Profiles: Company Profiles

Lady Lane Wharf

A Modern Marina

Tony Jones meets Ian Caswell from Lady Lane Wharf on the north Stratford Canal to find out what makes this newly refurbished marina so special

Located at the summit of what is essentially a 50-mile lock pound on the north Stratford Canal near Solihull, Lady Lane Wharf has come a long way in the last five years. Having undergone a major refurbishment at the hands of its parent company Waterpride Estates Ltd, this attractive and unique corner of the network has been described as a ‘boutique’ marina.

A boutique marina

You’d have to visit the site to appreciate exactly what a boutique marina might look like, but the description is perfectly appropriate, as I found out during my visit. The developers seem to have achieved a perfect balance between a modern, well-equipped marina and a quirky and characterful rural on-line mooring. The marina occupies 500m of the main line north Stratford Canal, as well as 500m of a feeder arm which leads to the man-made Earlswood Lakes – a full 1km of mooring space.

“It was originally a coal wharf before being repurposed as a cruising club sometime after World War II,” explains Ian Caswell, the marina’s effervescently friendly live-in manager. “And that’s how it stayed until five years ago when the refurbishment work began. The only features that remain from that time are a bungalow, which is rented out to tenants, and the canal itself. Everything else is new.”

Carbon-neutral credentials

Lady-Lane-Wharf-(2).jpg — The modern facilities building.

Today you’ll find all of the facilities you’d expect from a modern, well-equipped marina, such as diesel, pump-out and Elsan facilities, as well as gas, water and winter fuels. But there’s a lot more going on quietly behind the scenes too, with Lady Lane Wharf being the UK’s only carbon-neutral marina.

Water for the site is sourced from the marina’s very own borehole and undergoes a three-stage purification process before it reaches the tap. Then there’s the water treatment plant which processes all of the site’s grey water and sewage before returning the treated water into the canal. It’s details such as this that make Lady Lane Wharf such a unique and attractive place.

The renovations were carried out by civil engineering company Greenford Ltd, which claims a sustainable approach to construction and whose previous projects include the regeneration of the Maidenhead Waterways. It also completed the installation of an Archimedes hydro screw at Sonning Weir on the River Thames in 2017, which produces enough energy to offset Waterpride Estates’ annual energy use.

Onto a good thing

If Lady Lane Wharf is anything to go by, Waterpride Estates Ltd has identified a great business model, taking on old, tired mooring locations and rejuvenating them to create modern marinas with character. And it seems to be working too. “We’re always pretty busy,” explains Ian. “The marina berths have been full for a while and we get lots of trade from passing boats needing fuel, gas and pump-outs etc.”

There are even five pitches for motorhomes on site, available for members of the Caravan & Motorhome Club, complete with water and electric hook-ups. It’s another quirky trait of the site which adds to its character and appeal.