Derek R.

Another of its ilk. This was tucked away on the lower section of the River Wey, below Coxes Mill. Circa early 1980's. GERARDA ELIZABETH, 44tons. It's not apparent, but the wheelhouse was offset to the starboard side. Some years later I saw it being used on London River collecting rubbish from the various piers. It was looking a lot better being painted up quite smartly, and making a sound very distictive of a single cylinder hot bulb. Very tasty.

One at a time Celine! Dutch boats are very attractive, but best on the wider waterways. We lived aboard a Tjalk for two years, unconverted, living in the accommodation that was part 1889, and part 1939. She was a huge undertaking and movement on the Thames restrictive. I recall our first movement clearly; Cast off from a backwater never having commanded a large vessel before, reversed, and across into the main stream up to Boulters. Turned below the lock, back down with the current and shoot Maidenhead road bridge. Down and turned above Bray lock, then back up to the mooring without incident. Euphoria!

Thank you. Good times always stick in the memory.

The hull looks Dutch, the superstructure likely not as old as the hull if 1929 is to be believed. Such boats were often victualling and fuelling boats in the smaller Netherlands waterways. Can't help more than that.

I have a suspicion that this RENOWN may not be the boat that Sue Cawson used to own, and was cruised with her parents back in the sixties (date's a guess). About forty years ago: Some poor images, but Sue's RENOWN is seen here (part of) at Stockton on the right. Tiller is laying on the roof. JAGUAR lay alongside, with COLONEL outside. behind RENOWN is ASH, owned by the Wakeham's with JENNY (Later BRENTFORD) outside. Behind them, 'five planker HAZEL, YARMOUTH, and JAPONICA. On the end, ELIZABETH. At Leighton; Against the bank; Roger's COMET, the Harman's CAPELLA, and a boat that was up for sale a few months back, with a fuel tank on the roof? Next set; YARMOUTH, Sue's RENOWN, J & J Pattle's JENNY, and outside JAGUAR, with Alan's GSD 'Lucky' on the cabin top. The buildings on the right were all demolished and a Tesco's now stands there.

Thomas Steers & John Wells? Greenland Dock was formerly the Great Howland Wet dock, lined in wood and seventeen feet deep, which when enlarged was re-named Greenland Dock. The engineer J A Machonnichie responsible for the enlargement died before it was finished and the work was taken over by Sir John Woolfe Barry. DOCKLAND, by NELP/GLC. And a bit from online Rotherhithe History. But what is the importance?

From the Reference Atlas of Greater London by Bartholomew, ninth edition 1954. It doesn't show the details of footbridges, but does show the railway lines into Blackwell Dock. (I have tried rotating this to the correct aspect, but it refuses to come out correct).

Likewise. Gave me the shivers at age 8yrs, all through more 'suggestion' than actual effects. I still have an image in my head of a tarmac path that became like rippling water, or does my memory trick me!

Niche interests. Anything to do with historic boating that does not involve living aboard, will involve both considerable expense, and the unfortunate fact that boats do not appreciate in the way bricks and mortar do. Plus, there is little discount in licencing fees, at least, in comparison to owning motor vehicles that are over 40 yrs old, which attract (currently) no VED or M.O.T. come to that. Not so with 'historic' boats. CRT are cash strapped, and facing a lot of expensive repair/maintenance costs of late, and in the near future. Changes are afoot. Such boats as TYCHO, SICKLE and other small Ice boats can be things of beauty (in the beholders eye), and things to parade and educate the general public about - especially TYCHO as the blade, fitted in 1942, is extant. Does it add to its value? Not a bit. Should money be saved on mooring fees for the 5' it takes up by cutting it off? I sincerely hope not. If that's is seen as a 'saving', then the prospective buyer needs to look elsewhere. Go buy a Springer. I would love to have TYCHO back, but one has to have ongoing financial resources to justify the ongoing ownership expenses, and I currently do not have that. And without a massive 'lottery' win, likely never to have such in my last quarter century of life. I have a clutch of historic motor vehicles and they must suffice. I owned her for 13yrs, did some work on her but never finished all that was planned, but loved just 'being on the boat' rather than parading. Though the banter with other boaters and towpath folk was all good, and more tea was produced than serious work at times - That 'blade' is a conversational ice breaker to one and all, and it was never 'boring'.

Read on in the description. 71' 6" as built (it missed that bit), but shortened in 1942 to 40' plus 5' of ram. Currently 45' overall. She'll turn on a sixpence, but needs constant attention when going ahead. Step onto the gunnel to check the engine'ole, and she'll be off up the bank. Goes very well.

Come on Alan, you know you want it . . . I know I do.

Chris got me looking at my claims again. In the 1928 shot of Acton Lane Power station, there is something I had missed. Just above centre in the red oval, is a row of what could be pollarded trees, I think five in all. Now imagine the photographer on the towpath side and near to the bridge taking Acton Lane over the cut. This may make the compression of the perspective such that this could indeed be the image Heartland first posted, and which I was certain was Paddington basin. So with egg on my face, please accept my apologies for pressing for Paddington. This could well be the site of Heartland's image. 'Lower Place', Acton is shown on the 1930's OS map, and covers the area behind the 'Grand Junction Arms' public house, and quite possibly the walled off section as seen on the OS map. Hat eating in process.

