CONGRATULATIONS to anyone who guessed last week's mystery object.

It was a boat hook, used on the Leeds and Liverpool canal, which passes through Skipton.

Experts at the town's Craven Museum and Gallery tell us: "The hook and spike are made of iron and would have originally fitted on the end of a pole.

"Boat hooks are an essential part of a canal boat’s equipment and can be used to clear debris and to guide the boat back to the canal edge.

"The Leeds and Liverpool is the longest canal built in Britain as a single waterway, running for a distance of over 127 miles between the two cities. The canal was built in the 18th century to meet demand for trade between Yorkshire’s growing towns of Leeds and Bradford and the port of Liverpool to the west.

"Barges transported cargo such as coal and textiles between locations along the canal route throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, with some trade continuing as late as the 1980s.

"The canal suffered some damage during World War Two and the canal section in West Lancashire had been part of Britain’s defensive plan against invasion, with tank traps, bunkers and blockhouses being placed along its length. Nowadays commercial use of the canal has ceased and is enjoyed for leisure boating."

The boat hook - and all other items featured in this column - can be viewed at Craven Museum and Gallery, which is located in Skipton Town Hall.

Guesses regarding this week's Curiosity should be emailed to news@cravenherald.co.uk