Great Western Coffee Shop

From YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QWE8KH-PqA8&t=17s): 30 minutes

As an ex-narrowboater myself, I feel every sympathy for them.

CfN.

It's going to be an eight-figure sum to fix. Peel Holdings (who own the canal) can afford it, but I suspect they will try and get some money out of Government to do so.

There were negotiations a long time ago for British Waterways, as was, to take on the Bridgewater from Peel - I remember reporting on it for Waterways World. But BW were worried about maintenance liabilities and nothing ever came of it. I wonder if this might be a prompt to reopen that discussion.

Yes, the Manchester Ship Canal company (now Peel Holdings) had to buy out the Bridgewater Canal in the 1890s prior to the construction of the MSC.

Slightly off-topic (as you might expect from me) but is anyone else bemused by the spelling of ‘Bridgewater’? It seems the Earls added the ‘e’ in the middle at some point…

I am somewhat confused. The Duke of Bridgewater built a canal and named it after himself. From whence does your bemusement derive? Did the duke add to his own moniker at some point?

There's a bit of an essay on the Egertons, here.

Mark

https://dukesandprinces.org/2020/05/01/dukes-of-bridgewater/ (https://dukesandprinces.org/2020/05/01/dukes-of-bridgewater/)

My bemusement comes from my assumption, confirmed in Mark A’s post above, that the Dukes and Earls of Bridgewater are in some way associated with the town of Bridgwater.

An update from YouTube, regarding the Bridgewater Canal collapse: see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lN7NlfLtoc  :o

It's about 30 minutes long - but this is their home, for goodness' sake.  :-X

This doesn't get any better for those boatowners: from youtube, see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pmUAqeWp9ug (18 minutes) :o

Chris.  :-X

Another update ten minutes of your time, if I may?

From youtube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B25QlgJ531E)  ::)

CfN.  :-X

"This video is private"

Yes, their link has been corrected: now see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gFiFC15utjw&t=113s  ::)

Are "Peel Ports" and "Peel Holding" the same setup / organisation?   My transport data feeds reports no ferries at Ardrossan until the end of March, and about ideas to bring some flights back to Robin Hood Airport which is currently mothballed (flights in 2026) and the name "Peel" comes up in both these two news items. 

Peel Holdings (John Whittaker) bought up a lot of ports and airports (and other stuff), putting the ports into a single business. That was Peel Ports, but more than half of it has been sold off to the usual kind of infrastructure investors. The main parts of this are Clydeport/Port of Glasgow and Mersey Docks and Harbour Company, but there a lots of smaller bits.

The airports have always been separate holdings, and while they were part-sold I think they are now all owned by Peel Holdings.