Update from Foxton Canal Museum
Foxton Canal Museum was closed to the public all winter for financial reasons and staffing issues. We were very sad to lose our manager Penny and in order to survive, we focused on workshops for school groups and opening for event weekends during this time. Since June we have reopened at weekends and are working to improve our position to ensure that we can offer a service to our local communities.
Digital Heritage Proposal
Behind the scenes, Foxton Inclined Plane Trust has been working with Professor Tracy Harwood and De Montfort University on a major digital heritage proposal, focused on Foxton Locks and the Inclined Plane. The aim was to explore how digital reconstruction, virtual modelling and educational resources could help visitors understand the Inclined Plane more clearly. This remains important because the site is nationally significant, but much of the original engineering is no longer visible above ground.
The first funding bid was not successful. This was disappointing, but it does not mean the idea has failed. Major research bids are highly competitive. It is common for strong projects to need further development before finding the right funding route. The bid process has helped clarify the stronger case for Foxton. The project should not be presented simply as a local digital attraction, but as part of a wider heritage question. “How can digital interpretation help people understand important engineering sites where the original structure is incomplete, damaged or difficult to read?”
Foxton is a strong example of this problem. Enough survives to show the importance of the Inclined Plane. However, not enough is visible for many visitors to understand how it worked or why it mattered. The likely next step is to broaden the proposal. This may involve working with other waterways or industrial heritage sites facing similar interpretation challenges. A wider partnership could make a future bid stronger and show that Foxton is part of a national and international heritage issue.
Ambition
For the Foxton Inclined Plane Trust, the ambition remains the same. To make the Inclined Plane more visible, understandable and engaging for visitors, schools and the wider public. Volunteers and supporters are not being asked for money or major commitments at this stage. However, some may be asked later to help with contacts, letters of support, local knowledge or community engagement. The first bid has not succeeded, but the project remains alive. The idea is now being strengthened and broadened, with Foxton still at its heart.
Mary Matts
Canal Cuttings
