onward to inlanding

Dear Derek I have no other reason for asking questions than I'm genuinely interested in learning about the environment in which our boat would have functioned, and gain a deeper understanding of the history of the boat. There is no other personal gain at all, other than learning. best wishes Nick Dear Laurence The blog I've written for the last couple of years was not set up to be a history-orientated blog at all. The inclusion of historical pictures has been a result of my increasing fascination with the subject. The historic posts form only a small proportion of the 600+ posts on the blog many of the post are to do with the boats renovation and our families exploration of the waterways. However, I don't wish to cause distress to anyone, least of all you who've done so much over the years to enable people to see images of the BCN. I will happily remove the images you've identified. And will begin to review all previous posts containing unattributed historic images, and seek to add additional credits where I can find them. regards Nick

I'd like to learn a little more about the use of braziers (or fire buckets) on open day boats and bottle stoves in cabin day boats on the BCN. Were certain bottle stoves designed to be light enough to be transportable as steerers/boatmen moved from boat to boat? Did all bottle stoves have an open front or were some designs (potentially safer) closed units? I know restored originals occasionally come on the markets, but does anyone know if reproduction bottle stoves have been manufactured anywhere? Does anyone know of any photographs of fire buckets or bottle stove in situ on a day boat? regards Nick ps. incidentally there's a lovely image of a fire bucket being used by Caggy Stevens in the article on BCN horse boating in the summer issue of Narrowboat magazine.

Ray, thanks so much for so generously sharing the information, it's given me a huge amount to go on, so many leads to look in to... And I've sourced your book on amazon and its on its way! Cheers Nick

Laurence, you're absolutely right of course, nothing should replace the immediacy of direct and first hand experience, however I'm currently pretty much tied to London, and battling with the huge demands of a young family, it's therefore difficult to do the field trips I'd like. They will get done one day. Until then I'm trying to learn as much as possible, so that the knowledge helps inform what I see 'on the ground' when I am able to visit and can help bring to life what I see on the ground so much more vividly. Best wishes Nick

I'm hoping BCN experts might be able to help me out again... I've heard various conflicting accounts of how boats accessed the Springvale Steelworks site. In the first couple of decades of the 20th century, would anyone know definitively where their wharf/wharves might have been located? Also, given that Hickmans are known to have had a large fleet of mainly pretty battered open day boats, would anyone know what the fleet was actually used for? Was it internal transfer work, bringing in raw materials or taking away finished products... Cheers Nick

Hi I’m trying to work up a new colour scheme for our day boat, a scheme that will hopefully reflect many traditional BCN practices. I’m interested in learning a little more about decoration/designs used on the shoulders, or top strake, around the fore-end/stern of day boats. I believe the designs were used to help steerers rapidly identify a company boat from amongst countless other day boats. Companies would have had a particular and unique combination of crescents, circles and diamonds etc. to designate their boats. Was a record or register of such designs kept? Or did steerers simply memorise particular designs as required? More particularly still, would anyone know the design used on the Hickman fleet? regards Nick

Dear Mick I think perhaps Laurence has provided the information you were seeking... however here's a few 'out-the-water' photos of our boat's front end as requested... best wishes Nick

Dear All I have been in touch with Laurence via a private e-mail to apologise for my utterly unintentional copyright infringement, and have committed with him that I will certainly record all information about where any image was sourced where I use images either here or on my website. I really am sorry to have caused offence and upset in my enthusiasm to share images found. I hope the fascinating threads continue, and that images are shared in the future. Best wishes to all Nick

Hi Just a couple of images found whilst web-browsing today to illustrate this thread. Day boats carrying exactly the colour scheme described by Laurence in his post above. Nick

Sounds a plan. I wonder if any of the tugs will be attending Braunston?

Hi I'm in the fortunate position of perhaps being able to get BCN 18686 (our old BCN day boat) repainted. However, given that she was an OI or open iron day boat originally, and it seems Alfred Hickman didn't have a particular paint scheme for his fleet, I'm considering using a variation of S&L colours given they took over the company in the 20s. I think I've read somewhere that S&L colours were Bright Red, Grass Green and Ivory. Would anyone be able to confirm? How were the colours most often deployed, eg. Green panels and red border, or red panels with green border??? What's a good boat to have a look at in terms of accurate colours/design (Bittel?). Anyone know where I might get the most accurate reproduction of the colours? Also any advice on 'standard' BCN day boat colours if there were such a thing. I know a number of companies had unique colour schemes (Matty's boats come to mind) but is a variation of red and grass green generally thought to be the 'standard' colours on the cabin day boats? Any advice would be gratefully received Regards Nick

Alan, thanks so much for this information, it's more than I had previously, and provides a vivid portrait-in-miniature of the family. Cheers Nick Ray, thanks! You've really helped sort out my queries and provided a few new leads too, excellent stuff! Best wishes Nick Brilliant images! Britainfromabove is a wonderful resource. I wonder if other images of the Toll End exist out there?

Cheers Laurence, Yep, I suspect you're dead right, but I live in hope! Best wishes Nick

Dear All BCN day boat fleets, in particular the Hickmans / Stewart & Lloyds fleets; are there records of disposals made by the Company out there? In trying to piece together the history of BCN 18686 this is an area I'm struggling with. I'm trying to make the link between the end of her working life at Spring Vale and the next phase, whatever that was. The postwar period is a mystery until she was purchased by Mick & Judy Vedmore from Beeston Castle Cruisers in the late 1960's. At some point she must have been cut down to 62' and marinised, but every lead so far has drawn a blank... Any fresh leads anyone? Cheers Nick