Easter Cruise Day 12 Whitchurch to willey Moor Lock

Sorry for not posting the last few days.  To much going on in the evening left little time to post.  We are now moored for a while at Bunbury but here is the rest of the cruise story so far.

We'd had some rain overnight so when we emerged the day was cold, breezy and overcast.  Chris wanted to go into town to get some sunglasses but now the weather is changing there seemed no point but we still went for they anyhoo.

Chris got her sun glasses and we headed back to AmyJo but somehow we got a little off track and came across these lovely buildings.

This building was the former School house built with funding from the will of Jane Higginson.  The will left instructions to build the school house for teaching poor children.  Up to 1897 it had be used primarily as girls school but the school moved to another building as more and more children were attending.  It then was used as an infant school.

The former schoolhouse for the poor

St Alkmund's Church is just up the road. Alkmund was one of the sons of King Alhred of Northumbria. The succession was disputed by a usurper, Eardwulf, who killed Alkmund's father and brother, and then Alkmund, in 800 AD.

St Alkmunds church

Alongside the school house is another lovely looking building, the former Grammar school.  The school was founded in 1550 by Cannon Sir John Talbot who gave a fee of £200 to Thomas glaton to establish a school free from church control.  The present building of 1848 is actually a reconstruction and is thought to be similar to the original.  It has now been convered into flats.

The lovely form grammar school building now flats

When we got back to AmyJo we had lunch and then got underway.  Taking the painkillers and the walk had eased my back to a comfortable ache up to now.

After stopping for water at Grindley Brook we met the Nb Story Teller and nb Grandad Dyer at Povey's lock.  The lady from nb Grandad Dyer helped Chris reset the lock before returning to her own boat.  We then repeated this at Willey Moor Lock where we moored up for the night intending to try the pub when it opened at 6pm as it has never been open went we past it in previous years.

Closed as we descend the lock but open after 6pm

After dinner we took the short walk back to the pub and had a pleasant pint there.  Its a lovely little pub and a bit querky with all its ornate tea pots and Toby uugs everywhere.

Very ornate tea pots here

and there

Total distance:2.82 miles Elapsed time:3h8m16s Locks:8 Bridges:7 

Average speed:0.90 mph (3.45 lock/mph)