A quiet night was had by both and we were up and at 'em at 0700 (half an hour earlier than the norm). However we didn't really get away and quicker it seemed to me.
We were soon passing the Marina at the Festival Park where a hire boat was emptying out after a holiday. On the left of this photo was the Eturia Porrtery Works and at the nearest part of the wooded wide on the off side was an arm that led into the works and went round two sides . It was later filled in to extend the works.
Round the bend and we are passing through what started out as the Eturia Steel Works and became the Shelton Steel Works. It was on both sides of the canal. You can see a short arm that leads to part of the works. In fact it almost terminated right outside Eturia Hall where Wedgewood lived and is now part of an hotel
These office blocks have taken over from the travelling cranes, gantries, slag heaps, cooling towers and railway sidings. It one time when you passed this way you could be watching showers of sparks from the pourings.
This footbridge is where the towpath crossed over from the st'bd side to the port, or east to west.
You could be thinking we were t a water park in Spain but it is Festival Park that was built on the site of a Garden Festival in 1986.
The bridge in the distance is a modern road bridge but the rail bridge near to the camera went directly into the steel works over a viaduct and into an area of covered platforms.
There are a series of massive warehouses but once was the area of slag heaps and waste land. It seems that they were built on spec as some of them are still empty.
This is just past the sign that shows where the Burslem Arm left the main line. There is a group that are really giving it a go at reopening the arm to bring it to Burslem once more as a start of regeneration. This building was once a Flint Mill. The heavy metal work in the walls must have been to support the heavy machinery and the vibrations. The chimney must have been for where the calcinated it ready for crushing and use.
These new flats were built on the site of the old Newport Pottery. This pottery became famous as it was where Clarice Cliff became head designer came up with he innovative designs, and married the boss, and on his death took over the business. The Royal Staffordshire Pottery was just being passed by the boat in the photo. It too was knocked down but both potteries belonged to the same group.
A little further on, on the other side of the bridge is the remains of the Middleport Mill that prepared materials for use of potters. They were mainly built in the 1800's and were built around a central courtyard. The building nearest the camera is Port Vale Mill and was a flour mill. It has had no roof for a good while now and is still standing. In side you can see the steel support beams and columns that are probably holding it up still. Both these mills are periodically put forward for redevelopment. Maybe leveling up will bring some money forward?
Nest comes the Anderton Boat yard and warehouse that has now been incorporated into the revamped Midleport pottery of 'Pottery Throw Down fame. You can moor up for a visit to the works, shop or cafe between 10 and 4 everyday.
After passing the Littleport boatyard with the lovely old warehouses that belonged to The Mersey, Weaver and Ship Canal that brought raw materials in from their Weston Point Dock near Runcorn. Then after the Port Hill Road Bridge is the Top Bridge Works. This site was started in 1793 and continued to be developed over the decades until fairly recently and is possibly the first example of a fire proof pot works. In order not to lose the site over the years money has been injected to prevent parts of it collapsing. There is an action group that is trying to ave it for new and mixed uses. As we passed there seemed to be a lot of work going on so maybe they have been successful.
This is another part of the site. It would equal the resurgent Middleport Pottery if they were to save the site,although it is unlikely that it would have any large scale pottery involved. Good luck to them says I.
Until the 1890's there was no lake here and it was created specifically as a place for leisure. It became derelict until 1972 when Edward Heath opened it as a regeneration project and it has become an important pace for overwintering birds.
Just to the north of the lake must have been quite a contrast as on the same side as the lake was a large sewage works and opposite that was a gas works. Both not the most fragrant of processes. On the left in this photo, from before the far bridge to the nearer one were a series of tile works, some having their own canal arm too. Behind the camera on the right was the large Chatterley Coal and Iron Works that had a canal arm that had a tunnel under extensive sidings that lead to a large dock area. I wonder if any of that is left. The works were closed by the 1890's.
As we approached the Harecastle Tunnel southern end we saw that it was quite busy. We weren't thinking of travelling through today so moored up on the west side and went to have a chat with the voluntary keepers. It wasn't long before the south bound convoy came through and soon after the three north bound set off. We were going to walk over the horse path and back, but that will be for another blog.
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