On a snowy Sunday in February, Stoke Bruerne had an open weekend for the public to learn about the village and the canal that runs through its centre.
Stoke Bruene is a small canal village, whose main street was divided when a section of The Grand Union Canal was built right through the middle of it. Construction started in 1793 and continued through the 1800's. This meant that the villagers had to get used to the idea of boats passing through their home. As a result, two pubs were built to accomodate the passing trade. The Navigation Inn and The Boat Inn are still open today.
This stretch of the Grand Union Canal is still in use today and to make sure that this continues, the locks have been undergoing maintenance. As part of the open weekend, one of the locks as open for the public to have a look in. Scaffolding steps had been build up the side of one wall leading down to the bottom.
The floor almost resembles an old cobbled street as the bricks stretch forward and up to make the walls. You can see where there has been repair work done before however, most of the lock is made up of the original material. This particular lock was in good condition and much of the damage was only superficial.
As well as looking in to the lock there was also stalls open to look at different aspects of the canal. For example, there are a lot of fish that can be found in the water, particuarly trout. This attracts a lot of people to the site for fishing.
Half a mile long the water is Blisworth Tunnel. It is the longest wide (meaning two boats can pass alongside each other) self navigable tunnel in Europe and is still in use today. It's beginning wasn't so successful. During its construction, the lives of 14 men were lost when they hit quicksand. The course of the tunnel then had to be changed. Rumours are that some people who have travelled through the tunnel get to this point and have seen a fork in the tunnel with lights at both ends and they can hear workmen too.
Also, when the tunnel was first built, boats had to be 'legged' through. This meant that people had to lay on their backs on top of the boat and propel it through with their legs.
More information about this and the history of Stoke Bruerne can be found at the museum in the village. The towpath is also popular with both walkers and cyclists.
