Wikipedia talk:WikiProject UK Waterways

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[edit] Hello

Hello, and welcome to this new project. Andy Mabbett 19:27, 13 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Coordinates + microformats

[edit] Route maps

The route maps still link to the railways legend. This is easy enough to fix, but a subpage of a WikiProject talk page doesn't seem to be the best place to be linking to from the mainspace. I would move the legend somewhere better, but can't figure out what the best option is. Any thoughts? JPD (talk) 16:32, 21 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Archives

[edit] Google Earth

How feasible would it be, and how useful perhaps, to create an overlay file for Google Earth that shows Britain's canal system?

There are a few paths outlined in [1] that post. Any Gearth fans here? Parrot of Doom 21:15, 3 October 2007 (UTC)

google earth is not under a free license. Try http://worldwind.arc.nasa.gov/ .Geni 17:39, 4 October 2007 (UTC)
Are you saying that the kmz files used to create such paths would not be suitable for use on Wikipedia? If so, I'll have a look at that programme you linked. Parrot of Doom 13:07, 5 October 2007 (UTC)
KML overlays might be nice to view, but how can such overlays be used in Wikipedia? They could be overlaid on Google Maps, but Wikipedia doesn't have a Google Maps window display. Maybe some other tool can be used to convert such an overlay into a map image to be used in Wikipedia, but that's not quite a use within Wikipedia of the KML file. (SEWilco 17:25, 17 October 2007 (UTC))

[edit] Wikimedia help

I have a tonne of images for the Manchester, Bolton and Bury Canal in Wikimedia, but none have co-ordinates. If I were to give them all co-ordinates, is there a way in Wikimedia commons of exporting that entire list of co-ordinates to Google Maps, or Google Earth, as is currently the case in the canal page itself? Parrot of Doom 13:41, 9 October 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Map and coordinate usage

There is interest in maps expressed here. The Geolinks templates may be superseded by recent changes in the coord template which provide a list of mapping services when the geographical coordinate is clicked on. Please participate in the discussion at Wikipedia_talk:WikiProject_Geographical_coordinates#Geolinks-coord_Issues. I notice that recent versions of the Geobox template emit coord-style coordinates and locator maps. (SEWilco 17:28, 17 October 2007 (UTC))

[edit] Wey & Godalming Navigations

Looking at this article, I see that it lacks a few fundamentals. First, it doesn't really say whether the waterway is still navigable (it is!), doesn't mention how many locks there are nor the boat size limitations imposed by the locks. It doesn't really say that the linking Wey & Arun Canal is definitely not navigable, nor that the Basingstoke Canal is. The towpath should also be mentioned as it is open throughout and links with no less than two National Trails, and itself forms part of the European Long Distance Route E2. I'll have a go at filling these voids, but it would be useful to know if there is an agreed template for completing an article such as this. Stuartsh 11:35, 23 October 2007 (UTC)

I don't think there is a template, in fact template is probably not a good word to use since it has a specific meaning in WP. See (Guidelines) below.
It seems to me that River Wey and Wey and Godalming Navigations either need to be merged, or the former rewritten to largely exclude the information about the navigation. --Derek Andrews 12:25, 23 October 2007 (UTC)
I have a general dislike of merging articles where the subjects can be considered as clearly separate entities, as here. The obvious problem is that the history of the two is inextricably entwined, but anyone wanting information about the navigation is unlikely to care about details of the river upstream of Godalming. Equally, there is probably little to write about the history of river if details of the navigation are excluded! If merged, the Navigation page should probably redirect to the River Wey page, on the basis that the river was there first...
EdJogg 12:39, 23 October 2007 (UTC)
FWIW, the navigation page was split off the river page last year Talk:River Wey, but the content wasn't deleted from the river page. IMO this was done prematurely, and should have waited until there was more substantial text about the river. I don't have a problem with one page suits all, until it gets too big. It is much better to have one good article covering all aspects of a river, than several stubs. I think the river page should have info about mills, angling, hiking, public access, environment, ecology, drainage, water supply uses etc. It should be fairly obvious when it needs divvying up between different articles. Neither of these are very long.--Derek Andrews 13:44, 23 October 2007 (UTC)
I have since rewritten River Wey, just making a brief mention of the navigation and linking to Wey and Godalming Navigations.--Derek Andrews 11:40, 29 October 2007 (UTC)
As for your original question, please go ahead and add that information. It is all relevant. This article is rated Start Class and has many gaps Wikipedia:Version 1.0 Editorial Team/Assessment--Derek Andrews 12:38, 23 October 2007 (UTC)
Most appropriate i think would be to add it to River Wey. I mentioned Wey South Path there, but don't know what other path you were refering too.--Derek Andrews 11:40, 29 October 2007 (UTC)
It would certainly help to have a schematic diagram in the Wey and Godalming Navigations article. It is not one that I'm familiar with but User:Bob1960evens produced a very good one for the River Don Navigation Template:River Don Navigation map. So something along the same lines for the Wey and Godalming Navigations would be a great start to improving it.Pyrotec 12:40, 23 October 2007 (UTC)
Map added. I can take a hint! Bob1960evens 10:42, 29 October 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Guidelines

