Gongoozler
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Gongoozlers are people who enjoy watching activity on the canals in the United Kingdom. The term is also often used in a more general way to describe those who have an interest in canals and the canal life, but do not actively participate.
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[edit] Etymology
"Gongoozler" may have been canal workers’ slang for an observer standing apparently idle on the towpath. Although it was certainly used derisively in the past there is only very mild derision attached to the term today, and it is regularly used, perhaps with a little irony, by gongoozlers to describe themselves and their hobby.
The word may have arisen from words in Lincolnshire dialect: gawn and gooze, both meaning to stare or gape. Although it might be presumed that such an expression would date from the nineteenth century, when canals were at their peak, the word is only recorded from the end of that century or the early twentieth. It was given wider use by the late L T C Rolt, who used it in his book about canal life, Narrow Boat, in 1944.
[edit] Activities
Gongoozling, much like train spotters, is a hobby that extends to all aspects of canals.
[edit] Canal artwork
The collection or creation of canal related artwork is a common pastime amongst Gongoozlers. This includes paintings, postcards and photographs.
[edit] Canal locks
Canal locks often attract spectators, including Gongoozlers, because the operation of manual canal locks is a complex affair, with a number of opportunities for mistakes to be made. Some observers have been known to heckle or harass the boat crews, whilst others carry "lock keys" and actively wish to help boat crews with their passage.
[edit] Canal history and technology
Whilst trainspotting is commonly associated with identifying engine makes, it is rare for Gongoozlers to do likewise. However the history of a section of canal, the operation of locks and more unusual devices such as an inclined plane or the Anderton Boat Lift, Falkirk Wheel can be of interest.
[edit] Notable locations
Fradley Junction is a popular place to observe canal traffic, as are many other junctions, due to the occasional need for three boats to pass.
Staircase locks, which can hold many boats at once, are very popular amongst gongoozlers, making Foxton Locks an ideal location for Gongoozling.
Some locations have became known for their Gongoozlers thanks to local events that encourage an increased number of observers. Princess Street lock on the Rochdale Canal in Manchester city centre is normally quite quiet, however it becomes a popular attraction during the Manchester Mardi Gras (actually held in late august).
The Falkirk Wheel is a popular attraction for tourists and Gongoozlers alike, although this is more for the feat of engineering than the canal itself.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- World Wide Words
- www.gongoozler.org - the online presence of the Canal Card Collectors Circle
- Rolt, L.T.C (1944). Narrow Boat. Sutton Publishing (1994 edition). ISBN 0-7509-0806-8.