Volunteering. Why do we do it? We undoubtedly get some fun and satisfaction along the way but underlying these personal benefits is the understanding that if we didn’t do it, it probably wouldn’t get done, and the world would be a poorer place. ...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.
Canals in the landscape
Tony has been revisiting his 'adolescent ambition to be a painter of the old fashioned sort, an artist painting landscapes and portraits in oils and watercolours' and was led to wonder why canal scenes make such good landscape subjects. ...More
Peace and Water Lilies
The isolated Welshpool section of the Montgomery Canal sees very little boat traffic. Although restoration is moving south from Maesbury it will be a while before this beautiful stretch is on every hire boater's route like the nearby Llangollen. Tony enjoys it now! ...More
Topcloth and Tippet
Tony goes film making in Birmingham this month, focussing on the precise techniques of sidecloths, topcloths, tippet and topstrings ...More
More poetic rot
I have been given an old cabin door - a very tatty cabin door it has to be said, but one that pleases my soul more than it has any logical right ...More
Hope springing eternal, again.
A new magazine and a new exhibition could be signs of Springtime regeneration on the canal heritage front, but will they be successful? ...More
The Past is just the Prologue
Why canal castles? Why are they painted on canal boats and why is it so important that they should be painted on boats anyway? ...More
More Dehydrated History
A canal without boats and boats out of water – is this a good way to preserve and interpret waterway history? Tony suggest it could be. ...More