Memories of Acton Bridge
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Acton Bridge, the River Weaver near Acton Swing Bridge c1955
Ref: A235011
My memories of Acton Bridge go back to the mid 1950s and early 1960s. The picture of boats at Acton Bridge Cruising Club takes me back to my teenage days. We had a boat called 'Scampi' which was a 32-foot ex-Norwegian lifeboat. It was our family boat. It was kept initially on the Mersey at Wallasey Dock, then my dad decided to join the then very newly formed Acton Bridge Cruising Club. And so we moved 'Scampi' up the Weaver to Acton Bridge. The boat in the forground on the right is 'Hannah', an ex-fishing boat. 'Hannah' was eventually sabotaged by British Waterways and sunk at Level Lock. What a destructive act on a vessel with quite some history! All because the owner had not kept up the licence. Our boat was more or less moored where the camera would be to take the picture. I can remember names of club members in those days: Stan Davies, Ken Binns, Fred Warburton, Barclay Guy, Henry 'Hatch' Hatchard (my dad), Ken? Shields, Mr Brandon, Mr Sumner. Mr Noden was living in the cottage and retired by this time I think. We used to swim in the river every weekend and sometimes in the week. I used to dive off the 'Hannah' into the river. I once swam from Saltersford Locks all the way down to Dutton Locks. There used to be a bylaw which stated 'Persons swimming in the River Weaver Navigation on a Sunday may be liable to deportation to Australia'! I must have earned at least 100 tickets at that rate. The river in those days was busy with boats carrying to and from ICI. ICI Packet Boats came in various sizes. Some were still under steam power, I think 'Decempedes' was maybe steam-powered, but by this time or certainly a little later bigger boats with Gardner 8-cylinder diesels were being used - 'Davenham' and 'James Jackson Grundy' I think were two of them. I can remember the moorings being dug out at the club and the crane being put in position and the slipway being made. Not sure exactly what year, but probably about 1957/8. I have fond memories of our time in the club well into the mid 1960s. I have often wondered what became of our boat 'Scampi' and would love to hear from anybody who knows what happened to it in the late 1960s and after. My email is plantandmachinery@msn.com
Laurie Hatchard. Kingsley. Cheshire.
Shared on Wednesday, December 17, 2008
My nanna and grandad Noden lived at Island Cottage. Grandad was a bridgekeeper along with Jack Powell and Syd Bebbington at Acton swing bridge from 1945-1960. There was an enormous flood in 1946 when my grandparents were the first to be rescued. The water rose over 12and a half feet. A Bulldog Drummond film had its location at Acton Bridge when his car was supposed to go into the river and he had to be rescued. My grandad was standing by with his rowing boat. During the 1950s the River Weaver was a very important waterway and some very big boats went up and down to I.C.I Winnington. Once when the lock gates further downstream got stuck all the water drained out of the the river and all the boats were stranded in the mud. Also the swing bridge got stuck one day and all the traffic had to be re-routed via Winnington Bridge at Northwich. I used to live at Field Cottage in Acton Bridge, and was a minshall before I married.
Shared on Monday, November 27, 2006
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