Back on the Macc. and a beer at Beartown.

 It took us just over 40 mins to come through the Harecastle tunnel. I would have been faster but was held back a little by the boat ahead.

As we popped out we dropped of the tunnel lamp and came out into sunshine. We have been through several times when we have left one end in sunshine and emerged into rain! Thankfully not today. Obviously we also emerged into the iron coloured waters of the north portal. I wonder if the fish are different colours too?

It was a straight turn after a little way to turn up the Macclesfield Canal

The Macc. continues round a sharp bend and past the moorings, we were still following our tunnel companion. The next sharp bend is just ahead.

That takes you over the Trent and Mersey as by this time it has dropped through two locks so is at a lower level.

In the sunshine Hall Green Lock and cottage looked picture postcard like as we dropped the lock the 4" to get us on to the Macclesfield Canal proper, as the Trent and Mersey dug it to the stop lock.

There is something so aesthetically pleasing about the ellipsoid shape of the Macc's bridges, and is certainly a characteristic of this cut.

I also love the shape they give to the higher bridges, like a horseshoe shape. I assume it was to ensure there was a buttress at the lower point where the weight of the bridge and bank will be greatest.

Ramsdell Hall has been standing since 1760 when the central building was built. The two wings were built a few years afterwards. It was owned for many years by Alex Humphreys who played part time football for Port Vale with some success. He also worked for the glue company Evode before sinking all his savings into setting up a supermarket in Kidsgrove. He sold it to Kwik Save in 1978 and was set for life. He had bought Ramsdell Hall and continued to live there whilst devoting his time to charity work and the Variety Club. He was asked to become a director of Stoke Football club in 1968 having been a season ticker holder for a while. The house was on the market in 2018 for £2 Million. It doesn't seem to be on the market at the moment but it looks a little neglected so I am assuming it is empty. It has fantastic views across the Cheshire Plain though.

As we approached Congleton basin/wide we wondered if there would be any room for us, but we slipped in opposite the old warehouse. Once moored up we headed into town for some milk and a paper. Down hill all the way.

As you walk down Canal Road to the toen you are confronted with the Town Hall. It was built in 1866 in the Gothic style. It was the third on the site. The architect was E.W. Godwin who also designed the Northampton Town Hall, and this is similar in several ways. It has a large Assembly Hall that has a timber hammer head roof. From the rear you can see that there also very large windows right in the roof space to bring light to the hall. You can see on the front a statue of Queen Victoria. To either side, and a little lower, were two other statues one of Henry de Lacy, Earl of Lincoln who granted the town a charter in 1272. The other was of Edward I who granted the town a market in 1274. They both had to be removed as bits were dropping of and causing a danger.

We also went for a drink at the Beartown Tap. Congleton is known as Beartown as the story goes that in the 1600's during the Congleton Wake annual holiday the very popular dancing bear died and the locals thought that people would not come and the town would loose revenue. The used the money that had been saved for a town bible to purchase another bear. (Actually they used the money as a loan and paid it back). In these days having a dancing bear as the emblem of the town is not a great idea so they have adopted a Asiatic Black Bear, normally known as a Moon Bear as they have a crescent on their chests. It is like offsetting you carbon as it means that they can still use the bear as the symbol of the town.