The tale of Curdworth Lock

This episode regarding activity at Curdworth Lock 11 began several years ago, which is when I became interested and started taking photographs of the goings on, writes Ralph Freeman.

According to local boaters, one of the residents of the lock cottages by Curdworth Lock 11 (allegedly) upset the then British Waterways manager of the region responsible for the area, by parking a car next to the lock. Having used the lock myself during that period, I can confirm that the car in no way impeded the operation of the lock.

Scarce finance

However, the said manager spent a good deal of scarce finance having new, larger, raised flower beds installed in order to prevent the car being parked near the lock. A somewhat petty response I would have thought? At the time very little money was being spent on real maintenance and the money could certainly have been better used elsewhere on the Birmingham & Fazeley Canal.

Unfortunately, after the construction of the new structures, they were just filled with soil and left. Nothing was planted in them! After the inevitable weeds took over, the 'naughty people' who lived by the lock decided enough was enough and removed the weeds and planted flowers. Something they do to this day. As far as they are concerned the lock is, in effect, their 'front garden' and treat it as such.

People responsible

So if you go through Curdworth Lock 11 and think it looks a treat (which it does), the people responsible are the lady in the photograph who looks after the flowers and her husband who tends the grass around the lock.

Perhaps now that British Waterways has morphed into CART, the present manager of CART West Midlands, will send the folk living at number 259 a letter of thanks for their sterling work? As a boater, I say thanks to them for their efforts. 'Their' lock is a credit to them.