During restoration of the Montgomery Canal near Crickheath, the Society found many artefacts include glassware, ceramics and metalwork from both boats and the tramway at Crickheath Wharf. These artefacts have recently been donated to Oswestry Town Museum.
One of the finds at Crickheath Wharf was ironwork from a narrowboat sunk long ago. It turns out that the sunken vessel was, almost certainly, the haunted ghost boat Usk which had seen the death of her skipper, George Benbow, in a terrible accident, way back in 1887. From that date onward, boatmen refused to work on board and so she was left to sink at Crickheath. (Much more information on Usk can be found on the Welsh Country website here – the article includes research by Society Secretary Sue Ball and longstanding Society member Jan Johnstone.)
Tom Fulda, Society restoration project manager, said, “As we bring the waterway back to life, we are also uncovering long forgotten artefacts which all tell a story and finding these stories will be fascinating – and rewarding”.
Mark Hignett, from Oswestry Town Museum, said, “We have been involved with a huge range of different projects and programmes over the years and we are very excited to get involved with researching the life and time of the local canals in more detail as I’m sure historical treasures will be found and will shine a light on a lost world”.
The Society and the museum plan to work together to develop further research projects in the coming year.
Note that the museum will be closed until Saturday, February 15. The museum website can be found at oswestrytownmuseum.co.uk.
