Photo-a-Day  (Friday, 16th June, 2023)

The inscription on the plaque reads:

NATIONAL TRANSPORT TRUST

Wigan Lock Flight
Leeds & Liverpool Canal

23 locks in 2.5 miles, opened 1816 to raise the canal by 217 feet and complete a 127-mile link between the two cities

TRANSPORT HERITAGE SITE

Link: https://www.nationaltransporttrust.org.uk/heritage-sites/heritage-detail/wigan-lock-flight

The plaque is not the only thing that's red Joanne.
I was up there at the same time, but seeing that I haven't a clue what you look like, I wouldn't know you. even if you was stood next to me.
But who knows maybe you have been caught on my video or even my future PAD of this Wigan event.

I had to look up what a red plaque was for. The angle of the shot does not let you read the inscription so I would not have known it is to commemorate firefighters who have passed away in the line of duty

Did Melanie bring her own shower curtain ?

If the lady went any closer to the lovely rose garden she would be hard to see.

Nice one, Joanne.
That Wigan flight was quite a feat back then.

This looks like a scene from Escape to the Château!
Angel gets around I wonder where Dick is…
I love those buildings …
A very flamboyant scene…-

I didn't know they did red plaques for the National Trust; I have only ever seen blue plaques. The lady is certainly colourful herself, and she looks very jolly and very happy to be unveiling the plaque.

PeterP, just a little note for you.....I have been catching up on recent p-a-d uploads as I haven't been well recently and noticed a comment from you on one of them saying that you have a drink sometimes with Steph Critchley and her husband. I just wanted to say I used to work with Steph at Boots many years ago.....a lovely, pleasant lady who was always full of fun, and I hope she is well. (Apologies, everyone, for going off the subject but I had no other way of contacting PeterP.).

Irene - it's not the "National Trust" - it's the "National Transport Trust" - and the scheme to install their Red Wheel Plaques at significant sites in the country's transport history is described here:
https://www.nationaltransporttrust.org.uk/red-wheels
There are quite a few red wheels in the area - on a pillar of the Earlestown Viaduct there are two side-by-side, which may be unique. One relates to the first true canal of the Industrial Revolution - the Sankey - and the other to the Liverpool-Manchester Railway. They meet at the viaduct - which had to be built high enough to allow for the passage of the masts of the Mersey flats which passed beneath it.

Fred Mason, you’re right, the Flight was quite a feat. The Canal & River Trust’s heritage expert, Bill Froggatt, spoke at the event and said this Red Wheel was well deserved in celebration of the early C19th engineering achievement.

PeterP, I was unaware of the Red Plaque Project to remember fallen firefighters since 2017. Thanks. https://redplaque.org.uk/

Wigan Mick, I didn’t see you at the unveiling. I hope you caught my good side :D

Irene Nobby and Sheph are doing ok . He is the chairman of Garswood hall bowling and community club and Steph is on the Committee and helps run The Bowl and Plate on Fridays where you can get a 3 course meal for £4.

Audrey M and Irene R, Melanie is lovely and a fantastic ambassador for the local canals; she said she lived near the L&L Canal in Parbold when little and has since spent many happy hours pounding the towpaths of Wigan. It’s great that she was the dignitary to unveil the Red Wheel.

Very colourful, I like it.

Nice one Joanne, you've captured the moment.
If there wasn't any trumpeters there to do a Fanfare, then here's one
https://youtu.be/sKfGFz84eFI

Joannes I came by car and was wearing a suit so I would have been hard to spot.
Ive spent many hours riding Wigans towpaths and I cant remember ever seeing any woman dressed like her on my travels.
If I was looking for somebody to do any opening I would have picked Peter Baxter who is a CRT volunteer and as been opening and closing the locks of the Wigan flight for years

I hadn't heard of Melanie Bryan OBE, here's a bit of interesting information about her and what she achieved: https://www.givetoday.co.uk/local-champions/whynotchange/

They really went to town on this one didn’t they?
I mean, three bits of a pallet, a yard of washing line and as bargee says , somebody’s old shower curtain with a bit of fancy rope for effect.
Still, I’m all for saving a few bob me. And I’m thinking, some folk were born to rule, some were born to work, and others were born to pull a cord and open stuff.

gurratcha Cedric jeelosy ul geet thi noweer Un tha geet a gud lukkin tha nose wi themtheer fancie teyin rooaps Aye unt narrer booat wer theer anaw sowot moor mustar bewantin Tha cornt beseein um spondin ther monny ere likus thihav binduin ert' lock 92 cos monnies rowlinitin yon tha nose wi aw fancie ale'ouses
https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_banners/1264044510/1526990131/1500x500

Mick, I too doubt Melanie would be trudging up and down the tow paths dressed like that, she'll probably be wearing a Barbour jacket and jeans and be Wigan's answer to London's Janet Street Porter. https://youtu.be/8vBQ2OYNflM

Cedric the odd one, the fancy rope you mention looks like a type of macramé that uses fishermen's and sailors knots to make different items, and to me looks like a couple of ropes off a boat bell or a bell behind a bar.

Cecil, I doubt anyone will know what you are on about, except folks from Higher Folds or Shakerley.

Is lock 92 one of the converted into pubs canal side warehouses in Leigh, it isn't in Wigan, I remember sometime in the 1990s they had converted a warehouses or a mill by the canal in Leigh into a pub and similar to how The Orwell was here, but I'm sure the one at Leigh was also a night club too.