The ropy lift bridges of the South Oxford, Mikron Theatre gets stuck, and Tixall Hall revealed

I passed on the details of a leaking lock and 3 poor lift bridges on the South Oxford canal to CRT.

I got this response about the lift bridges;

Thank you for contacting Canal & River Trust, I can confirm there is a long term programme planned to repair several lift bridges on the Oxford canal including  bridges 233, 231. Shipton liftbridge [this is the warped one] is also planned for a larger scaled repair.

I emailed back saying they didn’t seem to be part of the stoppages for this winter. This what they replied ….

These works are not due to be taken place this winter hence not being on the stoppage list. They are however being prioritised and notices will be put online when they have been finalised.

So there you have it.

You may have heard that NB Tyseley, the Mikron theatre’s boat, got stuck in lock 9 on the Napton flight, the one notorious for being a bit on the narrow side.  This link is the video of how they got out.

https://www.facebook.com/mikrontheatre/videos/679580702409113/

Last month the Guardian had an article about the buried traces  of settlements and buildings of the past.  One example was the of original site of Tixall Hall, of which there is now nothing to be seen apart from the gatehouse – that is, apart from the site of the foundations which will be visible until the grass has grown again.  But you won’t see it if you moor at Tixall Wide – the images were all taken from a drone.  Here is the link;

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2018/aug/15/millennia-of-human-activity-heatwave-reveals-lost-uk-archaeological-sites

There is also something about Eynsham, which is on the Thames.

Happy boating!