Looking towards Stourport

Wrong...Looking toward Kidderminster!!

My Uncle, Albert Bridgewater lived in the house at Caldwell Lock with his wife and son and daughter. The old folks have passed away now but the son and daughter still live in Kidderminster.

The house has gone, it stood where all the rubbish (ivy) is in photo No 8.

I lived at Oldington Lane, (there is a boat building business where my house stood) with my Mother and Brother and we used to walk along the towpath to visit my Uncle. The three of us migrated to Australia in 1958. I visited England in 2004 and was disappointed to see the changes.

There was a house and stables at Pratts/Platts Wharf and a house at Falling Sands Lock, all gone now.

Mr and Mrs McMahon used to live at Pratts Wharf, they were an old couple who also had a very productive vegetable garden. Mrs McMahon used to load her old pram with veggies and walk into Kidderminster and sell the veggies in the market.It was a mixed market with sheep and cattle and folws. I think it was held every Thursday. That's also gone now.

The high bridge at Pratts wharf was to allow the barges to enter the River Stour via a lock which has also been removed. The barges delivered steel to the steelworks at Wilden, also now lying idle.

I'm not sure whether the stables were there for a change of horses or to overnight the horses.

I can remember the gradual change from horse drawn barges to the diesel engines.

When looking at the pictures of Caldwell Lock the gap in the bridge was there to allow the towrope to be passed through without disconnecting the horse. I'd like a quid for every time I've crossed that bridge and jumped over the gap.

My Uncle had a beautiful vegetable garden on the land between the lock and the River Stour

I was impressed with the way the towpath is being maintained for the people and when I revisit England in April 2011 I hope to walk from Stourport to Kidderminster to show my Australian wife where my brother and I used to roam and hunt as a couple of kids. We had a raft on the canal and the Inspector used to tell us to get it off the water so we did, until he was out of sight!!

As you say, the emphasis seems to be on tourism and not much on history.

Photograph taken by Stephen Fulcher on 30 January 2006 and was added to the database on Monday the 30th of January, 2006

This photo is one of 8 of Caldwell Lock No 5 on the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal (Main Line: Stourport to Stourton) [Previous | Next]