I was thinking the other day that there should be a guideline article similar to Wikipedia:WikiProject UK geography/How to write about settlements but for writing about waterways, ie Wikipedia:WikiProject UK Waterways/How to write about waterways. Comments please. --Derek Andrews 12:25, 23 October 2007 (UTC)

See also Wikipedia_talk:WikiProject_UK_geography#New_or_Updated_Guidelines--Derek Andrews 13:18, 23 October 2007 (UTC)

I'd welcome such a guideline. Some of the existing articles seem to have some consistency to them, but that may be because people have simply copied what they've already seen. Formalising the format of articles might not only improve the readability, but prompt people to fill gaps in articles. Hmallett 09:17, 24 October 2007 (UTC)
I've plagiarised from the above link. Have a look at User:Hmallett/Sandbox. If it's OK, we can put them on the project pages. If not, feel free to edit the page. Hmallett 16:35, 5 November 2007 (UTC)
Good work. I have made a few changes and additions, most notably:
Article scope
Navigable rivers may end up having two articles describing the river. The one covered by this project would be the one describing the river as a navigation, and would be titled River xxxx Navigation, or similar based on the company name. A second article may be written about the natural river and might include content about the whole catchment area, tributaries, ecology etc.
Where navigations have changed ownership or merged, it may be appropriate in complex cases to have multiple articles describing the history of them. One article, using the current name, should describe the waterway as it stands today, and outline the history. Other articles may describe the history of the component parts using the historical names, but only up the point at which the name change occurs. A good candidate for changing under this guideline would be Ellesmere Canal.

[edit] Assesment importance class

While the guidelines for how to rate quality of articles in the assesment project is fairly compehensive, I feel there could be scope for ensuring that the importance rating could be made more consistent. Currently, I rate articles importance on how relevent I feel they are to UK Waterways overall. We could standardise this slightly though, by saying (for example): Active waterways - High importance; Abandoned waterways - mid importance; Active canal junctions - mid importance; Abandoned canal junctions - low importance; Canal engineers who worked on multiple canals - mid importance... And so on. While there could be flexibility, this could provide more consistency. Hmallett 12:55, 24 October 2007 (UTC)

Scary that we are both thinking the same thing! I've had a bash at a table which represents my gut feeling on importance. It shows where I am likely to rate any particular article on importance. Would value feedback on it. If we can get some consensus, we can move it to the project page as a project guideline Draft UKW importance scale. Thoughts? Mayalld 22:01, 27 October 2007 (UTC)
I'd change some of the classifications slightly (such as short, unconnected navigable canals I would put as higher than Low), but on the whole I'm of the opinion that it's worthwhile, and I'd vote for the adoption of Mayalld's template, then refine some of the importance classes slightly. Hmallett 11:24, 31 October 2007 (UTC)
I think the table shows a very contemporary view of the waterways - those currently open or being restored. There are many pioneering, strategic to the Industrial Revolution, or heavily used canals which might be considered of higher importance than the table currently shows. Perhaps historic importance should be mentioned? :) Oosoom Talk to me 12:00, 31 October 2007 (UTC)
Very true. I've been bold and moved the table into the project space. I will now tweak it to reflect this point, and would invite others to do likewise on Wikipedia:WikiProject UK Waterways/Assessment. Mayalld 12:04, 31 October 2007 (UTC)
The only problem now is that plenty of articles are ranked far too lowly for importance! Will rerank as time allows. Hmallett 14:57, 31 October 2007 (UTC)
Thanks! It does show that we have all been very conservative in ranking importance. Mayalld 16:29, 31 October 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Flatboat - UK or not?

