Stafford Riverway Link.

gon2seed

(and me! - Ed)
Was walking with the dog on the footpath between Fairway and the canal to the rear of Tilcon Avenue Baswich. You enter the footpath via concrete steps & signage along side the Sow between The Kingston Centre (Former School) and Alsthom (Formerly GEC). You follow the river for a bit, before heading over the fields, across a couple of metal footbridges, one over the Penk. As you approach the canal there is an area of fenced off brick work, soil and grass, about 100m by 50m. This now has signs attached that I don't think were there last time.

I remember this 'Link' coming up some considerable time ago, the plan was, and I believe still is, to make a link between the canal at Baswich and the Sow. This would reinstate a link that allowed travel by boat from the Canal into Stafford, around 1800 I think! This would, it was said, boost tourism to the County Town,
http://www.staffordshirenewsletter....-canal-river/story-20154056-detail/story.html
If you follow the link, you'll see Sherif Hegazy. RIP.

I have only posted this as even though it is an interesting project, that seemed to have stalled. I wonder if it has regained impetus now since the redevelopment of Stafford is in Progress. As new signage has appeared I wonder if anyone knows if anything is happening? Nothing obvious on the web site!
http://www.stafford-riverway-link.co.uk/Index.html
Could make a valuable addition to local Tourism, but think it would create problems with flooding and would take a good few Million to come to fruition!

Anyone know out?:help:

:shifty: Thinking,:shifty: Staffordshire Wildlife and the friends of Doxey Marshes, may want to perruse the detailed plans very carefully. :shifty:

 
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1JKz

Well-Known Forumite
Not got much to add other than I heard that this was happening and didn't quite believe it.
Hope it does.
 

gon2seed

(and me! - Ed)
TY Steve, that explains it. While I admire the optimism of the group, and admire their fortitude. I can not believe that this project is likely to progress too far! Canalising the Lower Sow enough to allow the passage of boats from the Canal to the river and then uphill to the Town, to moor up between the new multi-storey & M&S, (what I believe they are planning to go achieve.); The work needed to be done to the Sow to make this possible would be immense, and likely to have major implications on the Sow Valley's water management, and flooding.

Of course I am not an expert!
 

gon2seed

(and me! - Ed)
Passed by recently & there was a group of folk, (mostly older than him, and that's saying something!, :zzz: Ed ) working, so I stopped for a chat. Volunteers working on the proposed basin that will from the starting point for boat traffics journey to the Sow. The chat revealed that the team involved in the preparation work on the project, is being conducted by volunteers, and this is dependant on the availability of volunteers:help:. They are awaiting an architect who can produce a plan for how exactly the basin will be linked to the Sow. The Penk, Sow junction was been re-routed many years ago, and now exactly how boat traffic would cross the Penk to join the Sow is not clear. I was assured that when an architect produces a plan, progress could be more rapid. watch that space! Unfortunately I think they may be being rather optimistic, and I still think this is an optimistic dream, and the group have massive way to go! I won't be loosing any sleep, waiting for news but wish them luck! :up:
 
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captainpish

Well-Known Forumite
Well I never....is it?

I thought it was pronounced

Bass itch
My mums friend who likes to think shes a bit posh but just lives on one of the overpriced, tiny council house looking places always corrects my mother when she pronounces it bass-itch. "Its baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaazitch barbara" shes a bit of a hyacinth bouquet. "Richard!!!"
 

Glam

Mad Cat Woman
My mums friend who likes to think shes a bit posh but just lives on one of the overpriced, tiny council house looking places always corrects my mother when she pronounces it bass-itch. "Its baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaazitch barbara" shes a bit of a hyacinth bouquet. "Richard!!!"
We have quite a few foreign members of staff at our place, they all pronounce it Bas witch and Chebsey is Chesbee. I spend half my time biting my tongue trying hard not to correct them. Cos they dunna listen when ya do!
 

John Marwood

I ♥ cryptic crosswords
We have quite a few foreign members of staff at our place, they all pronounce it Bas witch and Chebsey is Chesbee. I spend half my time biting my tongue trying hard not to correct them. Cos they dunna listen when ya do!

Doxey as in Duchy of Lancaster
Heights as in nasty little Oiks
 

Gareth

Well-Known Forumite
Well John is the prime example that most people in this country can no longer talk nor pronounce the correct English lol.
 

Glam

Mad Cat Woman
Well John is the prime example that most people in this country can no longer talk nor pronounce the correct English lol.
Not wanting to get into a debate of pronounciation, but I don't speak the Queens English. I have an accent that I like, I don't expect others to like it. It's mine, I don't put on airs n graces. I'm me.
I'm very rough around the edges, call a spade a shovel and drink tea out of a mug and never raise my little finger when doing so.
 

gon2seed

(and me! - Ed)
Far be it from me to interrupt this thread about pronunciation to talk about the Riverway Link, but if you follow this link you will see a picture of what I saw the volunteers working on! http://www.stafford-riverway-link.co.uk/Index.html Click on the press release.

Good luck to them, when they have finished restoring it, they only have a few hundred yards of canal to build, and somehow connect to the Sow, in order to allow boats to get to the river. Then when that is done, it will surely only be a short while before they are disembarking shoppers by the New Marks and scoffing at the Eateries! :ohno:
 

United57

Well-Known Forumite
Canals can transform urban areas. We all know what happened in Birmingham. They are now looking to develop the Eastside river Rea.
 

gon2seed

(and me! - Ed)
Canals can transform urban areas. We all know what happened in Birmingham. They are now looking to develop the Eastside river Rea.

You are absolutely right 57, my cynicism is unworthy of the vision. I do wish them all the best, I think they have a MASSIVE job. They are going to have to get across the Penk in order to reach the Sow. The Penk has been rerouted since the last time the link was used. When they have overcome that there will be a huge job to do on the Sow, in order to make it navigable. And I don't want to think about the way all this may affect the watercourse's capacity to cope with flooding that has plagued the Sow valley! As I said, all the best to them, am sure if it ever comes to fruition, the water management will be considered, but I will be very surprised if I ever travel by longboat from Milford to Stafford Town Centre! We shall see! :stafford:
 

United57

Well-Known Forumite
You are absolutely right 57, my cynicism is unworthy of the vision. I do wish them all the best, I think they have a MASSIVE job. They are going to have to get across the Penk in order to reach the Sow. The Penk has been rerouted since the last time the link was used. When they have overcome that there will be a huge job to do on the Sow, in order to make it navigable. And I don't want to think about the way all this may affect the watercourse's capacity to cope with flooding that has plagued the Sow valley! As I said, all the best to them, am sure if it ever comes to fruition, the water management will be considered, but I will be very surprised if I ever travel by longboat from Milford to Stafford Town Centre! We shall see! :stafford:

If you think of the humble canal restoration projects by volunteers in the 60's and see what we have now. Would Stafford BC have the foresight to employ an officer to attempt to get funding. The impact for the town could be very big.
 

Thehooperman

Well-Known Forumite
I saw a poster today asking for volunteers for their next working party weekend on June 8/9 but can't remember where it was to post a piccie on here.
 
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