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onward to inlanding

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  1. 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
  2. onward to inlanding
    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.
  3. onward to inlanding
    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
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    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
  6. onward to inlanding
    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
  7. onward to inlanding
    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
  8. onward to inlanding
    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
  9. onward to inlanding
    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
  10. onward to inlanding
    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
  11. onward to inlanding
    Sounds a plan. I wonder if any of the tugs will be attending Braunston?
  12. onward to inlanding
    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
  13. onward to inlanding
    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?
  14. onward to inlanding
    Cheers Laurence, Yep, I suspect you're dead right, but I live in hope! Best wishes Nick
  15. onward to inlanding
    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
  16. onward to inlanding
    Max, your story works well as a bit of a morality tale, and I sense that there was a bit of not-so-veiled criticism in there too. My only interest in starting the two BCN threads recently has been to learn more about the history of my own boat BCN 18686, and I am deeply grateful to anyone who took time to make a contribution. I see information gathered on the Forums as a legitimate part of my ongoing research, it often provides fascinating new leads, I'm simply learning from others and then writing up what I've find out as a blog post. I hope no-one feels I've taken advantage of either their goodwill or knowledge. That wasn't my intention at all. Nick
  17. onward to inlanding
    By the way, if you'd like to read how the fascinating exchanges in this thread have linked together to inform the history of my day boat BCN 18686, please take a look here: http://inlanding.wordpress.com/2013/05/17/the-story-of-a-boat-series-bcn-gauging/ best wishes Nick
  18. onward to inlanding
    Hi By the way, if anyone would like to see how the history of 18686 is coming together, the section that's based on the information in this thread can be read here: http://inlanding.wordpress.com/2013/05/24/the-story-of-a-boat-series-iron-boat-dock/ best wishes Nick
  19. onward to inlanding
    Ray, Thanks so much for this additional information, I'm really grateful to you. A couple of questions if I may: Was 'Moat Bridge' the bridge that carried what is called Workhouse Lane on the map I've included above? Would you know the date of James Fellows' association with the branch? Is the Three Furnaces Branch the almost dead straight arm that leaves the Main Line to the north of Tipton Station? Cheers Nick
  20. onward to inlanding
    That would certainly tally with the 1904 map which shows a number of buildings and hard standing adjacent to Workhouse Lane.
  21. onward to inlanding
    Martin, thanks so much for the information. Are the Table of Distances available so that I can get a copy of the information you've quoted? Laurence, are copies of the joey plans available / purchase-able ? Best wishes and many thanks, Nick (The picture of BCN18686's early life becomes more fascinating and more complete week by week!)
  22. onward to inlanding
    Just another thought - Construction techniques - Can anyone point me in the direction of a description of the construction techniques employed in making an iron day boat at the turn of the century. Technical paper, website or book, I'd be fascinated to know more...
  23. onward to inlanding
    Thanks for that Laurence, I'll take a look at the Old Maps site and see what I come up with. Given that I might not find a huge amount about Eli Astons boat-dock, is there a good reference book to find out more about Worsley's as a comparison?
  24. onward to inlanding
    Hi Richard, very good point. I suppose the fact it's called 'Iron Boat Dock' rather than wharf or basin tends to lend weight to your observation. Anyone out there have a turn-of-the-century list of canalside industries located along the Toll End canal? Hi Laurence, thanks for the detail regarding Worseys being the only boatdock marked on the 1901 1:2500 map. Would this fact tend to support Richard's suggestion that I'm looking for a canalside location launching sideways into the canal rather than explicitly a basin? Is anyone able to confirm how heavily 'industrialised' the Toll End would have been around this period? The portion of map I have only shows the Watery Lane end, but this seems to have been pretty lightly industrialised at the time. perhaps it's time to get another map!
  25. onward to inlanding
    In 1903 BCN 18686, our old iron day boat, was built by Eli Aston, the Kelly's Directory states he worked on the Toll End Communication Canal out of Iron Boat Dock, Alexandra Road, Tipton. I'm trying to locate the dock and wondered if the BCN Experts might be able to help me out. I had hypothesised that perhaps the dock was located in the basin behind Tipton Railway station, as shown the map below... The map, from 1904, shows the area around the junction of the Toll End Communication canal with the Birmingham Main Line in some detail, however, confusingly Alexandra Road (as is today) is called Workhouse Lane on this map. Am I looking at the wrong part of the Communication Canal? Did an Alexandra Road run adjacent to the canal at some other point? Or was Workhouse Road renamed around this period? Any thoughts/idea (or photographs!) would be much appreciated... Cheers Nick
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