Author Topic: canal people. and canals  (Read 29993 times)

RoyMcC

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 520
Re: canal people. and canals
« Reply #77 on: December 03, 2019, 02:04:59 PM »
I see we have otters now.  Shows how healthy the canals are compared to a few years ago.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-birmingham-50628201

I'm kinda nostalgic for the days of heavy industry, smoke, soot and grime, but there's no denying our waterways have become more attractive in recent times.

Jojo

  • Jr. Member
  • **
  • Posts: 32
Re: canal people. and canals
« Reply #78 on: December 05, 2019, 01:01:33 PM »
My granddad grew up on a barge.  His father (who, thanks to Ancestry I discovered), had left his wife and 7 kids and bought or worked on a barge with a young girl who became my great-grandma!!  In those days, if a man left his family, they would serve time!!  My granddad was their youngest!  When he met my grandma, he also worked on barges and I found them in 1911 delivering coal to London!  They had 4 children who, apparently, were tied by a rope to the poles on the barge to stop them falling into the canal, which was a receptor of washing, chamber pots and all sorts of filth!  Lots of children died in them!  Incidentally, my granddad's barge, The Thistle, is the only surviving iron barge still working!  It is now a floating restaurant up north!!  I have a photo of it, which I would like to upload!  How??

JudithM

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 3861
Re: canal people. and canals
« Reply #79 on: December 05, 2019, 01:13:20 PM »
My granddad grew up on a barge.  His father (who, thanks to Ancestry I discovered) , had left his wife and 7 kids and bought or worked on a barge with a young girl who became my great grandma!!  In those days, if a man left his family, they would serve time!!  My granddad was their youngest!  When he met my grandma, he also worked on barges and I found them in 1911 delivering coal to London!  They had 4 children who, apparently, were tied by rope to the poles on the barge to stop them falling into the canal, which was a receptor of washing, chamber pots and all sorts of filth!  Lots of children died in them!  Incidentally, my granddads barge, The Thistle, is the only surviving iron barge still working!  It is now a floating restaurant up north!!
That's really interesting.  I really must get round to looking at my ancestry!
"I know tomorrow's gonna taste like cake"

mike mancott

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 5281
Re: canal people. and canals
« Reply #80 on: December 05, 2019, 01:26:53 PM »
Judith, as I have posted previously, my great-grandfather operated coal carrying, on narrowboats, not barges (which were only on wider canals), out of Bedworth.
I was able via Ancestry to find the church near the Grand Union Canal at which many of his twelve children were christened.
 

roy one

  • Global Moderator
  • *****
  • Posts: 28322
Re: canal people. and canals
« Reply #81 on: December 05, 2019, 01:43:25 PM »
As nouns the difference between barge and narrowboat is that barge is a large flat-bottomed towed or self-propelled boat used mainly for river and canal transport of heavy goods or bulk cargo while narrowboat is a barge used on the narrow canals of england.
each day is a blessing and I bless each day when it comes

mike mancott

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 5281
Re: canal people. and canals
« Reply #82 on: December 05, 2019, 03:20:49 PM »
As nouns the difference between barge and narrowboat is that barge is a large flat-bottomed towed or self-propelled boat used mainly for river and canal transport of heavy goods or bulk cargo while narrowboat is a barge used on the narrow canals of england.


Quite true, and some canals start wide, and become narrow, such as the Bristol/Bath end of the Kennet and Avon canal, and so on the wide section you see both types.
Often, the barges seem to be converted to non-travelling houseboats, some rather luxurious looking.

Jojo

  • Jr. Member
  • **
  • Posts: 32
Re: canal people. and canals
« Reply #83 on: December 05, 2019, 03:23:01 PM »
How can I upload a photo? 

mike mancott

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 5281
Re: canal people. and canals
« Reply #84 on: December 05, 2019, 03:47:20 PM »
Would this be about "your" 'Thistle'?


   https//www.keeping-up.co.uk>Canals>Thistle>thistlehome




frederick

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 22920
Re: canal people. and canals
« Reply #85 on: December 05, 2019, 04:11:08 PM »
The word narrow boat came from the word used for narrow lock.......narrow boat. One of my nephews lives on a narrow boat a 73 footer a lot of hassle live on a boat. Do you have a post code if you live on a boat.
Failure to Prepare is to Prepare to Fail

Phil

  • Account Closed
  • *
  • Posts: 32653
Re: canal people. and canals
« Reply #86 on: December 05, 2019, 04:36:06 PM »
How can I upload a photo?


Jojo


First of all you have to ensure your photo is less than 80k in size, then you just click on Attachments and other options under the text box where you type your post then its just a matter of following the instructions given.
Phil died in 2020. RIP.

RoyMcC

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 520
Re: canal people. and canals
« Reply #87 on: December 06, 2019, 11:48:23 AM »

Jojo


First of all you have to ensure your photo is less than 80k in size, then you just click on Attachments and other options under the text box where you type your post then its just a matter of following the instructions given.

I've spent hours trying to upload photos, nothing works for me.


 

Terms of Use     Privacy Policy