Blossom

Ooer that might have been me!

Gosbrook Mill was actually fed by the Smestow Brook as it was the area that was called originally (985 AD) Gose Broc and nowadays Gorsebrook. The section of the Smestow Brook bearing the name 'Gorsebrook', is now culverted, disappearing in Fowlers Park to the east and not resurfacing again until at the other side of Dunstall Park racecourse to the west. A distance of approximately 1.25miles

If you want to see an original set up speak to Cliff Sherwood owner of small Northwich motor Belatrix as this still has it's original RN and original speedwheel and 'ahead' - 'astern' gear wheel. In fact I would say it is the boat that is in it's most original condition (apart from replacement of timberworks, bottoms, gunnels, running gear, cloths etc)

Hi Andy just a slight correction the the information regarding the '1973 Wendover Sale' the second sale was actually in 1971 not 1973 as stated above. I officially became the owner of Bingley on 2 July 1971. Also quite a few of the boats listed on the Wendover sale, although on the same tender list, were never actually taken to the Wendover arm or removed weeks before the sale. I went down several weeks before the closing date of the tender and recorded the following boats up the Wendover arm. Satelite, Tocan, Bingley, Tarporley, Alton, Halsall, Belfast, Alperton, Coleshill, Badsey, Baildon, Sudbury, Nuneaton and Ara.

" Coal for hole, slack for arsehole".Dave, Iv'e heard a similar statement made by several old BCN boatmen except it went 'coal for hole and slack for cack'

Here is a shot of the same area in 1953 but facing the opposite direction. I was always led to believe that this building housed the BCN toll office (the half hexagon extending out from the front of the building next to the bridge 'ole.

I think it says Hicinton (Itchington 7)

Just to add my two penneth, From my early days in the late 1950's through the 60's and into the 70's while there was still a lot of short haul traffic left on the BCN, I have heard both the term narrowboat and barge used to describe the boats of the area. As already mentioned by PaulH, the workers of the BCN were made up of two types. The ex family, long distance boaters from true boating stock would refer to the boats as narrowboats, such as the Fosters, the Garretts, Joe Chattin, Ernie Clowes, Johnny Brookes etc. while those off the land who had no family ties or connection to the cut, and probably only saw it as a job, would call them barges. My comments on Bantock's would be that I always heard them referred to as railway boats (but some of them happened to be made by Thomas Bantock)in essence the same as all the boats owned by the Grand Union Canal Carrying Company are 'Grand Unions' (but some of them were made by Harland & Wolff and some made by W J Yarwood & Sons, [and others] and the're known as Woolwiches & Northwiches.

Ray, I remember going to Moxley rope works with Cliff Sherwood in about 1967 to buy cotton lines for his boat Bellatrix, just as he was setting up as a trip boat on the Staffs & Worces. I remember it as a ramshackle place down a really rough dirt track behind quite a large old house. I think the dirt track is still there, but nothing left of the rope works as it's all built on now.

Whilst I agree that the can has more than likely been painted by an unknown painter, probably either repainted by a bored housewife or by a boatman' I have to disagree with 'boatman wouldn't have room for a useless can' back in the day, most boats had what they called a 'cabin can' usually a one gallon can which they kept in the cabin in the winter months when there was a risk of their crucial water supply freezing.

The bow of the motor/tug is put just one side of the starn of the boat to be pushed, until the tee stud on the bow lines up with the tee stud of the pushed boat. The two tee studs are then tightly tied together(on the BCN it would be with heavy chain. And that's it, simplicity, this leaves just enough flexibility between the two boats to allow the pushed boat to be steered by the opposite movements of the motor/tug's bows.

I have seen lots of boats stemmed around the BCN. As mentioned previously, Thomas Clayton's, especially the short haul work around the BCN from the various gasworks to Midland Tar Distillers at bottom of the crow, but always loaded boats. However with tugs and day boats, I've seen both loaded and empty day boats being stemmed in fact quite often a tug would be stemming one day boat while towing a second on cross straps/chain and only the tug driver in charge. One thing nobody had mentioned yet is the big advantage of stemming a boat, if you are towing on cross straps without a steerer and you go astern the towed boat slews round all across the cut as it tries to catch you up, if you chuck astern while stemming the pushed boat stops in a straight line in the middle of the cut, in fact if you get it wrong while stemming and the pushed boat goes out of line that's how you correct it, chuck astern and everything lines back up, simple

Hi Ally and many congratulations on acquiring Birmingham she is a nice unspoilt boat. Mikey was right on both counts regarding the funnel on Darley. It is an original and not a reproduction and it came up with the dredging's from Sutton's Stop. Take it from me as well it IS heavy and it is a struggle to lift it out the engine 'ole to the cabin top. Having boated with it in place, I don't think it was so much the weight that the boatmen did not like, as it fits easily under the majority of bridges without the need for removal, it's the fact that they don't work. The exhaust fumes/smoke do not get blown out with any force, they just seem to accumulate inside the funnel, then drift out in a cloud towards the steerer's breathing zone. Besides when you are 'giving it some' the fumes seem to prefer to come from underneath the funnel and blacken the cabin top instead. I only put Darley's funnel on at shows etc. now. I'm sure I saw Birmingham come past our garden the other night followed very closely by Starling. Look forward to seeing you out and about soon cheers Blossom.

