Today's Canal : Market Harborough Arm
Today we stayed put in the basin at Market Harborough aka Union Wharf. The warm, even hot, weather of yesterday was gone and the day remained noticeably chilly. Later in the day it was evident that far fewer people wanted to sit outside and have their drink or meal looking out over the basin.
We had decided to attend the main service of the day at St Dionysius in the centre of town. We were told that this is the only Church of England with this designation. Appropriately, one of the readings set for today is about the time when St Paul preached at Areopagus, a hill to the north of the acropolis in Athens. It is believed that Dionysius was a judge who converted to Christianity as the result of listening to the speech.
As we started to walk to town we passed an information board about the history of Union Wharf. The canal was built only four decades after the Bridgewater (credited as the first modern canal in the UK) and for similar treasons - to reduce the price of coal. Just as the Duke achieved, the price of coal (here from the Leicestershire coalfield, dropped by at least a half when sold in the surrounding towns.
The warehouse opposite the entry to the basin was in part a bonded warehouse for tea. Despite the repeal of the extortionate tea taxes that led to the Boston Tea Party and ultimately to the geopolitical pressures of today, tea was subject to a tax until 1929. Even today, tea is only 0% rated when in its leaf form but charged at the standard rate when served in a cafe or tea room. Bonded warehouses were once an important part of collecting taxes and countering smuggling.
We walked down the hill into town, setting off in good time, which meant that Christine could visit the Mountain Warehouse to buy a replacement pair of sandals. Whilst not quite the quality of her older pair, at a specially reduced price of £29 they proved irresistible!
The main street is like many other former coaching towns with a wise space between the buildings on either side, but surrounded by a network of narrow streets where much of the bustle and business of the town took place.
We then crossed over to the church. About 50-60 people were in the congregation and the service was rather more conventional than when we last attended back in 2018. The vicar was particularly enthusiastic, preached without notes and was obviously keen to make the spoken words mean more than is often the case with a bland recitation of the liturgy.
After our experience yesterday, we timed matters so that we could take a bus almost all the way up the hill almost the entrance to Union Wharf. The less frequent Sunday service meant that we had a little time to call at one or two other shops. At one, a busy baker and patisserie, Christine spotted some Harborough Curd Cakes. These we very much enjoyed at tea time later in the day. A bit like Rock or Heavy cakes and other local specialities we have previously encountered, but significantly very much lighter.
Overall, we were impressed that the town centre has retained a vibrant and diverse retail trade. Many small independent shops rub shoulders with well known national brands. All within a modest walking distance. As far as we could ascertain there are no peripheral retail parks that have helped to empty many high streets. With several good local bus routes and many folk evidently prepared to walk to and fro, the lack of good and free car parking that has helped empty many towns, is not such an issue.
The bus was prompt and dropped us at the stop outside the police station, leaving with a very short distance to walk to the wharf. Hence we returned to the boat rather fresher than after our trip to the Co-Op!
As planned, nothing much intruded on a laid back afternoon!
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