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As a follow-up visit to his earlier presentation to the Upper Wharfedale Heritage Group, Mike Clarke, founder of the Leeds and Liverpool Canal Society led an evening walk in early July along a short stretch of the canal from Gargrave.
With the section from the Anchor Inn to just beyond the locks and the early build and repair complex at Bank Newton, Mike had included a wide and interesting variety of canal and bank-side features that illustrated and extended many aspects of his Skipton talk.
Starting with the modern bridge carrying the A65 over the canal and the adjacent locks, he used the assorted canal structures and their associated ‘furniture’ to explain the dating of various items and the chronology of this important cross-country waterway.
He was able to demonstrate to his well interested audience, of UWHG and L&LCS members, how the locks on this wide beam canal operated, how excess water and the ice of winter was disposed of and how feeder channels captured local streams and fed them into the canal itself.
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Bank Newton lock scene © Mike Clarke & Leed & Liverpool Canal Society
On our leisurely walk, back in time, Mike showed his love for, and his understanding of, this canal, its workforce, craft and cargoes, including an explanation and Q&A session along the way at one of the original lock keepers houses, a range of differently designed bridges, including a horse “change-line bridge” and the impressive view from the aqueduct where the canal crossed over the river Aire.
Prior to reaching the summit pool beyond Greenberfield, the Bank Newton turning point of our route provided an interesting insight into the earlier days of the canal - for having seen a water driven mill from the towpath, we were led into one of the original important canal maintenance and repair sites.
Here the original carpenter’s workshops and buildings still stand, though now converted into houses, their original design and layout could still be made out and Mike was able to describe in detail how the yard had once functioned to keep this particular length of the canal in full working order.
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Gargrave Bridge reconstruction © Mike Clarke & Leed & Liverpool Canal Society
After taking a quick look beyond the locks and at the wild flower meadow adjacent to the canal, the well attended group turned and meandered back to the Anchor Inn to round off the evening with a well earned drink and an opportunity to seek further answers from our walk leader.
The evening provided an opportunity to admire and understand some of the structures and design features of the Leeds and Liverpool canal, to traverse a section of towpath interspersed with lock, bridge, structure and buildings - all integral aspects of this 240 year old waterway and to enjoy an attractive stretch of drumlin dominated countryside, with distant views of the Craven landscape, all in the company of a very knowledgeable guide.
Phil Carroll
UWHG Information Officer
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