Peter's Waterways Blog Fifty Years (and more) Since... This was first published in IWA West Riding's Milepost in February 2017 as a reflection of fifty years of the IWA in the North-East.

Click to read full issue

The Inland Waterways Association began in 1946 as a group of enthusiasts based in London, and recruited supporters from across the country. It encouraged them to come together in more local groups and the North East Branch of IWA had a exploratory gathering on 2 June 1959, a more formal founding on 19 October that year, and an inaugural meeting on 27 April 1960 at the Bay Horse Hotel in York, by when 67 members had been recruited. The financial position was "described as barely solvent" and Treasurer said "he was paying his small day-to-day expenses out of his pocket as his own personal donation to the Branch". Mr R S Scott (not my relation) proposed that the Branch subscription be "five shillings annually, payable when the main IWA subscription falls due" but this would not pay the whole costs of the Tidal Wave magazine, which would need to become self-supporting with advertisements and sales. Also agreed was "full support to the plan for a National Waterways Conservancy" as proposed by Robert Aickman. By the first AGM on 25 March 1961, Tidal Wave, had ten issues and three supplements during the year, including campaigning to save the Pocklington Canal, to reopen the Driffield Navigation and restore the Huddersfield Broad Canal.

Minutes of North East Branch Inaugural Meeting 27 April 1960

Barbara Castle Secretary of State for Transport

By 1966/67, the Branch was thriving. "The committee held 13 meetings, with an average attendance of nine". Seven ordinary meetings in Leeds had an average attendance of 38 and two more were held further north in Stokesley (23 people, raised £2 4s 9d) and Newcastle. Public meetings in Huddersfield, Leeds and Bradford were attended by 90, 240 and 110 people respectively. For the Bradford public meeting in the Mechanics Institute, the resolution was to "call upon the Minister of Transport [Barbara Castle] to retain for multi-purpose use the existing waterways system and in particular the Leeds-Liverpool Canal; with security of tenure for at least 25 years..." and the main speakers were entertained to high tea at the Bradford Club before the meeting. At Leeds the resolution also "rejects the Minister's proposals for five-yearly reviews of the network and closure of canals by statutory order" (instead of by specific Acts of Parliament) and £7/18/6 was collected for the campaign. Mr Olver wrote to his Leeds North East MP, Sir Keith Joseph (a minister in the previous Conservative government) who had a reply from Barbara Castle saying she "does not want waterways to go out of service and ... waterways are unlikely to be closed between reviews".

The second annual dinner was attended by 52 people and a "great success". It was "agreed not to return the money to those who were unable to attend after booking seats". Barnsley Canal Walk (26 people), cruises on the Manchester Ship Canal and through Standedge Tunnel were all successful. 29 members had gone through the tunnel with no mishaps; charged 30/- for adults 20/- for children. The Telegraph and Argus had paid for a photographer to go. "Although the [BW] Area Engineer wrote that only 9 could be accommodated each way, Mr H Sykes said he had been assured of taking 14 [each way]". For spreading the campaigns wider, committee members gave illustrated talks in Leeds, Bradford, Woodlesford, Ripon, Halifax and Ilkley. The Branch Chairman, Pauline Cobb commentated in a BBC "Look North" feature on the Leeds and Liverpool Canal. Captain Lionel Munk (National Chairman) asked all branches to invite MPs on boat trips to solicit their support. There was to be a competition to design an IWA symbol. There was a sub-committee of the Leeds Civic Trust discussing the canal and river frontage. Skipton Urban District Council were "interested in the Springs Branch possibly making a marina there and a slipway", but there was worry it was "fast becoming a health hazard".

Lionel Munk IWA National Chairman

BWB logo

"The Press Officer wrote to the [Brighouse] Town Centre Redevelopment Committee" opposing "the possibility of converting the canal to a water channel". Captain Munk reported that canoeists and fishermen did not want "water channels". A sub-committee was set up and was "busy in the organisation of the Whitsun Branch Rally at Brighouse". Nine powered and three unpowered boats had so far entered and the Halifax Sea Scouts arranged their Gala Day to co-incide. Player's Ltd had sent a quantity of cigarettes for fundraising events, and members had "proposals to make the canal more attractive" and to help clearing it out. The British Waterways' padlocking of locks was to be terminated in most areas as an experiment. BW was congratulated on swift repair of breach at Apperley Bridge.   And so to 1967/68 ...

In her autobiography Barbara Castle wrote she had been "horrified to discover that one of the Treasury's money-saving exercises in 1967 involved closing down miles of inland waterways which were no longer commercially viable. I was alerted to the danger by a vocal band of canal enthusiasts led by a certain Mr Monk, whose main political weapon was verbal vitriol to be thrown in the faces of all politicians. I did not need any kind of threat to launch me into the attack because my heart was in their cause. ... When my White Paper on inland waterways was published I enjoyed one of the few rewarding moments in a minister's battle-scarred life. I walked into my ministerial room to find my civil servants staring at a large bunch of red roses from the vitriolic Mr Monk, who had been a thorn in all our sides” The White Paper led to the 1968 Transport Act, which was a significant milestone in the regeneration of our Inland Waterways.

Barbara Castle autobiography

Peter Scott @peterjohnscott