LIONHEARTS CRUISING CLUB
A Potted History
In 1968 a group of dedicated boating enthusiasts met at the Red Lion pub in Fenny Stratford, Milton Keynes, with the intention of forming a boat club.
They decided to call their club LIONHEARTS CRUISING CLUB in recognition of the venue which appropriately is sited right next to Fenny Lock on the Grand Union Canal.
The Club has not always been at our present moorings, our first moorings were at what is now Milton Keynes Marina at Peartree Bridge. With the construction of the new marina we had to find a new site and in 1973/4 we were lucky enough to acquire our current moorings at Great Linford.
The arable farm land sloped down to the canal making mooring and access to the boats quite difficult. A while later British Waterways provided pilings and walk-ways which then allowed mooring to be 'end-on' and increased the number of boats we can accommodate. The walk-ways greatly improved ease of access to the boats and also
improved safety.
Due to the width of the canal British Waterways (now Canal & River Trust) presently requires a boat-length limit of 38 feet.
Lionhearts Cruising Club is a self-help club and improvements to our site have in the main been undertaken by the members themselves. Listed below are just a few of the enhancements our members have made;
Mid 1980s Brick-built toilet block constructed containing ladies and gents toilets and a sluice room to enable boat toilets to be emptied.
1992 An ex-British Telecom tractor with winch was purchased in anticipation of the construction of a slip-way to enable steel boats to be pulled out for maintenance.
1993 The slip-way was constructed and a trailer manufactured.
1994 A wooden shed used for storage was replaced with a Terrapin style building to double as storage and a meeting room.
2002 A paint-dock with shelter was constructed at the bottom of the slip-way to enable work on boats to be carried out in any weather.
2002 Replacement of the original walk-ways to further improve access to boats commenced.
The project finished in 2004
2007 An additional trailer was purchased to enable GRP boats to be removed from the canal for maintenance.
2010 The original un-galvanised piling provided by British Waterways some 35 years previously had reached the end of its life and was replaced by galvanised piling with an expected life of some 60 years. This was by far the most expensive and major project undertaken by the club so far.
In the years since we have been at Great Linford we have seen the city grow around us. What started as a site at the edge of a village is now at the heart of an urban community. With this in mind we have for many years held events such as a 'Friends and Family Day', hosted the Mikron Travelling Theatre and a 'Macmillan Coffee Morning' to enable our neighbours to visit our club and enjoy the canal environment. In this way we aim to be a good neighbour, support our local community and promote the canal as an asset to the community".
A Potted History
In 1968 a group of dedicated boating enthusiasts met at the Red Lion pub in Fenny Stratford, Milton Keynes, with the intention of forming a boat club.
They decided to call their club LIONHEARTS CRUISING CLUB in recognition of the venue which appropriately is sited right next to Fenny Lock on the Grand Union Canal.
The Club has not always been at our present moorings, our first moorings were at what is now Milton Keynes Marina at Peartree Bridge. With the construction of the new marina we had to find a new site and in 1973/4 we were lucky enough to acquire our current moorings at Great Linford.
The arable farm land sloped down to the canal making mooring and access to the boats quite difficult. A while later British Waterways provided pilings and walk-ways which then allowed mooring to be 'end-on' and increased the number of boats we can accommodate. The walk-ways greatly improved ease of access to the boats and also
improved safety.
Due to the width of the canal British Waterways (now Canal & River Trust) presently requires a boat-length limit of 38 feet.
Lionhearts Cruising Club is a self-help club and improvements to our site have in the main been undertaken by the members themselves. Listed below are just a few of the enhancements our members have made;
Mid 1980s Brick-built toilet block constructed containing ladies and gents toilets and a sluice room to enable boat toilets to be emptied.
1992 An ex-British Telecom tractor with winch was purchased in anticipation of the construction of a slip-way to enable steel boats to be pulled out for maintenance.
1993 The slip-way was constructed and a trailer manufactured.
1994 A wooden shed used for storage was replaced with a Terrapin style building to double as storage and a meeting room.
2002 A paint-dock with shelter was constructed at the bottom of the slip-way to enable work on boats to be carried out in any weather.
2002 Replacement of the original walk-ways to further improve access to boats commenced.
The project finished in 2004
2007 An additional trailer was purchased to enable GRP boats to be removed from the canal for maintenance.
2010 The original un-galvanised piling provided by British Waterways some 35 years previously had reached the end of its life and was replaced by galvanised piling with an expected life of some 60 years. This was by far the most expensive and major project undertaken by the club so far.
In the years since we have been at Great Linford we have seen the city grow around us. What started as a site at the edge of a village is now at the heart of an urban community. With this in mind we have for many years held events such as a 'Friends and Family Day', hosted the Mikron Travelling Theatre and a 'Macmillan Coffee Morning' to enable our neighbours to visit our club and enjoy the canal environment. In this way we aim to be a good neighbour, support our local community and promote the canal as an asset to the community".