On to Polesworth

Yesterday evening I walked down to Fazeley Junction to check on the location of the CRT services.  It’s only two years since we were last this way but despite that I wanted to refresh my memory.  We’ve not previously used the CRT services at Peel Wharf.

They are located on the right, just beyond the entrance to the private moorings.  Water, rubbish and elsan  and we need to dispose of our rubbish.  This morning we cruised down to find a boat already on the services mooring.  The boater kindly agreed to take our rubbish and place it in the skip allowing us to continue on another 100 metres to the second water point at the junction.  Good water pressure meant the tank filled in 10 minutes and then we were away heading for Glascote Locks. 

Tamworth is the ancient capital of the Kingdom of Mercia and takes its name from the River Tame which flows through it. The Reliant Robin car (that three wheeler ‘Mr Bean’ loved to hate) was built in Tamworth along with the Reliant Scimitar.  I hadn’t realised the Robin had a fibreglass body.

We crossed the Tame realising it would continue on upstream to Spaghetti Junction (Salford Junction) eventually passing under the Tame Valley Canal.  The Tame joins the River Trent at the National Memorial Arboretum.

There always seems to be a queue at Glascote Locks.  The first time we went through them was on a hire boat in 2007 and it was a very long queue (around the corner).  Both of us remember the name of the boat ahead of us (nb Black Buoy).  The crew were very friendly with their boat emitting the delicious smell of a shoulder of lamb in their oven,  Fortunately only three boats in today’s queue.

This is the first time I’d noticed the year of manufacture on the lock paddle mechanism.

 

I wonder if they have any spares in stock?

Jan took a photo of these.  Like me, you will recognize them as…….. birds!

We slowly cruised on past Alvecote Marina and the Samuel Barlow. 

It was a pleasant cruise up to Polesworth passing the private moorings where the M42 crosses the canal.  The area looks to be a former wharf adjacent to Pooley Country Park.  My guess is coal was mined locally and transported by canal from the wharf.

The clue to my assumption is the large colliery pit wheel around the bend.

Jan took a photo of a substantial building slightly further on. 

After some research this evening I believe I’ve identified it as Pooley Hall, built in 1509.  If you’ve click on the link you might have noticed a colliery and wharf are mentioned.

To our surprise the Polesworth moorings were almost empty.  On our three previous visits we’ve been hard pressed to find a vacant mooring.  The weekend weather is looking good so we’ll probably stay here and do some boat painting.