CANAL MUSEUM EVENTS

7th June 2012, 7:30pm
Evening Illustrated Talk by Jeremy Batch Olympic and East End Waterways. Jeremy has been researching the history of the East End waterways since he took the role of lock-keeper at Limehouse. This year the world comes to Stratford and the new Olympic Park. Jeremy will enlighten us about the waterway network they will find in and around these soon-to-be-famous locations.

5th July 2012
Talk: 14 Locks on the Crumlin Arm, Monmouth and Brecon Canal by Tom Maloney. The Crumlin Arm of the Monmouth and Brecon Canal rises through fourteen locks in an area called by the locals 'little Switzerland'. The canal is currently undergoing restoration and Tom looks after the Country Park that embraces the 14 Locks. He will tell us all about 'his' canal.

13th July 2012, 7:30pm
Performance of Regent's Canal - A Folk Opera by Musical Flying Squad and London Irish Theatre to mark 200 years to this day since the signing of the Royal Assent by The Prince Regent for the Regent's Canal Act of 1812. In dialogue and song, a team of professional actors and musicians will enliven the familiar story of how the Regent's Canal came to be. Tickets £6 (£5 concessions). There will be a cash bar before the show and in the interval. book online

6th September 2012
Illustrated talk: Passage to Astrakhan by Dr. Roger Squires. Roger Squires tells us about a 4702 km cruise he made along the Russian inland waterways from the Baltic to the Caspian Sea and then on to the Black Sea. This epic 3 week voyage via the Baltic Volga Canal, the River Volga and the Volga Black Sea Canal took him through the heart of European Russia, stopping at some formerly 'closed' towns en route.

7th September 2012
Performance of Regent's Canal - The Musical. Details to be announced.

4th October 2012
Illustrated Talk: The Grantham Canal, by Mike Stone. The Grantham Canal linked Grantham and the surrounding area to the River Trent. With the demise of trade it fell derelict. Road builders built over part of it in the outskirts of Nottingham at grade level. Mike tells us of the efforts to reopen the canal and the quest to find a new route to join the Trent.

21st October 2012
Roses and Castles Painting Course With Tricia Parrott. £30. Learn the tradition of canal boat decoration. No experience necessary.

1st November 2012
Illustrated Talk: Lost Canals of the East Midlands by Dr. Wendy Freer. Wendy is a well known historian who has led courses and written various books on the waterways. Tonight she tells us of the history of some of her local canals, such as the Charwood Forest Canal, which have got lost with the passage of time.

6th December 2012
Illustrated Talk The Chesterfield Canal, past present and future, by Geraint Coles. This is perhaps one of the most exciting current canal restoration projects in the country. Part of the Chesterfield Canal was reopened from Shireoaks to the summit level at Norwood Tunnel in 2003, the Staveley to Chesterfield length having been reopened the year before. Currently the Chesterfield Canal Partnership are raising funds to reopen the missing link between Staveley and the Tunnel. Geraint will tell us about the story to date and future plans.

3rd January 2013
Illustrated Talk: The Erewash Canal and Lanley Mill Basin by John Baylis. The Erewash Canal became part of the Grand Union network in the 1930s. At its northern limit there was a junction, at Langley Mill, with both the Nottingham and the Cromford Canals. The ECP&DA was formed by local canal enthusiasts and fishermen with the aim of restoring the Basin and bring new life back to the canal. We will hear the story of how this was achieved.

7th February 2013
Illustrated talk: Our Historic Narrowboat Fleet by Alison Smedley, Historic Narrowboat Owners' Club. The stories behind some of the old working boats that continue to be seen on our inland waterways.

7th March 2013
Illustrated talk: The Old Union Canals, by Mike Beech, Curator, Foxton Canal Museum. The Old Union Canals. Mike has for many years been involved with the Foxton Canal Museum and the Incline Plane Trust. He comes this evening to talk about that section of the Grand Union network , from Buckby Junction and the Watford Locks to the River Soar. This is very much a rural canal which has seen both innovation and decline.

4th April 2013
Illustrated Talk: Boating in the 1950s and 1960s. Colin tells us of those early years when canals offered a challenge to those who ventured forth. The rewards however were in keeping with the times. This was the era when working boats could still be seen plying their trade.

2nd May 2013
Illustrated Talk The Work of the Waterway Recovery Group, by Martin Ludgate and Tim Lewis. Two of the London Group leaders offer an overview of the work it has undertaken restoring our canals.

6th June 2013
Illustrated talk: The Somerset Coal Canal by Patrick Moss. This waterway always has excited interest in that it had a 'caisson' lift that got lost. Patrick will tell us about the search for the remains of that lift and about the local Society's work uncovering the remainder of this unique canal.

Note. The above is just a selection of the available events.
For a full list of events at the museum please visit http://www.canalmuseum.org.uk/whatson/index.html