Weekend waterways.

On Sunday we decided to use our car and drive up to Driffield as there was the 250th Anniversary of the Act of Parliament for the canal taking place.

This is the terminus of the Driffield Navigation, at Riverhead, that is almost in the centre of the town. There are several warehouses that overlook the basin and I particularly like the painted name adverts on several of the buildings.

There are also a couple of old cranes. The furthest warehouse has been purchased by a couple of Driffield Navigation members and it will make a fantastic space for all sorts of things and on Sunday it housed many information stands. I met several of the folk I had been talking to from the Pocklington Canal Amenity Society. The weather looks quite threatening but it was a nice day. The marquee had food and a bar. There were boat trips and a jazz band was just setting up when we had to leave as we were having visitors back in Beverley.

On Sunday it was a dash back home to cut the grass do some shopping, mainly for a new camera as our old one had packed up!

On Monday we were sorting the cars out. We were taking one to Melbourne on the Pocklington Canal and the other one home. When we got to Melbourne basin a C&RT van pulled up and then later said they would show us to the open lock at Thornton. I had seen that it was open on Monday, but not until 1400. The very helpful guy said no worries just come along. So we did! It is the original brickwork on the bottom of the lock, but the sides had been rebuilt. There are new gates and sills from Stanley Ferry

Remakes of the original paddle gear have been cast from the original plans, Originally apparently they were on the bottom gates, but with health and safety the foot boards need to be bigger for this type of gear, three boards instead of two. They would have reduced the available length of the lock if they were on the bottom gates so they have put them at the top.

Here you can see the wide boards. I think they still need a coat of paint and a good dollop of grease.

Normal windlass paddles on the bottom gates.

The canal is not navigable to Thornton Lock yet. This is the bund keeping the water back and the pipes crossing the water. There is one above the lock to. Eventually they will be removed and it will then be used elsewhere on the canal. Waste not want not.

This is the view back down the canal towards Melbourne Basin. The canal can quite easily be dredged and rid of the reeds when the time comes.

Meanwhile these swans have got an idyllic spot as there was hardly the noise of a car, and no passing boaters! 

Church Bridge has been completely renovated and it looks really good. This little visit has certainly whet our appetite for the canal.

I luckily got a lift back from Hull by a couple of friends who were coming to see us. We had a lovely catch up and arranged another for the weekend when we are back home. Back at the boat we had decided to head back to Grovehill Lock and spend the night on the River Hull so that we could get off in the morning without having to get up too early.

I topped up the water and we were off just around 2000 with the sun peeking round the houses and blinding me. Still didn't do too badly. Here we pass the 'Sun' and 'Syntan'. The later had just got back from an all day trip down the River Hull to the Humber and back. Check out their web page for dates of trips and charters for a greta day out and help with their funds. http://www.syntanbarge.org.uk/charters-bookings

To get to the lock we needed to reverse about half a mile to a wind hole. We decided not to use an anchor and we managed not too badly. Helen was looking not too sure just at this point though!

The light was going a little as we passed the boat club moorings.

The old dry dock is a good spot for this old barge.

Helen had plenty of help with the paddle and gate gear as there were a Dad and his lad, and two older fellas that were waiting for us. The Dad said he had lived in Beverley all his life and never seen a boat go through the lock. Here we are on the wall. I was pretty sure that nobody would be coming to use the lock at this time, but we did go very near the end.

We were just in the slack of the lock entrance so we had slack ropes all night. very occasionally there was a slight scrpe on the wall. Unfortunately had had caught the bow on the gate of the lock trying to get to a place where Helen could get ashore. Never mind just another little job to do at some stage.

Another big adventure tomorrow, and I still haven't decided when we should leave here. I will have to sleep on it.

Magnificent Minster

Beverley Minster is such a beautiful building that I felt it deserves a blog to itself.  The twin Perpendicular towers at the west end of the church make it look like Westminster Abbey, and you don't have to pay to get in!

This is the northern most of the two towers. It was built between 1360 and 1420 and the carvings look almost as if done yesterday.

In fact these statues couldn't have been carved then as it looks like this one is off Elizabeth I who died in 1603.

And this one looks like George V who died in 1936. Is that a Masonic symbol on his tunic?

This is a view of the nave facing the West doors. The Tadcaster limestone gives a lovely bright colour to the Perpendicular style architecture.

This is looking down to the east towards the choir and chancel.

In the south transept are the chapels of the East Yorkshire Regiment. I think this memorial is for a Major General Bernard Foord Bowes who also has a memorial in St Paul's Cathedral that was designed by Cristopher Wren. He died leading the assault of the Salamance Forts in 1812.

Behind the altar are these beautifully carved pieces with the paintings of Saints above. I think it is a 19th Century restoration.

