Thrupp Lift Bridge
Steve Miles
Spring 1998
They rebuilt Thrupp Bridge a year or so back. Just as well, too - 'fore they did, it could be a real b----r to raise. Specially in the rain; you see, it was a steel bridge, but it had a wooden deck. While it was dry, it was okay, but when it rained, the deck soaked up a lot of water, and the extra weight made it so out of balance that it took you 'n me 'n Ma Boswell to lift it.
I remember once, goin' down to the River with a pair, loaded with coal for the lock-keepers; we'd 'ad a bad trip all the way. It was before they dredged out the Oxford cut, and we were already a day behind, we'd spent that much time with the motor stuck on the mud. Anyway, we got to Thrupp.
Comin' to the bridge from Banbury way, there's a right-angle turn just before it - it's a wide turn, but you can't see the bridge 'til the boats come round, and on the offside is the Company's maintenance yard. A hundred yards or so before the turn, there's this narrow place - I was riding as mate on the motor, and stepped off in the narrows to go and open the bridge.
I ran on - when I got to the bridge, could I lift it? Could I 'ell! It 'ad been drizzling all day, and the deck must 'ave soaked up a ton of water! Next thing happens, the motor comes clatterin' round the turn, expecting to see the bridge open, only to find it shut. Captain slams the clutch into reverse, boat crosses the cut and hits the copings on the outside a mighty wallop. Now the butty's following on a long line - comes into the turn, sees the motor up the bank - nowhere to go except alongside the motor, straight into the copings, bang!
Needless to say, by now the towline's tangled up in the motor's blades. Me mate runs down the top-planks and jumps from the butty's fore-end, comes to help me get the b----y bridge up. We finally got it open, and sat down, one on each of the balance-beams, to keep it there.
Then we looked back to see what was happening to the boats, to be met with an amazing sight. Our captain was a big-built feller, tall and burly; there 'e was, in 'is bib 'n braces, brandishing the cabin-shaft over 'is 'ead, facing the yard and calling down all kinds of damnation on the 'eads of British Waterways while doing what looked like a pretty good imitation of a red-indian war-dance!
what a sight! Once 'e'd calmed down, and me mate 'n me had stopped laughing, we got the boats sorted out and through the bridge in the end. No, I shan't forget Thrupp lift bridge in a hurry!
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