Uploaded new MSC Video.

[algy]

I have uploaded this video clip of the Manchester Ship canal to You Tube, it features the length between what used to be the ICI Wigg's/Randles chemical munitions works by Randles Sluices on the 'Island' at Moore to the Acton Grange railway bridge at Lower Walton and features a ship unloading wooden pit props by the bridge for the Lancashire coalfields, during the second world war many Italian prisoners of war were employed to offload the wooden pit props at Acton Grange.

 

For those that followed 'The Building of the Manchester Ship Canal' photo series on here it may interest you to know that the steam locomotives in the video clip were MSC locos on the companies line, this line travelled eastwards for about quarter of a mile and then turned left on the other side of the viaduct, rising gradually and linking with the LMS line at the 'Twelve Arches' low level and shunting lines.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=98NxlH11_Y4

[asperity]

Very interesting Algy, nice to see some "proper" ships! Mind you they were noisy

[TheKnowledge71]

I have uploaded this video clip of the Manchester Ship canal to You Tube, it features the length between what used to be the ICI Wigg's/Randles chemical munitions works by Randles Sluices on the 'Island' at Moore to the Acton Grange railway bridge at Lower Walton and features a ship unloading wooden pit props by the bridge for the Lancashire coalfields, during the second world war many Italian prisoners of war were employed to offload the wooden pit props at Acton Grange.

 

For those that followed 'The Building of the Manchester Ship Canal' photo series on here it may interest you to know that the steam locomotives in the video clip were MSC locos on the companies line, this line travelled eastwards for about quarter of a mile and then turned left on the other side of the viaduct, rising gradually and linking with the LMS line at the 'Twelve Arches' low level and shunting lines.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=98NxlH11_Y4

 

Great video. I lived in the sluice house at Randles Sluices for 20yrs when my father was Valveman at Moore Lane SB. Also worked on Randle Island for 6yrs. I've attached a picture of said house. Whats missing from the background that is there now??

[algy]

Great video. I lived in the sluice house at Randles Sluices for 20yrs when my father was Valveman at Moore Lane SB. Also worked on Randle Island for 6yrs. I've attached a picture of said house. Whats missing from the background that is there now??

TK, thanks for the information, I actually posted that photo on Panoramio (Google Earth) a while back, I believe it was taken by my Uncle Frank or Granddad from the top of the gauging wire pylon, Granddad Johnson was the sluice master at Randles sluices and lived in the bungalow. retiring in the early 1950's,. What's missing is 'Fiddlers Ferry Power station'. I don't know if you are aware but the wooden huts were occupied by a squad of older regular army soldiers during the war and they manned the Oerlikon machine gun that was to the right of the bungalow facing from the cana,l it was housed in a steel dome that rotated on a roller track and was part of the canal anti air raid defences. When I was four years old in 1944 Granddad used to take me to see the soldiers and he would sit and have a brew with them, before we left they would put brass threepenny bits in an envelope and tell me it was my army pay packet, great times for a youngster up there in those days TK.

[Dizzy]

What a small world eh?

 

It looks a lovely place to have lived (sort of seaside'ish') but not very safe for you kiddies to have been with all that water and no fences.

 

Fascinating and I love the bit about your army wage packet Algy.

[TheKnowledge71]

TK, thanks for the information, I actually posted that photo on Panoramio (Google Earth) a while back, I believe it was taken by my Uncle Frank or Granddad from the top of the gauging wire pylon, Granddad Johnson was the sluice master at Randles sluices and lived in the bungalow. retiring in the early 1950's,. What's missing is 'Fiddlers Ferry Power station'. I don't know if you are aware but the wooden huts were occupied by a squad of older regular army soldiers during the war and they manned the Oerlikon machine gun that was to the right of the bungalow facing from the cana,l it was housed in a steel dome that rotated on a roller track and was part of the canal anti air raid defences. When I was four years old in 1944 Granddad used to take me to see the soldiers and he would sit and have a brew with them, before we left they would put brass threepenny bits in an envelope and tell me it was my army pay packet, great times for a youngster up there in those days TK.

 

You're right Dizzy small world indeed. I moved there in 1973 and my family left there in 1999 and were the last inhabitants. I also lived in MSC housing down the road at "Bobs Bridge" (bet you've a map of that Algy). My dad used to tie ships up on the "dolphins" once they caught the gauge wire and that was in between his shifts at Moore Lane. They were good times but vey isolated for children of our age.

 

I had a number of pictures of the area but they were unfortunatley lost in a fire there in the early 90's.

[algy]

You're right Dizzy small world indeed. I moved there in 1973 and my family left there in 1999 and were the last inhabitants. I also lived in MSC housing down the road at "Bobs Bridge" (bet you've a map of that Algy). My dad used to tie ships up on the "dolphins" once they caught the gauge wire and that was in between his shifts at Moore Lane. They were good times but vey isolated for children of our age.

