Derek R.

Observation, anticipation, consideration. Three golden rules taught by Bob Spence, driving instructor London Transport Country Buses and Green Line Coaches. Two Waters garage, Hemel Hempstead.

Well, that was taken about 35yrs ago. Looks nice there.

This is no river in flow, so will not be directly comparable, though it does use sheeting in combination with a latticework of triangulated poles to support the sheeting. North Circular Road Aquaduct replacement in 1992. (Note the WWII Pill box).

On reflection that is correct. Holding back a seven inch wide section of water would be far easier than a seven foot section.

Absolutely. It's the depth or 'head' of water that creates the 'pressure', not the length or width.

These may not be of any used definitively, as I have no date for when they were taken. They came from a small collection of B & W images in an album from the West family, most of the main line G.U., but these two from the Llangollen. Judging by the Riley 1.5 that was the tow vehicle for their trailered boat, I suspect it was from the sixties.

On BBC1 (I think), at least on the 'on demand' bit of BBC, there has been a four part series on the Rolling Stones where four of the members are interviewed in the present day, recounting their pasts and experiences. Starts with Mick Jagger, then Keith Richards, Ronnie Wood (in which he recounts his childhood; parents steering the boats; and supping tea in the back cabin. He's what my Mum would have called 'a bit of a live wire') The fourth episode was about Charlie Watts. Interesting bloke. Brian Jones was spoken of, though curiously Bill Wyman was never mentioned by any of them.

Whilst not exactly a story of all the events in one families lifetime, it is a collection of actual events that were experienced by boating families woven together in a book by Shiela Stewart entitled 'Ramlin Rose' - The Boatwoman's Story, covering the life afloat from 1900 to the late fifties. Another is by Pat Warner entitled 'A Lock Keeper's Daughter, a Worcestershire Canal Childhood, telling of her life beside the canal on the Tardebigge flight.

So the Gorse is pollinating . . . I only recall GORSE as a 40/45ft beastie when Admiral owned it.

What happened to the 'old' back end?

I don't know how TYCHO is fairing nowadays, but 20yrs ago her bow locker looked like this - The overplating did not go all the way down to the chine, and there is something that looks (and felt) suspiciously like a mortar/cement mix at the base of the stem - which is part of the five foot long ram which replaced completely the original stem post. What might look like a gunnel in the right and left in this image, is in fact a thick reinforcing 'shelf' (for want of a better word) about two thirds of the way up. It extended back into the hold as a stiffener. The other side of the front locker to hold bulkhead. It wouldn't surprise me to find all boats so shortened and reinforced were different in some ways.

The 'Jam Hole', Kearley & Tonges. Mitre Dock Southall.

Stick'em on rails and watch the fun . . . . https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/365284219787825568/?mt=login

It's why I don't go.

And another tanker load of Windolene . . . It's a bit heavy on the 'Henley regatta' look.

Terrifying. Nobody volunteers for submarines.

There are dozens of books on waterways history, the engineers, the boats themselves and the 'folk art' that surrounds life on the cut from the early days onward. With regard specifically to the art work, I would recommend Tony Lewery's 'Flowers Afloat', ISBN 0-7153-0145-4. Tom Chaplin's 'The Narrow Boat Book' is also good on the overall history including the boats, ISBN 0-905483-05-7 For more on how horses were used on the cut: 'The Horse on the Cut' by Donald J. Smith. ISBN 0-85059-514-2, might be difficult to find a copy. Mine was ex-library. Many pictures of 'nostins' (nose tins) in use along with harness.

Two that stick in my memory from my despatch riding days (and not canal oriented). On the wall beside the Northwick Park roundabout in Harrow; NICHOLAS PARSONS IS THE NEO OPIATE OF THE WORKING CLASSES Must have been sixty feet long. And a short and sweet one on building site hoarding in Newman Street W1; DON'T TELL THEM MICHAEL No idea who Michael was, or what he was not to tell. In 1983, just about every balance beam and bridge on the Ashton had EGGY scrawled on them.

Salmon's Lane Lock. The bridge below the lock was a footbridge and beyond was Salmon Lane road bridge (barely visible), beyond that still, the railway bridge or possibly viaduct carrying the London & Blackwall Railway, which may have a train crossing from right to left (carriages appearing). https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=18&lat=51.51480&lon=-0.03521&layers=168&b=1 David Mack beat me to it!

Mount Pleasant, Trafalgar Square, or the headquarters in St Martins Le Grand? I would plump for St Martins Le Grand. It fits the time span being built in 1829 until demolition in 1912.

https://tinyurl.com/ymjrhvtc Next door.

Another gem I watch now and then is 'The Maggie'. Tales of a disreputable 'Puffer' and crew working a load from Glasgow to the Western Isles. 'Events' and characters abound. Black and white as you would expect.

The West Watford link for Lady Capel's https://www.westwatfordhistorygroup.org/2019/07/the-canal-at-watford.html And a bit on Lady Capel https://reedprepub.org/capel-of-hadham-and-cassiobury/

I doubt the BCN boats had much in the way of colouring. It was after all a Navigation Company first and foremost, and most of their boats were open day boats - with a few having very short cabins amounting to little more than shelters, with at best a bottle stove. Fore ends might have got some red along the top bend, a yellow crescent at each end of the red, and a number in white on the red. Tony Lewery's 'Narrow Boat Painting' depicts some examples on 123. Even the BCN Blue Book makes no references to colours, and the few line drawings are in B & W, and of long distance boats. Hardly a good example of a livery, but rather typical of very basic elements.

BW (as was) recognised YARMOUTH (1914) as qualifying for historic discount, though it was originally a horse boat and ten feet longer. I can't remember how much of the boat (any boat?) claiming historic discount had to BE part of the original, I thought it might have been about two thirds, but I might be wrong. Certainly all the hull sides and fore end were original, the cabin and engine were not.