Essendee Narrow Boat: Black Jacks Ghost

We leave our mooring after a night without television,try as I might I just couldn't get a decent enough signal, we then go through Stokers lock with its 16C farm buildings nearby. The canal borders a few lakes which were originally gravel pits and now are nature reserves, and its not long before we approach Copper Mill Lock which is an interesting canal settlement, once a paper mill, but turned tomaking copper sheets for the bottoms of boats, a little way on is Troy cut now unnavigable but once led to Troy mill. We pass a club of children in their canoes and kayak navigating a course that caused from the flow water by the lock.

We now approach Black Jacks Lock which occupies a chocolate box setting beside the old corn mill, now an Italian restaurant.Black Jack dates from the early days and was a coloured chap that was employed by a local land owner to harass boatmen passing through at night, wether thrown at him or stolen it is not clear he collected a vast number of wind lasses, before being murdered by an irate victim.The haul was discovered in the hollow of a nearby tree, but Jack, now with a genuine grudge still haunts the lock.

Whilst we were at the lock, there was a group of people walking around naked in the grounds,which is quite odd, we were then informed by another boat owner that a party had been going all night, with a lot of noise, not sure if would of been a good place to moor, with lots of naked women wandering around oh and the noise.

We were going to moor at the pub. But it unfortunately it has fallen victim to the present economic climate and has been closed, so we moor opposite Harefeild Marina which occupies a lagoon that once was gravel pit, here in 1958, 24 working boats were deliberately sunk, oblivious to the enthusiasts and collectors keen to save them.