More Moored.

It was a nice morning when we set off and were soon in to the embankment and cutting routine. 

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We were soon at a cutting that led to our first sight.

The Knighton Cadbury's wharf was soon being passed. Milk was collected along the canal and brought to here where it was mixed with cocoa and sugar to make crude chocolate and then this was shipped back to Bournville by boat to become the proper thing. The factory then started making evaporated milk. It then started making powdered drinks etc for Premier foods, including items from Angle Delight, Birds Smash and Marvel brands. This January it was thought to be closing down all together.

We passed the site of Shebdon Wharf where there is a little community. It seems that the wharf was the place where many auctions of trees for timber were  held and used to move to timber yards.  It seems that in December 1860 a warehouse 45' x 15' was constructed by one Humphrey Greenfield. I think that it is still there, by the crane on the wharf. 

One day I will walk up to High Oflley to get the view. But this photo reminds of the main feature of this section of the Shroppie. The seemingly endless miles of off side moorings. What a pain they are. It makes me think of the problem in Cornish and other beautiful places where the villages etc are blighted by holiday homes where people just go for the occasional weekend. Shouldn't all these boats be in marinas where they can be just parked up. If they were lived aboard all the time I could understand not wanting to look at another boat everyday, but the majority of these boats are just inconveniencing people using the canal. They are imposing themselves on other users even thought they are not there by people having to go slowly past them.

Built about 1830 with the canal and being run by the same family since 1903 it is somewhere you have to visit. We went years ago and the beer was awful. I would go again, but today wasn't open again until 7pm.

Grub Street cutting was dabbled with sun and moored boats where the classic car on the off side seems to have been polished and given a run since we were last there.

It had to be done, the obligatory photo of the double bridge and mini telegraph pole. I was wondering when it would rot away, but it seems to be well card for somehow.

It is always bust at Norbury Junction and we have never stopped. I think if there was a walk down by the old Newport Branch Canal, seen heading off here, we may do. In 1844 all narrow boats that were delivered to Autherley or Norbury Junctions would be transported to anywhere on the main line of the Birmingham and Liverpool Canal for a 1d per ton. The owner had to provide a steerer though.

We passed over the Shelmore Embankment that is around 52' above the surrounding countryside and was the last part of the Birmingham and Liverpool Canal (Shroppshire Union) to be finished. It was expected to be finished at the start of 1834. At the canal's AGM in July 1834 it was complete but only had a couple of feet of water in it to 'prove' it. It would be ready for navigation by the start of August 1834. It took six years to build.

We stopped for water at Gnosall. It was a slow tap but nobody came past us. Gnosall may look peaceful today but when the canal was being built there were about 2000 'navigators' in the area in 1829. One riot was when they had got a barrel of beer from one pub and after drinking that demanded another from one of the other pubs, or else they would demolish the place. Despite barricading themselves in 'Kentish Will' broke in the backdoor and ran through the house and opened the front to admit the crowd. They smashed every piece of crockery in the house and drank him dry.

The rock hewn Cowley Tunnel is next on the list. A tunnel through stone always seems 'nicer' than a brick lined one despite the skills of the brickies often being extraordinary.

It was fairly windy today and these trees sounded like the waves pounding on a beach from a distance.

I'm not too sure whether this is the current price. The Yard at Norbury Junction stated that their price was the cheapest in any boat yard, and of course here is not a boat yard.

Just before the aqueduct over the Watling Street (A5) is Brewood Wharf which is now home of Countrywide Cruisers Hire boat base.It started out as a wharf for bricks and tile manufacturer John Cox, but he soon moved in to coal, which remained a staple. We passed over the A5 and as the railings are not painted, still, I thought I would feature the sandstone pillars more. After all there was no real need to make them like this, but they did!

We moored up before the visitor moorings as they were still in sun and not under trees. The girls went off into the village and I stayed to wash the port side and maybe polish some as we are running out of days with the tow path to port.