Timeline 1960-1979

1960

Things were starting to move on the Stratford-upon-Avon Canal with teams of volunteers already at work on the waterway under the leadership of David Hutchings even before the National Trust had obtained a lease on the southern section of the canal. The National Trust had the lease by the end of the year and were looking to find £20,000 towards the restoration from donations.

A three week cruise through the Middle Level in the boats Blue Peter and Maid Mary-Sonya was led by Captain Munk and Robert Aickman. Following this cruise a meeting with the Middle Level Engineer was held at which various improvements to navigation were discussed.

IWA National Rally was held at Stoke-on-Trent and a protest cruise was held at Dudley Tunnel to counter proposals to close it.

In December the Government announced that it intended that British Transport Waterways should be placed under a new independent statutory Board to be known as the Inland Waterways Authority. While the IWA broadly welcomed this as a step in the right direction, the prospect of two organisations with the initials I W A was considered as unfortunate.

1961

The year started with local authorities calling for the closure of the Ashton Canal. A protest cruise was organised for Whitsun, which British Waterways tried to advert by withdrawing the canal from the scope of their pleasure boat licences. Despite this a reduced scale cruise of 15 boats went ahead but were stopped at Lock 12 by a burnt and dismantled lock gate.

Another protest cruise went to the padlocked entrance of the Derby Canal and was followed by a meeting in Derby. Local press coverage and correspondence from this attracted much support.

The intention to abandon navigation on the Forth & Clyde Canal was announced. In addition concerns were raised and action taken on a long list of waterways too numerous to mention here.

Another three week inspection tour was made by Captain Munk and Robert Aickman aboard two Maid Line boats. This time the journey started from Maid Line's new base at Brinklow and included the River Trent, Calder & Hebble Navigation, Leeds & Liverpool Canal and a return journey on the Trent & Mersey Canal.

The National Rally held at Aylesbury was a great success and attracted more publicity than any other rally for many years. Boats attending received a duckling plaque specially drawn by Peter Scott.

1962

The restored lock with an electrically operated guillotine gate was opened at Salters Lode on the Middle Level. The Middle Level Commissioners plan to follow this with the dredging of Well Creek.

A protest cruise was held on the Chesterfield Canal to draw attention to the poor condition of the navigation.

A wall of the Marple Aqueduct on the Peak Forest Canal collapsed and the whole structure was closed.

IWA National Rally held at Stourbridge to draw attention to the poor state of the Stourbridge Canal and to oppose plans to close the waterway. The rally was held in defiance of British Waterways claims that the participates had no right to use the canal or to clear the obstructions to navigation. The result was that a record number of boats attended the rally and much favourable publicity was obtained.

In June the Lower Avon was formally reopened from Tewkesbury to Evesham.

1963

An Inland Waterways Association member offers £80,000 to help restore the Upper Avon navigation.

The resoration of the Stratford-upon-Avon Canal continued at a rapid pace with the Royal Enginners and prisoners from Winston Green augmenting the regular volunteers.

The National Trust also acquired the River Wey as a gift from its former owner Mr Harry H Stevens.

The first Waterways Museum was opened at Stoke Bruerne.

IWA National Rally was held at Little Venice on the Grand Union - Regent's Canal.

1964

The "Hawton" Interim Report was published. Entitled The Future of the Waterways it borrowed its name from an earlier IWA policy document as well as some of its ideas and although it did not (of course) meet all the aims of IWA it did represent a major step forward.

Laughing Water II was the first boat to make the journey on the restored Stratford-upon-Avon Canal from Lapworth to Stratford, arriving there on 22nd February. IWA National Fesival at Stratford-upon-Avon to mark the reopening of the canal by HM Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother (see photo by Max Sinclair). The Festival was held from 9th to 15th July, instead of the normal August time, to coincide with the Royal opening.

Discussions started into the best way of restoring the Upper Avon. On the Kennet & Avon Canal the long standing obstruction at Bridge Street Bridge in Reading was still causing a block to craft wishing to enter the canal but the Kennet & Avon Canal Trust, with the support of IWA, started to organise restoration projects, jointly with British Waterways, using volunteer labour.

