The remains of the lock gates reflected in the water. |
Question: How do you boost your town’s wealth and trade when there’s no decent road network linking you to the rest of Britain, but you’re only a mile and a half from the sea? Answer: You build a canal… And that’s just what the good citizens of Ulverston did at the end of the 18th century.
Sea-side: This was the entrance to the canal but, as you can see from the grass, the sea no longer reaches the gates. |
We left the campervan behind, and walked along hedge-lined lanes and narrow roads down to Canal Foot at Hammerside, where the canal meets the sea (the town end is known as Canal Head). It seemed quite a trek – as I’ve said before, we’re not really used to walking – so we were glad to stop and enjoy a reviving pot of tea whilst sitting in a pub garden admiring the spectacular views of Morecambe Bay, the Cumbrian Hills, and the canal itself.
Land-side: The lock at the end of the canal. Once the level of the water had been adjusted, huge gates would have opened to let ships in or out. |
In the 18th century Ulverston, like most of the Furness Peninsula, was cut off on the landward side by the hills and mountains of the Lake District, and on the seaward side by the treacherous, shifting sands of Morecambe Bay. In those days Cumbria hadn’t been created (the county is a modern invention, as the Man of the House is fond of reminding me), and the area, remote and isolated, was known as known as Lancashire-over-the-Sands, which I think sounds much nicer. Romantic, don’t you agree? Anyway, horse-drawn wagons took local iron and slate to coastal towns to be shipped elsewhere, but loading and unloading was difficult, because the bay is tidal, and the water goes out for miles.
I like this view of industrial chimneys reflected in the water, and the juxtaposition of nature and industry existing side by side. |
A host of industries grew up around it. There were warehouses, foundries, mills, timber merchants, rope making, and ships’ supplies, as well as charcoal burning and hoop-making for barrels. Hemp was grown in local fields, and twisted into rope for ships on ‘rope walks’. Ship building and repairs flourished – vessels from Ulverston travelled the world when nearby Barrow, now much better known, was still a hamlet. And, of course, there were offices for port and customs officials.
Merchants and ship owners became extremely wealthy – but many a fortune was based on the iniquitous ‘three-way trade’, where goods were traded for African slaves, who were sold in America and the Caribbean, and ships returned to England with their holds full of goods unavailable in their native land. In Ulverston riches were often founded on locally produced gunpowder, which was traded for slaves in Africa.
But the glory years didn’t last long: from the outset there were problems keeping the constantly moving deep water channel free from silt and in the right position. Barrow proved to be a far better deep water port, growing in importance as Ulverston declined. And the railway had a terrible effect. In the mid-1840s viaduct arches built across the canal near its head prevented bigger ships from reaching the ‘pool’. Although a new basin was dug out on the other side of the bridge for new wharves, things never picked up.
This was the unspoiled landscape next to the towpath. |
A large chunk of land on one bank is taken up by pharmaceutical giant Glaxo Smith Kline, who owned the canal at one point, but it now belongs to the Ulverston Canal Company, and a trust has been established to provide cash for management, maintenance and preservation. In addition, I gather South Lakeland District Council, Ulverston Town Council and other interested bodies are working with UCC to develop derelict industrial areas on that side of the canal, to preserve wildlife, and promote leisure activities.
I spotted rowan trees, and brambles, meadowsweet with its beautiful creamy white flowers, rose bay willowherb, a plant I think was kind of balsam, and a profusion of other flowers and grasses. The canal was much, much bigger than the canals in and round Tamworth, and looked much cleaner as it shone and sparkled in the sunlight.
It was the most beautiful, peaceful walk, and was obviously well used by fisherman, walkers, cyclists, dog owners, children, tourists and local residents, which was good to see. We were also impressed that people seem to respect the area – there was no dog mess or litter, no-one was playing loud music, and the children and young people we met were all really well behaved. I should add here that the water and banks of the canals where we live often leave a lot to be desired.
The canal basin. |
At the end of our canalside stroll we made our way into the town centre, where we had another reviving cup of tea and treated ourselves to a late lunch of home-made soup and a sandwich (the bread was was homemade as well). Deciding we’d done enough walking for one day, we headed for the bus stop, and stopped to ask directions from a lovely lady who started chatting, said she was going our way, and insisted on giving us a lift! That’s another thing that doesn’t happen at home! It made the perfect end to a perfect day, leaving us with some really happy memories.
The lock of the bay: Looking out across the sea and sand. |
What fun to delve into the history of something new. Even though it was history, it was new to you. Here's Mine
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This year we tried to walk more, and to see things we hadn't looked at before, and we had some fabulous days. But a decent map would have been useful!
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Lovely photos, Christine.
