This one, on Greenmoor Road to the left of the photo is on the western side of Nuneaton and, as the estate agent says, is a traditional three bed semi in good condition. It has just one room on the ground floor in addition to a small kitchen. The three bedrooms share a single shower room. Surprisingly compact. Asking price: £245,000.

We continued to retrace our morning route and stopped on a suggested mooring shortly before Marston Junction. The depth of water alongside the excellent piling was unexpectedly missing but we did not feel like trying again. So, we have a security moat for added protection tonight - no extra charge.

7.6 Miles - 0 Locks