Lionel Thomas Caswell Rolt - Chester, UK
Posted by: 
dtrebilc
N 53° 11.683 W 002° 53.975
30U E 506708 N 5893935
This plaque is mounted at the site of a renovated former busy canal wharf and is dedicated to Lionel Thomas Caswell Rolt who campaigned to save thr canal network as commercial use declined.
Waymark Code: WMWFH7
Location: North West England, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 08/28/2017
Views: 1
This wharf is on what is now the Shropshire Union Canal, but was originally at the junction of the Chester Canal, the Ellsemere Canal and a short arm that descended to the River Dee.
There are no commercial boats using the wharf anymore but there is fully working boatyard that builds and repairs leisure canal boats.
The plaque is attached to the side of a roving bridge that carries the canal towpath from one side of the other and was designed to allow horses that towed the canal boats to use the bridge without having to unhitch from the boat.
This side of the canal has been redeveloped and contains offices and apartments.
The plaque tells us the story of why it was erected to commemorate L. T. C. Rolt.
L T C ROLT
LIONEL THOMAS CASWELL ROLT, ENGINEER AND WRITER,
WAS BORN AT CHESTER OH 11 FEBRUARY 1910 AND DIED AT
STANLEY PONTLARGE, GLOUCESTERSHIRE ON 8 MAY 1974
TOM ROLT'S LOVE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE CANALS
AND OF LIFE ON THE INLAND WATERWAYS
DREW HIM FROM AN ENGINEERING CAREER TO LIVE AND
TRAVEL THE WATERWAYS IN HIS NARROW BOAT 'CRESSY
THE ACCOUNT IN HIS CELEBRATED BOOK 'NARROW BOAT'
OF HIS PRE-WAR FOUR HUNDRED MILE JOURNEY LED DIRECTLY TO
THE FORMATION OF THE INLAND WATERWAYS ASSOCIATION IN 1946
THE SUCCESS OF THE I W A IN HALTING THE DERELICTION
OF THE CANAL SYSTEM AND ENSURING ITS SURVIVAL
OWES IMMEASURABLY TO ROLT's VISION
HIS ENERGY AND THE INFLUENCE OF HIS WRITINGS
EXTENDING INTO THE WIDE AND VARIED SPHERE
OF WHAT BECAME INDUSTRIAL ARCHAEOLOGY
CONTINUE TO ENRICH THE LIVES OF MANY
TO COMMEMORATE HIS ACHIEVEMENTS
AND CELEBRATE THE FOUNDING OF THE ASSOCIATION
THE CHESTER AND DISTRICT BRANCH OF THE I W A
PLACED THIS PLAGUE HERE