john belsey

Hi Chimney Chain Thanks for putting up these photos up they really mean a lot to me, my grand parents house is third from the right there name was Emmett. i spent a lot of time at my grandmothers and these photos bring back lots of memories for me. I was born in 1936 so remember the dock and the shute and the rails that were still there Do you know any names of People on the boats and have you got any more photos of this area?. once again Thanks John B

Hi Tam The nsl mapping is really usefull thats the first time i have seen it. Just read Di,s blog about your early days working the English canals, I thoroughly enjoyed it. Has she written any more about your early days on the canals?

Hi Derek R Really pleased with your post, Sabina villas are still standing ,Sabey had them built in 1922 that was when my mothers family moved in,they are opposite where Liddalls dock used to be on, across the road from your hatched area,I see on your map there were rail markings this was where horse drawn side tipping trucks were used to load sabeys boats. I remember seeing them still in situ in the late sixties and the shute was still there. The woods family lived next door and my mother grew up with Artie Woods Ronnies father. My Grandfathers Pub The Brickmakers Arms is in front of what used to be Coopers dock and it was still in water up until about 1910 and it stood behind the pub more a less part of the pub garden the reason i am sure of these dates is that my fathers younger brother Thomas drowned in the dock when he was 2 years old in 1909 after that tragedy my Grand father made the canal company fill in the dock. hope my memories are of interest. Regards John B.

My father was born in the Brickmakers arms in Horton road and his father Thomas Belsey was the licensee from when the pub was built in 1900 until hes death in 1931 and continued in my grand mothers name until about 1940 my father talked a lot about the boatees as they were called and the boats and owners, he talked about Sabey,s boats and about Sol Woods [Ronnie woods Grandfather] being a tug driver towing [Dust] rubbish barges from Paddington to Sabeys dump in Horton road. My mother lived in Horton Road in 6 Sabina Villas and opposite there was a shoot for loading gravel directly into barges, during and after the war there was about 4 sunken wooden boats sunk in the dock they all had Sabeys name on them.