Whistling Past The Wharves in the Wet.

 Monday 23rd September

Rain was forecast for much of the day but as we had about three hours until the first lock and there was little wind we decided to get going and give ourselves options for the next few days.

The first bridge of the day was a proto roving bridge which isn't quite so well designed as those on the Macclesfield canal and others. This is perhaps because there is a road bridge on the other side of the wall. Just through the bridge and on the port side was a brick and tile works. In 1912 it was the Northampton Brick and Tile works but it seems that they got into difficulties that year and had to sell up the equipment etc. Ten years later it was owned by the Blisworth and Stowe Brick and Tile Co and they had it up for sale or rent. It was said the yard could turn out 300 million bricks a year. It certainly seemed to have a very big kiln. It seems that it was after this sale in 1922 that the yard went down and soon closed.

Whilst not raining at the time these cows seemed to be heading for shelter, but not lying down. Just about as reliable as the Met. Office!

This is the old Gayton Wharf that is just past the old Banbury Road. There was a electric level crossing here but the railways wanted to close the road and put in a footbridge. As mentioned in a previous post Banbury Road was an ancient drovers road. In the end they built a new bridge for vehicles. It is good to see that somebody is looking after the buildings. It is on the land of a portaloo hire company so maybe they are being put to a more basic use.

As you can see it still wasn't really raining, just dull and damp, but nice and still.

I think this building by Bridge 36 was the pub called the Swan in the old days and where the modern pub called the Wharf is where the old Bugbrooke wharf used to be. A William Harris ran a coal and corn business from the wharf from about the 1840's. He sold up in 1874. By 1889 there was a warehouse of 40' x 20' an enclosed yard a spacious wharf and a weighing machine and a good house and garden. The Swan Inn was lumped in with the sale of the wharf along with 5 houses that were the opposite side of the road opposite the pub, but have no gone. This was a Mr. Hinks who was leaving the area.

Needs a good paint job, much like 'Holderness' but we are getting closer.

This was the old Crown Inn by Bridge 35. In 1859 the pub was up for sale along with adjacent Crown Inn Wharf and three lime kilns that seemed to be on the opposite side of the canal to the inn along with a store.

This Furnace Wharf by Bridge 32. Here was Heyford Iron Works from around 1857. Ore was brought in by boat and railway, that is just beyond the wharf. Stowe Iron works was just the other side of the railway line, just beyond the buildings. Ore was also brought by narrow gauge railway from a site to the west of both works. In later life bricks and tiles were also produced on this site. The site had become disused by 1901.

What a shame this unsual wooden boat has sunk. I hope they manage to get it floating again before it is too late.

From about 1987 to 1998 Marion and Philip Gardner ran 3 hour boat trips from here, High House Wharf, near to Bridge 29. The boat was called 'Saucy Sue'. It was also one of the stopping off points for a performance by the Mikron Theatre Co.

By Bridge 27 is Floore Lane Wharf. It seems to have been run by a Mrs Tibbs who had it up for sale in 1878. It consisted of the house, granaries, warehouse 3 stall stable, cow barn and pig sty and cart shed and lime kilns. In 1880 Mrs. Tibbs died at the wharf so it probably didn't sell and it isn't real heard of after that date.

It was about at this time that it started to chuck it down so no more photos. We got to the straight canal just before the bottom Buckby Locks and could see a boat just going in. They very kindly waited for us. They were an ABC hire boat when just two blokes aboard. They had been hiring for many years so we raced up the locks to moor up in the long pound as I thought that the other moorings would be full of people that hadn't moved in the rain. We sat still and didn't venture out into the rain.