Saturday 17th October 2005.
Ok, it isn't Birmingham. It has nothing to do with genealogy. It is a far cry from the noble sentiments of Key Hill and the dangerous exploration of St Saviours.. but I like it.
Armed with my trusty camera and an A-Z of the Black Country, I bussed out to Windmill End, near Netherton for the annual gathering of boats. When I arrived I was greeted by the bustle of the crowds of visitors, the chugging of narrow boats and the smells of steam and burgers.
The area is a network of canals and canal arms, joined by a plethora of bridges, set in a beautiful patch of countryside. It is worth a visit any time of the year as it is a haven for wild-life and flora. The Bumble Hole visitor centre is there for people to drop in to find out about the area.
There were lots of stalls selling the usual canal goodies, tombolas, charity stalls, a fairground, craft stalls, displays of dancing and boatmanship, burger stalls, a pig-roast and a beer tent, to name just a few. The rain held off while I was there although it clouded over somewhat.
Saturday, September 17, 2005
An old lorry. For the more pedantic amongst you it's a 1960 L.C.5 Morris commercial 30cwt truck. On the back of the truck is a WWII magnetic sea-mine.
Canal-ware for sale. A large selection of tea-towels, books, postcards and, of course a range of crockery painted in the traditional "Roses and Castles" style.
The Boat-Manouvering Competition. Boats are timed through a course, moving forward and reversing under a cluster of bridges with obstacles dangling from them. Formula One it isn't, but it's more interesting to watch and great fun for all.
Cobbs Engine House. Built in 1831, the building contained a Watt beam engine which pumped water from the mines into the canal. The engine house was named after a farmer Cobb who was a local land-owner.
The "Dry Dock", a great place to end up the day. The bar was built from sections of two narrow-boats, the music was traditional folk and the beer was excellent. Sitting in here I decided that next year I would leave the camera behind and partake more of the activities... the greasy burgers, pork-roast, boat-trips and more beer ;-0
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