Tuesday 14th February at 8pm Joint Meeting/Talk with IWA at The Walnut Tree, Blisworth Speaker: Paul Leech on the "Swedish Canals"

Gala Weekend 2011

Over thirty working or historic boats, trading boats and fifty or so modern craft, converged on Stoke Bruerne for the Canal Museum’s Annual Gala on 10th-12th June. The weekend kicked off early with an evening performance on the canal side by the waterborne Mikron Theatre Company with their production of Hell and High Water on the Thursday. On Friday evening there was a get-together for boaters and lovers of traditional music with entertainment from the Stony Stratford Folk Ensemble and their guests, a visiting group of musicians and dancers from Hungary, and the event continued over the weekend with a full programme of events.

Early on Saturday morning a delivery of beer arrived on Nb Cassiopeia from Marstons Brewery and seventeen barrels of beer were duly offloaded to the villages two pub, The Navigation and Boat Inn, ready for the festival. Rachel Whillock, Marston’s brand manager, said: “Beer and canals both played a critical role in the industrial revolution, and share the same industrial heritage. “We are delighted that we could step back in time to support the Friends of the Canal Museum to experience this traditional and forgotten method of transport.”

photo: James Rudd AboutMyArea website

photo [above and below]: James Rudd AboutMyArea website

The marquees on the Museum Green hosted a number of stalls, including the ever-popular Towcester Ladies Market with their home-made produce; Back Cabin Antiques, Tombola, children’s face painting, sweets, jewellery and many other stands offering a variety of produce and displays.

There were also traditional craft demonstrations, including roses and castles painting with Sue Woodward and Brian Mayland, signwriting by Colin Dundas of Spiderworx, traditional clothing and dress of the canals and on Saturday, for one day only, there was a display of artefacts and memorabilia from the Stratford-on-Avon and Midland Junction Railway, which once had a station at Stoke Bruerne.

On both days there were demonstrations of model boats and working boat handling skills on the water, a chance to board a trip boat to the tunnel and back; buskers were performing on the waterside and the local Pitsford Home Guard were on parade.

Saturday evening saw performances of two one-woman plays by Kate Saffin of the Roundham Lock Theatre Company. These told the story of Isobel, a "trainee" boatwoman delivering essential cargoes during wartime and also the real life antics of two "ladies of the night" who set up shop on a canalboat moored on the Oxford Canal just after the war.

Early on Sunday morning the Sunbeam Vintage Motor Cycle Club rallied with pre-1931 motorbikes at the Museum car park before setting off on the 17th “Rose of the Shires” run touring the Northamptonshire countryside, returning to Stoke Bruerne in the afternoon.

Sadly the poor weather conditions caused the suspension of most activities on Sunday, but all-in-all the Gala was a great success.

photo: Andrew Woodward of the Boat Inn takes delivery of Festival beer with the help of the crew of Nb Cassiopeia who transported it from Burton-on-Trent.

FRIENDS OF THE CANAL MUSEUM

Stoke Bruerne, Northamptonshire

Next date ...

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