In October Robert Aickman retired from his role as chief campaigner and editor of the Bulletin roles he had fulfilled since the start of IWA over 18 years before. He remained as a member of the Council and was still to contribute much to the IWA over the coming years. Captain Munk who as Chairman had before formally been responsible for administration of the IWA now took on the campaigning role as well. Hugh McKnight became Editor of the Bulletin.

The abandonment of the Derby Canal was authorised by the Ministry of transport. On the Aire & Calder Navigation it was announced that new 210 ton capacity compartment boats would be used to take coal to Ferrybridge Power Station where they would be automatically lifted and tipped to unload. The proposed route of the M6 motorway threatened navigation on the upper reaches of the Lancaster Canal. A new Bill for the Rochdale Canal presented the prospect of closing the Rochdale nine locks and thus destroying the route that was to become known as the Cheshire Ring.

The restoration of the Grand Union Welford Branch was the objective of the newly formed Market Harborough Old Union Canal Society.

IWA Member John Glover launched Canal and River Monthly Review the first magazine to be dedicated to inland waterways.

1965

The prospects for the waterways looked better than at any time since the founding of IWA, with local authorities increasingly look to improve rather than close their local waterways and canal carrying now being subject to much more favourable terms. The new attitudes at British Waterways meant that volunteer labour was, in some cases, now being welcomed instead of being forbidden to touch the waterways as had been the case at the Stourbridge Canal in 1962.

There was still much to be done with the Kennet & Avon, Rochdale, Shrewsbury & Newport, Caldon and Peak Forest canals, as well as other waterways, still in a poor state. These included the flight of locks at Runcorn on the Bridgewater Canal and the Runcorn & Weston Canal.

The IWA Head Office moved from 4 Emerald Street to 114 Regent's Park Road, London, NW1. The formation of a "Waterways Trust" was proposed by IWA. This would be a charitable body with financial support from the Government.

The deteriating state of the Leeds & Liverpool Canal and concerns for its future led to IWA National Rally being held at Blackburn. Mr & Mrs Joe Skinner were awarded the Alfred Ritchie Challenge Cockerel for the best working boat Friendship (see photograph).

Another significant idea came from T Dodwell of the London & Home Counties Branch who suggested forming a group of volunteers to work on various canal restoration projects wherever they were required.

1966

Twenty years after founding IWA Robert Aickman resigned from IWA Council following policy disagreements with Captain Munk. John Betjeman was made an IWA Vice-President.

The IWA (now with over 4,250 members) looked back on its first 20 years and congratulated itself on the change of attitude it had brought about both in government and the public towards waterways and canals in particular. In 1946 they were seen as the decaying remains of a system that should have been buried with the coming of the railways. Now they were recoginsed as a national asset that could be used for commerce and recreation on and beside the water. Looking forward there was still an immense amount of work to be done, derelict canals to be restored, threatened waterways to be saved, heritage and environment to be protected and facilites to be improved.

In response to British Waterways report Facts about the Waterways, issued the previous December, IWA decided to change its general policy of co-operation with BW to an independent assessment of each case, co-operating in the cases where benefits could be obtained but criticising policies that they opposed. On the 1 May the Silver Sword scheme was launched to encourage members to cruise extensively throughout the year.

On the Kennet & Avon Canal Sulhampstead Lock was rebuilt and a start was made on re-puddling the dry section at Limpley Stoke. The first Navvies Notebook was published in October giving all the news for waterway restoration volunteers. The first work towards restoring navigation on the Upper Avon was started and an appeal for money was launched.

IWA National Rally was held at Marple on the Peak Forest Canal and on the threatened Cheshire Ring. It attracted a record attendance of 250 boats.

1967

This was the first year that the London Boat Show had an inland waterways of England theme.

Some encouraging news came from the Caldon Canal where commercial traffic returned in the shape of the Milton Maid, a new boat designed to carry pottery to the packing depot. British Waterways also ended its policy of padlocking lock gates "out of hours" on many of its waterways. The Sixteen Locks on the Stourbridge Canal were re-opened by John Morris MP, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Transport, who made an enthusiastic speech about the waterways network.

