Summer 2023 - Issue 70

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Front Cover: Horse-drawn narrowboat Elizabeth on the Grand Junction Canal was part of two pairs owned and steered by Charles Lane and his family just before World War I. Charles Lane was noted for having some of the best decorated and turned-out boats on the cut, although there was stiff competition from other boatmen-owners. Elizabeth was built for Charles in the summer of 1910, and was paired with his Three Brothers.

The Summer 2023 issue includes the following features.

Historical Profiles

Boats of the Lower Grand Junction

Chris M. Jones looks at a series of images illustrating boats and traffics on the lower Grand Junction Canal

You can view an excerpt here.

One Boat's Story

Caulking Sweden

Andy Tidy explores the history and maintenance of a wooden narrowboat built in 1921

You can view an excerpt here.

Historical Canal Maps

Water Wars

Richard Dean examines how a water supply dispute is illustrated in a Victorian-era map

You can view an excerpt here.

Picturing the Past

Locking Through Adderley

Another selection of images from the Jack Parkinson Collection show traffic passing Adderley Locks on the Shropshire Union in 1965

You can view an excerpt here.

Historical Profiles

The Driffield Navigation and River Hull

Chris M. Jones looks at images showing traffic on these little-known waterways

You can view an excerpt here.

Unearthing History

Sheepwash Swing Bridge

Chris M. Jones reveals the story behind a rare image of an LMS swing-bridge on the Thames at Oxford

You can view an excerpt here.

Tracing Family History

James Walker's Will

Chris M. Jones looks into the history behind a boatman’s will

You can view an excerpt here.

Working the Waterways

Leeds & Liverpool Steam Dredger

Chris M. Jones studies an 1890s article about a steam dredger on the Leeds & Liverpool Canal

You can view an excerpt here.

Historical Profiles

The Oldbury Loop

Andy Tidy uses an archive panorama of Oldbury to explore a lost loop of James Brindley’s original Birmingham Canal, which used to encircle the town

You can view an excerpt here.