Still following the canal towpath, I arrived at the Dock Lane swing bridge - the first of several on this stretch. It used to lead to a dry dock, now infilled and built on. You might recall that back in February (HERE) I mentioned a new housing development that had just been started here, called Swanside. I was interested to see that it is taking shape and people have already moved into some of the homes that look onto the canal, though the whole development is far from finished. What I'd call 'terraced houses' the developers call 'mews', though they look quite pleasant.
The photo above is taken from almost the same spot as the first image in my February blog post. There used to be a modern factory building here. Perhaps there is more demand these days for houses than factories, or maybe it is down to what the town planners decree.
Beyond the building site, there's a railway bridge and then another swing bridge known as Oddie's Bridge. (Boaters work hard on this canal!) There weren't many people about. I passed a few dog walkers and a couple of cyclists and a jogger passed me.
Some colourful canal boats brightened the scene, perhaps moored up for the winter. This one was for sale, offers over £10,000. Interested?
It's getting a bit more rural now. Looking back, you can perhaps spot the railway bridge in the distance.
Even though most of the leaves have now fallen, it's surprising what colour there is when the sun shines and picks out the oranges and yellows, with the blue sky reflected in the water.
Another swing bridge! This one carries Buck Mill Lane over the canal. Beyond and on the right bank there's an area of protected woodland known as Buck Wood. It has a rich history, explored on the Friends of Buck Wood website HERE. In Edwardian times (1908), an innovative open-air school was built here, to rehabilitate children made sick by the squalor of the inner-city slums. It closed at the outbreak of WWII in 1939, having helped some of the city's poorest children. Read more about it HERE. It's interesting.
From this point, the canal takes a sweeping curve to the right, through the woods, and there is a three rise lock known as Field Locks. But by now, I'd walked for over an hour, so I decided it was time to turn for home. Conveniently, following Buck Mill Lane to the left took me down to the River Aire in the valley bottom.
More tomorrow...
I suppose Swanside Mews will sell better than Canal Terrace! As for the boat, I often dreamed of owning one till a friend bought a narrowboat and as he said of it "The water seeps in and the money pours out!"
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely stroll. I was struck by how you frame the curves of the canal to catch reflections and the bank when the light hits it. Great colors and shadow to set off each scene. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteThree loaded coal boats were heading from Apperley Bridge to Shipley. As one old man was alone it was agreed I should cycle ahead and swing the bridges for him. His wife was sick and he wanted to buy food before the shops closed. Unexpectedly when we reached Shipley on time he gave me half a crown, a lot of money then. Said the other boatmen on learning this, "Now its going to rain for a week!"
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely walk! And, as you say, so much color. Thank you for sharing it with us!
ReplyDeleteFollowing that canal for awhile looks like an ideal spot for a walk.
ReplyDeleteit would be interesting to see what the whole place looked like originally compared to today.
ReplyDeleteIf one reads the 19th C. Bronté novels written in Haworth it must have been pretty bleak. Early typhus deaths due to the contaminated water, and the unidentified tuberculosis caused many early deaths. The expression "If I shall live" was often used. Life must have been precarious, and the guilt laden Methodist religion didn't help any.
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