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45-448: The Avon Ring is a canal ring which is located to the south west of Birmingham in England , and connects the major towns of Stratford-upon-Avon , Evesham , Tewkesbury , Worcester and the southern outskirts of Birmingham. It consists of stretches of four waterways, and is heavily locked, with a total of 129 locks on its route of 109 miles (175 km). The concept of a canal ring

90-637: A co-ordinating force, providing equipment, expertise, publicity and labour to help local restoration schemes. They organise weekend and longer work camps where volunteers can take part in practical restoration work and have been involved in many projects – including saving the Peak Forest and Ashton canals from closure, work on the Kennet and Avon Canal, and the barge lock on the Droitwich Canal – as well as making flying visits to restoration sites. Since around 2002,

135-454: A new commitment to amenity use, and waterways were put into three classes: commercial, cruising and remainder. One casualty of this was the Kennet and Avon which remained in the bottom category, for which only essential maintenance was available. The act also removed the statutory right of navigation for these canals. The 1970s and 1980s are characterised as "three steps forward, two steps back" by David Blagrove. Canal restorations and growth in

180-573: A number of national committees, each reporting to the board of trustees. For each committee there is an agreed role and operating arrangements, with areas of delegated responsibility. The national committees are Finance Committee, Navigation Committee, Waterway Recovery Group, Marketing Committee, Remuneration Committee, and the Awards Panel. In 2017, the IWA set up a Restoration Hub which provides advice and support to groups working on canal restoration. IWA

225-636: A ring for more than 200 years, but the term was unknown before the 1960s, when the Inland Waterways Association coined Cheshire Ring as part of its campaign to save the Ashton Canal and Peak Forest Canal from closure. Working boatmen were concerned with getting from A to B as fast as possible, or for the lowest toll, rather than in visiting more of the system, and what are now known as rings were simply alternative routes to them, but circular routes allow leisure boaters to see twice as much of

270-530: A subsidiary company, Essex Waterways Ltd, and, with support from local authorities, operates and maintains the navigation for the benefit of the general public. This is the first time that IWA has taken full operational and maintenance responsibilities for a navigation. The association has organised 60 editions of the IWA National Festival & Boat Show, run entirely by volunteers. These regularly attracted large numbers of boats and visitors. For example,

315-660: Is 2,726 yd (2,493 m) long, and its northern portal is in Warwickshire, in the urban outskirts of Birmingham. Within a mile, Kings Norton Junction is reached, where the Stratford-upon-Avon Canal begins, and the 24.5-mile (39.4 km) journey up the Worcester and Birmingham Canal ends. The start of the Stratford-upon-Avon canal is marked by a guillotine lock , which used to prevent water passing between

360-468: Is a recent one, having been coined in 1965 to describe routes which could be used by people boating for leisure, that did not require holiday makers to return to their start location by the same route as they had used to reach their destination. The constituent waterways of the Avon Ring, which can take about two weeks to navigate are: Starting from Stratford-upon-Avon, and travelling in a clockwise direction,

405-496: Is a volunteer-led membership charity that campaigns for the waterways. Members can get involved with local and national committees to debate and influence policies and campaigns. The charity formulates policies and undertakes local and national campaigns to work on specific issues that have, or may in the future, have a real impact on the UK's inland waterways. IWA works closely with navigation authorities such as Canal & River Trust ,

450-495: Is cheaper to restore and use waterways than to eliminate them. A non-party parliamentary petition was also organized. Slowly, opinions were changed, so that by the autumn, when the annual BTC bill was placed before Parliament, the announced measure was not included and the chair of BTC told MPs that he regretted that the board had not had a more independent basis. The campaign to save the Kennet and Avon Canal intensified. A group supporting its restoration had set up independently after

495-639: Is only possible when the Wilts and Berks Canal is fully restored. This ring is only possible when the Thames and Severn Canal, North Wilts Canal and Wilts and Berks Canal are fully restored. This ring is only possible when the Thames and Severn Canal and the Stroudwater Navigation are fully restored. This ring is only possible when the Montgomery Canal and River Severn are fully restored. This ring

