Queuing for Coalite at the Sheffield Canal

[Kidorry 189]

We went to the gasworks at Neepsend and Brightside with an old pram.I never felt underpriveledged because we were all the same.

[madsteve7 11]

[someone did mentioned to me that it was transported up the Sheffield Canal on the Barge named the Ethel. But where did the coalite come from.}

 

Coalite was produced by Coalite at the Bolsover, Chesterfield, and Grimesthorpe, Barnsley, plants.

 

It was probably brought in by rail in the 1940's / 50's.

[cuttsie 1,091]

[someone did mentioned to me that it was transported up the Sheffield Canal on the Barge named the Ethel. But where did the coalite come from.}

 

Coalite was produced by Coalite at the Bolsover, Chesterfield, and Grimesthorpe, Barnsley, plants.

 

It was probably brought in by rail in the 1940's / 50's.

Ethel is still around and now used as a community barge.

 

 

 

Any coal from the Chesterfield area would not come in by barge as the Chesterfield canal would only have narrow boats .

For these craft to reach Sheffield they would have to go out onto the Trent at Stockworth take the tide to Keadby and then navigate the Keadby to Sheeffield canal this would have taken up to three days at least .

 

The war time coal into Sheffield basin would be from the Barnsley, Doncaster and Wakefield pits The Sheffield canal barges where 61ft 6 ins long by 15ft 6 ins wide.

Some of those boats would be worked twenty four hours a day and are still around today.

[Earsham 10]

I remember my dad going to Brightside with an old pram to get coke , my brother and I would also go and shovel up the dust and bag it up. Hard times but good times.

[Minimo 59]

My dad nearly ended up in gaol, all for a bit of coal. In 1947 we were a family of three kids, plus mum and dad shivering in the post-war hard times. Dad went to the side of the railway, where he was picking up bits of coal on the embankment. A police sergeant spotted him and arrested him. Very luckily for us all, someone at the police station had a heart, and let him go with a stern warning.

[Jon26 10]

I remember my dad going to Brightside with an old pram to get coke , my brother and I would also go and shovel up the dust and bag it up. Hard times but good times.

 

My grandad (born 1907) used to tell me about when as I young boy he and a friend used to dig for coal in a seam his dad had told them about. He lived on Ditchingham Road at the time (previously lived on Earsham St). Previous generations had been colliers at Brightside Colliery so its plausible that they had this knowledge.

 

They had a barrow and went round the houses selling it until some men took it off them in the depression. He started his apprenticeship in 1921 so I assume this would be around 1918. Hard times indeed, but times which have generated many opportunities for future generations.

[Graham W 10]

Hi, I know I am a long time in posting, it is because I have only just seen this debate. I worked for the Ethel Trust Community Barge from 1989 to 2000. The Trust was founded a year before I joined. At that time it was a part of the Probation Service in Sheffield. They had acquired the old Humber keel ‘Ethel’ from Family & Community Services, who used it for day trips. Before that it was a working barge and delivered coke to Blackburn Meadows. It was thought that by renovating ‘Ethel’ to its former glory by supervised young Probation clients it would deter these young people from reoffending by giving them something useful to do and teaching them new skills. However, after surveys of the keel it was found impractical to renovate, quite frankly the keel and hull were rotten and falling to bits, so it was broken up at the Canal Basin, and taken away, none of it remains. The original Trustees and staff, myself included, were not put off by this and launched an ambitious project to have built a new barge capitalizing on experience gained on trying to save the original ‘Ethel’. This had the backing of the Probation Service to begin with but they soon changed their minds when they saw what was involved, so the Trustees had to go it alone. In fact for a long time there was only one trustee (Mike Glover), myself and Hannah, who typed most of the begging letters. At first the Trust moved to an office at West Bar to raise funds, then to save money it was moved to the attic of my house. The services of Garston Marine Ltd at Wallasey were sort to design a new barge for us and costed, and also the object of the Trust were changed to provide a barge with access for wheelchair users and people with disabilities. The cost of this would be £110,000 (£205,000 at today’s value at 2.5% inflation over 25 years). Mike and I made several trips to Wallasey to witness the progress of the construction of the new ‘Ethel’ which was made in 3 stages. ‘Ethel’ was finally fitted out and completed in 1993 and was brought by road haulage to Goole, where she was craned into the canal close to where the Sobriety Project has its headquarters. Without the dedication of Mike Glover, Hannah Mottershaw and myself there would be no ‘Ethel Trust Community Barge today plying its way to and fro along the South Yorkshire Navigation providing day trips and exciting residential trips for all the community groups that use her.

