The Bravest Cow in t'Whole of Lancashire by Buz Collins Recorded by Buz Collins I was sitting in my local pub, the 'Hole in the Wall' Near the Foulridge Tunnel on the Leeds and Liverpool Canal I was supping on my pint I had a tale or two to tell When looking out the window I spy Harry Now Harry he is breathless as he comes in through the door And he's straight up to the bar and downing half a pint or more When we say to him 'Harry, what's all this commotion for?' Well he comes up with quite a story 'There's a cow in the tunnel', that's what Harry says to me 'A cow in the tunnel if you'll only come and see She fell in half an hour ago up at Barrowford end And I swear I could still hear mooing as I came round the bend' Well, we all have a right good laugh and I buy him a drink But Harry he stands up again without stopping to think He says 'Now, cows in general, do they float or do they sink? I'd better go and see how she is doing' Jack says he's gone mad, I say he's one over the eight But Harry's out the door again and not going to wait He's back in just a minute and he's standing at the gate And he says, 'Won't you come and hear the mooing?' 'There's a cow in the tunnel', that's what Harry says to me 'A cow in the tunnel if you'll only come and see She's swum half way already and she's heading for the end She'll be through in twenty minutes and on that you can depend' We tease him for a while about the cow he thinks he heard But Harry he is adamant and doesn't hear a word He's back to the canal again his spirit undeterred And we're left with our heads a-shaking It's about ten minutes before Harry comes back in He sits down upon his bar stool and he gives us all a grin We say 'Harry, don't you start in on that silly stuff again We all know that you was faking' 'There's a cow in the tunnel', that's what Harry says to me 'A cow in the tunnel if you'll only come and see Well me and tunnel keeper just helped pull her out the cut And she's standing there, exhausted outside tunnel keeper's hut Says Landlord, 'Maybe she needs a reviving pint of beer' And Harry says 'If that's the case then I shall bring her here Prepare to meet the bravest cow in t'whole of Lancashire' And ignores the faces disbelieving There was silence in the pub then as the cow came through the door Head to hoof in weed and mud and dripping on the floor She liked the first two pints so much she had another four And in another minute she was sleeping 'There's a cow in the tunnel', that's what Harry says to me 'A cow in the tunnel if you'll only come and see' So raise your glasses high and let us all be of good cheer And here is to the bravest cow in t'whole of Lancashire Buttercup, the bravest cow in t'whole of Lancashire The Foulridge Tunnel, which is 1,640 yards (1,500 m) long, can be found on the trans Pennine Leeds-Liverpool Canal. Completed in 1790 it was a major construction achievement, but is today best known for the story of a cow who once swam the whole length of the tunnel. It happened in 1912 when a cow named Buttercup fell into the canal by the southern portal. Rather than wade out, she chose to swim the whole length to the northern end, where she was revived with brandy by drinkers in the nearby Hole in the Wall pub. Recorded on :
Buttercup pictured in September 1912
If the thought of a cow swimming nearly a mile through the tunnel seems a little far fetched then the slightly strange article from the Burnley Times, 27 Sep 1913 (above), may suggest that there was more than a little wading involved.
The Bravest Cow in t'Whole of Lancashire by Buz Collins Recorded by Buz Collins I was sitting in my local pub, the 'Hole in the Wall' Near the Foulridge Tunnel on the Leeds and Liverpool Canal I was supping on my pint I had a tale or two to tell When looking out the window I spy Harry Now Harry he is breathless as he comes in through the door And he's straight up to the bar and downing half a pint or more When we say to him 'Harry, what's all this commotion for?' Well he comes up with quite a story 'There's a cow in the tunnel', that's what Harry says to me 'A cow in the tunnel if you'll only come and see She fell in half an hour ago up at Barrowford end And I swear I could still hear mooing as I came round the bend' Well, we all have a right good laugh and I buy him a drink But Harry he stands up again without stopping to think He says 'Now, cows in general, do they float or do they sink? I'd better go and see how she is doing' Jack says he's gone mad, I say he's one over the eight But Harry's out the door again and not going to wait He's back in just a minute and he's standing at the gate And he says, 'Won't you come and hear the mooing?' 'There's a cow in the tunnel', that's what Harry says to me 'A cow in the tunnel if you'll only come and see She's swum half way already and she's heading for the end She'll be through in twenty minutes and on that you can depend' We tease him for a while about the cow he thinks he heard But Harry he is adamant and doesn't hear a word He's back to the canal again his spirit undeterred And we're left with our heads a-shaking It's about ten minutes before Harry comes back in He sits down upon his bar stool and he gives us all a grin We say 'Harry, don't you start in on that silly stuff again We all know that you was faking' 'There's a cow in the tunnel', that's what Harry says to me 'A cow in the tunnel if you'll only come and see Well me and tunnel keeper just helped pull her out the cut And she's standing there, exhausted outside tunnel keeper's hut Says Landlord, 'Maybe she needs a reviving pint of beer' And Harry says 'If that's the case then I shall bring her here Prepare to meet the bravest cow in t'whole of Lancashire' And ignores the faces disbelieving There was silence in the pub then as the cow came through the door Head to hoof in weed and mud and dripping on the floor She liked the first two pints so much she had another four And in another minute she was sleeping 'There's a cow in the tunnel', that's what Harry says to me 'A cow in the tunnel if you'll only come and see' So raise your glasses high and let us all be of good cheer And here is to the bravest cow in t'whole of Lancashire Buttercup, the bravest cow in t'whole of Lancashire The Foulridge Tunnel, which is 1,640 yards (1,500 m) long, can be found on the trans Pennine Leeds-Liverpool Canal. Completed in 1790 it was a major construction achievement, but is today best known for the story of a cow who once swam the whole length of the tunnel. It happened in 1912 when a cow named Buttercup fell into the canal by the southern portal. Rather than wade out, she chose to swim the whole length to the northern end, where she was revived with brandy by drinkers in the nearby Hole in the Wall pub. Recorded on :
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