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540-658: Is possible only when the Barnsley and Dearne and Dove Canals are fully restored. Inland Waterways Association The Inland Waterways Association ( IWA ) is a registered charity in the United Kingdom which was formed in 1946 to campaign for the conservation, use, maintenance, restoration and sensitive development of British canals and river navigations . Notable founding members included L. T. C. Rolt and Robert Aickman . In 1944, Tom Rolt published his book Narrow Boat , which reflected on his journey around

585-546: The British Transport Commission (BTC) had the commercial use of the canal system as its main goal. The country did not have enough money to spend on canal maintenance, let alone restoration. The canals, particularly the narrow system, had become inadequate for modern commerce and slowly fell into disuse. An early attempt at involvement in saving a canal, when the Basingstoke Canal came up for sale in 1949,

630-621: The British Transport Commission . In August of that year a more extensive campaign took place: the Ailsa Craig was hired for a six-week cruise of the northern canals, which included probably the last crossing of the Huddersfield Narrow Canal before its restoration in 2001. The first boat rally and festival was organized at Market Harborough in August 1950, a meeting place open to boats wide and narrow from south and north of England and off

675-665: The Environment Agency , and other smaller navigation authorities. The association seeks to maintain good relationships with navigation authorities in order to influence policy and decision-making, acting in the best interests of IWA members and the waterways. IWA also works with other waterway bodies, a wide range of national and local authorities, voluntary, private and public sector organisations. IWA actively supports waterway restoration by providing expert advice and grants. IWA's Waterway Recovery Group organises and subsidises waterway restoration holiday schemes for volunteers around

720-546: The M5 motorway , after which the 230 yd (210 m) Dunhampstead tunnel is encountered. A junction with the Droitwich Canal , which was restored to navigation in 2011, is followed by the six locks of the Astwood flight, another six at Stoke, and almost immediately, the thirty locks of the Tardebigge flight , which raise the level of the canal by 217 ft (66 m). The top lock of

765-664: The Aickmans accompanied the Queen Mother in a much-publicized narrow-boat trip to reopen the canal and its connection with the river, as part of a large festival that saw 200 boats on the river outside the Royal Shakespeare Theatre . The experience of restoration led to the creation of the Waterway Recovery Group , led by Graham Palmer, at the 1970 Guildford IWA Rally. At first independent, this organisation acts as

810-523: The Avon Ring follows the downstream course of the River Avon through Evesham to arrive at Tewkesbury, where the river joins the River Severn . There are 17 locks on this 42.2-mile (67.9 km) section, ten before Evesham and seven afterwards. The River Avon is a navigation, and so each lock is accompanied by a weir, to maintain the flow of the river. From Tewkesbury, the ring follows the upstream course of

855-851: The M40 motorway bridge. The Lapworth Link turns off near locks 20 and 21, to connect with the Grand Union Canal . Only one of these two locks needs to be negotiated, as they are on parallel routes. Another 27 locks complete the journey to Stratford-upon-Avon, with eleven of them concentrated in the Wilmcote flight. The length of the canal is 25.5 miles (41.0 km), and officially contains 54 locks, although only 52 of them have to be negotiated. Download coordinates as: 52°11′32″N 1°42′12″W  /  52.1922°N 1.7032°W  / 52.1922; -1.7032  ( Junction at Statford-on-Avon ) Canal ring There have been canals which formed

900-525: The River Severn for 16 miles (26 km) to Worcester. This is the longest level section, as the only lock is located at Diglis , just before the junction with the Worcester and Birmingham Canal . From the junction with the River Severn, there are two locks to reach Diglis Basin , and then another eight as the canal leaves Worcester. The Offerton flight of six locks follows, just before the canal passes under

945-710: The Waterways" was produced by Rolt. The first action took place in 1947, when the Rolts aboard Cressy challenged the Great Western Railway who owned the Stratford-upon-Avon Canal and had replaced the Lifford drawbridge at Kings Norton Junction with a "temporary" fixed bridge that prevented navigation. After a question in Parliament by Lord Methuen , the bridge was raised to allow Cressy to pass. An Inland Waterways exhibition

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990-553: The argument within the association but were now brought back within IWA. A 22,000-signature petition to the Queen was brought from Bristol by water, though stretches of the canal had to be traversed by canoe to get it through. In March 1956, a clause in the BTC bill to close the K&;A was defeated. A new committee of enquiry was set up and the IWA was invited, amongst others, to give detailed plans for