The page Talk:Flatboat has been tagged for this project, but I'm not sure of the UK relevence. Can others take a look please? Thanks Hmallett 13:24, 24 October 2007 (UTC)

This has now been dealt with. Hmallett 09:49, 31 October 2007 (UTC)

[edit] This many be of interest

Wikipedia:WikiProject UK Waterways/Articles by size —Preceding unsigned comment added by Geni (talk • contribs) 18:28, 1 November 2007 (UTC)

How did the various possibly unrelated settlements get in there? Simply south 20:16, 1 November 2007 (UTC)
There were either on the Cat or page the list was pulled from.Geni 20:55, 1 November 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Inland waterway under restoration

I have just discovered the template {{Inland waterway under restoration}} which puts a banner-warning in an article and adds to an appropriate category. This may be useful in articles on disused canals where there is much work to be done. I have reservations about its use more generally in articles on established canals which may need some restoration. It is a warning about speculative or changeable information, and could spoil the overall confidence in an article if over-used. To be used sparingly? Oosoom Talk to me 19:53, 2 November 2007 (UTC)

I created that a few weeks ago when I discovered the Temporal Templates, and thought it would be a good idea, then had similar doubts myself. It can be applied to a section, so it may be more appropriate just to add it to the restoration section of an article as I did for Thames and Severn Canal. If you feel that the text could be rewritten to make it more appropriate, please give it a try.--Derek Andrews 23:50, 2 November 2007 (UTC)
The changes are normaly on the scale of years so I don't think it is needed.Geni 23:11, 2 November 2007 (UTC)
There may be circumstances where it is hard to find current information about the state of restoration (some obscure little project that isn't well documented online, such as some of the foreign canals), or where things happen very rapidly, as is planned for Droitwich. But I agree, in most UK cases it won't be needed.--Derek Andrews 23:50, 2 November 2007 (UTC)
I suspect we will have a number of wikipedains involved in the Droitwich work so keeping up should not be a problem. Certianly we have had pics taken on two different WRG camps uploaded this year by different people.Geni 04:03, 3 November 2007 (UTC)
Both photos on the Droitwich article are thirty years old:) It took six months for the news about the planning application to appear in the article. --Derek Andrews 18:05, 3 November 2007 (UTC)
Do you think that a similar template should be created, but instead on a future canal or some waterway or related structure? For example Grand Union Canal#New branch Simply south 21:17, 3 November 2007 (UTC)
No because I don't think we have a serious issues with keeping up to date.Geni 22:13, 3 November 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Case for Reassessment Needed

Is there a case for adding a re-assessment needed option to the Waterways Project banner? I now have five articles which were stubs, which I have expanded considerably, but have no idea how they get re-assessed. I guess the guys who do the re-assessing are often busy with other things, and I wondered if a reassess=yes option, like the mapneeded=yes option, would enable editors to call attention to the fact that they have made significant changes to an article, rather than just hoping that an assessor notices the changes. If the quality rating had not changed, the assessor could just change it back to reassess=no, and the editor would at least know that someone had considered it. Thanks. Bob1960evens 20:49, 11 November 2007 (UTC)

Bob, the mapneeded option, Unref option, etc, =yes adds a flag to the article talkpage and adds the talkpage to a directory of mapneeded or unref articles. It is probably quicker to add the articles that need reassessing to the WikiProject UK Waterways Open tasks section. I'm not aware of any projects that have a reassessment needed flag (but I could be wrong).Pyrotec 18:07, 15 November 2007 (UTC)
Thanks. I had not thought of that. Bob1960evens 19:46, 15 November 2007 (UTC)

[edit] New River

This is just a small query. Would the New River be covered by this project? I'm not sure on it being navigable but it is described as both a canal and waterway and is man-made. It supplies water as it's main purpose or at least used to 100 years ago. etc Simply south (talk) 00:06, 18 November 2007 (UTC)

It's a bit on the edge of the project scope, but runs the risk of falling between several. I don't see why we shouldn't include it. EdJogg (talk) 01:26, 18 November 2007 (UTC)
OK. I'll tag it. Simply south (talk) 01:33, 18 November 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Canals of Great Britain - map?

