News, views and items of interest
from The Boat Museum Society, Ellesmere Port.
Waterways and food supplies in Manchester and Staffordshire.
George III and canals – English and French canal construction.
Two centuries of boatbuilding – the story of the Taylor family.
Policing on the canals and inland waterways.
Waterways between east and west europe.
Soft back. 72 pages. 21cms x 19.9cms approx. Black & white photos and drawings.
Priced at £6.99p and can be found here.
by Bob Hakewill.
Charting the history of boatbuilders and companies that supplied them around the Market Harborough area, including Harborough Marine, North Kilworth Marine, Springer and Fernie Steel Fabrications to name some of them.
Soft back. 56 pages. Spiral bound. Black & white photos and diagrams. Priced at £4.50p and can be found here.
The latest two maps to be published by Heron Maps are for the Llangollen & Montgomery Canals and the Oxford Canal, which also covers the 5 miles into Coventry Basin on the Coventry Canal.
Both are priced at £5.99p and are available here.
This is the eighth book in the Marnie Walker series.
Two unexpected visitors arrive in Knightly St John, a gifted boy and a secretive stranger with a mysterious past. Despite Marnie’s desire not to become involved in other people’s lives, she is inescapably drawn in by a sequence of events beyond her control.
When tragedy strikes, Marnie is startled to find herself arrested for murder. Even the police have doubts about her involvement in the crime, but all the evidence suggests otherwise, and proving her innocence is virtually impossible.
Soft back. 365 pages. 15.4cms x 23.5cms approx.
Price £8.99p and can be ordered here.
by Anthony Burton.
This book tells the story of 250 years of history on the canals and of the people who made and used them. It describes the great engineers and the industrialists who promoted the canals they built.
It also tells the story of the anonymous navvies who dug the canals, the men and women who ran the boats and the workers who kept the canals running.
Covering the entire history of the canal network, from the glorious early days, through the years of decline, up to the subsequent revival of the canals as leisure routes.
Hard back. 192 pages. 17.9 cms x 25.5cms approx. Illustrated in colour and black & white.
Price £17.99p and can be ordered here.
by Rod Fitzhugh.
In this book, Rod presents an invaluable record of the heyday of trade on the river when the prosperity of much of Somerset was dependent on access to the sea. From 1200 to 1971 when Bridgwater docks finally closed, the river was a trading route for cargo.
First published in 1993, this revised and updated edition brings the history of the River Parrett up to date and introduces some fascinating photographic records.
Soft back. 160 pages. 16.4cms x 23.5cms approx. Illustrated with black & white photos.
Price £12.99p and can be ordered here.
by Steve Haywood.
Casting aside the road maps Steve escapes to a different England on his narrowboat and cruises slowly through a landscape unchanged for centuries, visiting picturesque towns and canal festivals.
But the new member of his crew, Kit, is an untidy bundle of fur with all the attitude you would expect from a ‘sarf lunnun’ cat, and determined to keep him on his toes.
Soft back. 312 pages. 12.9cms x 19.8cms approx.
Price £8.99p and can be ordered here.
This fascinating book delves into the forgotten history of the Midlands and border canal infrastructure, including the Grand Union, Staffs & Worcs, Stourbridge, Stratford, Trent & Mersey and Worcs & Birmingham canals amongst others.
This illustrated history recognises the skill of the engineers who designed and built them and had such an influence on the waterways in this region.
Price £16.99p and can be ordered here.
The Huddersfield Narrow Canal by Keith Gibson & David Finnis.
Two hundred years in the life of a Pennine waterway. A thorough history of the building, use, decline and restoration of the canal, well illustrated with many contemporary photographs, some rare.
£12.99p and can be ordered here.
The latest map to arrive from Heron Maps is the River Thames. The Thames Path is also covered for those wanting to walk beside the river.
The route of the Thames & Severn Canal is also shown from Sapperton Tunnel to Inglesham.
The price is £5.99p and can be ordered here.