Canal Glossary |
I am also considering extending it to a wider
format, to include the more basic terms for people new to the canals.
Let me know if you would like this, or you have any words or phrases you would like an
explanation of.
THEN |
NOW / MEANING |
DERIVATION |
| A,B | ||
| ALBERTS TWO | Cassiobury Park locks No's 75&76 on the GU | |
| (H)ANIMALS | Boatman's name specifically for Donkeys (singly or in pairs) used to pull boats | |
| ANSER PINS | hooks and shackles used for breasting up or strapping | |
| BACKERING | A horse towing a boat without anyone on the towpath to drive it. | |
| BLADE(FULL) | The propeller. To catch a bladefull is to get the propeller tangled with rubbish or weeds in the canal. | |
| BLUE TOPS | The last commercial narrow boats built by the British Transport Commision which had blue hatch covers | |
| BREASTING UP | Tying two boats side to side for traveling or locking through wide locks (most usually a motor and butty | |
| BUTTY | Unpowered boat being pulled by a motor (boat) | |
| C,D | ||
| CHECK PIN | A bent spike on the lockside used to hold boats on their checking strap | |
| CHECKING STRAP | See strap | |
| The CHESHIRE LOCKS | Heartbreak Hill (The locks between Wheelock & Hardings Wood) | (obvious) |
| CLAMP UP | To freeze up (the canal) | |
| CLOTHS (side or top) | Tarpaulins used to cover the holds of Narrow boats | |
| CORKETTS TWO | Ivinghoe locks No 32&33 on the grand union | |
| The CROW | Oldbury locks | I think to do with the name of one of the restorers in the 1970's |
| DAY BOAT | Narrow boat which was used purely for carriage and had no living accommodation on, the crew going home each night.(see Joey) | |
| The DISTRICT | The Birmingham and Black country canals | |
| DODSWELL TWO | Dudswell locks No 47 & 48 on the Grand Union | |
| E,F,G | ||
| The EDGEFORD ARM | Cannock extension Canal | Black country corruption of Hednesford Arm |
| The GANZIES | Rushall Flight | After the Gurnsey sweaters worn there due to the windy location.(!) |
| GONGOOZELER | Casual observer to be found near canals especially just as you mess up an otherwise standard maneuver | |
| H,I,,J | ||
| HEARTBREAK HILL | Modern name for the Cheshire locks (frowned on by real boaters) | |
| HOBBLERS | Itinerants who offered to work the locks for reward (mainly on the Birmingham canals) | They worked on foot (rather than using a bike like lockwheelers) and tended to be old and therefore hobbled. |
| HORSE BOAT | A narrowboat without an engine pulled by horses. | |
| The ISLAND LINE | The New Main Line in Birmingham | Because it bridged the "Islanded" area between the Old Line and the Walsall line |
| JACK CLOUGHS | Ground paddles on the Leeds Liverpool worked by a long lever which slides them sideways rather than a ratchet mechanism which pulls them up | ?? |
| JOEY | Black country day boat with a basic day cabin | ?? |
| K,L,M | ||
| KNOBSTICK | The nickname of the Anderton Canal company and the style of traditional painting of Bill Hodgson who worked for them. | ?? |
| LOCKWHEELERS | The member of a boats crew that went ahead (usually on a bike) to set the locks in advance of the boat. This practice as well as speeding your passage, will if correctly done save water. | From their use of a bike |
| MOSHES TWO | The two locks at Longwood Junction on the Rushall canal | ?? |
| MOTOR | The name for a powered narrowboat (particularly if it is paired with a butty | |
| N,O,P | ||
| NUMBER ONE | An owner boatman | |
| The OLD THIRTEEN | Farmers Bridge flight | The Birmingham and Warwick Junction canal (Garrison flight) having being built as a "by-pass" |
| PROOF HOUSE JUNCTION | Digbeth Junction | Due to the proximity of the gun barrel proofing house |
| Q,R,S | ||
| RAMS HEAD | Rope decoration usually on the top of a buttys rudder stock (Also the wooden rudder post on a horse drawn boat or a butty) | ?? |
| (A) ROCKING | A cutting | ?? |
| SAULTERS | Boxmoor top lock No62 Grand Union | |
| SNATCHER | A short rope used for towing (a Butty) | |
| SNUBBER | A long rope used for towing (a Butty) | |
| SUTTON STOP | Hawksbury junction | AFTER THE CANAL COMPANY'S MANAGER AT THE JUNCTION. |
| STRAP | (noun) A rope used to stop or slow a boat by
winding one end round a post or bollard ashore and attaching the other to
the boat. (verb) to slow or stop a boat by using a strap |
|
| STRAPPING POST | A post either on the side of a lock or on the top gate used for attaching a strap as a butty or horse boat enters a lock | |
| STRINGS | Thin ropes used to secure side and top cloths on a working boat. | |
| T,U,V | ||
| The TWENTYONE | Wolverhampton flight | (obvious) |
| (A) VALLEY | An embankment | ?? |
| W,X,Y,Z | ||
| WIGRAMS | Napton Junction. Also the three locks at Calcutt | ?? |
| WIND | To turn a boat round to face the other way | Possibly from the need to take into account the direction the wind is blowing while performing the manoeuver |
| WINDING HOLE | A specially created widening of the canal to allow narrow boats to wind | |