Volunteers, The New Navvies

Sunday  28th October 2012
Kings Bromley Marina.

Last Monday I went to have a look at the work carried out by volunteers at the Lichfield end of the Lichfield and Hatherton Canal restoration starting at Huddlesford Junction.

Boaters who cruise through Huddlesford on the Coventry Canal will notice the arm which is home to the Lichfield Cruising Club, the arm is a third of a mile long and ends at the new  Cappers Lane Bridge, a new bridge was required as the original was lost after abandonment of the canal in the fifties.

Theres' enough info on the LHCRT website to keep you reading for a week so mostly pictures here. 

 

 

View from one side of the new bridge is of the poly tunnel used by members of Lichfield Cruising Club for boat maintenance, there's a powerful winch in the wooden box used to haul boats out of the water, when the canal is re-opened all this will have to be re-sited.

 

The view from the other side of the bridge, the overgrown canal still has water in it.

The next area I visited is known as Borrowcop Locks, members of the public are encouraged to walk along the towpath of this section to see the progress.

Standing on the bed of the canal.

 

  Canal building kit.

 

 Restored lock, minus gates.

 

Paddle gear's ready.

 

New lock by-wash, all very professional.

 

A short section has recently been re-watered.

 

Old lock gates donated by British Waterways (now CaRT) are

fitted to give a better impression of what things will look like

when completed.

 

 An in-filled section of the canal, this will be dug out again.

 

 

Which leads under a surviving bridge.

 

I'll try and follow the route and bit further when time allows, however on Monday we're off to York for few days (not by boat) so expect a different theme in the next couple of blogs.