Our Narrowboat Quest
  • Home
  • Photo Gallery
  • Bits & Bobs
  • About
  • Contact
  • Links

88_Goldfinger

3/9/2020

0 Comments

 
9th March 2020

We’ve been at Pooley Country Park for a couple of days, and while here we take a walk up to  the Gold Leaf Monument, installed in 2011 on the top of a mound of colliery waste to become the centre piece of the country park. The tower is a stack of aluminium strips formed in the shape of a birch leaf and the outer  surface is covered in gold leaf. The gold finish is a reference to the wealth that was created by and for those who exploited the coal.  It was commissioned as part of the regeneration of Pooley and was chosen following consultations with local people to help revitalise and create a strong identity for the area's regeneration.   There are extensive views to be had for those who climb to the top the hill.
We pass under the M42 motorway and head south through Polesworth, which underwent rapid growth in the coal mining and clay industries in the 1770’s when the Coventry Canal was built.
Coal has been mined at Polesworth since the Norman Times and by the 17th century was well established. In 1951, several of the local mines had been combined but by 1965 they too were closed down.   
The canal then passes some arable land before arriving at the bottom of 11 locks which take the canal through Atherstone. We moor up however between locks 6 and 5 to visit the town to collect some provisions, which is only a 10min walk into town.  The town runs along side the canal by the bottom half of the locks, with some housing and gardens backing onto the canal, but despite this most of the Atherstone flight feels detached from an urban setting. However, the busy A5 runs between locks 6 and 5 and with the railway  line also close by this was a very noisy mooring and we only stayed one night before moving on.
This is a trip of 5 miles with 6 locks and took us approximately 3.5 hours.
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Picture

     

    August 2021
    July 2021
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018

Press on previous to see more

Our Narrowboat Quest

Contact
FAQ
Terms of Use
© COPYRIGHT 2015. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
  • Home
  • Photo Gallery
  • Bits & Bobs
  • About
  • Contact
  • Links