Buckingham Arm Canal



	Interview 1: Male Born 1909 Hays had a fitting out shed and launching place for the boats they built at Stony Stratford. The locks are exactly as they are today, not altered a bit. It wasn't unusual to see a boy of about 7 or 8 years of age on a horse pulling the barge. The last cargo to Buckingham was in about 1927, and you could buy a piece of the canal. Click here for sound clip from interview Interview 2: Male Born 1918 I remember when we used to have some winters - the canal froze up that several times they had to have tugs from the Thames to try and break up the ice. It was a good nature place for various wild things, pink water lilies, irises, water bobbles, birds, moorhens, and coots. It was a regular walk for people from Wolverton or Stony Stratford. Click here for sound clip from interview Interview 3: Male Born 1920 A barge sank in the canal with a load of stone on it not far from Leckhamstead Wharf, it sank because the canal banks were falling away. The Duke of Buckingham paid for the I remember the closing down festival there were about 40/50 people and there was an old boy playing a fiddle, and another a concertina. Click here for sound clip from interview Interview 4: Male Born 1933 I remember the Italian Prisoners of War fishing with home made rods as the canal was full of fish. The canal was leaking and concrete was used to stop leakages on the banks. The biggest disaster was the infilling that took place along the whole length of Old Stratford, then Thornton and later Deanshanger. Click here for sound clip from interview