I wonder if its worth doing a map of the canal network on this page Canals_of_Great_Britain, in the same style as the map templates for individual canals. Obviously not with all features included! Parrot of Doom (talk) 23:26, 18 November 2007 (UTC)

Don't want to be criticised for being negative, but I can't see the existing map style being usable for this. Only one step on from one of the ELs on that page, I found this map (~2MB) which gives an indication of the scale of what you're proposing. A map, or maps, would be good though -- but might need to be regionalised sections.
EdJogg (talk) 00:47, 19 November 2007 (UTC)
It's hard to see how such a map could be produced without breaching copyright. There seem to be only four possibilities:
  1. Trace every Ordnance Survey map over 50 years old containing a canal (from 6 inch maps as one inch maps of that age do not show canals clearly)
  2. Walk or navigate every canal and former canal with a GPS track recorder thereby making a map from a survey
  3. Memorise and amalgamate several paper maps from different sources such that none could have been said to be individually copied (inaccurate).
  4. Purchasing a copyright licence to display such a map commercially in Wikipedia.
It seems a shame, but in the UK maps are not freely copyable. Oosoom Talk 08:42, 19 November 2007 (UTC)
Doesn't copyright expire on OS maps older than 50 years? Could be wrong about that, but I'm sure I've seen an image or two on Wiki with just such a legend in the licence. Parrot of Doom (talk) 01:47, 21 November 2007 (UTC)
they do but your problem would be finding a whole UK map that shows the canals then getting the thing through a scanner (they tend to be around a meter square in size things like Image:Stroudwater Navigationmap1933.jpg are created by scanning a very small area).Geni 02:39, 21 November 2007 (UTC)
Hmm, not a small task then. Oddly enough I did create a map overlay for the MBB canal, primarily for use in Google Earth. I took the imagery from old-maps.co.uk, it took me absolutely ages to do and I only did it to help trace the original route through the bits where it's buried! Parrot of Doom (talk) 22:52, 21 November 2007 (UTC)

Okey posible attack lines john cary's 1795 Inland navigation might be worth a try. Otherwise the Walker Nichols and Priestly canal map of Great Britain or george bradshaw canal maps both produced in about 1830. At 1/2 to the mile george bradshaw's stuff might be scanable. None of these would be easy to get hold of mind.Geni 12:13, 10 February 2008 (UTC)

Charles Copley published something in 1850 that looks hopeful but again hard to get hold of.Geni 20:50, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

[edit] James Abernethy

I have created this stub through my work with WP:CEng, Abernethy was the engineer on several canals in Scotland. Just bringing it to the attention of this project in case you want to tag it. Cheers - Dumelow (talk) 01:24, 25 November 2007 (UTC)

Thanks for the note and have now done so. Simply south (talk) 01:33, 25 November 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Two map templates on a page

I have hit a problem on the Grand Western Canal page. I wanted to include two map templates, one for the canal as built, and another to show the grand scheme of linking the Bristol Channel to the English Channel. The second template puts a main title into the article, which I don't want, and putting both templates at the top leaves a large space before the text starts. Any suggestions gratefully received. Bob1960evens (talk) 21:50, 26 November 2007 (UTC)

Hi Bob, This article Caledonian Railway Main Line has two (railway) templates in, it was produced by Stewart, it may help with a solution. It appears to put the secondary title in, but perhaps I'm wrong.Pyrotec (talk) 22:05, 26 November 2007 (UTC)
Thanks Pyrotec. The problem was in my second template, so I removed a line and it is sorted. Bob1960evens (talk) 22:33, 26 November 2007 (UTC)

[edit] How to write about...

Hello UK Waterways team,

I just wondered if anybody would be interested in developing a How to write about rivers (or WP:UKRIVERS) guideline? It would form part of WP:UKGEO's series of guidelines on writing about and standardising the rivers of the United Kingdom articles. We could look at a simillar WP:UKCANALS guideline too.

