Gongoozler

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Gongoozlers in action at Foxton Locks in England

This page has been transwikied to Wiktionary.

Because this article has content useful to Wikipedia's sister project Wiktionary, it has been copied to there, and its dictionary counterpart can be found at either Wiktionary:Transwiki:Gongoozler or Wiktionary:Gongoozler. It should no longer appear in Category:Copy to Wiktionary and should not be re-added there.
Wikipedia is not a dictionary, and if this article cannot be expanded beyond a dictionary definition, it should be tagged for deletion. If it can be expanded into an article, please do so and remove this template.
Note that {{vocab-stub}} is deprecated. If {{vocab-stub}} was removed when this article was transwikied, and the article is deemed encyclopedic, there should be a more suitable category for it.

Gongoozlers are people who enjoy watching activity on the canals in the United Kingdom. The term is also often used in a more general way to describe those who have an interest in canals and the canal life, but do not actively participate.

1 Etymology
2 Aspects of Gongoozling
3 Notable locations
4 See also
5 References

[edit] Etymology

"Gongoozler" may have been canal workers’ slang for an observer standing apparently idle on the towpath. Although it was certainly used derisively in the past there is only very mild derision attached to the term today, and it is regularly used, perhaps with a little irony, by gongoozlers to describe themselves and their hobby.

The word may have arisen from words in Lincolnshire dialect: gawn and gooze, both meaning to stare or gape. Although it might be presumed that such an expression would date from the nineteenth century, when canals were at their peak, the word is only recorded from the end of that century or the early twentieth. It was given wider use by the late L T C Rolt, who used it in his book about canal life, Narrow Boat, in 1944.

[edit] Aspects of Gongoozling

Gongoozling, much like trainspotting, is a hobby that can extend to all aspects of canals.

Canal artwork

The collection or creation of canal related artwork is a common pastime amongst Gongoozlers. This includes paintings, postcards and photographs.

Canal locks

Canal locks often attract spectators, including Gongoozlers, because the operation of manual canal locks is a complex affair, with a number of opportunities for mistakes to be made. Some observers have been known to heckle or harass the boat crews, whilst others carry "lock keys" and actively wish to help boat crews with their passage.

Canal history and technology

Whilst trainspotting is commonly associated with identifying engine makes, it is rare for Gongoozlers to do likewise. However the history of a section of canal, the operation of locks and more unusual devices such as an inclined plane or the Anderton Boat Lift and Falkirk Wheel can be of interest.

[edit] Notable locations

Fradley Junction is a popular place to observe canal traffic, as are many other junctions, due to the occasional need for three boats to pass.

Staircase locks, which can hold many boats at once, are very popular amongst gongoozlers, making Foxton Locks an ideal location for Gongoozling.

Some locations have became known for their Gongoozlers thanks to local events that encourage an increased number of observers. Princess Street lock on the Rochdale Canal in Manchester city centre is normally quite quiet, however it becomes a popular attraction during the Manchester Mardi Gras (actually held in late August).

The Falkirk Wheel is a popular attraction for tourists and Gongoozlers alike, although this is more for the feat of engineering than the canal itself.