Saturday 23rd
November 2019
The day was cold and, although it didn’t actually rain, it threatened
all day. We quickly came to the two-staircase lock at Bunbury, followed in regular
succession by the locks at Tilstone and Beeston Stone and Iron Locks.
Bunbury Locks are interesting with their attendant stable blocks,
wharf buildings and dock areas. At Beeston the two locks were originally built
of stone but the lower lock suffered badly from shifting sand and subsidence
and so was replaced in 1828 with overlapping, flanged cast iron plates to
overcome the problems. The structure is Grade II listed and supported on piles
12 feet deep and weighs approximately 10% of a conventional stone lock. The
disadvantage of it for single-handed boaters is there are no ladders within the
lock.
Beeston
Iron Lock
Beyond
Beeston Locks on the south side of the canal is a well-defined ridge that
houses a World War II RAF Aviation Fuel Depot. This was part of a national
network of storage facilities and pipelines connecting RAF bases. The site is
enormous and must have contained a tremendous amount of fuel. It is believed to
have closed in the 1980’s. There were lots of Red Deer on the ridge, so many they
could not have been wild and must surely be farmed.
Ridge at Beeston containing WW II Fuel Dumps with Red
Deer on the Ridge
Beeston Castle
We stopped
just before Wharton’s Lock with dramatic views over towards Beeston Castle. Beeston
Castle was built in the 1220’s and is perched on a sandstone crag 350 feet
above the Cheshire Plain and, along with Peckforton Castle further south and
also sitting on a sandstone crag, dominates the surrounding area.
Day Total: 5 locks; 3 miles; 0 Tunnels; 0 Swing Bridges; 0 Lift Bridges;
0 Boat Lift; Day’s running hours 2.1
Overall Total: 833 locks; 1432 miles; 53 tunnels; 61 Swing Bridges; 17
Lift Bridges; 2 Boat Lifts; total engine running hours 909.4
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