Summer 2023 - Issue 70
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Front Cover: Horse-drawn narrowboat Elizabeth on the Grand Junction Canal was part of two pairs owned and steered by Charles Lane and his family just before World War I. Charles Lane was noted for having some of the best decorated and turned-out boats on the cut, although there was stiff competition from other boatmen-owners. Elizabeth was built for Charles in the summer of 1910, and was paired with his Three Brothers.
The Summer 2023 issue includes the following features.
Historical Profiles
Boats of the Lower Grand Junction
Chris M. Jones looks at a series of images illustrating boats and traffics on the lower Grand Junction Canal
You can view an excerpt here.
One Boat's Story
Caulking Sweden
Andy Tidy explores the history and maintenance of a wooden narrowboat built in 1921
You can view an excerpt here.
Historical Canal Maps
Water Wars
Richard Dean examines how a water supply dispute is illustrated in a Victorian-era map
You can view an excerpt here.
Picturing the Past
Locking Through Adderley
Another selection of images from the Jack Parkinson Collection show traffic passing Adderley Locks on the Shropshire Union in 1965
You can view an excerpt here.
Historical Profiles
The Driffield Navigation and River Hull
Chris M. Jones looks at images showing traffic on these little-known waterways
You can view an excerpt here.
Unearthing History
Sheepwash Swing Bridge
Chris M. Jones reveals the story behind a rare image of an LMS swing-bridge on the Thames at Oxford
You can view an excerpt here.
Tracing Family History
James Walker's Will
Chris M. Jones looks into the history behind a boatman’s will
You can view an excerpt here.
Working the Waterways
Leeds & Liverpool Steam Dredger
Chris M. Jones studies an 1890s article about a steam dredger on the Leeds & Liverpool Canal
You can view an excerpt here.
Historical Profiles
The Oldbury Loop
Andy Tidy uses an archive panorama of Oldbury to explore a lost loop of James Brindley’s original Birmingham Canal, which used to encircle the town
You can view an excerpt here.