Historic anchor now on display at Anderton Boat Lift
A HISTORIC 19th-century commercial boat anchor, rescued from the bottom of the River Weaver Navigation, has been given a new home on display at the foot of Anderton Boat Lift in Northwich.
The Canal & River Trust was asked to provide a permanent resting place for this fascinating boating relic by the family of former British Waterways sections inspector Neville Robinson.
Thought to date back to 1840, the anchor belonged to the old Weaver-built schooner British Queen and was discovered by Neville and his colleagues buried deep in silt at Pickerings Wharf in the 1980s when they were dredging the Weaver to maintain river depth.
The anchor then spent many years as a curio in the Robinson family garden – even moving house with them. But when Neville and his wife died recently, their son and daughter felt it was time to find the treasured memento a permanent and more fitting home on dry land next to the
Weaver, where visitors can enjoy seeing it too.
With the help of John Tackley, president of the River Weaver Navigation Society, and Ani Sutton, CRT’s North West destinations and attractions manager, the anchor is now in place on public view. And in August, the Robinson family, guests and boating colleagues met at Anderton to enjoy a celebratory ribbon cutting.
Ani said: “The anchor makes an attractive feature in this part of the boat lift grounds and is in a prime position for people to enjoy as they embark or disembark from boat trips through the Victorian boat lift. It has a real air of mystery about it and provides a fascinating extra exhibit for visitors to enjoy as they meander around the beautiful grounds.”
Neville Robinson’s daughter Lynne Foster is delighted with the anchor’s new home. She added: “No one knows how the anchor came to be lost in the first place, but it is wonderful for it now to be permanently on view close to the river and the boat lift for everyone to enjoy. It is back where it should be, on the River Weaver, where it had laid unseen for more than 100 years.”
Visitors can see the new anchor exhibit during Anderton Boat Lift centre opening hours. The visitor attraction is currently open to visitors five days a week on Saturday, Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday (10am-4.30pm).