2018, Mooring Costs.

The theme of today's photographs is buildings. There are a couple from each month we were away cruising in 2018. I do like the less obvious buildings, commercial and otherwise, that bring colour and difference to the landscape.

I love this humble little workshop as it still has a little bit of history with it. At the Gable end is the stone carving BP Co. Ltd 1920. The first oil produced from the then Anglo Persia Abadan oil field was in 1912. The company had a deal to provide fuel to the Royal Navy in WWI, and it wasn't until 1917 that Anglo Persian Co purchased the rights to the name British Petroleum from the UK Government, who had in turn had seized them from a German oil company that had the name in the UK to distribute their oil prior to the War. Therefore this building in Wigan could be one of the first garages built by the new company.

This building does not look like a mid 1800's bridewell, or Police lock but it is. It could be a religious building being slightly Italianate. It was visited by Charles Dickens during research for the 'Uncommercial Traveler', and was a recording studio where 'Frankie Goes To Holywood' made records. Now a bar.

Hard not to include this as it was so stunning. It is the Ashton Memorial that was commissioned by Baron Ashton and dedicated to his 2nd wife, when his 3rd wife was still alive too! The family made their money out of lino.

Wouldn't it be fantastic to live in a country where everyday working buildings were built like this! A signal box built in 1882 for the Furness Railway Co. Luckily it is listed, along with other buildings at Garstang Railway complex.

The old Lower Camfield Market has housed the Air and Space Collection for the Manchester Science Museum but there are plans to re model it into a 'space'. What a wonderful building and so very pleased that it is to be saved and found a new use that will mean its survival and will be cherished by its users.

This little store by the locks on the Chester/Shropshire Union Canal is a little gem. There are a few of them left. I love the central chimney too.

There are several shop's we have seen owned by Porter's. There is one in Newark that isa fantastic butchers, but this one seems to sell all the things we like, cheese, jam, gin and fruit cake!

The Shroppie Fly is well known to boaters. It seems that the crane jib has rotted and become dangerous so that it has been fenced off. I don't think it is original to the site but I hope they don't take too long to renew it. Not only does it mean that moorings are lost but surely it will give the workshop folk something different to have a go at other than lock gates!!

As we passed along the Stourbidge Canal you pass the Red House Cone for glass that was built around 1790 and then the timber and slate Dadford's Shed that was an original transshipment warehouse. Dadford was the Chief Engineer for the canal. I wonder how much the view has changed in 200 years or so.

Hows that for a building with a bit of bling! It is the pen factory of W.E. Wiley Ltd from 1862/63. It was styled on a Florentine Palazzi. It is now the pen museum and well worth a visit when you are in Birmingham's Jewelry Quarter. 

 Harts Hill C&RT yard is impressive, but I rather like these rounded buildings near the bridge that don't get nearly as much attention by cameramen/women.

Lastly this is the Armitige Shanks Factory near Rugeley. They must be working for 'just in time' delivery these days as there  aren't many bogs in the yard these days! I Love the fact that the building is curved to fit the bend in the canal. I don't reckon they would bother these days, just square it off.

I apologise for sounding a little like Prince Charles, but I'm sure as many people will listen to me as they do him!

MOORING COSTS £                                    2018      2017     2016      2015     2014
Fettlers winter mooring 1st Jan - 31st Mar    481-50
2 extra nights Salthouse Dk, Liverpool           40-00
6 nights Garstang Marina                                60-00
2 nights Fettlers Wharf                                    16-00
2 nights 1st 2 x £8-50, 2nd £4                         21-00
8 nights Tattenhall Marina                              75-00
2 nights Llangollen Basin                               12-00
11 nights Swanley Bridge Marina                 110-00
12 Hawne Basin 7 free, 5 @ £4                      20-00
Aston Winter moorings 7th Sep - 31st Dec  936-00                                                         .
TOTALS                                                     1771-50  2148-82  1268-48  152-55  1298-48

We felt that we had been off the boat a lot last year but it seems that it was only 46 days compared with 2017 when we were off 133 days. That was because it was the City of Culture in Hull and we were volunteers and didn't want to miss anything. The stay in Hull Marina was really expensive too as the pricing seems to be for dumpy sailing boats, not long metal tubes!

It looks like moorings in the Midlands and south are expensive. Fettlers was much cheaper than Aston, and previously when we stopped over at Kings Orchard that was also dear. I seem to remember that in our early years the cost of a nights moorings was £6 to £8, and exceptionally £10. That now seems to be the norm.