The future of the canals had still not been secured and in anticpation of another unsatisfactory Transport Bill IWA planned a National Waterway Week for October with petions and demonstrations of various kinds on and off the waterways. However, in September a White Paper was introduced that was so favourable to the IWA case that Waterways Week was posponed indefinitely.

About 350 boats attended IWA National Rally at Leicester (see photograph) which was offically opened by the Lord Mayor Sir Mark Henig. There were now over 5,000 IWA members.

1968

Voluteer labour continued to make its mark with work being done on Marple Locks on the Peak Forest Canal, Bath Locks on the Kennet & Avon Canal, Grand Union - Welford Branch and perhaps most spectacularly on the Ashton Canal where volunteers led by Graham Palmer undertook a massive clean-up and restoration. IWA, and others, also issued British Waterways with a writ over the neglect of the Ashton and Peak Forest canals.

The Offley Slack Challenge Trophy was presented to IWA by Council Members Stan Offley and Ray Slack.

Following a competition to provide an IWA house style a desigm by Derek Hodson of London was adopted. This used a version the Excalibur sword designed by Frank Luzmore in 1947 and first appeared in Bulletin 83 in May. Captain Munk led an IWA inspection cruise of the Middle Level and had to be towed through Well Creek.

To counter the exclusion of the Aintree to Liverpool section of the Leeds & Liverpool Canal from the designated "Cruiseways" and to improve the image of the canal in Liverpool IWA held their National Rally in the city. Around 170 boats attended.

On the Kennet & Avon Canal the obstruction of Bridge Street Bridge at Reading was resolved by the building of a new bridge. Also Burghfield and Sulhamsptead locks were restored and reopened.

At the end of the year Transport Act was passed which imposed on British Waterways a duty to maintain the waterways which was enforceable may the Courts. This and other provisions in the Act made the future of the waterways more secure than they had been for many years although the public right of navigation was lost.

1969

IWA started the new year with large number of waterway campaigns including the Grand Union - Slough Branch, Basingstoke Canal, Kennet & Avon Canal, Bridgwater and Taunton Canal, Exeter Ship Canal, Monmouthshire & Brecon Canal, Birmingham Canal Navigations, Erewash Canal, Ashby Canal, Upper Avon, Droitwich Canal, Ashton Canal, Peak Forest Canal, Leeds & Liverpool Canal, Lancaster Canal, Montgomery Canal, Caldon Canal, Pocklington Canal, River Derwent (Yorkshire), Calder & Hebble Navigation, Sheffield & South Yorkshire Navigation, Middle Level, River Great Ouse and Norfolk and Suffolk Broads. With so many campaigns running, many of them major restoration schemes, the process could not be run by the small IWA Head Office team even with help from the branches. Instead the established practice of working with local restoration societies and other organisations was expanded as each new restoration came along. The photo shows voluteers working on the Erewash Canal.

1970

The future of the Basingstoke Canal was an issue again as the New Basingstoke Canal Co Ltd, who had bought the canal in 1949 had difficulties in maintaining the waterway and were looking to close it to navigation. The Surrey & Hampshire Canal Society and IWA were pressing for it to be taken into public ownership.

IWA offered £10,000 and unlimited voluntary labour towards the restoration of the Ashton Canal. Lack of dredging on many canals was a cause of complaint for many IWA members. Many working parties were now in action including one to clear rubbish from Parkhead locks on the Dudley Canal. This was also the year that these voluteers became the Waterway Recovery Group (WRG).

Captain Munk resigned as IWA Chairman and was replaced by John A C Humphries.

IWA National Rally was held at Guildford on the River Wey partly to give a boost to the campaign to restore the nearby Basingstoke Canal. 380 boats attended and 50,000 people visited the site prodicing good TV and press coverage.

The official reopening of the Monmouthshire & Brecon Canal (previously called the Brecon Abergavenny Canal) from Pontypool to Brecon took place on 16 October.

