Along The Canals

Hello, I’m Francesca (of said Francesca above), a writer, performer and theatre maker.

I am artist in residence at  The Canal & River Trust National Waterways Museum in Ellesmere Port funded by The Leverhulme Trust Artist In Residence Grant.  I’ve been delving into The Waterways Archive, embedding myself in the team at The Museum, spending time, talking,  and a lot of walking along the canals.

In September of this year I walked from Birmingham, where I live, 90 miles along the canals back to Ellesmere Port.  I charted the history of my journey through archive pictures, archive information, internet stories and heresy. I was tracing what had changed and what hadn’t, tracing the steps of The Wolverhampton Corrugated Iron Company Worker, some who are said to have walked from Wolverhampton along the canals to start a new life, here in Ellesmere Port.

 

This is the basis of Walking The Shroppie, a new performance that premiered on the 13th & 14th of February 2016 as part of a series of events marking the re-opening of the museum.

You can read a review by Chris Eldon Lee here

My time as Artist in Residence has finished for now, but I have a feeling I will be returning to The Museum and canals.

 

You’ll find more writing and information about this trip and my time at the museum here on this blog. The last update was from the end of my walk as I’d been busy making the show!  Any thoughts, stories or follow ups, please do contact me.