 

Cheers,

 

Graham Woodward

[Erin 10]

Hi, I know I am a long time in posting, it is because I have only just seen this debate. I worked for the Ethel Trust Community Barge from 1989 to 2000. The Trust was founded a year before I joined. At that time it was a part of the Probation Service in Sheffield. They had acquired the old Humber keel ‘Ethel’ from Family & Community Services, who used it for day trips. Before that it was a working barge and delivered coke to Blackburn Meadows. It was thought that by renovating ‘Ethel’ to its former glory by supervised young Probation clients it would deter these young people from reoffending by giving them something useful to do and teaching them new skills. However, after surveys of the keel it was found impractical to renovate, quite frankly the keel and hull were rotten and falling to bits, so it was broken up at the Canal Basin, and taken away, none of it remains. The original Trustees and staff, myself included, were not put off by this and launched an ambitious project to have built a new barge capitalizing on experience gained on trying to save the original ‘Ethel’. This had the backing of the Probation Service to begin with but they soon changed their minds when they saw what was involved, so the Trustees had to go it alone. In fact for a long time there was only one trustee (Mike Glover), myself and Hannah, who typed most of the begging letters. At first the Trust moved to an office at West Bar to raise funds, then to save money it was moved to the attic of my house. The services of Garston Marine Ltd at Wallasey were sort to design a new barge for us and costed, and also the object of the Trust were changed to provide a barge with access for wheelchair users and people with disabilities. The cost of this would be £110,000 (£205,000 at today’s value at 2.5% inflation over 25 years). Mike and I made several trips to Wallasey to witness the progress of the construction of the new ‘Ethel’ which was made in 3 stages. ‘Ethel’ was finally fitted out and completed in 1993 and was brought by road haulage to Goole, where she was craned into the canal close to where the Sobriety Project has its headquarters. Without the dedication of Mike Glover, Hannah Mottershaw and myself there would be no ‘Ethel Trust Community Barge today plying its way to and fro along the South Yorkshire Navigation providing day trips and exciting residential trips for all the community groups that use her.

 

Cheers,

 

Graham Woodward

 

First of all well done for all your hard work with the Ethel. I remember going on the old Ethel where it was at the basin around 1976-7ish. I seem to remember it having some church benches in it and the pot bellied stove. The front part was letting in water then lol. Happy memories:)

[Graham W 10]

Thanks for your comment Erin.

[cuttsie 1,091]

Hi, I know I am a long time in posting, it is because I have only just seen this debate. I worked for the Ethel Trust Community Barge from 1989 to 2000. The Trust was founded a year before I joined. At that time it was a part of the Probation Service in Sheffield. They had acquired the old Humber keel ‘Ethel’ from Family & Community Services, who used it for day trips. Before that it was a working barge and delivered coke to Blackburn Meadows. It was thought that by renovating ‘Ethel’ to its former glory by supervised young Probation clients it would deter these young people from reoffending by giving them something useful to do and teaching them new skills. However, after surveys of the keel it was found impractical to renovate, quite frankly the keel and hull were rotten and falling to bits, so it was broken up at the Canal Basin, and taken away, none of it remains. The original Trustees and staff, myself included, were not put off by this and launched an ambitious project to have built a new barge capitalizing on experience gained on trying to save the original ‘Ethel’. This had the backing of the Probation Service to begin with but they soon changed their minds when they saw what was involved, so the Trustees had to go it alone. In fact for a long time there was only one trustee (Mike Glover), myself and Hannah, who typed most of the begging letters. At first the Trust moved to an office at West Bar to raise funds, then to save money it was moved to the attic of my house. The services of Garston Marine Ltd at Wallasey were sort to design a new barge for us and costed, and also the object of the Trust were changed to provide a barge with access for wheelchair users and people with disabilities. The cost of this would be £110,000 (£205,000 at today’s value at 2.5% inflation over 25 years). Mike and I made several trips to Wallasey to witness the progress of the construction of the new ‘Ethel’ which was made in 3 stages. ‘Ethel’ was finally fitted out and completed in 1993 and was brought by road haulage to Goole, where she was craned into the canal close to where the Sobriety Project has its headquarters. Without the dedication of Mike Glover, Hannah Mottershaw and myself there would be no ‘Ethel Trust Community Barge today plying its way to and fro along the South Yorkshire Navigation providing day trips and exciting residential trips for all the community groups that use her.

 

Cheers,

 

Graham Woodward

I am a friend of a couple of the old Ethel skippers ,Henry who lives at Thorne and Terry from Stainforth Basin.

I used to run the trip boat Ashanti Gold as well as the old Leeds and Liverpool boat Nidd [now in France].

[Graham W 10]

I do remember Henry, I remember Mike going over to Thorne to get him onboard 'Ethel', when we were just starting out. He was the best skipper we had while I was there. When 'Ethel' was new it was displayed at the Victoria Quays Festival, and Henry was the skipper then. I also remember Ashanti Gold, and Adam's Ark which was at Doncaster.

[cookingfat50 10]

hi lots of stuff was brought up the canal my old man used to collect grain off the barges for aizlewoods flour mill on nursery street who he worked for, for 40 years he drove a 3 wheeler scamel with trailer he would go under one of the hoppers and drop grain into his trailer. lots of stuff came up the canal including coal, grain, sugar, tea it was cheaper tthan road transport it took longer but more could be transported that way x