Replacement lock gates, Wellington Road Bridge.

Spackler · Post by **Spackler** » Sat 03 Dec, 2011 3:59 pm

Leodian wrote: Cheers Spackler. Goldfishes in canals must be hardier than those I used to win at feasts when I was a kid as the poor things (the goldfish!) usually died in no time! Seeing the Kingfisher must have been a great surprise sighting and is, as you say, a good sign. Its probably some of those that have ended up in there on the way home!Yes it was a surprise when I saw it but as you say a really good sign. You certainly wouldnt have got one only a few years back. If you are walking away from the station (whitehall road side) it was in the trees on the far side (near the rail line). Those trees overhanging the river are ideal for a kingfisher.

jonleeds · Post by **jonleeds** » Sat 03 Dec, 2011 10:04 pm

Arent goldfish actually some breed of carp? Yes I have seen kingfishers around the canal up past Armley Mills museum. Actually I can remember a few years ago on a summers day walking into Leeds down the canal and all the way along it was almost like looking into an aquarium as the water was so still and clear, saw thousands of fish and then right in the granary wharf docks I saw a huge pike lurking in the weeds. Pretty impressive for an inner city waterway. Has anyone seen that sign somewhere up the canal? I think its a warning for other boaters to beware - its printed back to front so that you can read its reflection the right way around in the water? Something about a sunken icebreaker? I guess that must have been some old kind of boat they used to clear the canal of ice in winter so it was still passable?

Post by **mhoulden** » Sat 03 Dec, 2011 11:04 pm

There's a page about the wooden icebreaker sign at http://www.rogerpalmer.info/installpgs/botanybay.htm which says it's a piece of artwork that was created by Roger Palmer in 2007. There were a couple of illuminated signs with the same text at Leeds art gallery as well.

Spackler · Post by **Spackler** » Sun 04 Dec, 2011 3:35 pm

jonleeds wrote: Arent goldfish actually some breed of carp? Yes I have seen kingfishers around the canal up past Armley Mills museum. Actually I can remember a few years ago on a summers day walking into Leeds down the canal and all the way along it was almost like looking into an aquarium as the water was so still and clear, saw thousands of fish and then right in the granary wharf docks I saw a huge pike lurking in the weeds. Pretty impressive for an inner city waterway. Has anyone seen that sign somewhere up the canal? I think its a warning for other boaters to beware - its printed back to front so that you can read its reflection the right way around in the water? Something about a sunken icebreaker? I guess that must have been some old kind of boat they used to clear the canal of ice in winter so it was still passable? Yes they are a breed of carp that the Chinese domesticated. I'd seen that sign before and wondered what that was all about.

BJF · Post by **BJF** » Sun 04 Dec, 2011 6:21 pm

The ice breaker was kept underwater, when not in use, to prevent the wood rotting.

Si · Post by Si » Mon 05 Dec, 2011 6:31 pm

Leodian wrote: jonleeds wrote: Did you ask if they found anything interesting in the bottom of the lock - shooters / bodies etc? I did ask and was told there was not that much rubbish in it. There certainly did not seem to be as much as I had expected when I first saw the drained area on November 25. This could be a Leeds urban-myth, but apparently, many years ago when the canal was drained above Oddy's Lock, many thousands of empty brass bullet cartridges were found in the mud next to what was Greenwood and Batley's. They manufactured munitions during the war, and so I presume some of the cartridges which didn't come up to standard were simply tossed out of the window.

jonleeds · Post by **jonleeds** » Thu 08 Dec, 2011 3:57 am

Yes thats intriguing about that icebreaker sign being part of an artists installation. I actually thought it was just something that British Waterways had erected as a warning and it was using the same logic as the Ambulance service use when they write 'Ambulance' backwards so that you can read the words forwards when seen in your cars rear view mirrors.Also has anyone seen the arty cast iron plaque set about 10' high under the Leeds Outer Ring Road bridge that crosses the canal at Rodley. I saw it last year for the first time and I remember finding a website about that, but I've forgotten what it was about.