A Scottish canal and an English lock: Queen Elizabeth’s name will live on
THE death of Her Majesty The Queen is not only the end of an era for the nation as a whole but also for the inland waterways to which she paid several official visits during her 70-year reign.
The Queen Elizabeth II Canal in Scotland and a lock on the Kennet & Avon Canal carry her name and are a lasting legacy of these connections.
She officially reopened the restored Kennet & Avon Canal on July 8,1990, boarding the narrowboat Rose of Hungerford to break a ceremonial tape across the Caen Hill flight, where Lock 43 is named Queen Elizabeth Lock in her honour.
In Scotland she opened the Falkirk Wheel in 2002 and her most recent waterways visit was in 2017 when, accompanied by her husband Prince Philip, she visited the Kelpies and opened the Queen Elizabeth II Canal.
Other visits included the National Waterways Museum at Ellesmere Port in 1979 and a boat trip on the Leeds & Liverpool Canal at Burnley as part of her Diamond Jubilee tour in 2012.
Paying tribute to the late monarch, the Canal & River Trust stated: “Over her lifetime, the United Kingdom’s canals have seen great changes, from the gradual fading of their use as freight routes and subsequent decline, to their rebirth for leisure boating and as cherished wildlife and well-being spaces.”
Condolences were also expressed by Scottish Canals to King Charles III and members of the Royal Family.
Following the formation of the Canal & River Trust as a charity in 2012, the then Prince of Wales became its patron and has supported the trust’s work as an advocate for British heritage, nature and communities.
According to CRT: “His Majesty King Charles III has maintained a long interest in waterways and even rolled up his sleeves to work as a volunteer on the Montgomery Canal nearly 50 years ago. More recently he visited Coventry, taking a boat trip during preparations for the City of Culture celebrations in 2021.”
Previously he had met young volunteers carrying out conservation work on the canals in Stoke on Trent in 2014 and opened the first phase of the restored Cotswold Canals in 2018.