A ribbon-cutting ceremony took place at the opening of Lock 15 of the Woolsthorpe flight on the Grantham Canal following rebuilding by volunteers
A ribbon-cutting ceremony is pictured at the official opening of Lock 15 of the Woolsthorpe flight on the Grantham Canal following complete dismantling and rebuilding by volunteers.
In a rousing speech delivered from the Grantham Canal Society’s trip-boat Three Shires as it paused in the restored lock, GCS Chairman Mike Stone paid tribute to the Society’s volunteers, to Waterway Recovery Group’s volunteer teams who supported them, to the Canal & River Trust’s project team, to the National Lottery Heritage Fund whose grant has supported work at locks 15 and 14, and to other contributors who donated £100,000 towards the costs. He looked forward to a new project to complete the seven-lock flight by restoring the remaining locks 12 and 13 – “We cannot leave this task half-completed” – and added that he was “throwing down the gauntlet” to find the necessary funding and labour to complete the work. For the longer term he looked to progress at both the west end of the canal – “Make no mistake, we’re going back into the Trent” – and the east end, where he said that despite the issues of crossing the A1 trunk road, there was “no benefit” to Grantham unless the canal went right back into the town.
The NHLF’s representative praised the “authentic restoration” with its attention to detail including the correct cast-iron fittings and hand-made bricks, while the Grantham Canal Partnership handed over a cheque for £8,000 towards the next stage of the work.
Meanwhile with restoration of Lock 14 now already almost complete apart from the coping stones, there should be another reopening ceremony in the not too distant future.
