River Weaver Navigation Lecture notes of talks by Captain Rick Ferris concerning the Navigation commissioned by The Northwich Heritage Society

Anyone with the time, the resources, and an analytical mind, can write articles, or collect photographs. You should try it sometime. I have always been involved in public speaking, which is the icing on the cake really, because talks are given to real people, who have the ability to readily go to sleep, or turn and tear you to shreds afterwards!!

It started with having to cook up an interesting commentary after I started doing passenger cruises out of Northwich Town Quay, which until then had been a dark mystery to the good people of Northwich for a generation. Before that I came across folks who worked the river, or hitched a lift with Uncle Fred on the boats. But for 10 years I made the river public, and the commentary just grew from that.

The Heritage Society came aboard one day, and after Colin Lynch had expounded his deep knowledge, I then spoke about the day-to-day Weaver Navigation, which was quickly taken up by Stuart Hogg who asked me to collate my findings and talk to the Society at a meeting in Winnington Old Hall. About 20 turned up, but the talk was expanded with slides, and repeated with a bit of publicity, and there was not even standing room!!

Subsequent talks were held up at the college and numbers swelled to around 200. I am delighted that it seemed to so encourage the members that their numbers were thereafter much better. Interest in The River and it's ships was like awakening a sleeping giant. Stuart asked me to prepare more comprehensive notes for a small book which he thought the Society could publish, but this was no small task for one heavily engaged in ship restoration, so I suggested that a Weaver shipping enthusiast Clive Guthrie should take what I had and build a picture-book story of just one subject alone - Yarwoods. Not a bad job there, Clive.

This talk was the one that started it all off....

When I brought S.S. Davenham home, it sparked off much interest in Shipbuilding. I ended up researching mainly  Yarwoods because the older yards were all gone. They were simply a couple of blokes and a sawpit by the riverside, here today and gone tomorrow. The other major yard was of course Isaac Pimblott and Sons, only the sons hated each other in the end and rather than let everyone see what a couple of Charlies they were, their records were locked away in Chester Records Office for 50 years till they were out of it, warming rivets in hell!! Pimblotts was a good yard, doing much for the Navy....but no records were then public, and oddly, nobody ever came to me and started telling me about this yard. Were they ashamed to work for such a couple of idiots? Hope I'm wrong.

A twenty-mile tailback on the Weaver Navigation, is a strange title for a derelict river. Back in the 90's I was in the habit of sounding a long hoot before negotiating any blind corners, and putting out a call on VHF before setting out from Northwich, such was the chance of meeting something big coming the other way.

I always had a great interest for ICI's Mond Division. The first time I came to Northwich was to see a Young Lady from Davenham, Phyllis Griffiths, who worked at Brunner House, and whose dad was a works painter at Lostock. My interest was railways, but I was recommended to see the "Lift", which was completely disused (Danny the operator was probably getting a skinful over at The Tip pub), as was the canal in 1970. I still have a photo of me carelessly sitting atop the cabin of Chocolate Charlie's "Mendip" at Anderton, waiting for orders. No, what interested me was Winnington Works from off the top, it was awesome. Boats, ships, trains, trucks, steam and bustle....In a later life I met up with ICI's local boss Bob Collicut, and he was an absolute gem. What a lovely man. I had just brought one of his old boats back home and he unreservedly offered his help. ICI were brilliant. Of great value were the days I spent in Mond House dungeons raking through and copying documents and pictures.........

I am just afraid that with me having to come away from the River, the boats, and Northwich, all the research should be laid aside and forgotten. These notes are the final section of my website making available for everyone the wonders of the Navigation up till the day the ships were stopped. Soon, sadly, the Weaver will be just another "remainder" waterway. That's the story of my life. Steam trains era mostly all gone, narrowboat carrying is a thing of the past, and Motorway went right through the middle of my home village!!

You are welcome to copy the notes into your own archive, for they will only be here so long as I keep a website running for my own business, and for railway enthusiasts at

www.bethanyjunction.co.uk

E-mail me rick@bethanyjunction.co.uk