1035-492: The busier commercial routes. 120 boats and 50,000 visitors attended and this laid the foundation for the IWA National Festival , held almost ever year from 1953 to 2013. The 1948 rally was overshadowed by a row among the organizers. Tom Rolt had resigned as secretary some months before because of the pressure of his other work as a writer, though remaining an active member. His next book, The Inland Waterways of England

1080-531: The canal. Another enthusiastic member, David Hutchings, took up the task of restoration after the National Trust agreed a five-year lease on the canal a year later, pointing out that the cost of filling it in would be £120,000 whereas the cost of restoration would be £40,000. Restoration was completed on schedule despite the extremely cold winter of 1962–3. The reopening coincided with the 400th anniversary celebration of Shakespeare's birth at Stratford-upon-Avon, and

1125-419: The canals in 1939 in his boat Cressy . The book was popular and Rolt received a number of letters following its publication. One letter came from Robert Aickman , a literary agent and aspiring author, who made the suggestion that a society to campaign for the regeneration of canals should be formed. Tom Rolt supported this idea and on Saturday 11 August 1945, he, Robert and their wives, Angela and Ray, met for

1170-495: The canals, but is now maintained in an open position. The first eleven miles (18 km) is level, with a five-mile (8 km) urban section containing the 352 yd (322 m) Brandwood tunnel, and a six-mile (9.6 km) rural section which passes under the M42 motorway. The 26 locks of the Lapwood flight start the descent towards Stratford-upon-Avon, with the final one in the shadow of

1215-453: The council, as Aickman had been persuaded to keep only the position of founder and vice-president after the last crisis, and he had been ordered to rest by his doctor. Although the motion was eventually passed, and the IWA was incorporated in 1958, several branches broke away from the organisation. In Warwickshire, work on the Lower Avon was nearing completion after a decade of hard work and it

1260-612: The country, and its regional groups carry out restoration work most weekends. In November 2005, IWA signed a maintenance and operating agreement with the Administrator of The Company of Proprietors of the Chelmer & Blackwater Navigation Ltd, whereby IWA is responsible for the navigation in perpetuity. The Chelmsford Branch of the IWA worked closely with the C&;BNCo from 1994 until it went into administration in August 2003. IWA has formed

1305-491: The first time aboard Cressy at Tardebigge on the Worcester & Birmingham Canal. The couples developed a good working relationship, and the inaugural meeting of The Inland Waterways Association took place on 15 February 1946 at Aickman's flat in Gower Street, London. Robert Aickman was appointed chairman, Charles Hadfield , vice-chairman, Tom Rolt honorary secretary and Frank Eyre treasurer. A pamphlet called "The Future of

1350-520: The flight brings to 58 the number of locks worked in just 15.5 miles (24.9 km), as the final section is level. Two short tunnels follow; Tardebigge tunnel is 580 yd (530 m) long and Shortwood tunnel is 613 yd (561 m) long. The canal meanders across rural Worcestershire, passing under the M42 motorway just to the north of Alvechurch , before entering the Wast Hills Tunnel . The tunnel

1395-580: The formation of a charitable trust and Douglas Barwell – who had joined the Midlands branch with this in mind – took charge of the restoration project. Local campaigns emerged to counter the threats to various canals, including the Oxford and Kennet and Avon . An all-party parliamentary committee was set up, with 30 sympathetic MPs becoming honorary members of IWA. A fight to save the Stroudwater Navigation

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1440-425: The group has been a division of the IWA. The government set up an Inland Waterways Redevelopment Advisory Committee in 1961 to consider the future of canals that were not considered viable. Two IWA stalwarts, John Smith and Lionel Munk, were included on this, together with Tom Rolt. This went against Aickman's slogan of "fighting for every mile", although shortly afterward he admitted privately to Lionel Munk that he

1485-512: The leisure boat industry were offset by numerous setbacks including closures of canals, tunnel failures and the breakdown of the Anderton lift . However, the attitude of BWB gradually changed from scepticism to a more friendly attitude to the organisation. The completion of the restored Kennet and Avon Canal in 1990 and the availability of National Lottery funding from 1994 opened up new possibilities. The membership, which had steadily expanded during

