Back to ‘narrow’ locks!

Apropos of nothing: we observed this in the cafe at Foxton Locks ... 

 ... and that's too good for them!

For the past couple of years; and for most of this Watery Peregrinations expedition; we’ve been experiencing ‘wide’ locks. ‘Wide’; in this instance; means locks about 14’ or wider, though – for the most part – still around 72’ in length. As Moonstone has a beam of barely 7’, wide locks are handy for two boats to share a lock, and imperative for a ‘wide-beam’ boat (i.e. wider than 7 feet). However; when there is just a single narrowboat negotiating a wide lock, the inconveniences become apparent. Rather than being encompassed, snugly, by the wall of the lock just inches on either side; the turbulence of the moving water requires that a line be secured on the shore – and attended to – whilst the boat rises and falls and attempts to drift sideways in the lock chamber. Additionally; the lock-gates (doors) are much larger on wide locks, hence much heavier for us to manoeuvre.

Nearly all of the locks in the southern part (England, South of Birmingham) of the canal and river system are of the wide variety and are – at least by your narrator and his travelling companion - not so well favoured as the narrow variety. On the way down the Northampton Flight; between the Grand Union Canal (Main Line) and the River Nene; all 17 locks were ‘narrow’; though the locks on the Great Ouse system where; in some cases; enormous. Likewise; all the locks on the Foss Dyke Navigation, The River Trent and its tributaries and, latterly, the Grand Union Canal; have been wide locks. We were surprised, and delighted, to arrive at Foxton to find that the flight was comprised of narrow locks.

Foxton was a famous (infamous?) ‘choke point’ on the system, in the 19th. and early 20th. century; by reason of the 10 locks being a mere 7’ 4” wide and arranged as a ‘staircase’ (immediately out of one chamber and into the next; with no passing facility.) This arrangement was hugely inconvenient, and inefficient; so much so, that the canal company devised a scheme to use (then) cutting-edge technology to by-pass the flight. This entailed the construction of a steam-driven contraption called the Foxton Inclined Plane to haul boats up the hill. The technology was, sadly, TOO 'cutting-edge' and did not live up to expectations. Consequently; it operated for a mere 12 years. Now that barely a skeleton of the original remains, this video of a model representation is the best illustration of its workings. Of course; there is an active society to re-install a full-size, working replica!!!

The horses which towed the canal-boats are memorialized in bronze

There are 3 tunnels on this stretch of the canal ... here's a shot of one ... 

There have been three tunnels over the past two days of travelling; totalling over two miles!

Ta-ta for now.