George Wain calls'em Tunnel bands!

It could be worth a trip to the Black Country Living Museum with a pad/pencil and tape measure as there are several joey and day boat 'elms inside the Castlefields boat dock buildings

Photo number 1 is Ricky motor boat Umbriel, Photo number 3 is big Woolwich motor Epsom, Photo number 6 is big Woolwich pair Darley and Alperton, photo number 7 is Big Northwich motor Otley and little Woolwich butty Moon, photo number 10 is an ex Bantock BCN day boat that has been converted to a motor boat, originally it would have had a number and not a name, Photo number 11 is the back end of a W J Yarwood & Sons station boat used for a bow section and I think it is called Heron.

http://i410.photobucket.com/albums/pp184/Blossomis/Ex-FMC%20motorboat%20MINNOW/5%20WORK%20DONE/DSC01025.jpg [ing]http://i410.photobucket.com/albums/pp184/Blossomis/Ex-FMC%20motorboat%20MINNOW/5%20WORK%20DONE/PHOTO-0007A.jpg Hi Tam, not brilliant pictures I know, but this was the Guidwife that was in Josher motor Minnow which we used for cooking as can be seen from photo's. if any good feel free to use them

I remember in the 1960's, father and son team of Len and Geoff Walton were building 'modern' wooden boats in the construction style of Joey boats on Alfred Matty's yard at Coseley. Len had a box of almost identical construction (and condition)which , as Tim described was used during the caulking operation to store a selection of caulking irons of various sizes and the slot on the side contained a piece of oily rag/felt. The wooden tool used for hitting the caulking irons is actually a caulking mallet, not a hammer. Also if I remember correctly they also had a stool/box in which they stored the rolled oakum.

Certainly in the Staffordshire coal fields a system existed called the 'butty system. During the early part of the nineteenth century, coal miners were not directly employed by the owners of the mine, but instead by a contractor, called a "Butty". He contracted with the owner of the mine to deliver coal, limestone or ironstone at so much per ton. He then employed the labourers required to remove the required minerals. The butty supplied his horses and tools for the miners to use. After the 1872 Coal Mines Act the ‘Butty’ system was made unlawful and so it disappeared. A butty miner would be one of the miners working for a 'butty' under that system.

A little off topic perhaps, but just thrown in for interest. Back in the late 1960;s early 1970’s there still used to be a rope shop in Broad Street, Wolverhampton, just 2 minute walk from Wolverhampton top lock that still sold cotton tow lines which were about 100 foot long and came in two sizes (diameter) They were still sold as 1 horse or 2 horse lines, 1 horse being about ½” diameter and 2 horse being ¾”diameter.

It's all right Kerry, it's just speedwheel 'havin a loff' or am I spending far toooooo much time with Brownie! Just as a matter of interest, I personally think that Alvecote was the best gathering I have been to in a long long time and all credit to the gang who organised everything and can't wait till next year, mind you we are back off down there again this weekend.

All I will say is beware of poking a stick in a wasp's nest! and don't be fooled by 'The Rottweiler's lip gloss and nail varnish.

After the death of 'Mac' Caggy had another horse by the name of 'Nobby' although it's career was quite short as upon falling into the cut it got a piece of broken glass go through the sole of it's hoof and became incurably lame. This was certainly in 1975 or possibly early 1976 and was the last horse working freight on the BCN.

I feel I must respond to these comments as I am more than a little annoyed by them and want to put the picture straight. Firstly I have no interest in ‘going for gold’ at any show, the only people I am only interested in is what working boaters think of me, my boat and how it’s presented and as far as all the ‘spiving’ that I am doing to Darley, this is for nobody’s benefit but my own. As for it being ‘perhaps a little too much’ then that is someone else’s view and certainly not mine. Those that know me, and I mean know me really well, know that I have nothing but great commitment to all working boats. Yes, some might say I am in a lucky situation in as much as I started learning about working boats 50 years ago when there was still plenty of trade left on the system. I hear a lot of talk about ‘shiny boats’ and ‘ours is a working boat and not a museum piece - I find that sort of comment offensive by those who just can’t be bothered to keep their boats in the condition that reflects and rejoices the ways of the true working boat stock, anything less suggests that they were dirty and lazy. To prove my point just look at old photo’s of the Bray’s, the Witlocks, Jacky Monk etc. and their boats were working 24 – 7 from the Warwickshire coal fields southbound but were always spotless and immaculately turned out. With me it is simply the way I was brought up and a pride in my boat and I will never change. Blossom