National Waterways Museum

19/08/2024

The Oaks Brewing Company are based out of Ellesmere Port, about as local as you can get to us! They will be represented at our August Bank Holiday beer festival (24-26 August) with the following beers;

Chester Gold - 3.5% ABV, Golden Ale, A golden session Ale using nearly all English ingredients. Generous amount of hops from Indo-European countries give a clean and mellow feel with honey and subtle lime notes.

Perception - 4.1% ABV, Pale Ale, An exceptionally light and smooth pale ale. Using Centennial hops giving notes of citrus and pine.

15/08/2024

Yarn Fest - 18 August 2024

Join us for a mini yarn themed festival led by our very own National Waterways Crochet Group!

🧶 Demonstrations of Braiding, Weaving, Crochet, Rag Rugging, Patch Work, Knotting and knitting, Macrame.

🧵 Visiting groups include Spinners and Weavers, Octopus’ Group, Knit and Natter with Jan, Leanne and Friends Crocheting and Knitting for Charity.

👨‍👩‍👧 Adults and children can have a go at doing weaving cards, cross stitch, tatting and braiding and stick weaving.

🙋‍♀️ Museum tours through the day

🕺 Live Morris Dancers

📚 Story Time for children

All included with standard museum entry!

14/08/2024

Introducing the next of our participant breweries for the August Bank Holiday Beer Festival (24 - 26 August).

The brewer has won several CAMRA awards and three beers were given Gold Silver and Bronze in the 2021 SIBA awards.

On offer will be;

Liverpool Stout – 4.7% ABV, Stout, Using a bespoke blend of ten malts and sugars for complexity and flavour and UK hops for earthy bitterness, we think we’ve created something quite special, yet solidly classic; a solid mouthfeel, hints of molasses and a roasty, bitter finish.

Bier Head – 4.1% ABV, Bitter, A classic North-Western best bitter with a leafy and layered hoppy foretaste, a complex spiceiness from the malt and then it finishes dry with crisp malt tones, some bitterness, and a hint of toffee.

24 Carat Gold - 4.1% ABV, Dry-hopped Pale Ale - A clean, dry pale ale with citrus tones, grapefruit hoppiness, and a smooth bitter finish. A classic modern session beer with a good bitterness and the herbaceous character of the American Chinook hop added both during the boil and after fermentation.

13/08/2024

🍻 August Bank Holiday Beer Festival (24-26 August) 🍻

Join us for a beer and a BBQ, which will be set up across our historic site. Our nostalgic pub the Toll House Bar will also be open all day.

Showcasing their produce will be local breweries;

Spitting Feathers Brewery
The Oaks Brewing Compny
Weetwood Ales
Mobberly Brewhouse Limited (MPH)
Norton Priory Brewing

🍺 Beer tasting tent, with a selection of drinks on tap from the participating breweries (included in museum admission)

🍔 Summer sizzling BBQ
❓Pub Quiz each day, hosted by ‘Billy the Quiz’
🎯 Darts & Beer Pong competition
🏹 Lawn games (archery, hook-a-duck, axe-throwing etc.)

13/08/2024

Over the next couple of weeks we are going to introduce you to some of the breweries that will be represented at our August Bank Holdiay Beer Fesitival (24-26 August)

Today is the turn of Norton Brewing. The brewery is based at and is a dedicated social inclusion workplace, each product is brewed and bottled by people with learning difficulties and their support staff.

Available at the event will be;

Priory Eclipse:

6.7% abv
Rich, Dark and Strong traditional bottle conditioned beer packed full of complex flavours.

Priory Citra:

5.1% Citra
Dry hopping with citra gives this hazy beer a full on bitterness and exceptional aroma.

12/08/2024

Yarn Fest - 18 August 2024

Join us for a mini yarn themed festival led by our very own National Waterways Crochet Group!

🧶 Demonstrations of Braiding, Weaving, Crochet, Rag Rugging, Patch Work, Knotting and knitting, Macrame.

🧵 Visiting groups include Spinners and Weavers, Octopus’ Group, Knit and Natter with Jan, Leanne and Friends Crocheting and Knitting for Charity.

👨‍👩‍👧 Adults and children can have a go at doing weaving cards, cross stitch, tatting and braiding and stick weaving.

🙋‍♀️ Museum tours through the day

🕺 Live Morris Dancers

📚 Story Time for children

All included with standard museum entry!

12/08/2024

Thanks to everyone who made our Horse Boating & Canal Town event a super success!

Special shout-outs to David Ray and family, the Leonberger Dogs and of course star of the show Flower 🐴

09/08/2024

Horse Boating and Canal Town - 11 August 2024

A unique opportunity to watch a LIVE horse boating display when Flower pulls Gifford, a historic narrowboat through a 200-year-old lock at our special Canal Town event.
Experience what it was like to live and work in the docks in bygone days when Ellesmere Port was a canal town.

