Tuesday 18^th February 2020

After a visit first thing, to Venetian Chandlery, and a chat with Susan, we moved off. Rain was forecast for the afternoon and we had, for us at this time of year, a busy day ahead.

Barbridge Junction, just 1½ miles away, brought us to the end of our slow transit, exploring the Middlewich Branch. The 10 miles and 4 locks from Middlewich, had taken us 10 days. Although weather was a factor, we had thoroughly enjoyed it and had stopped in a number of places we had not previously visited.

At Barbridge the Middlewich Branch joins the main line of what is now known as the Shropshire Union Canal. However, the Shroppie, as it is commonly known, has a complex history and, originally, the section between Chester and Barbridge was built as the Chester Canal between 1772 and 1779. As originally planned, this canal was to connect the port of Chester with the Trent and Mersey Canal at Middlewich, with a short branch leading to Nantwich.

The building of the Trent and Mersey was the cause for this new venture as it was seen as a threat to Chester as a seaport and the River Dee Navigation. The canal was designed to bolster Chester as an alternative port to Liverpool.

Chester had been the major port in the North West of England until the emergence of Liverpool in the  18^th century, coinciding with silting of the River Dee, brought about its demise. Sea ports on the River Dee then started to move down river to Neston and Parkgate, before the importance of Liverpool overtook them.

Due to engineering and financial difficulties, the main line was of the Chester Canal was altered to terminate at a basin and warehouses outside Nantwich, with the line to Middlewich demoted be a branch. The Nantwich – Chester line was completed in 1779 but the spur to Middlewich was not realised until 54 years later.

   

Barbridge Junction, Past and Present

We stopped briefly at Barbridge for a look around and to see the ongoing works at the culvert just off the Nantwich side of the junction that has caused the stoppage. On close inspection, the outlines of the wharf buildings that used be located at the canal terminus can just be seen, although there is no trace of them today.

The Chester Canal was built as an early contour canal, following the lay of the land. Due to the canal not connecting with the T&M, it only serviced a very local, rural area and was wholly uneconomic. The company resolved to abandon the canal in 1781. However, they managed to keep going somehow, until construction of the Ellesmere Canal began. The Chester Canal then became part of a much larger network servicing much of North Wales, which generated more traffic, and the two companies amalgamated in 1813, to become the Ellesmere and Chester Canal.

We turned right at the junction, heading towards Chester on what was originally the Chester Canal. Passing the huge North Western Farmers warehouses, we reached Calveley where we stopped at the service station, located in an old warehouse building complete with canopy, for a long overdue rubbish dump and toilet emptying. Beyond Calveley, we passed some well-hidden lime kilns beside the canal on the short trip to Bunbury, where we expected to moor until the opening of Tilstone Lock on Friday 21^st.  

     

                              

                                                                                   Calveley Service Station     

                                                                   

                                                                                      Lime Kilns at Bunbury

However, the side of the canal was so shallow, we could get no closer than 18” to the bank, which was again, very muddy. Once moored we walked beyond Bunbury Locks and decided mooring here would be far better and so back to the boat and we moved, descending Bunbury Staircase Locks.

Bunbury is an impressive canal site with its wharf building, stables, staircase locks and lockkeepers cottage. 

    

Bunbury Staircase Locks and Wharf

     

We descending a staircase lock, it is necessary to have the top chamber full and any subsequent chambers emptied, which actually leaves them half full. The boat then enters the top chamber which is then emptied into the next chamber, equalising the levels and so on until the lower level is reached. This means that descending the locks, no matter how many in the staircase, only uses one chamber full of water. People often get this procedure wrong and have all the chambers full such that, emptying one into the other causes the lower chamber to overflow, flooding the adjacent bank. At Bunbury the brickwork in the lock wall has slits that remove any excess water from the chamber into the sluice alongside.

Trying to moor turned out a right carry-on. Firstly, where we had wanted to stop, was too shallow.

Brenda with her depth gauge

Brenda then walked further down with a depth gauge and decided it was better further down, so we moved again and managed to get the boat alongside. However, by the time we put the stakes in, the boat had moved out from the bank and, within an hour, had developed a 10˚ list. We are in the short ½ mile pound between Bunbury and Tilstone Locks with Tilstone closed. CRT are also working on Beeston Locks further down the canal and do not want any water running beyond Tilstone, and so have sluices open lowering the pound we are sitting in.

While it is not ideal and very disconcerting and uncomfortable, living with floors that slope 10˚, we have decided to put up with it until the locks open on Friday.

Weather: cold but clear.

Day Total: 2 locks; 5 miles; 0 Tunnels; 0 Swing Bridges; 0 Lift Bridges; 0 Boat Lift; Day’s running hours 3.6    

Overall Total: 875 locks; 1531 miles; 53 tunnels; 61 Swing Bridges; 17 Lift Bridges; 2 Boat Lifts; total engine running hours 1025.7