Roger Butler

Email

roger522@btinternet.com

Phone

01926 641301 or 07766 038934

Fees

£70.00 (negotiable for smaller groups) plus travel expenses

Equipment required

Digital projector if available, but can be provided if needed

Size of audience

Any

Availability

Day or evening

Subjects covered

• Canal History and Heritage - a colourful introduction to the wonderful world of our inland waterways with dramatic engineering, unusual architecture, interesting landscapes, historic boats and lots of unusual and quirky features. This is a popular talk which reveals the diverse and often little-known heritage associated with our 2000-mile canal network.
• A cruise through the West Midlands - 1971 - a fascinating and amusing lecture which takes in many of the canals in the Midlands, as well as the River Severn, at a time when many holiday boats chose not venture through Birmingham. The talk includes plenty of scenes which have now changed beyond recognition, including the waterways in the city centre.
• Canal holidays: 50 years ago - a dip into the archives to look at some of the first pioneering canal cruises, with atmospheric photography and pictures which now seem to have come from another age.
• A canal honeymoon in 1962 - an hilarious but historic account of a two-week honeymoon spent aboard a tiny wooden cruiser on the Midlands canals. Interesting and eye-catching photos show how the newly-weds journeyed through such romantic places as Stoke-on-Trent!
• Up the Macc - exploring the then little-visited Macclesfield and Peak Forest Canals in 1966. Again, accompanied by archive photos throughout.
• A week on St Kilda - exploring the dramatic history, landscape and wildlife of remote St Kilda, forty miles west of the Outer Hebrides. This is Britain's only 'double' World Heritage Site - awarded for both its natural and cultural heritage - and the talk tells the story of its people and their unique way of life before the remaining islanders left for the mainland in 1930.
• Treasure Islands: exploring the unknown Hebrides - a look at some of the smaller and more remote islands off the west coast of Scotland with stories of local history and heritage.

Additional information

The speaker is a specialist in canal history, a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and a Licentiate of the Royal Photographic Society.

He writes and provides photos for various magazines and publications.

All talks can be tailored to suit requirements.

Contact the speaker for a full schedule of talks - information sheets are available.

Page last updated

1 December 2023