🐴 Horse Boating 🐴

Harnessing Demonstration - 11am

11.30am & 1.30pm - Follow ‘Flower’ towing historic narrowboat GIFFORD along the canal

12.15pm & 2.15pm - Watch and hear how ‘Flower’ takes GIFFORD through the locks

All timings are approximate

📚 Story Telling 📚
11.40am & 1.40pm

🛟 Boat Trips 🛟
11am, 12pm, 1pm, 2pm & 3pm

Don’t miss

👷‍♀️Engine demonstrations all morning in our Power Hall

🧶Traditional crafts and children’s activities throughout the day!

07/08/2024

🐴 Canal Town & Horse Boating - 11 August 2024 🐴

A unique opportunity to watch a LIVE horse boating display when Flower pulls Gifford, an historic narrowboat through a 200-year-old lock at our special Canal Town event.

Experience what it was like to live and work in the docks in bygone days when Ellesmere Port was a canal town. Enjoy a walking tour of our stunning 7-acre site led by one of our costumed guides and don’t miss the fascinating engine demos taking place in our Power Hall throughout the day.

04/08/2024

Some of you may have spotted Gifford going up and down the locks today… our boat care volunteers have been preparing for our Horse Boating & Canal Town event next Sunday!

📸 Photo: Andrew Stockton

02/08/2024

Last month we proudly celebrated our Octogenarian Boating Ensemble (OBE) to mark the amazing contribution of nearly 20 volunteers, who are all over 80.

chief executive Richard Parry joined our celebration afternoon tea on Wednesday 24 July to thank the long serving volunteers, who represent about a quarter of the museum’s volunteer force.

The group make a vital contribution to the successful running of our museum and collectively have contributed over 50,000 hours’ service!

Like all volunteers, they bring an incredible range of skills, from IT and joinery to technology and engineering.

If you are interested in joining our team of volunteers you can check out opportunities on the website.

01/08/2024

Wonderful images again from our WWI Day last Sunday!

Don’t forget to check out our upcoming events this month;

⚔️ Viking Day - 4 August 2024
🐴 Horse Boating - 11 August 2024
🧶 Yarn Fest - 18 August 2024
🍺 Beer Festival - 24-26 August 2024

https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/things-to-do/museums-and-attractions/national-waterways-museum-ellesmere-port/events

31/07/2024

The Vikings are coming!
This Sunday - 4 August 2024

Come and see how your ancestors lived and immerse yourself in the Viking Age!

⚔️ Interactive Activities - throughout the day as costumed performers entertain visitors with Viking battles and displays.

🧶 Displays and Crafts - You can see how various aspects of Viking and Saxon daily life were performed.

🗡️ Live Combat - Display sessions will give you a feel of what it was like to be on the battlefield during clashes between warring factions.

Your Viking hosts for the day are Wirhalh Skip Felagr (The Wirral Vikings) and Chester’s Unknown Vikings Living History Society.

30/07/2024

Thanks to one of our followers who captured these wonderful photographs of historic narrowboat Mendip at Audlem this weekend and Lymm last month.

One of the last ‘Joshers’, Mendip was the boat belonging to Charlie Atkins, often known as ‘Chocolate Charlie’, that carried chocolate crumb to the Cadbury factories at Knighton and Bournville.

📸 Photos by

30/07/2024

⚔️Viking Day - Sunday 4 August ⚔️

Come and see how your ancestors lived and immerse yourself in the Viking Age!

Take part in interactive activities throughout the day as costumed performers entertain visitors with Viking battles and displays.

Enjoy a fascinating insight into how life was lived in the 10th Century. With displays of crafts from the period, you can see how various aspects of Viking and Saxon daily life were performed. Displays of live combat will give you a feel of what it was like to be on the battlefield during clashes between warring factions.

Your Viking hosts for the day are Wirhalh Skip Felagr (The Wirral Vikings) and Chester’s Unknown Vikings Living History Society.

29/07/2024

🍻 August Bank Holiday Beer Festival (24 - 26 August) 🍻

Join us for a beer and a BBQ, which will be set up across our historic site. Our nostalgic pub the Toll House Bar will also be open all day.

Showcasing their produce will be local breweries;

Spitting Feathers Brewery
The Oaks Brewing Compny
Weetwood Ales
Mobberly Brewhouse Limited (MPH)
Norton Priory Brewing

🍺 Beer tasting tent, with a selection of drinks on tap from the participating breweries (included in museum admission)

🍔 Summer sizzling BBQ
❓Pub Quiz each day, hosted by ‘Billy the Quiz’
🎯 Darts & Beer Pong competition
🏹 Lawn games (archery, hook-a-duck, axe-throwing etc.)