Looking to the west down the quire is a great view of the 68 choir stalls from the 16th Century. There are many 'misericords' or little perches to rest the bum on, and each has a unique carving below. The canopies above were restored in the 18th Century and the 'statues were made in 20th Century. The organ was built in 1769 and the screen below it was designed in 1880 by Gilbert Scott and carved by local woodworker James Elwell ,who was the father of the famous local artist Fred Elwell.

The east end of the Minster is the earliest part of the church, built between 1190 and 1250. The ornate carving is the canopy of the Percy Tomb. It is thought to date from 1340 for the tomb of Lady Eleanor Percy. It is regarded as a masterpiece of the Decorated Gothic Style. I think the dark stone in the building is Purbeck Marble.

When Henry VIII  dissolved the monasteries and church oganisations the Minster was a collegiate church run by a group of Canons. They met in the Chapter House that was an octagonal building outside the wall of the Minster. These are the stairs that led to it. The Chapter House was demolished in 1550 when the church was 'demoted' to a parish church.

These are the statues inside the west door and I assume they are saints.

This chap has a very generous mustache and seems to have an Eastern head dress on.

I'm not sure who this is but he has very scary eyes that seem to be shocked by something. I'd love to know if these pieces are orginal or have been replaced over the years and so are much more modern that the Minster itself.

The font is perhaps the only item that remains from the original Norman Church that collapsed in 1214. The wooden cover is from the 18th Century.

There are some lovely little stone carvings along the north and south aisles. This chap seems to have a cheeky grin and a jesters hat, but has hooves and animals legs. Is it a pan figure?

Looking at the stone work of the south transept.

This is the north transept to the right and then the north east transept and the vestry, Percy Chapel and Lady Chapel with the eats window to the left.

The north choir aisle is famous for the carvings of musicians and here are some of them.

These carvings are largely from the 14th Century. This one appears to be a hurdy gurdy type instrument.

There are over 70 of these carvings and several of them are of bag pipe players.

This looks like a recorder type instrument. They are a historical record of instruments that have been lost to us, but also those that have survived with little change.

The Minster is a great Church and is completely different to Holy Trinity Church in Hull, that has just become a Minster. In fact there is a great contrast to be had between these close neighbours of towns and I would recommend a visit to Beverley for the day.

A striking day.

Today was out day to be tourists in Beverley. The Guildhall is only open a day or two a week and so this was where we headed first.

The Guildhall is tucked away down a side road and is hidden by the four Doric columned portico that was built on to the rest in 1830.

The main room was also built on to the rest of the building and the is the Magistrates court. I think it has recently been redecorated as it was used for a film or TV location. The furniture is the original though.

The coat of arms behind the magistrates chair is that of George III.

It is a fantastic piece of stucco and the detail is really crisp and clear.

The ceiling and wall stucco was undertaken by Giuseppe Cortese in 1762. On the opposite wall to the Coat of Arms is the Coat of Arms of  Beverley, above. The town was originally called 'Inderawuda' and was founded by the Bishop of York as he built a church dedicated to St. John the Evangelist. John of Beverley, as the Bishop became known, and was later made a saint, and the Minster Church became a place of Pilgrimage. By 937 King Athlestan visited before a battle and had a vision of victory, and following this he heaped privileges on the town. At this time the name was changed to Bevreli or Beverlac. This was after the fact that the land surrounding was waterlogged due to beaver on the River Hull. This is why there is a beaver on the coat or arms above a river.

The figure of Justice in the clouds is in the central ceiling boss.

The original was was purchased by the Governors of Beverley from a wealth merchant.. That was in 1501, so the building is older. These timbers were revealed during recent renovations. The building was used by the Guilds of the Town before the council.

Up stairs is the Magistrates robing room where there is this three seat bench from the 1600's that is known as a 'bink' hereabouts. There is a collection of pewter plate that was auctioned off by the council as being too extravagant but bought back a few decades later. There is another room with no windows which was a dining room. The rumour was that the 'bigwigs' didn't want the public to see them enjoying themselves.

Once down stairs we heard a military band and left to watch the parade. We were just in time to see them walk past. It is Armed Services Weekend this weekend and the Yorkshire Regiment has the freedom of Beverley and are exercising the right today. We missed the band though. We walked back to the museum to finish our tour. As there was nobody in front of the Guildhall I waited until a white van had turned in the dead end and passed me before stepping out into the road to take a photo. For some reason the van, with no other car parked in the street, had pulled over and then decided to reverse! A lady shouted a warning and I just had time to slam my arm into the back of the van and roll away. I wish somebody had been filming as it was a real action man moment!!. I was straight on my feet and I think the van driver and on lookers were more shaken than I was. I have never been hit by a vehicle before. Just another unique experience to add to this trip.

