Canal History.  This is a photo of my better half opening Whit Sunday Pie Lock, this is situated on the Chesterfield Canal near Retford in Nottinghamshire.

Now this perculiar name stems from the days of horse drawn working boats, ranging from thirty footers to the maximum of seventy foot, this being the largest boat to fit between the Lock gates. In those days, some boats had families living aboard, but mostly they were operated by a man and his, err, wife?? team, the man,he was called a BARGEE and the woman, BARGESS, are you following so far, right. The Bargess was usually a very big built woman, something like a Sherman Tank, not like the one in the picture of course,(playing safe),this was because some locks needed a tank to open them, and it was her job to open them while the BARGEE guided the boat into the lock, A good BARGEE always made sure that the BARGESS never learned how to guide the boat into the Lock.

           Now once every year it was the tradition,on Whit Sunday that all the local working boats and crews on the Canal, gathered together in all their best finery at this Lock, admiring each others boats and women, which had been decorated,polished and painted and the traditional meat pie and peas were cooked up on the boat cookers, hence the name,WHIT SUNDAY PIE LOCK. it is said that there were Strong arm contests among the BARGESSES, as to who could open the lock quickest,Legend states that a BARGESS called, HAIRY CHEST QUICK LOCK LIL was a regular winner in this contest but would only compete after drinking ten pints of Home brewed best bitter, there has been several attempts to find the recipe for this beer but to no avail, so dont ask as I have no idea, I am a Wino myself as you can tell, HIC hic. There is also the story that she once pulled a seventy foot boat, fully loaded, twenty miles, after the horse dropped dead, but this was never substantiated as the person telling me this collapsed after the sixth double whiskey.

Well there you go, the storyof WHITSUNDAY PIE LOCK the picture of my better half,trying to emulate the Legendry HAIRY CHEST QUICK LOCK LIL,after drinking three cups of Typhoo tea.

 BY THE WAY THE TRADITION IS STILL KEPT ALIVE BY THE LOCAL CLAYWORTH BOAT CLUB EVERY WHITSUNDAY

OPEN ANOTHER BOTTLE AUDREY.  HE HE HE HE