I know Cumbria as Cumberland and Westmorland and hadn't realised parts were also in Lancashire – Lancashire-over-the-Sands does sound lovely. It makes me think of Grange-over-Sands, (now also in Cumbria) where I've had a couple of holidays, not too far away from Ulverston! I've never been to Ulverston though. Why do they have to keep changing the names of places? You lose the sense of history that way, I think.
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Margaret, we went to Grange some years ago, and I agree with you about changing the names of places, and the loss of history. If you ever go back that way do visit Ulverston – I'm sure you would enjoy it. It is quite small and unspoiled, with lots of little alleys, and interesting buildings, especially if you look above the shops.
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My man about the house and I have a dream to tour the canals of England – perhaps when the kids leave home. Your post has inspired me to include the non-working canals too – thanks.
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That kind of trip sounds idyllic Brona. There is so much history tied up in our canals, and an amazing array of wildlife in and around them – earlier in the year I watched baby goslings on the side of a canal in the heart of Birmingham, which was so unexpected.
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What a wonderful stroll, with such great photos and a story, too.
Thanks for sharing; you've inspired me to take a walk! Thanks for visiting my blog.
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I haven't been to England, but you took me there with your history and excellent photos. The towpath is a place I'd like to walk too.
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Thank you Laurel-Rain. I was going to take a walk today, but I got up late (something I rarely do) and I've been incredibly lazy all day. Now I feel guilty!
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Oh, that's kind of you to say so. This was a beautiful spot, and people seem to be doing their best to preserve it, and to ensure it is used.
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Looks like a fun adventure 🙂 Thanks for sharing the photos, Book Savvy Babe
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Thank you. It was a lot of walking!
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Looks like a great adventure. I love that first photo with the reflection!
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What a beautiful place to talk a walk! Thank you for sharing these photos and the info about this spot of our world.
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I was really pleased with the way that came out Meaghan.
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It was lovely, and it was so quiet and peaceful we felt really rested, despite all the walking!
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These are wonderful shots! I love exploring the history of places like this. Beautiful flowers along the towpath, clouds reflected in the water – great shots! Thanks for sharing.
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Thank you, I'm glad you enjoyed the post. I'm so glad they've kept the water in this canal, even if boats can't get up and down it any longer, and they've turned it into such a nice spot for walking and wildlife.
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This is such an informative post, as always. I'll never learn anything about canals if not purposely read about them. But here in your post, it's also a pleasure so see all the pictures too. Thanks for posting and for visiting Ripple Effects.
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I would love a walk along the canal just for the nature and beauty of it all. Although I do walk a lot (searching for all those birds) I'd still have to pause for a few reviving pots of tea myself just to stop and enjoy the area.
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That's nice of you to say so Arti. I rather like canals, and there are lots of them in the midlands, which are all longer than the one at Ulverston. I like the way they are part of our industrial heritage, but have been given new life where people walk and look at the birds and plants, so they are still part of the landscape, but in a slightly different way to their original use.
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Leslie, We've acquired a small pair of binoculars, and we have a flask for tea, and we thought we get a couple of small backpacks, and a lightweight book on birds (nothing too heavy if we have to carry it around!) so we can be a bit more organised in future and try to get a better look at the wildlife. And I'd love to be able to identify some of the insects.
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Great pics. Canals and lock systems are very fascinating. Thanks for stopping by my snapshot post earlier.
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I find them really interesting. They are the most incredible engineering feats, which changed the landscape – like motorways I suppose – and yet they became part of the landscape and actually added something to it.
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Very interesting post, and great pictures. We did our first canal holiday this summer on the Kennet and Avon, which had been unnavigable, but was restored. We are thinking about venturing further north next summer.
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I've always fancied a canal holiday, rather than just admiring them from the bank! It looks so calm and peaceful – life in the slow lane. The ones in the Midlands – in and around Birmingham, Staffordshire, Warwickshire, Worcestershire – are beautiful.
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I love all of the images, but the first one might be my favorite because of the reflections in the water. Thanks for sharing!
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Thank you for visiting! Those lock gates are spectacular, ans the reflection in the water makes them look like a complete structure – then you realise there's nothing there except the outer framework.It looks like a gateway to another world.
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What a tremendous adventure! thanks for stopping by.
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thank you. the first photo is my favorite in this set.. and thanks for the wonderful trip through the post and the photos
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Loved all the history behind the canal and I think it's beautiful today!
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Irene, I'm glad you enjoyed my post.
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The first photo seems to be the one that most people like – and there are similar sites on other sites featuring the canal, and on some of the tourist literature. It seems to be an iconic view of the canal.
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It is a gorgeous spot, and I'm so glad it's not been destroyed – some canals were filled in. or emptied. One, where my mother lives, became a railway, then the line closed, and now it's a walkway!
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