We then went to the small museum by the library that we hadn't visited. It was an interesting little place with not too many items but covered the history of the area well. We then went for a bowl of soup at the East Riding Museum that is a converted Methodist Chapel. They have a good mix of performances on and we have been there to see 'Oliver'.

Following this we set out to the Minster. It is such a great building that I will put all the photos in a blog of it's own.

On the way back to the boat we passed the old Friary. In 1240 a Dominican Friary was established here. The Black Friars, after the colour of their cowls flourished until the Dissolution of the Monasteries by Henry VIII. After that it was mainly pulled down and this is thought to be the guest house that was left. It may have been built after this using the stones etc from the friary. During the 1800's the guest house was converted to three houses. In 1960's the nearby factory wanted to expand and they sort permission to demolish them. It was refused and the buildings were renovated in 1974. The East Riding of Yorkshire Council own the building but lease it out to the YHA for a hostel.

The Beverley Station was opened in 1846 on the York and North Midland Railway who leased the Bridlington Branch of the Hull and Selby Railway. In 1865 another line was established when the track to Market Weighton was opened. In 1903 the North Holderness Light Railway was proposed in 1903. This would have terminated at North Frodingham, but it was never built.

On the way back to the boat we walked through the new Flemingate shopping arcade and visited the Patisserie Valerie as we had a bit of money on a gift card. Just a coffee, missing the cake out.

Back to the Beck.

Just as the top gates are no standard by any stretch of the imagination for the bottom gates of Hempholme or Struncheon Lock are 'normal'.

 The gate paddles are very noisy as they don't seem to have received any oil or grease since they were installed, which was in 1982. There is a sign on it stating they were built by Brigham's Ship Repairers Ltd from Hull. It seems to be weird to actually work a normal lock gate as it is ages since we had done. Other than when we came up of course!

We moored up on the lower lock landing and had some soup for lunch. We had helped out the reeds that had become stuck in the lock.

Macy the Cat decided she would have a wander round to stretch her legs. She didn't seem to be too impressed as she was soon back aboard.

We managed to get a better photo of Linley Hill Farm. The barn conversion seems to be really nicely done and must be a great place to live.

As we passed down the River Hull it was so still and quiet that the bird song was almost deafening at times. It seemed to me that we had reached HW at Struncheon Lock just as we left at a little after 1300 but the ebb wasn't very strong at all at first

After passing Tophill Low Water Works and Nature Reserve there were many swans that were swimming ahead of us most of the way. As we passed Aike, where the actually jurisdiction of the Driffield Navigation started, we could see that there were several flying about. A little further down we passed Eske where there is a Manor House and the lands of the Jackson family from the early 1500's. There is also a large pond that had many swans on it. I wonder if this is the place that last years birds come to as they have no territory or mate. You would think that with the size of a swan we would be able to get a better picture wouldn't you.

Before Hull Bridge we received a text from the bridgeman Steve saying he was stuck in traffic and he would be about 1630 for the bridge. Not a problem as there was plenty of places to hang a rope on. There is a boat club at Hull Bridge with fuel etc, but not sure whether for retail to visitors. They also have this barge that has been converted to a floating dock, a little like the one down on the Grand Union.

If I won the Lottery, not likely as I don't buy a ticket, this would make a lovely little hobby boat. I did  like the 'cut of her jib'.

As we approached Beverley there were some half completed conversions of steel barges. None seemed to have had much recent work on them. This is the site of the old Cook Welton and Gemmel shipyard. The hulls were built here and then towed down to Hull where they were fitted out and engined.

The ebb was picking up when we arrived at the Grovehill Bridge, that was first built by the first shipbuilders, Scarrs, and we just put a rope onto a bollard of a house boat under construction and waited the three quarters of an hour before the bridge lifted for us. Of course this was the time it started to rain. I went and lit the fire again.

I wonder whether the builds and conversions are victims of the economic crash, or simply the inflation of costs that seems to occur when ever you are working with ships. If anybody is looking for these sort of projects a trip to Beverley could well be of interest.

RCR have the contract for removing wrecks from the River Hull, and they have already lifted a couple of small ones. This old wooden barge will be a different matter. I don't think that it can be pumped out and floated off. And I don't think that there is much room for a crane for a straight lift. It will make some great firewood though.

As the ebb was running quite well it was a matter of poking the bow into the slack water of the mouth of the lock and letting the tide take the stern round to land on the side for the lock that is just past the lock. As I worked through the lock I chatted to the guy who had built the submarine at the head of the Beck.

He told me he built it on a whim and the main body is made out of an old tank. There is 4'6" below the waterline, and the same above the water. He has taken it up to Hull Bridge and down river some way too. His friend told me that inside it is not just industrial but is very comfortably fitted out.

We decided to head straight to the moorings and not swing and reverse back. We were expecting some guests to visit a little later, and as it was still drizzling we would do it when we left. We later had a nice evening with friends on the boat.