Sunday July 29th, Westport Lakes - Barlaston

I always enjoy the passage through the Potteries. I know it doesn’t appeal to many boaters, but for me it epitomises the link between the canal and the industry it encouraged to settle alongside its banks.

Integral to this, of course, are the potworks themselves and we get our fill in the three miles or so between Westport Lakes and Stoke Bottom Lock.

It was pleasing to see that the fire ravaged warehouse at Longport Wharf has now been restored and once again looks like its neighbour. The rebuild has been done so well, you can’t see any sign of the fire, or that the building has been restored.

The Middleport Pottery

The Middleport Pottery has now a more assured future thanks to Prince Charles and a big investment by his Prince’s Trust, and a Heritage Lottery Fund payout. The pottery which is home to Burleighware was in danger of being closed. Now the future has been assured with restoration plans for the buildings, survival of the artefacts (including 17,000 unique moulds),50 jobs have been saved and a range of plans are being drawn up to create craft and small business space within the unused areas of the complex.

Although restoration work is not due to start until the autumn, emergency work is already underway, as evidenced by scaffolding around the boiler house chimney. It is hoped the project will serve to kickstart regeneration in the Middleport/Burslem area.

Just a few yards further along the canal, another old pottery building lies gently crumbling and mouldering away. Hopefully regeneration will happen quickly enough to rescue this old building.

The site of Shelton Steel Works continues to lie empty and desolate, although it is now partly clothed in green – weeds and small invasive shrubs have taken over part of the site. A redevelopment scheme is apparently approved; it just needs the funding to start. It can’t come soon enough!

That part of the steelworks on the eastern side of the canal was reclaimed and used as the site for the 1986 National Garden Festival. This now incorporates the marina we used last year to house the boat for a few days. It is opposite Wedgwood’s original pottery works at Etruria.

Once we reached the locks we found ourselves in a procession of boats. A Middlewich hireboat had just gone down, and we were followed by ‘Albamimi II’, the boat with whom we had swapped swing bridges on the Macclesfield a few days ago.

A rarity - a topp gate that doesn't leak! Etruria Lock.

We had a good run down the locks which are always easy to work, before the run through more industrial areas to the suburbs. At Trentham Lock we were assisted down by a young chap who helps there most days. He was not a volunteer lockie linked to C&RT, but someone doing it off his own back, although he was wearing a high-visibility jacket that had a Stoke on Trent logo of some sort on it.

Mooring at Barlaston

From here it was only a short distance to our usual mooring at Barlaston, close to the Wedgwood factory. Indeed, we took the opportunity of walking back to the visitor centre and museum, where we had an enjoyable afternoon, including a truly enormous Sunday carvery – the plate wasn’t big enough! It didn’t cost us much either. As members of the National Trust we were entitled to a 2 for 1 entry into the museum - £5, and upgraded to include everything else on site for £6, making entry for both of us the grand total of £11!