Page updated 25 October 2005
Based on mapping ©2001 Richard Fairhurst, Canal Boat & Inland Waterways
General Remarks
Linthwaite
Between Milnsbridge and Slaithwaite the canal passes through pleasant enough scenery but with plenty of industrial property to be seen. There are a number of quiet sections where a good mooring may be had. The valley is wider here but the steep sides are lined with houses showing how the villages have spread along the valley sides.
To the left between Locks 16E and 17E the valley is dominated by the ruins of the vast Titanic Mill. The name came from the fact that the mill was opened in 1912, the year Titanic was launched. There are plans to convert it into environmentally friendly housing, using solar heating and similar technologies and is known by those who watch the long running TV series, "Where the Heart is", as it appears in the title sequence.
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©2002 Richard Hirst The Titanic Mill, built in 1912 and named after that infamous ship |
Lowestwood Mill, alongside the towpath above Lock 17E is also of interest, with various parts of the building being constructed at different periods.
Linthwaite. as with many of the local towns, offers a pronunciation issue, but there is less argument about this one. "Linfit" appears to be the accepted way to say it. Indeed, there is a particularly bitter Bitter on sale at the Sair Inn, in the village, with an ale spelt just that way!
Slaithwaite
Approaching the centre of Slaithwaite, the canal runs through the original Lock 21E chamber and then a narrow channel. Popular moorings are found beyond this point and the new winding hole.
A small mooring area above Lock 22E is followed by another long narrows alongside Carr Lane. The canal then passes through a heavily restored section in the centre of Slaithwaite. The left hand side of this pound is lined with mill buildings.
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©2002 Richard Hirst The small mooring area above Lock 22E |
After Lock 23E is the floating "Moonraker Tearoom". The exit from Slaithwaite is through Lock 24E with its guillotine gate. This was installed because the lock tail bridge had been widened leaving insufficient room for balance beams when the lock was restored.
Ronald Haigh, whose family were the last boatmen to work the canal, has told how they maintained two boats, along with two horses and six donkeys. They worked from a house beside the canal, just below Britannia Road, the main road through Slaithwaite. Every Monday the boats would set out down the canal. Going as far as Wakefield, they would pick up 20 tons each of house or mill coal. The donkeys would take the coal, in panniers, to the outlying farms high on the valley sides. Donkeys were needed as these were the days before the local roads were made up with surfaces suitable for motor vehicles.
The correct pronunciation of Slaithwaite appears hotly contested. Ronald Haigh, interviewed on the BBC TV programme "The Impossible Dream", made the "ai" in "Slaith" a long sound as in the "a" in "add". The narrator of the same programme, while normally pronouncing it with a shorter "a" sound, as in "away", when discussing pronunciation ,suggested "Slow-art", with the "ow" to rhyme with "cow".
When people frequenting news:uk.local.yorkshire were asked how it should be pronounced, the most popular response from locals was "Slowit" (the "ow" to rhyme with "cow"). One went as far as quoting Arnold Kellett in the Yorkshire Dictionary (ISBN 1 85825 017 X). Next most popular was "Slawit", but it all seemed to depend upon where, in the county, you were raised.
Martin Underwood related this story:
I was on a train that stopped at Slaithwaite. The guard was announcing the station as we approached. In his normal, homely, West Riding accent, he referred to it as "Slowit". Then, as an afterthought, he said "By the way, that's the place that Namby Pamby Pampered Southerners think is pronounced as" [exaggerated posh accent] "Slaythwayt". The whole of my carriage collapsed in fits of the giggles.
Pubs and Restaurants
Slaithwaite:
Shoulder of Mutton (Landlord: Jonathon Holmes (Jonny and Tricia). Church Street, Slaithwaite. Tel: 01484 842228)
Close to lock 23E. Bought by the current landlord Spring 2003. Hand pumped Black Sheep, Tetley, Taylors Landlord and guest beers. They are developing the catering side, currently serving food at lunchtime and early evening.
Wharfeside Inn (Landlord: Andy Hirst. Carr Lane, Slaithwaite. Tel: 01484 847333)
Close to lock 22E. Opened autumn 2002 and proving popular with locals. Real ales and all-day bar meals as well as a dining area.
The Silent Woman (Nabbs Lane, Slaithwaite. Tel: 01484 842819)
100m from lock 23E. Viewers of the ITV series "Where the Heart Is" will recognise it as "The Skelthwaite Arms". The pub is used for both exterior and interior filming.
The Captains Table (Manager: Richard Fella. Carr Lane, Slaithwaite. Tel: 01484 841068.)
Open every lunchtime except Sunday and every teatime except Tuesday and Sunday. Locals recommend this restaurant, one singling out the "ruddy superb specials" available in the upstairs section.
There plenty of other take-aways (e.g. Fish and Chips and Tandoori) in the town.
Linthwaite:
Sair Inn (Lane Top, Linthwaite. Tel: 01484 842370)
On the western outskirts of Huddersfield. It's at the top of a steep hill, but is very much more than worth the walk. Serves 10 home brewed ales on handpump. Open Mon-Thu 7:00pm-11:00pm, Fri 5:00pm-11:00pm, Sat 12noon-11:00pm, Sun 12noon-10:30pm. In 1997 it was the CAMRA National Pub of the Year, and Ron Crabtree has been brewing superb beer there for about fifteen years. Non-smokers are catered for. "This is an unmissable pub."
Other Comments
- Lock 15E
- See the note on the Huddersfield page about troublesome children sometimes found between here and Lock 3E.
- Lock 21E
- There is a water point and refuse disposal facilities above the Lock. The planned sewage disposal faciltiy was not available in October 2005.
- Lock 24E
- Calor gas is available adjacent to the lock.