 

I had a number of pictures of the area but they were unfortunatley lost in a fire there in the early 90's.

 

TK/Dizz. keep your eyes on this post, I shall post more info on Bobs Bridge/Moss side later as I'm in a bit of a rush at the moment.

[algy]

TK, information for you regarding Moss Side and Randles:-

 

I’m sure I must have mentioned this on here previously, but fairly sure that you will not have seen it, My Paternal Granddad Len Johnson was the Sluice gate operator at Randles sluices and his father in law before him, they all lived in a house that had been built when the canal sluice had been built and was situated on the east side adjoining the steel structure, a new bungalow was then built on the canal bank approx. a hundred yards from the sluice gates and my grandma and granddad moved into that, this would also have been where you lived. Grans sister Eleanor Parry my Great Aunt lived down the lane in a detached house at Bob’s Bridge on the side of the Old Quay canal and had probably been the house of the Bob’s Turn bridge operator, across the road from the house was a cottage where the last surviving navvie from the building of the MS canal lived, his name was Jack Dobson and I remember him as fine but rather deaf old gentleman whom I have to thank for saving my hand when I was four years old, however that’s a story for another time. I remember sometime during the 1960’s they did a TV feature on him , I have made various attempts to obtain footage but without success.

I may be wrong but I fancy you lived across the road and down the farm track in one of the semis, in my young days there was a family lived in one of the houses called Biddel, the father Freddy Biddel was the loco driver of one of the tank locos working at Acton grange wharf, his son Edward ‘Teddy’ was tragically killed by an engine on the mainline Teddy was one of the platelaying gang working on the mainline at Acton Grange and was struck by a passing loco on the other line, I believe he died instantly, the family never got over it. There were two farms at Moss Side one owned by Morriss’s who I know still live there and the other by Cowaps, but I’m sure they finished farming sometime in the 1950’s, unsure about that. My father was sent to work at Cowaps Farm when he was ‘turfed’ out of Padgate Cottage Homes at the age of 14, he was employed as the ‘horse boy’ looking after the farms working horses and slept rough in the stables with other farm labourers, but he always maintained that Cowaps looked after him well, they just had not got room in the farm house for any outsiders. He eventually got a job helping to dig out the tunnel under the Mersey from Randles to Cuerdley Marsh near Fiddlers Ferry and that’s where he met my mother at Randles Sluices, so TK you can now see why the place as desolate as it is means such a lot to me.

 

Apologies if I have bored any one else watching this topic!

 

 

 

[TheKnowledge71]

It gets even smaller this world!!. If i'm reading the above correctly we lived in the house opposite Dobsons which was alongside the Old Quay Canal which was demolished in about 1972 we lived there for about 12 months and i think the previous occupant was Percy Beacham. At that point my Dad was given the option to move a mile up the road to the sluice house or move to the semi's oppposite Latchford Locks which are still there today.

 

We chose the sluice house but the strange thing is (and if you revisited the area in the 80's you may remember) we ended up moving back down the road to the same site into a Mobile home for 3yrs (MSC said it would take 12months!)whilst they built another tunnel under the Canal and Mersey.

 

When we were back down at Bobs Bridge for the 2nd time i can remember Mr Bodell, he lived in the detached house next to the prefab semi's, further up the road towards Morris's upper farm a family called Egerton lived there. I can remember my dad sculling us up the canal in the school holidays we thought we going for miles!!.

[algy]

It gets even smaller this world!!. If i'm reading the above correctly we lived in the house opposite Dobsons which was alongside the Old Quay Canal which was demolished in about 1972 we lived there for about 12 months and i think the previous occupant was Percy Beacham. At that point my Dad was given the option to move a mile up the road to the sluice house or move to the semi's oppposite Latchford Locks which are still there today.

 

We chose the sluice house but the strange thing is (and if you revisited the area in the 80's you may remember) we ended up moving back down the road to the same site into a Mobile home for 3yrs (MSC said it would take 12months!)whilst they built another tunnel under the Canal and Mersey.

 

When we were back down at Bobs Bridge for the 2nd time i can remember Mr Bodell, he lived in the detached house next to the prefab semi's, further up the road towards Morris's upper farm a family called Egerton lived there. I can remember my dad sculling us up the canal in the school holidays we thought we going for miles!!.

 

Brilliant TK, the house you lived in at Bobs bridge that my aunt Ella (great aunt) lived in so we have probabbly slept in the same bedroom and played in the same garden/orchard and eaten fruit of the damson, greengage and apple trees, I used to go down the garden and played in the sand hills well before it was turned into a nature reserve, as you say what a small world.