Casthorpe Bridge Rally

The first rally on the canal for many years was held in 1989 to raise the profile for restoring Casthorpe bridge to full navigational standards. Here are a few pictures of the event.

The event attracted quite a crowd of boaters and onlookers

The need for a proper slipway was apparent. A local breakdown truck was needed to get the larger boats out!

The event was covered in the Grantham Journal

The text read: 

People, boats and dogs turned out in force on Sunday in a bid to lift Casthorpe Bridge. The rally, organised by the Grantham Canal Restoration Society, following the majority of the restrictions on the canal's restoration by British Waterways.

The society's publicity officer Roger Cook said of the rally "It's purpose was to convince the local authorities that restoration should be started by raising Casthorpe Bridge to a navigable height."

Among the gathering at the bridge near Denton were Arthur Palmer, deputy chairman of Nottinghamshire County Council and county councillor Mrs. Gladys Foster. The event also attracted TV and Radio coverage.

"The surrounding scenery gives the canal the potential of becoming a major tourist attraction" said Roger Cook. "It's reopening would give a major boost to the local economy in addition to providing local people with a first class amenity."

The present clearance height from the water surface to the bridge is between 2ft to 2ft 6 inches. The group would like to see the clearance height increase to 7ft - a project which would cost around £60,000. The lifting of restrictions would allow the society to work on projects such as restoring locks and construct landing stages.

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