The start of the centenary year of L.T.C.Rolt’s birth would seem to be an opportune moment to celebrate -- re-evaluate perhaps, certainly to reconsider his influence and impact on the whole waterways scene today. ...More
A personal and thought provoking angle on a wide range of waterways topics
Off The Mainline by Tony Lewery
Tony Lewery
is a well known waterways author, a regular contributor to
the waterways press and acknowledged expert on canal art and heritage.
For over ten years Tony has been writing these 'Off The Mainline' features for Canal Junction, taking a personal and thought provoking angle on a wide range of waterways topics and events, all accompanied by his own original photographs or artwork. They are intended to encourage discussion and Tony is pleased to hear your views.
Frankton, an Eightieth Anniversary
Tony discovers photographs of Welsh Frankton Junction in the 1920's and considers just how much can change in a lifetime, from busy transport artery, through rural dereliction, to the most popular waterway holiday route in the country. ...More
More Canal Art
Canals have inspired many flavours of art, from the decorative paintwork of the boats to fine art landscapes, carefully crafted drawings and illustrations, and the working architecture of bridges, bollards, paddle gear and iron guards grooved by decades of towropes. ...More
Sunken Narrowboat at Crickheath
Waterways Recovery Group working on pushing the Montgomery Canal Restoration further south came upon the remains of an old boat partly embedded in a tree trunk. ...More
The Montgomery Canal at Berriew
The Montgomery Canal continues to amaze me. Yes, I realise that I am becoming uncomfortably obsessive about it, but its survival, conservation and future development potential just seems to sum up so many philosophical canal problems all in one place. ...More
Flyboat stable on the Shropshire Union Canal
In 1999 a volunteer work party carefully cleaned and recorded the contents of a Shropshire Union fly boat stable, due for conversion to a house, taking photographs and notes. ...More
Leeds and Liverpool boat decoration
It still surprises me that the extraordinary decorative paintwork tradition of the Leeds and Liverpool canal is not better known, not lauded or loved more profoundly and proudly. ...More
A Ton-Mileage Memory
A group of volunteers have been surveying some of the buildings at Taylor's Yard, the old Shropshire Union boatyard in Chester, prior to forthcoming repairs, cleaning them out and recording any surviving items of boatyard history. ...More