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Wooden motorised butty


sueb

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A friend is looking for information about a wooden motorised butty called V.R. or Victoria Rose (the name may have changed again). He seems to remember it as a six plank Ricky and full length. Once a film star in Running  Scared (1972) with Robert Powel and Gayle Hunnicut

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23 hours ago, sueb said:

A friend is looking for information about a wooden motorised butty called V.R. or Victoria Rose (the name may have changed again). He seems to remember it as a six plank Ricky and full length. Once a film star in Running  Scared (1972) with Robert Powel and Gayle Hunnicut

I have V.R. II in my records as a large Ricky butty converted to a house boat, but I do not recall seeing a photograph of it and I do not know its original identity. My records indicate that this boat was renamed from V.R. II to PEGGY sometime during the 1970's and the last note I have is dated June 1980 when it was in use as a house boat at Battlebridge Basin near Kings Cross, London. My understanding is that V.R. II was owned by a chap named Jim, Charity Dock when it appeared in the film.

 

When I had more of an interest in 'historic' narrow boats I used to do illustrated talks on them (slide shows) and on 26 April 2000 I did one for Reading Transport Group. Following my presentation I was approached by a middle aged lady who once lived on V.R. II - but I failed to take her name :captain:

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Thanks Sue, Dave and Pete,

 

I think I'm off track on Victoria Rose, it was Virginia Rose but still VR by the time my parents bought her. My parents were the couple who bought the boat from Jo Gilbert or Jim Marshall at Charity Docks in the early/mid 70's. They are here with me now and are enjoying the news on VR.  When I first asked about the slide show you mention, Pete, they said not them but they're remembering more & that might have been my mum you spoke to as they are indeed Reading based. They say the young couple they sold sold it to talked about going to London and joining up with a group of similar boats, so that ties in and I seem to remember around that time Thames boat licences were based on name, so it may well have picked up the II of V.R.II as a result, but regardless of that it sounds like the same boat. As does Charity Dock & Jo Gilbert tie in. It wasn't an era my parents took many pictures but I think they have one or two, which should include the then cabin and also a file which they'd be happy to do a write up on they say, if it's of interest to anyone or the current owners if anyone knows them??

 

I posted on the Facebook page and the opinion is that it is the Butty Byfield. https://hnbc.org.uk/boats/byfield?fbclid=IwAR1XYJFrrGztJSPRF8egllGQEvz1s_3-9e3f6tFtfa2wXkSOxsNNWzk5neU

 

If anyone wants to pass my details to the current owner, & if they're interested please feel free to DM me. Thank you all again, Nic

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3 hours ago, pete harrison said:

and the last note I have is dated June 1980 when it was in use as a house boat at Battlebridge Basin near Kings Cross, London.

 

I was a regular visitor to Battlebridge Basin in 1981-2, and I don't remember a wooden butty called Peggy then.

If Pete's last record is from 40 years ago, then sadly I think it unlikely that VR/Peggy is still with us.

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9 hours ago, NJB Titan said:

Thanks Sue, Dave and Pete,

 

I think I'm off track on Victoria Rose, it was Virginia Rose but still VR by the time my parents bought her. My parents were the couple who bought the boat from Jo Gilbert or Jim Marshall at Charity Docks in the early/mid 70's. They are here with me now and are enjoying the news on VR.  When I first asked about the slide show you mention, Pete, they said not them but they're remembering more & that might have been my mum you spoke to as they are indeed Reading based. They say the young couple they sold sold it to talked about going to London and joining up with a group of similar boats, so that ties in and I seem to remember around that time Thames boat licences were based on name, so it may well have picked up the II of V.R.II as a result, but regardless of that it sounds like the same boat. As does Charity Dock & Jo Gilbert tie in. It wasn't an era my parents took many pictures but I think they have one or two, which should include the then cabin and also a file which they'd be happy to do a write up on they say, if it's of interest to anyone or the current owners if anyone knows them??

 

I posted on the Facebook page and the opinion is that it is the Butty Byfield. https://hnbc.org.uk/boats/byfield?fbclid=IwAR1XYJFrrGztJSPRF8egllGQEvz1s_3-9e3f6tFtfa2wXkSOxsNNWzk5neU

 

If anyone wants to pass my details to the current owner, & if they're interested please feel free to DM me. Thank you all again, Nic

It was me who suggested Byfield as a possible identity based on this article 

https://braunstonmarina.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/Running-Scared.pdf

but I have to say I have serious doubts now as the cabin conversion is nothing like that I remember on Byfield.
Jim Marshal owned the Dunlin/Hadfeld another big Ricky but it is not that boat either.

 

Sadly the likelihood of the boat surviving today is slim

 

Paul

Edited by Paul H
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Thanks Paul for posting the link to the article by Tim Coghlan which is very interesting.

The article says that the boat was Byfield, it was owned by Jim Marshall at the time of filming, and it was renamed Virginia Rose for the film.

Jim contributed to Tim's article so must have been quite certain that the boat had been Byfield.

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21 hours ago, NJB Titan said:

Thanks Sue, Dave and Pete,

 

It wasn't an era my parents took many pictures but I think they have one or two, which should include the then cabin and also a file which they'd be happy to do a write up on they say, if it's of interest to anyone or the current owners if anyone knows them??

 

As the owner / operator of probably the largest private archive relating to 'historic' narrow boats I would be very interested in any further details your parents are prepared to share about V.R. and their canal experiences. It is surprising how these 'write ups' and memories / photographs can be the missing link when compared to other similar documents and a context applied.

 

I knew Jim Marshall but sadly he passed away in 2018 :captain:

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I'm sorry to hear that Pete, I had a brief conversation with Jim in 2016 & we had hoped my parents could meet up with him for a chat but it never happened.

 

I'll see what I can get from them in the next few weeks/months & be in touch.

 

Thanks again for the information so far.

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