1971

Campaigns and restoration work continued on many waterways and IWA paid the legal costs for setting-up the Yorkshire Derwent Trust with the aim os resoring the River Derwent.

The Upper Avon from Evesham to Bidford was reopened and the IWA gave Robert Aickman, as Chairman of the Upper Avon Navigation Trust, a cheque for £3,500 as a final contribution to the restoration. The new Department for the Environment gave a grant of £25,000 for the restoration. The project manager for the restoration was David Hutchings, whose task it now was to open the river to Stratford.

Not for the first time the issue of pollution of the waterways was raised (see photograph of the River Trent) as well as other long running issues that were always of concern such as commercial carrying, waterside buildings, the environment, etc.

In this IWA Silver Jubilee year membership rose to 7,000 and the National Rally was held at Northampton on the River Nene. As part of the campaign to save the "remainder" waterways rallies were also held at the Tame Valley Canal on the Birmingham Canal Navigations, the Rochdale Canal in Manchester, the Bridgwater and Taunton Canal, Caldon Canal, River Ouse (Yorkshire), Erewash Canal, Bidford on the Upper Avon, Bristol Docks and at Sheffield on the Sheffield & South Yorkshire Navigation.

1972

Government proposals to split the management of the waterways (including all British Waterways (BW) navigations) between ten Regional Water Authorities was opposed by IWA. After gathering much support from various bodies and the public IWA responded with the Waterways Junction report arguing their case in detail.

in March John A C Humphries resigned as IWA Chairman to become a Government advisor and Captain Munk returned to his former post until John C Heap took over in October.

Following agreement on funding from the local authorities, IWA, BW and other voluteers were mobilised to take part in the restoration of the Ashton Canal. Working parties started work on the Stroudwater and Thames & Severn canals following the formation of the Stroudwater Canal Society.

Over 500 boats attended IWA National Rally at Lymm on the Bridgewater Canal. Membership rose to over 9,500.

1973

Bedford Corporation gave a grant of £100,000 towards the restoration of the River Great Ouse. IWA and the Grantham Canal Society went from towpath clearing to a campaign for full restoration of the navigaion. The Droitwich Canal Trust was setup with help from Worcester County Council and Droitwich Town Development Committee and in October 500 volunteers took part in a big dig (see Photograph). Support for the Montgomery Canal restoration came from the Prince of Wales Committee.

At Easter on the Dudley Canal 320 boats and nearly 5,000 people gathered to mark the reopening of Dudley Tunnel. On the Erewash Canal the restored Great Northern Basin at Langley Mill was opened in May.

With the Kennet & Avon Canal still not restored after more than 10 years some IWA members were now suggesting that the Huddersfield Narrow Canal and Rochdale Canal should be considered next for restoration. Others said that this was too ambitious, an argument history would refute some thirty years later.

The Water Bill was published without any proposal to split up British Waterways - a success for IWA's campaign.

IWA National Rally at Ely on the River Great Ouse was attended by 255 boats and visited by about 30,000 people.

1974

Harecastle Tunnel on the Trent & Mersey Canal was closed all year due to repairs being carried out on roof lining falls. The Huddersfield Canal Society was formed to promote the restoration of the Huddersfield Narrow Canal.

The Branch structure of IWA was changed into one of 7 Regions and 18 branches with the idea of growing the number of branches further. IWA Membership reached 12,000.

In May the restored Ashton and Peak Forest canals were reopened as well as further stretches of the Kennet & Avon Canal.

On 1st June the Upper Avon was officially reopened by HM Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother. In the photograph with her are Robert Aickman, David Hutchings and Crick Grundy.

In September the Caldon Canal restoration was complete and the navigation was declared open.

IWA National Rally held at Nottingham on the River Trent and attracted over 600 boats. Drawing attention to the nearby Grantham Canal restoration was one of its objectives.

1975

Now that British Waterways were making a start to address the maintenance backlog some IWA members expressed concern at the length of some of the stoppages needed for the work. The condition of the towpaths and water shortages were also subjects increasingly coming to everyone's attention. Lack of moorings, hire boats and speeding craft featured in the expanding letters pages of the Bulletin.

