Politicians visit Foxton
THREE senior local politicians visited Foxton Locks to see for themselves what this major tourist destination can offer now and in the future.
MP's Edward Garnier (for Harborough) and Andrew Robathan (for South Leicestershire) were joined by Emma McClarkin MEP on a narrated tour of the site and to learn more about the progress towards restoration of a major piece of our industrial heritage.
Foxton Inclined Plane
A group of enthusiasts, the Foxton Inclined Plane Trust, continue to strive towards reinstating the Inclined Plane Boat Lift to its original working glory. Approximately 25% of the overall restoration has already been completed, partly with the aid of Heritage Lottery funding.
The Chairman of the Foxton Inclined Plane Trust, Steve Bowyer, tells us:
"In broad terms there is a two year window to get the final phase of restoration underway or risk losing the opportunity forever. We do need more active volunteers to support our current initiative to work with English Heritage and local stakeholders and make a formal application to the Heritage Lottery Fund."
Canal Museum
The Trust runs the Foxton Canal Museum under the guidance of curator Mike Beech. This newly refurbished museum has a wealth of canal related artefacts, and provides an excellent history of the site as well as working models of the boat lift.
Mike explained that Foxton Locks is already a major visitor attraction, and restoration would increase the potential for the site. It also has the important benefits of preserving water and enable the increasing number of boat users to pass more rapidly through this important junction.
Optimistic
Foxton Inclined Plane Trust President, David Stevenson, who has been actively involved in lobbying for improvements to the waterway network for over 40 years, is optimistic about progress:
"With local support and some hard graft I still believe we can get this unique engineering project completed well within my lifetime."
All the visitors were impressed by the potential for increased visitor numbers which would bring important commercial benefits to the local area. They praised the work undertaken by all those involved in making the site as attractive at it currently is.