It might be prudent to look on modern day online maps (or others), and find out exactly where 27 Willesden Lane is. 27 Willesden Lane is a mile and a half from Willesden Power station, and a mile from Paddington basin. Using a sellers description of an image to which the credit has been searched for online, is rather similar to seeking on Ancestry for relatives to Joe Bloggs. Errors will be compounded as 'enthusiasm' takes hold. Chris Jones location is interesting, as looking at the entrance site to where Acton Lane power station stood, National Grid still has a large Substation there, and beside the entrance can be seen some old style wall and sets just within the entrance. This would support the claim for a 'yard' of sorts. Might this have been 'Lower Place, Acton'? https://tinyurl.com/yz9actw8 Another thought: Why would an electricity generating station cordone off a corner of their large site to facilitate a supplier of ballast, without a separating wall or fence, such as is displayed in the image of the boats, where there is clearly such a 'separation' as depicted? Perhaps they did at Acton, but the development that has taken place since makes it hard to determine. My bet is still on Paddington. There are still bridges as yet unmentioned, which are not shown in the Sabey boats image as there were, and are none in that vicinity at Paddington. But they remain at Acton.

I can see where the resemblance may take place, such power stations were not disimilar in their basic layout and style. Here is an aerial photograph of Acton Road power station as it was in 1928 : https://ru.pinterest.com/pin/294563631853784922/visual-search/?x=16&y=16.380487804877987&w=532&h=403&cropSource=6&surfaceType=flashlight Please compare the distance between the waters edge and the main cooling towers at Acton. I cannot believe, owing to the much greater distance, that the Image of ABBEVILLE and SOUTHWOLD outside Sabeys yard is commensurate with Acton, and did Sabey have a yard at Acton power station? Note also, the row of transformers on the plan of Acton (which I did link to) are not immediately in front of the cooling towers as they are at Paddington. There is also the observation that the transformers in this image are behind a high steel fence close to the cooling towers, and that a high brick wall separates the power station environs from Sabey's yard. Note also, the crane, most probably mounted on rails parallel to the waters edge to better facilitate loading/unloading of the material, that might be limestone, or another form of ballast, and which has been piled up between the waters edge and the high steel fence, separate from the transformer pound. It is a very fine image though, and the detail is very good, right down to the 'recycled' use of metal advertising for 'St. Julien's' [tobacco] affixed to the material chutes (Probably covering holes in the planking). Being bold, I will say this is Paddington basin:

Acton Lane power station: https://tinyurl.com/tueydh2b The power station would have been visible from Willesden Junction which was E.S.E. from the power station, though the closest railway station would be Harlesden just to the North. I still believe that Heartland's image of boats was taken in Paddington basin. I could be wrong, but referring back to the image, Sabey & Co. had a yard beside the power station at Paddington and their sign 'Sabey & Co. Sand Ballast and other materials' can be seen above the loading chutes just above the boat ABBEVILLE. Moreover, Acton Lane power station had a railway encircling it which ran between the power station and the canal wharves. There are none such in the shot at Paddington.

With the vast amount of redevelopment that has gone on since 1940 - ish, it is hard to believe anything is comparable to what was once there. Older photographs, and in some historic videos, this view of the boats (some wide) have been shown as being in Paddington basin. The 'cooling' towers in wood, were fairly commonplace where power generation was needed. At the end of the basin there was (according to old maps) iron works, so the proximity would have been suitable for a power station of some sort. Of course I cannot show absolute proof of these 'claims', but with what is available online from historic images, it does seen to be a reasonable presumption. Paddinton basin - as was and as is. If we are talking about Willesden station, there is no canal in the immediate vicinity.

David Mack yesterday at 17:14hrs, https://collections.canalrivertrust.org.uk/bw200.1.40.59 Rubbish mostly. And possibly/probably coal from St Pancras sidings to Kensal Green gas works.

As David states, the link he posts has a total of ten images, all of which are of and around the Maffers flight. At either end of the image of Maffers top, there are small arrows, left and right, that if clicked on will show the other nine images. They are also laid out in thumbnail form. My operating system is Windows 11, the browser is Firefox and the link opens up with Maffers top with the Wendover arm bridge across the entrance. Scroll the page down, and the remaining 9 images are shown in thumbnail. That image shows lock 40 with the boats entering singled out, with the lock house behind where the Booths lived for a while, some forty odd years ago.

Too easy! Name H. Sabey's base, and there's the answer. From much the same viewpoint in recent years: https://tinyurl.com/4n7u6j3x

Exactly so. RENFREW has pushed the top right hand gate open, and the steerer will pick up the cross straps off the butty, pulling the butty across and forward. Most likely opening the left top gate a bit more and proceed. It's a winding section to the next lock so singled out, but from there on up likely to be breasted up. But Roger would know for certain.

Take a pet Tarantula along to the local, and you will drink in peace.

Fascinating image. The 'broad gauge tramway' is in effect a pair of over head gantry cranes (winches hand operated on both), engaged in lifting and placing the big stone blocks, able to move blocks laterally in two directions. The rest of the workers and equipment will be engaged in making 'muck' and shifting it around by barrow on the skinny planks and stagings, along with placing and setting. Busy scene, frozen for the camera. There's what looks like a craft of sorts on the left being used as a staging.