A bit of canal knowledge

 An attendance of 7148 people ,plus dogs, is quite impressive for most events particularly so in late January in this country. Many a lower league football team would consider a crowd of that size, less the dogs, against their statistical data in anticipation of a new record. 

The reason for the assembled numbers in this instance was an Open Day at the historic Five Rise Locks at Bingley in West Yorkshire. The Grade 1 Listed locks were constructed from 1760 along the course of the Leeds Liverpool Canal, at that time a major artery for commerce through Yorkshire and Lancashire and the catalyst for the significant contribution of the region within the Industrial Revolution of Britain. The canal system in Britain served as effectively in its heyday as the motorway system of today given that most roadways were little more than muddy tracks and a major hindrance to the transport of goods.

A milepost at the Locks shows a distance of 16.25 miles to Leeds and 111 miles to Liverpool as an illustration of the sheer scale of the waterway. On a map the route is quite tortuous looping up from Leeds before sweeping down into Lancashire and the major regional cities. The canal was built to take boats of a seven foot width and a length of up to eighty feet therefore capable of carrying substantial bulk cargo. The Five Rise staircase locks provided a solution to an otherwise major physical obstacle of a hill to the course of the navigable channel. 

There is a difference of some sixty feet between the lower and upper chambers of the waterway and in the 18th Century the task will have relied upon manual labour throughout making it, arguably, one of the most challenging civil engineering projects of its time.

As part of the current and ongoing major project to replace the huge operating gates it was necessary to drain the basins and fully expose the submerged structure in all its glory. This had not been done for 100 years and in recognition of the rarity of the event and circumstances there was unprecendented public access.

In homage to the original opening of the Five Rise Locks in 1774 when an estimated 30,000 people witnessed the 90 minute passage of narrow boats, the January 2012 turnout was fairly impressive and reflective of the interest in all things historic. Guided tours were available through the drained basins which at some 23 feet deep had been constructed in substantial hand dressed stone to both hold in the huge volume of water but also retain against the pressures of the hillside. The materials and the construction process were dependant on block and tackle, hoists and pulleys, human effort and horse drawn transport .The current engineering experts on site have expressed awe at the skill and workmanship now clearly exposed for scrutiny.

It can be quite interesting discovering the contents at the bottom of a drained canal, lake or pond but being a well stewarded historic facility to deter fly-tippers and lazy shoppers it would appear that Tesco's were not called to Bingley to recover any of their carts from a watery trolley park resting place. 

The British canal system retains its position as a popular holiday activity and the extensive network either preserved from its origins or subsequently restored after lapsing into obsolescence is patronised by many thousands of users through the peak vacation months. As a consequence of frequent use of the Five Rise the bottom of the basin , when drained, revealed oddments of pots and pans from enthusiastic fry-ups and lunches on the go, various mobile phones lost during shouted conversations of "I'M ON A CANAL BOAT!" and unusually a childs tiara. 

We did spend a week on a narrow boat on a short section of the Leeds Liverpool canal in 1990 but did not feel confident enough to negotiate the Five Rise inspite of our Captain, George having spent time on board the same vessel on an ascent and subsequent descent of the incline. 

Our journey had been from Gargrave just above Skipton up to and through the Foulridge Tunnel before turning around at Wigan. This stretch did pass through the now industrial backwaters of such places as Barnoldswick, well know for the production of Slumberdown Beds, before the dark satanic mills and factories of the Lancashire conurbation came into sight .

In between, the countryside was idyllic with drystone walls, sheep pasture, canalside pubs and most moorings were but a short distance from shops and facilities. 

Although it did rain persistently for much of the time ,George looked the part in full oilskin wet weather gear at the tiller and we enjoyed the week tremendously.