For an example of what I mean, you take a look at WP:UKCITIES - which have been employed very successfully for UKGEO. -- Jza84 · (talk) 22:03, 30 November 2007 (UTC)

Have a look further up the page at the Guidelines section. I modified the cities article for canals and navigable rivers a month ago. As there is obviously some more interest in this I'll be bold and add it to the project page. Hmallett 19:51, 1 December 2007 (UTC)
Sorry for the delay in getting back to you (I totally forgot). User:Hmallett/Sandbox looks like a good start yes. There are some tweaks needed (of course) and I would urge as much input as possible from this team, but it looks great to me. -- Jza84 · (talk) 01:18, 4 January 2008 (UTC)

[edit] New Map_needed=full category

I notice that there is discussion on the Sheffield and South Yorkshire Navigation page about the fact that route diagrams are not maps, and that ultimately they should be replaced with real maps. Is there any concensus for the replacement, because they seem to serve quite different functions? I think a lot of useful information would be lost if the diagrams were discarded. Bob1960evens (talk) 09:18, 9 December 2007 (UTC)

I or others can tweak the template to distinguish between maps and diagrams, if there is a consensus. Diagrams seem to be perfectly acceptable on railway articles; and that is where our template and diagram came from - but some railway articles have both. I would not like this perceived need for maps on one article to drive out diagrams which are far easier to use than a map; and generally take up less room as they are linear. For example see this: Kilmarnock and Troon Railway - its a diagram in map form and its got only four stations (I quite like it, so I'm not knocking it - its just another way of doing diagrams). If someone needs a real map, then it will need to be one that is out of copyright; and there is always Nicholsons, as an external reference.Pyrotec (talk) 11:02, 9 December 2007 (UTC)
The template was amended by User:Mayalld in September 2007, so that has already been put into effect.Pyrotec (talk) 13:24, 9 December 2007 (UTC)
IMO, templates are much better than maps in most circumstances, and can convey a lot more information. I was just concerned at the suggestion that the map should replace the diagram. The whole discussion seemed to hinge round whether adding a diagram fulfilled the request for a map. Bob1960evens (talk) 13:49, 9 December 2007 (UTC)
It turns out that the original map flag on that article was placed by User:Mayalld on 17 September 2007, from the discussions he appears to be happy with a diagram as he removed the flag on 24 September after the diagram had been added. The author who raised the current debate is not a member of this Wikiproject.Pyrotec (talk) 15:26, 9 December 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Hammerton's Ferry

Would any of you be able to take a look at Hammerton's Ferry, which I've just written? This is my first foray into maritime transport, and I'm not familiar with terminology etc, so I may have made stupid mistakes. Thanks in advance... — iridescent 00:37, 31 December 2007 (UTC)

I'd never heard of this ferry, nor do I know the location, so I can't vouch for its factual accuracy in any way. However, I have just (quickly) read the article and can see no terminology that is obviously out-of-place. (Indeed, I couldn't see anything to change, so either I read it too quickly, or your article writing is of a very high quality!)
EdJogg (talk) 13:22, 7 January 2008 (UTC)
Thanks! — iridescent 19:06, 7 January 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Tavistock Canal references

The Tavistock Canal article has been edited by an unknown user (IP address only), and a number of the statements are attributed to R Waterhouse, Morwellham Quay Archaeologist. I am not sure what to do with them. Are they made by him? Are they original research? Any suggestions gratefully received. Bob1960evens (talk) 22:31, 17 January 2008 (UTC)

I've had a look and it is a difficult question, it could be a good intentioned edit, or it could be spam. I'm tempted to do a copyedit rather than treat the R Waterhouse bit as spam. That IP user has only done one edit, so there is insufficient evidence to say that it is spam. I'll go through Current Archaeology and see what is in print: the article can be properly referenced (and changed if necessary).Pyrotec (talk) 23:41, 17 January 2008 (UTC)
I've cleaned it up and added some more references. Some of the changes made were correct, others appeared to be points of view unsupported by the in-line citations. I still don't like some of the web refs, some are almost spam, with no verification.Pyrotec (talk) 00:01, 19 January 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Medway Navigation

I have split the Navigation from the River Medway. There may be implications for links and project focus. Contributions welcome.ClemRutter (talk) 19:16, 7 February 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Winding (canal)

I've tried my hand at writing this one. I wonder if "winding hole" might not be a better title. As yet there are no references since what is written comes from personal observation, except for the speculation as to how horse-drawn boats turned. --Hymers2 (talk) 12:27, 31 January 2008 (UTC)

