Total Pageviews

Wednesday 15 June 2022

Passing through Alrewas twice, and Fradley fast.

 We had a lazy start this morning and decided on a stroll back into Alrewas to get some more stuff from Coates the Butchers and the CO-OP before setting off. 

I can't remember if I have mentioned this before but as well as the main mill with the water wheel and the cotton mill earlier, there was another mill in Alrewas. This was known as the Alrewas Steam Mill and was built next to the canal just by Gallows Bridge, the foot bridge that crosses the canal by the church yard. It was on the land in the photo above. I'm not 100% sure but I don't think these buildings are any part of the old mill. It looks like it was three floors, top being the sack hoist and store. Two pairs of stones and an oats roller were on the second floor and the ground floor had the flour bins. Wheat was received from the canal.

By the mill itself there were two offices, saddle room, coach house and a six stall stable with three pig sties. These buildings look more likely to be the old buildings converted or else a great job has been done replicating it. The mill was built in 1888.

At the same time as the mill was constructed Alrewas House, fronting on the main road, and behind the mill, was constructed. It looks a lovely house. It looks as though it has been split into apartments now. Despite it being a new mill with a 13HP fixed engine and boiler two families went bust that took it on, Joseph Cartwright Jnr and Herbert Bakewell Whetstone. In 1900 a James Cross, 19, was killed when he had been left to look after the machinery over lunch. It seems that he had tried to oil the machinery and had been trapped and wrapped around the shaft and died of a fractured skull. H.B. Whetstone had other interests and was declared bankrupt in 1911. Afterwards he was known to have gone to Nigeria prospecting. He later went to Australia and died there in 1913. The road that leads from Gallows Bridge to the Main Street is known as May's Alley after the builders company that had the yard before it was changed to housing.

Unbelievably there was a queue of three boats ahead of us at Alrewas lock after we had stopped to fill up with water. Then there were another three after us. We were only penning down to wind and head back up to Fradley. We thought we may have to go up Wychnor lock and turn at the winding hole by there, but after the Trent joined there was plenty of weed free water to chuck the boat and head back.

The horse bridges above the Trent by waters always look attractive, and we were back on the landing to take the return pen from the boat that followed us.

The bridge \near Wharf Cottage is known as Gaskell's Bridge and this is after the family that had the last coal business at the wharf.

This is where we had moored for a few days and I had not noticed the date 1855 in brick in the gable. It is unmistakable as a Victorian Board School.

As we threaded our way through Alrewas there were several more boats heading towards Burton. Where were they all coming from?

After Bagnal Lock there is some art work about an Alrewas Art Festival. It seems they have it every year and this year it is 20th to 27th August and there are exhibitions, talks, craft workshops and a concert. Maybe worth coming over for a look see. Boats were still coming down from Fradley though.

There was a voluntary keeper on each lock. We had time to stop and get an ice cream between Keeper's and Junction Lock. I should have dropped the rubbish off, but I was too busy licking the cornet to stop it dripping!

We seemed to vacate the lock from a boat coming down at most of the locks before heading down the straight towards Woodend Lock. We were hoping that there would be space for us there, and there was. Helen was planning to take some cuttings and seeds from the lock house gardens, but since we passed the other day HS2 have surrounded the place with wire fence barriers, so she missed out. The moorings above the lock had been vacated but there was a boat there. It was a bloke who had a dog and didn't want to be next to a boat next to us that had four of them. He was visited a couple of times by HS2 security staff though!

I started to do some touching up of the tunnel bands and as I was finishing off a boat came passed and proceeded to moor up on the lock! It seems that the bloke was having chest pains and couldn't go on. Helen went over and had a bit of a check. We got him some aspirin and and chatted as he slowly got better. It was late on so I was pretty sure there wouldn't be much traffic. By the time we went in the pain had gone and he was chatting well. He seemed to have good colour but I wouldn't wait to get checked out. It made Helen and I think as his wife didn't know how to turn the engine off! Mind you it was an old 'chugger' engine, as Helen calls them, so not quite as straight forward as turning a switch. It made us think about what we should know and what I should make sure Helen can do. I'm pretty sure that she can do just about anything though, although she wouldn't want to get involved in anything to do with servicing the engine!


No comments: