David Edwards-May

Erie Canal Lodge, named after Tom Grasso

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IWI President Dave Ballinger reports: I had the distinct pleasure to attend a commemoration ceremony in Rochester, N.Y. on Friday, June 22, 2012, where a new park building was named after our former president (and current vice-president) Tom Grasso. In her speech Maggie Brooks, Monroe County Executive, hailed Tom Grasso as a ‘statewide leader in … Read more

€200m to replant the Midi

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A report commissioned by former prime minister François Fillon has delivered its verdict on the scale of works required to restore the Canal du Midi‘s priceless tree canopy. The 42,000 plane trees (82% of the trees lining the banks) are being decimated by canker stain. Despite a range of preventive measures and careful felling of … Read more

Roger Squires awarded BEM

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Roger Squires, a founder member of IWI, was awarded the British Empire Medal in the 2012 Queen’s Birthday Honours, to recognise his life-time commitment to promoting the UK’s historic canals and rivers, particularly the waterways of the London area.

Three Mills Lock, river Lea
In the heart of the London Olympics site, Three Mills Lock. Roger Squires has been monitoring the use of the Lea Navigation for waterborne freight since the start of construction work.

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Lock Model Lost in China?

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Canal historian William E. Trout III* will attend the World Canals Conference in Yangzhou, China, this September with an agenda. He hopes to find out what happened to the Emperor’s lock model, taken from England to China in the late 18th century. This mystery is tied up in the broader history of technological development of … Read more

Lille’s canal revival on hold

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What does Lille, the historic capital of Flanders, have in common with Milan and Tokyo? Or even with The Hague, featured in this blog a few days ago? It is a city that is determined to revive its historic intimacy with water, or what our Lombardy friends elegantly describe as la civiltà delle acque, or … Read more

François Hollande favours inland waterways

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French president François Hollande supports inland water transport as a carrier of freight to and from the country’s struggling seaports. While still a candidate in the second round of the presidential election, he signed on May 2nd a letter to two waterway organisations indicating a firm intention to revive the Environmental Policy initiated and then … Read more

The Hague’s canal ring revived

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‘Small is beautiful’ could be a motto for canals, especially in cities. And this simple precept is now being followed in the Netherlands with spectacular results. This was the main lesson learned during the EU Waterways Forward partnership meeting in The Hague on May 30th-June 1st. During the first day of proceedings, May 31st, delegates … Read more

Jubilee Pageant Shows Narrow Boats and Barges to the World

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Despite the weather, the Thames Pageant on June 3rd with 1000 boats, celebrating the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II, was a huge success. For the inland waterways movement, this brought unprecedented recognition, narrow boats and barges making up the seventh of the 10 sections of the regatta.

Lombardy’s key role in world canal history

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Edo Bricchetti, a member of IWI’s Council and The International Council for Conservation of Industrial Heritage (TICCIH), has been tirelessly defending the priceless heritage of Lombardy’s historic canals, the navigli, working closely with the responsible authorities for more than 20 years. During this time, although it does not directly manage the canals, Lombardy Region has set … Read more

Canals cross EU eastern borders

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In just a few years, three bottlenecks on the eastern borders of the European Union will have been removed, thanks in part to the persistent efforts of many organisations working together, campaigning and lobbying for canals, waterways and inland navigation. First to be completed was the restoration of the Augustowski Canal in Poland and its … Read more

Seine-Nord tolls debated

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Barge owners and operators will contribute up to half of the cost of building the 106km long Seine-Nord Europe canal through the toll levied by the canal’s future private-sector operator. Two approaches were discussed at a meeting on April 18 in Ghent, bringing together VNF, Waterwegen & Zeekanalen (Flanders) and Service Public de Wallonie (Wallonia). … Read more