The North West Region held the first IWA Regional Rally at which 280 boats attended and there was a large trade fair. The local Council Parks Department provided an appropriate floral display outside Middlewich Civic Hall.

On the Kennet & Avon Canal traffic lights were installed in Reading at each end of the narrow and fast running brewery cutting. A substancial portion of the cost came from Captain Munk's testimonial collection, which he gave as a memorial to his late wife Marion.

The BACAT (Barge Aboard Catamaran) sevice came to an end due to the unofficial blacking of the service by Hull dockers.

IWA National Festival at York on the River Ouse was sponsored by Shell. The first year since 1964 that the event was called a Festival rather than a Rally.

1976

The members magazine was changed from Bulletin to IWA Waterways and produced in A4 format. This was also the year of the big drought (see photograph of the Aylesbury Arm) made worse on the canals by the maintenance backlog.

IWA objected to the draft of the Anglian Water Authority Bill which would make it possible to extinguish navigation rights on the authority of the Secretary of State. A Select Committee of the House of Lords heard the objection and decided in favour of the IWA.

A downturn in the economy meant IWA National Rally at Peterborough on the River Nene did not have a sponsor and the drought caused an entry of 382 boats to translate to just 142 arrivals. Despite this 33,000 people attended the Rally.

1977

The British Waterways maintenance backlog was made worse by several major structural failures including closure of Blisworth Tunnel on the Grand Union Main Line, which was opened again later in the year.

In the autumn a report by Peter Fraenkel and Partners dealing with The Costs of Operating and Maintaining the Waterways of the British Waterways Board was published. It was a detailed survey of all the waterways and identified that at least £60 million needed to be spent to bring BW navigations up to standard.

The East Midlands Region organised an IWE Waterways week culminating in CC77 a rally marking 200 years of the Chesterfield Canal. Some 4,000 people attended the Huddersfield Canal Featival on the Huddersfield Narrow Canal. IWA National Festival at Reading on the River Thames had over 370 boat entries.

1978

An Association sponsored walk (IWALK) was held all over the country and raised around £33,000 for IWA funds. Sir Geoffrey de Freitas became the second IWA President, a post left vacant since the death of Sir Alan P Herbert in 1971. IWA membership topped 15,000.

IWA National Rally was intended to be held at Windmill End on the Dudley Canal but at short notice was switched to Titford Pools (see photograph) on another part of the Birmingham Canal Navigations because of the Netherton Tunnel needed urgent repair works. Braunston Tunnel on the Grand Union Main Line suffered similar problems, just two more indications that the maintenance backlog was having a major effect on the system.

Restoration of the Kennet & Avon Canal continues to progress with the Kennet & Avon Canal Trust claiming it was possible that it could be open by 1981 or 1982. On the River Great Ouse the Restoration Society reported the completion of Castle Mills lock on 28th April, thus fully restoring navigation to the river. After years of fighting the improvement scheme for the Sheffield & South Yorkshire Navigation was finally approved. The much delayed restoration of the Montgomery Canal also started.

1979

Stoppages of several months during occurred during the year including Foulridge Tunnel on the Leeds & Liverpool Canal, Tyrley Cutting on the Shropshire Union Canal, Retford Aqueduct on the Chesterfield Canal, Tardebigge and Kings Norton tunnels on the Worcester & Birmingham Canal, Braunston Tunnel on the Grand Union Main Line, Crick Tunnel on the Grand Union - Leicester Section, the section from Hawkesbury to Coventry on the Coventry Canal and Netherton Tunnel on the Birmingham Canal Navigations which was still closed from the previous year.

Restoration work continued on numerous waterways including the Wiltshire & Berkshire Canal, the Wey & Arun Canal (see photograph of Pallingham Bridge), Cotswold Canals, Neath and Tennant Canals and the Montgomery Canal.

IWA National Rally was held on the River Weaver at Northwich attracting a record 622 boats and over 30,000 visitors. IWA membership at the end of the year was 17,728.