Canal enthusiasts dig in to aid regeneration project
29 April 2010
Volunteers are helping to unearth the history of Burslem Port.
Archaeological excavations are being carried out as part of major plans to restore the historic site by RENEW North Staffordshire.
Roger Savage, Stoke-on-Trent branch chairman of the Inland Waterways Association (IWA), said the investigative digs hade helped clear the Burslem site, ready for engineers to assess the scale of restoration work involved.
The former Burslem Branch Canal was filled in many years ago. The site will eventually become home to Burslem Port, bringing boats back to the waterway and acting as a point for tourists to stop off and explore Stoke-on-Trent’s Mother Town.
The digs were carried-out by more than a dozen members of the Waterway Recovery Group, who come from across the UK. The IWA has also been involved.
The team unearthed some important finds, including part of the washwall from the derelict branch canal.
They had also hoped to unearth a former National Coal Board narrow boat which is believed to have been buried at the site since 1962.
The Burslem Port scheme has been designed to attract canal tourists to the area.