1530-453: The number of boats attending makes many desirable venues impracticable. So, together with campaign rallies held by particular regions, a national campaign rally was established in 2006 to highlight the continued need for this activity. An anual event since 1983, organised by IWA at Little Venice , London over the early May Bank Holiday weekend, combining a boat rally with a trade show, activities and entertainments. Two plaques commemorating

1575-414: The previous decades, settled at around 20,000 and the annual rallies and festivals kept their popularity. IWA is organised into regions, each of which consist of several branches. The regions are: East Midlands, Eastern, London, North East & Yorkshire, North West & North Wales, South East, South West & South Wales, and West Midlands. The association is governed by a board of trustees. There are

1620-443: The rally at Beale Park in 2006 on the Thames above Reading had 600 boats and 28,000 visitors. The Campaign Festival has been an integral part of IWA activities since its inception. Bringing a large number of boats to a particular waterway highlights the difficulties of navigation and has kept a number of waterways open that would otherwise have closed. In the past, the annual festival often had campaigning as one of its functions, but

1665-665: The system as is possible with an "out and back" cruise. Hire companies are keen to promote their proximity to popular cruising rings. Since the Cheshire Ring was born, more rings (and variants of them) have been named. The best-known are those that can be completed in one or two weeks, although some three-week rings (such as the Outer Pennine Ring ) have been given names, but there are many other unnamed rings. See also Canals of Great Britain Incompletely navigable: This ring

1710-399: The viability of various waterways, which put considerable strain on an organisation which did not at the time have a permanent staff and whose financial affairs were in some disarray. Christopher Clifford, a JP , made the presentation. Another dispute arose within the organisation when Aickman pushed to seek incorporation as a company limited by guarantee . At the time there was no chairman of

1755-421: The waterways open, whereas Rolt had more sympathies with the traditional canal workers and realised that it was necessary to prioritize which canals could reasonably be kept open. Aickman engineered a change to the rules to require all members to conform to agreed IWA principles and in early 1951, Rolt, Hadfield and others were excluded from membership. During most of the 1950s, IWA was campaigning in an era when

1800-526: Was also due to be published in August, though Rolt said that was a coincidence as he did not tell the publisher of the rally that had been organized. Aickman, through Eyre, attempted to prevent Rolt from attending the rally and promoting his book but this only led to the publisher Philip Unwin also attending. There had been personality conflicts with Aickman which had led Charles Hadfield to resign his position as vice-chairman as early as 1946, and disagreements over policy. Aickman wanted to campaign to keep all of

1845-548: Was confirmed that nobody owned the rights to the upper reaches which led to Stratford-upon-Avon . The prospect of a connection from the Severn through to the Midlands was in sight but was in jeopardy when the Stratford-upon-Avon Canal was threatened with abandonment. In 1958, John Smith , a banker and company director who was an IWA member and had an honorary post in the National Trust , suggested that organisation might take over

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1890-537: Was frustrated when a committee set up to save it saw their contributions used to support a private bid from their nominated bidder. A more hopeful start was made on the lower reaches of the Warwickshire Avon , a river where commercial navigation had long since ceased because of perennial flooding problems, thus it was not within the BTC's remit. Learning from the experience with the Basingstoke Canal, IWA advised

1935-410: Was lost in Parliament, although 112 MPs voted against it. In March 1955, a Board of Survey reported and recommended the downgrading and possible disposal of 771 miles of waterways, including some, such as the Huddersfield Narrow Canal , that had already been abandoned and closed to traffic. In response, IWA advocated a National Waterway Conservancy to look after all the waterways and pointed out that it

1980-586: Was now a "90% man". As commercial use of the canals was declining rapidly, requests for closures came in thick and fast from British Transport Waterways, which was soon to be separated from the BTC as the British Waterways Board (BWB). Aickman and Hadfield (who now joined the BWB) had argued that the canals should be run by a trust such as the National Trust , but the new body faced the same commercial pressures as its predecessors. The Transport Act 1968 showed

2025-634: Was organised at Heal's Mansard Gallery in London which was so successful that it was taken on a month-long tour of provincial art galleries. By then, IWA had attracted a range of talent, including as president the writer and parliamentarian Sir A. P. Herbert , and as vice-president the naturalist Peter Scott . Scott's wife Elizabeth Jane Howard was part-time secretary, working in the Aickmans' flat in Gower Street. The council included Lord Bingham . In 1948, most canals in Great Britain were nationalised under

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