Category Archives: Current News

Foxton Inclined Plane Boat Lift – 12th August 2025 – Penny Arscott

Penny Arscott is the Manager of Foxton Canal Museum located in the reconstructed Boiler House, which once powered the Foxton Boat Lift. In her engaging illustrated talk, Penny explores the fascinating history of the world’s first transverse inclined plane boat lift which opened in 1900  (initially to replace Foxton Locks) as a quicker alternative to the locks system on the once busy Grand Union Canal. Using photographs from the archives, she will explain both the successes, challenges and failures of this

The Pilgrim’s Way – 9th June 2025 – Mike Burton

Journey with the medieval pilgrims – and the modern pilgrims – as they travel the ancient Pilgrims’ Way from Winchester to Canterbury. It’s their adventure of a lifetime. On the way they tell tales and visit places of interest. The excitement of the journey increases as they near the great cathedral which houses the relics of the “holy blissful martyr.” Our speaker, Mike Burton, is a former journalist and teacher who worked for 16 years as a newspaper journalist and editor, and

A Canal-side Winter – December 10th

On Tuesday 10th December, our canal-side friend and member Mary Matts, together with John Butlin, Bernard Rice, Phil and Deborah, provided a stunning meeting. They created an engaging presentation, which covered the trials and tribulations of living on the canals during the winter. The talk provided some wonderful images of canal life in winter and was coupled with a seasonal illustrated celebration of stories, along with music and songs. To see most of the images captured from Foxton and its surrounds,

Membership Fees – 2024

The Committee met recently to review the situation and, in the light of increasing costs, especially speakers’ fees, we have recommended that the charge for membership in 2024 will be £15 pa. The entry fee to meetings for Members remains at £1.50 per meeting but has increased to £3.50 for non-members. This is the first rise for many years and we hope you understand the reasons for our decision.  

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