Joan White, of Watford, telephoned in response to a question about working on the canal. She explained that her grandfather, Charles "Charlie" Green, worked on a Sedgewick's Brewery barge called John Barleycorn. She believes that he might have been carrying barley between London and Birmingham.

She explained that Charlie was brought up by his grandparents at Wendover, while his parents were working on the canals and she understands that it was customary for the children of bargees to be left in the care of the older generations.

In adult life, Charlie lived in Cassio Bridge Road, Watford, and would go home when the barge was docked for the night by the Half Way House pub at Cassio Bridge.

Charlie lived in Croxley Green after his retirement and died in 1936, when Joan was 15. She does not have any memory of him when he was working on the canal and never saw the John Barleycorn for herself.

Joan's mother, Mabel Green, was born at Stocker's Lock, Rickmansworth, and two of her great-uncles and aunts were lock keepers on the Grand Union Canal. One of these great uncles, Tom Durham, kept the Cassio Bridge Lock, the other great uncle, whose name she cannot recall, kept the lock at Kings Langley.

Joan, now 85, has lived in Watford all her life and recalls the market being lit by kerosene hurricane lamps when it was held in the High Street and taking her children to look at the animals at the cattle market, which was held behind Stone's Alley in Watford in the 1950's.

Do any other readers have memories of working on the canal?