Well, it can't all be pictures of pretty countryside...
A couple of weeks ago I went with a group of friends to the Anderton Boat Lift in Cheshire. The story of the lift is this: The good folk of Stoke-on Trent wanted to sell pottery to the good folk of Cheshire, and the good folk of Cheshire wanted to sell salt to the good folk of Stoke, which was good because each wanted to buy the product of the other. The Stoke folk sent pottery west along the Trent Canal and the Cheshire chaps sent the salt east along the River Weaver and by the time they got to Anderton the salt boats and pottery boats were only 50 feet apart. Unfortunately it was 50 feet up a steep slope, and the goods had to be put on carts to be transferred between the boats, resulting in a lot of broken pots, a lot of spilled salt to be thrown over the left shoulder, and some very tired horses. In 1875 someone had the idea of lifting and lowering the boats using two big baths on giant pistons, which worked well until a piston sprung a leak, and in 1908 electric motors were installed to lift the big baths via these giant cogs. The lift has now been restored to the original piston method, but the giant cogs at the top of the lift structure remain in place. We not only had a tour, but also had a vertical boat trip in the one of the baths. Fascinating – well at least I thought so. It’s a bloke thing.
Okay, so not a sluice then, but a lift. Interesting. I had to giggle though with this salt over the shoulder and pottery being broken. I do really like this turning thing and I really had to look well what is was in the first place. First I thought it was a reflection. Intriguing capture!