29/07/2024

26/07/2024

💥 Exciting WWI Event News! 💥

Some additional times to our programme of events for our WWI Living History Day this Sunday;

Cheshire Pals - No.9 Porters Row set up as ‘A Rest Station in France’

CH21 Home Guard – Various display elements and costumed reenactors

Richard Longstaff – WW1 Regimental Aid Post (large WW1 medical display)

Western Front Association and also Military & Family genealogy will have stalls for you to possible find a bit of info about your ancestors that served in the military between 1899-1945 (this includes an additional cost)

Armed Historian- ‘Musket to machine gun in 30 minutes’ - 12pm & 3pm
Weaponry display, talks, and demo.

Rob Moss - ‘Meet Tommy’ show & tell - 1pm & 3.30pm
An informative casual chat where he will have show & tell, talk, and take questions about what a ‘Tommy’ was, and what it was like to be one.

Lilli Moore vintage singer -various times throughout the day 11-4pm

26/07/2024

Looking for something to do this Sunday?

Visit the Cheshire Pals at their rest station in France (at Porters Row) and meet some soldiers enjoying a short break. Have a chat with 'Tommy'…

24/07/2024

💥 Living History WWI - 28 July 2024 💥

Visit the Cheshire Pals at Porters Row, preparing ‘Comforts for the Troops’ including knitted bandages and biscuits ... and watch them harvest herbs (nettles and mint) for medicines.

Have a chat with ‘Tommy’ who’ll be patrolling the site talking to visitors about his uniform, weapons, insignia, kit and the contents of his pockets, strictly no contraband!

12pm & 3pm – Musket to Machine Gun in 30 minutes – display and commentary from local re-enactor Steve Cawood covering the development of weapons and the history of fi****ms from 1740 to 1940.

23/07/2024

Who do you think had the waggiest tail this weekend? 🐶

Thank you to all of the stars of our show (and their humans) who came down on Sunday! Who was your favourite? Let us know in the comments 👇

A big thanks to and to our artists and vendors

21/07/2024

All set for the fete and dog show at National Waterways Museum

18/07/2024

💥 Living History WWI - 28 July 2024 💥

Visit the Cheshire Pals at Porters Row, preparing ‘Comforts for the Troops’ including knitted bandages and biscuits ... and watch them harvest herbs (nettles and mint) for medicines.

Have a chat with ‘Tommy’ who’ll be patrolling the site talking to visitors about his uniform, weapons, insignia, kit and the contents of his pockets, strictly no contraband!

12pm & 3pm – Musket to Machine Gun in 30 minutes – display and commentary from local re-enactor Steve Cawood covering the development of weapons and the history of fi****ms from 1740 to 1940.

16/07/2024

🐶 Village Fete & Dog Show - 21 July 2024 🐶

Enjoy some old-fashioned fun at our Village Fete with traditional skill games including Hook-a-Duck, Hoopla and Coconut Shy.

Don’t miss a classic experience in our Vintage Arcade using real old pennies to work coin-operated novelties dating from the 1920s. Family friendly activities will be taking place throughout the day.

Bring your furry friend along to enter our Dog Show (12pm - 2pm) supported by Dog Friendly Destinations. There’s no entry fee for your dog...it’s just a bit of fun to find out who has the waggiest tail, who can do the best trick or looks most like their owner. Prizes will be awarded and all entrants will receive a small treat!

As our furry friends take centre stage for this event, it’s no surprise this is a dog-friendly event so please feel free to bring them along!

15/07/2024

🐴 Canal Town & Horse Boating - 11 August 2024 🐴

A unique opportunity to watch a LIVE horse boating display when Flower pulls Gifford, an historic narrowboat through a 200-year-old lock at our special Canal Town event.

Experience what it was like to live and work in the docks in bygone days when Ellesmere Port was a canal town. Enjoy a walking tour of our stunning 7-acre site led by one of our costumed guides and don’t miss the fascinating engine demos taking place in our Power Hall throughout the day.

15/07/2024

☀️ Summer Opening Times ☀️

Great news! We are now open 7-Days a Week throughout the summer season 😎

We can’t wait to see you, so come on down Monday to Sunday (10am -4pm) and enjoy the sun!

11/07/2024

Home Front at Play - 14 July 2024

We’re thrilled to be welcoming ‘V for Victory’ to the museum this summer; the award-winning living history group recreating day to day life from 1939 to 1945.

So, dust off your dancing shoes ready for a one-hour Lindy hop lesson followed by the chance to try out your new moves in an hour of ‘dance-time’ to original tunes.

Hattie Bee - vintage singer will perform two sets of original songs while reenactors bring to life the museum’s Porters Row period cottages.

Vintage vehicles on display across the site will complete what promises to be a wonderfully immersive day.

This event is dog-friendly so please feel free to bring your furry friends along!