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Showing results for tags 'horse boat'.
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Maria, Britain's oldest surviving wooden narrowboat, was built in Marple in 1854. In July this year, the Horseboating Society took her up the Marple Locks, from Marple Aqueduct to Marple Junction, where she had been built. 21 years old boat horse Bilbo, and the entire crew dressed in Victorian outfit, made it a unique photo opportunity! 100 photos of an event by the Horseboating Society are now online here.
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Following on from the iceboat thread here, I have managed to scan some pictures of our boat Sara in the hope that someone may see something in her details that might shed light on her origins. The photographs were taken in 1961 at Cubbits yacht basin, Chiswick, and show John Mattey in the early stages of cleaning back the hull before priming and painting it (it can be seen that he started aft and worked forwards). He had purchased her earlier that year from Michael Street of Braunston, paying the sum of £100. There was a second 45 foot hull in the yard also, I don't suppose anyone knows what became of it? We are told that she was built "around 1900" although I don't know if this is just hearsay - I wouldn't be surprised to learn she is a few decades earlier or later than this. Likewise we are told that she was built for the Oxford Canal Co. which would fit with where she ended up. The Oxford tended to have two rocking rails mounted each side of the vessel (the crew doing the rocking standing back to back), although it is clear in these photographs that any evidence for where they attached has already been removed (see the Thomas Holt at Foxton). One surprise is that there is no indication of any towing mast having been present, presumably the forward cleat was used to bring her down to the Thames. The two large pintles for hanging the original rudder are evident, sadly these were lost during the subsequent fitting of her weed hatch and cavitation plates. Any thoughts gratefully received! At present she is at N. Kilworth awaiting a replacement prop and shaft. Regards, Robert.