Good start. I've wikified by adding sections, and added the first reference (note that you don't have to repeat the article title as a section header. Mayalld (talk) 13:36, 31 January 2008 (UTC)
AH! problem! Winding hole already exists, and duplicates the content. The content of the two needs merging, and one making into a redirect. Mayalld (talk) 13:39, 31 January 2008 (UTC)

Fascinating to see how it turns out when dealt with by a "professional". I have looked through my fairly extensive canal book collection and can find only three references to winding, two of them in books long out of print. I'm not sure about your etymology; in my experience the wind is invariably a nuisance when turning - sod's law and all that.--Hymers2 (talk) 11:53, 1 February 2008 (UTC)

I would be interested to know what BWs reference is for the prevailing wind theory. It doesn't actually make sense; the prevailing wind in the UK is south-west so unless a winding hole was positioned in the right place it would be of little relevance. Since canals twist and turn across the landscape it is unlikely that more than a small proportion of winding holes can be placed to take advantage of the prevailing wind. In any case the provision of winding holes in the past was more commonly related to trip patterns for the boats; they were placed where boats needed them at unloading points, not some arbitrary theory related to wind.--Hymers2 (talk) 12:12, 1 February 2008 (UTC)

If you have any page specific references from those books, that could be turned into inline references for the article, let me know (Wikipedia much prefers inline references to "see also" items).
As to the etymology. Whilst one can argue the practicalities of it till the cows come home, it is an etymology that can be found in numerous sources. We could probably do with a source that discusses it more, so that we can expand it. Mayalld (talk) 13:09, 1 February 2008 (UTC)

The page references are 140-41 in Marsh, 44 in Yorke and 62-4 in Hankinson. All of these are concerned with the technique of using a WH, rather than any background. I will investigate the etymology - I suspect some BW PR man of making it up; or perhaps its a wind-up? (Sorry).--Hymers2 (talk) 13:39, 1 February 2008 (UTC)

Converted into inline references - the article is expanding nicely. Mayalld (talk) 13:54, 1 February 2008 (UTC)
Unfortunately, to be eligible for 'DidYouKnow', this article would need to be more than double its current length. A 5-fold expansion (counting characters, but not including references, syntax, etc) is required, so when starting from a 'large' stub such as this, quite a lot of information is needed. (Date-wise you can class it as 31st Jan, so time is just about on your side!)
As for BW positioning holes to suit the prevailing wind, why is this needed? Hire boats will invariably have an engine, so why do you need to use the wind? I have seen the professionals turning a 50-70ft trip boat by the lock in Guildford without touching the banks -- all done by deft application of the throttle (and the river current)! It didn't quite work like that when I tried it!
EdJogg (talk) 15:39, 1 February 2008 (UTC)

I think the argument is over the origin of the term and whether unpowered boats made use of the wind to turn, thus giving rise to the word. I am sure BW do not take account of the wind when creating new ones now. Of the three I mention in the Napton area, one was created to reduce the use of Braunston junction as a turning point, one to make it unnecessary to go up Napton locks to turn and the other may have been a restoration of an old one serving a wharf at that point by the Napton Bridge. Similarly, a new one was provided at the foot of Watford locks (Leicester arm)to stop boats wasting water by paassing through the bottom lock simply to turn.--Hymers2 (talk) 11:34, 6 February 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Portal?

We are getting to a point where we have a good many pages (over 500) in scope for the project.

Are we now at the point where we can spin off a portal to showcase waterways related stuff to the general (non-editor) reader?

If so, do we make it a UK specific portal (same scope as the project), or would a portal that takes in Inland Waterways worldwide be a better idea?

Thoughts.....

