The Water Boatman [DVD]

Description

In this new series, canal enthusiast ALAN HERD travels a popular inland waterways route The Stourport Ring in central England. It will take him through the cities of Birmingham, Worcester and Wolverhampton and on six waterways, including a stretch of the River Severn. Along the way, Alan will be catching lifts on a variety of boats and visiting boat yards and industrial heritage sites. Episode 1: Alan begins his journey in the heart of Birmingham, known during the Industrial Revolution as the workshop of the world. Episode 2: Alan travels on an innovative hydrogen boat from the University of Birmingham, down the Worcester and Birmingham canal into Bournville and stops off to find out more about the home of Cadbury chocolate. Episode 3: Alan catches a ride to Alvechurch Marina where he looks around a busy working boatyard. Episode 4: Alan arrives at Tardebigge, an area full of boating heritage and a boaters rite of passage because it has thirty locks to negotiate. Episode 5: Alan catches a boat from Stoke Wharf in the direction of Hanbury and finds out why this area is famous for salt water even though it s so far from the sea. Episode 6: Alan helps with some boat painting at a boat yard and meets an artist who is fulfilling a long-held dream of working in decorative canal crafts. Episode 7: Alan arrives in the city of Worcester and finds out more about how the arrival of the canal impacted on the porcelain industry that flourished here. Episode 8: Alan stops off to try his luck with some river angling before journeying to a busy working boatyard. Episode 9: Alan arrives at the very place that The Stourport Ring is named after Stourport on Severn. This Georgian town was a major port, with both the River Severn and the canal providing the transportation of goods to and from the sea. Episode 10: Alan s journey brings him to Kidderminster. In the 17th century the town was making woollen cloth and with the arrival of the canals in the 18th century, its role in the carpet industry began to flourish. Episode 11: Alan catches a narrowboat lift along the Staffordshire and Worcestershire canal through the picturesque village of Cookley to Kinver. Episode 12: Alan takes a detour up the Stourbridge canal. He discovers the area s historical connection with glass-making and tries his hand at glass-blowing. Episode 13: Alan arrives at the heart of the Black Country, rich in industrial heritage. He journeys along the Dudley canal, discovers more of the area s history at Cobb s Engine House and meets local history expert Professor Carl Chinn. Episode 14: Alan catches a lift on a lock keeper s narrowboat, visits a historic marina and meets a group of young working boats enthusiasts along his journey. Episode 15: Alan catches a lift on Glyn and Rosemary Phillips old working boat through Wombourne and stops off to visit the amazing old Bratch Pumping station a fine example of great British Victorian engineering. Episode 16: Alan journeys through the locks on Duncan Pottinger s old working boat and stops off to try his hand at an old canal trade - traditional sign writing. Episode 17: Alan visits a historic working boat gathering at the Black Country Living Museum beside the Dudley canal in Tipton. He finds out about historic boats President and Sharpness and journeys on a tug up to Tividale. Episode 18: Alan has reached Oldbury in the West Midlands. As he motors along the Old line canal, he discovers remnants of its industrial heritage. Episode 19: Alan explores the New Line in Oldbury as he catches lifts on two different narrowboats and travels under one of the busiest spots in England where two canals and a railway line meet a motorway. Episode 20: Alan is on the last leg of his journey exploring the Stourport Ring.