Tales from the Towpath E-Book

Fiona Eadie

• Herausgeber: The History Press
• Kategorie: Fantasy und Science-Fiction
• Sprache: Englisch

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2018

Beschreibung

Have you ever wondered about the people who lived and worked along the canals? Have you ever caught a glimpse of something they might have seen or an echo of something they might have heard? As the Stroudwater Navigation and the Thames and Severn canal wind their way from Framilode to Inglesham, they hold the stories of all who lived and worked on them. From Jack spinning yarns as he legs barges through the Sapperton Tunnel to Elizabeth swimming for all she is worth in the Wallbridge gala, the stories in 'Tales from the Towpath' span 250 years of life on the Cotswold canals. Mixing fact and fiction, they bring the past to life and, like all the best tales, appeal to children and adults alike. These original tales by storyteller Fiona Eadie are complemented by the evocative illustrations of local artist Tracy Spiers.

Leseprobe

Fiona Eadie is a Gloucestershire-based storyteller and deviser of storywalks through the landscape. She is passionate about language, about bringing the spoken word to life and uncovering stories of place.

The original tales in this book are complemented by the evocative illustrations of local artist Tracy Spiers.

First published 2018

The History Press

The Mill, Brimscombe Port

Stroud, Gloucestershire, GL5 2QG

www.thehistorypress.co.uk

© Fiona Eadie, 2018

Illustrations © Tracy Spiers

The right of Fiona Eadie to be identified as the Author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without the permission in writing from the Publishers.

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data.

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

ISBN 978 0 7509 9016 5

Typesetting and origination by The History Press

Printed in Great BritaineBook converted by Geethik Technologies

CONTENTS

Acknowledgements

Maps of the Stories

Introduction

1   Benjamin Grazebrook, Canal Pioneer, 1700s

A Grandfather Tells How the Stroudwater Navigation Came About

2   Samuel the Navvy, 1777

The Life of a Labourer Digging the Canal into Being

3   Jack the Legger, 1802

Moving Barges through the Sapperton Tunnel

4   Amos the Lock-keeper, 1836

Work, Worries and Dreams of a Nineteenth-Century Canal Family

5   Kate the Boat-builder’s Daughter, 1854

Launching a Trow

6   Jim the Barge-master’s Son, 1870

Transporting a Cargo Down to the Thames

7   Elizabeth the Swimmer, 1930s

Taking Part in the Wallbridge Gala

8   Anna the Time Traveller, 2018

Cotswold Canals in the Past and the Future

Bibliography

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I am very grateful for all the assistance and encouragement that I have been given in the researching and compiling of this book.

David Marshall and Stroud District Council (SDC) were central in bringing seven of these stories into being and deserve much of the credit. SDC commissioned me to devise a series of towpath story walks when it was the body leading the restoration of the canals, which was largely funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund. I then told the stories to schoolchildren on educational visits organised by the Cotswold Canals Trust (CCT). I am delighted that the tales now have a permanent home in this collection.

Lois Francis, and Clive and Jill Field, have been wonderful sources of information and encouragement, and I am grateful for the time and the material they have given me. I am also extremely grateful to Jill Field for her skilled proofreading and inspired suggestions. I appreciate the support of others associated with CCT, including Paul Weller.

Hugh Conway Jones has generously and unfailingly advised me on all manner of canal history queries. I have been awed by his knowledge and I am indebted to Hugh for his detailed reading of each chapter. Any errors that remain are entirely my responsibility.

My good friend Rosie Simpson accompanied me on early expeditions to possible story sites and was helpful and perceptive in talking over ideas.

I am delighted with the evocative illustrations that Tracy Spiers has created, which bring the settings and the characters to life, and I have appreciated Tracy’s skill, patience and good humour. My thanks also go to her models – Roger, Megan, Rosie and Kezia Spiers, and Bruce Baker.

I also want to thank Paul and Jo Hofman for their patient and skilled work in making a promotional video of the Samuel the Navvy story (seehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OcmBD5Lqhvc).

I have been helped in many different ways by Kirsty Hartsiotis, Anthony Nanson, Val Kirby, Hugh Barton, Jane Bethell, Mike Rust, Jim Pentney, Paul Pennycook, and the Gloucestershire Archive.

INTRODUCTION

This book was written at a pivotal time in the history of the Cotswold canals. It is the year in which Prince Charles opened Wallbridge Lower Lock to mark the re-joining of the two canals – the Stroudwater and the Thames and Severn – and the completion of an amazing piece of restoration work involving 6 miles of canal, ten locks and eight new bridges.

The long-term plans for further phases of restoration are inspired and ambitious, and will, when completed, once again see canals linking the Severn and the Thames. For all these reasons, this is a great time to honour the canals’ past … and their future.

It seems to me that the local history of where we live or of the places we choose to visit is a vital part of what we experience there. It contributes, in ways seen and unseen, to the sense of place.