Mayalld (talk) 21:54, 7 February 2008 (UTC)

A portal is a window often found on the side of a ship. Simply south (talk) 21:59, 7 February 2008 (UTC)
He he he, couldn't resist! :) Anyway, is there a worldwide waterways project? Simply south (talk) 22:08, 7 February 2008 (UTC)
Probably be a good idea. How about UK one for now and worldwide later? Simply south (talk) 17:03, 13 February 2008 (UTC)
And i am currently constructing it. See Portal:UK Waterways. Please help me improve it. Simply south (talk) 20:23, 14 February 2008 (UTC)

[edit] River Medway

Article has greatly changed this week, could do with a reassessment. Mjroots (talk) 12:47, 8 February 2008 (UTC)

I've had a quick look through and it is still currently B class. Perhaps if more referencing was added to the article generally, this has the potential for GA. Simply south (talk) 19:03, 8 February 2008 (UTC)
I don't think Medway watermills should be tagged for this project. What do others think? Hmallett (talk) 12:08, 11 February 2008 (UTC)
I would say it depends on how much the mills objected to navigation of the river.Geni 20:38, 12 February 2008 (UTC)

[edit] UK Geo rivers guideline

Hi, A new guideline has recently been started at Wikipedia:WikiProject UK geography/How to write about rivers & I've pointed the primary author towards this project - as I thought experts on here might be able to help. My take is that the guideline on here should probably be used for canals by WP:UKGEO which is developing guidelines for settlements, counties etc, but that another one (or an adaption) might be needed for rivers. Discussion is probably best at: Wikipedia talk:WikiProject UK geography/How to write about rivers.— Rod talk 19:08, 18 February 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Liverpool Canal Link

I have created a page for this - Liverpool Canal Link - if anyone could have a look at my ham-fisted approach to writing and create a work of poetry from it, feel free :) Anyone know any free maps that could be used to illustrate the route? Parrot of Doom (talk) 22:32, 18 February 2008 (UTC)

You are being quite modest. I had a look at it, did some minor copy editing; and I've rated it UKW class=Start. Have you thought about a schematic such as those at: Category:Waterway routemap templates; or alternatively, using web links to one of the map/aerial photograph providers?23:18, 18 February 2008 (UTC)
Thanks for the input. I had considered a map as you suggested, I did the Bridgewater Canal map and the MBB canal map amongst others, but the trouble is that I don't yet know the exact route that the link will take. Maybe I'll do a bit of searching this week to find a blueprint or similar, and then I can create something.
Its all very impressive down there btw, I just wish that more canals could see that kind of investment! Parrot of Doom (talk) 00:45, 19 February 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Portal

Could i just request someone help me construct Portal:UK Waterways? Simply south (talk) 21:08, 6 April 2008 (UTC)

[edit] A Pylon

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huddersfield_Narrow_Canal#A_Pylon - I think this is incorrect, or at least the wording should be altered to 'on a navigable canal'. On the Manchester, Bolton and Bury Canal on an infilled section here - http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&ll=53.530832,-2.331922&spn=0.000599,0.001792&t=h&z=20 , there is at least 1 pylon that straddles the canal - perhaps 2 (a bit to the northwest). Do I get a prize for realising this? :) I would have taken a picture but theres a big fence blocking access to the towpath Parrot of Doom (talk) 21:26, 16 April 2008 (UTC)

I doubt it! :) If there is no water in it then it is no longer a canal. Can you provide any information relating to if the Pylons were constructed before or after the former canal was infilled? Richard Harvey (talk) 22:02, 16 April 2008 (UTC)
Almost certainly they would have been built after the canal was infilled, which I presume would have been around the date of construction of that section of the M62 (early 70s). The coping stones are all still there and in line, its just you can't walk up on the towpath because of a fence (protecting old sludge lagoons that were moved for the motorway). The canal there appears completely intact apart from being full of dirt rather than water :) I think a note should be made at least, how it should be worded I'm uncertain Parrot of Doom (talk) 15:09, 17 April 2008 (UTC)
I've reworded the HNC version to make it clear that;
  1. It is the only instance on a navigable canal
  2. There are other potential cases on derelict canals
  3. All result from pylons being installed after abandonment.
Mayalld (talk) 15:15, 17 April 2008 (UTC)

[edit] ye olde images

I wonder if people may be interested in this chap - http://www.geograph.org.uk/statistics/breakdown.php?by=takenyear&u=796 - who has amassed a huge number of ye olde pictures of various canals around the country. There are too many for me to sift through, but other contributors especially for the Rochdale Canal and Grand Union Canals, may be interested (there are many more besides, including rivers, bridges, boats, trains..). All the images are compatible with commons licences. Parrot of Doom (talk) 17:43, 30 April 2008 (UTC)


[edit] Wikipedia:Meetup/London 10

Happening this sunday.Geni 20:50, 6 June 2008 (UTC)