MEMORIAL TO CANAL ENTHUSIAST WILL ADD INTEREST FOR VISITORS
A memorial to a late canal enthusiast will also add the pleasure of those visiting the Lancaster Canal in the Crooklands area.

Ian McBean, died suddenly and unexpectedly in March 2001. A member of the Inland Waterways Association (IWA) since 1989, he was Vice-Chairman of the Association's North Lancs & Cumbria Branch from 1995- 1998, travelling regularly from his home near Penrith to Chorley for Committee meetings. He was a passionate supporter of the plans to restore and reopen the Lancaster Canal back to Kendal, and represented the Association on the Lancaster Canal Northern Reaches Restoration Group.

Ian's popularity and the respect for his commitment to the waterways has been shown by the value of donations received in his memory, which has enabled an interpretative panel to be constructed on the banks of the Lancaster Canal at Crooklands near Milnthorpe on what is known as Wakefield's Wharf. The wharf once served as a transhipment point for gunpowder manufactured in nearby Gatebeck, to be transported on the canal en route for markets throughout the world. Construction of the canal enabled the factory to flourish and it provided employment in the area, until more modern explosives forced the factory's closure last century.

When the IWA asked the Lancaster Canal Trust to assist in coming up with a suitable memorial to Ian, it was delighted to do so. A spokesman for the Trust said they were delighted and honoured to be involved in bringing the memorial to fruition as a lasting tribute to a person who gave so much to the waterways. The memorial consists of a plinth constructed of local stone atop which is mounted a panel describing the history of gunpowder manufacture in the area and of the tramway which used to bring the gunpowder down to the canal from Gatebeck. The LCT spokesman continued, saying that the casual visitor to the canal would have no idea that 100 years ago this was a thriving industrial area, yet to the knowledgeable, there are many reminders to be seen and he hoped the memorial would enhance the enjoyment of those visiting the canal and the area.

Left: The plaque is unveiled by the watered section
of the Northern Reaches at Crooklands.