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Timber to Leicester


Richard T

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1 hour ago, Captain Pegg said:

 

I took the person stood on the gunwale of the motor to be one of the boat crew and it isn’t obvious to me that it’s a man.

 

JP

I understand that with one or two of the Idle Women it was not obvious that they were women! ?

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17 minutes ago, Richard Carter said:

I'd agree, there's something about the stance, and the jaunty angle of the cap, and she(?) is certainly not dressed like the men doing the unloading - the 'Idle Women' did use a lot of what was then normally considered men's clothing.

The way she seems to be holding the attention of the other ladies it is possible she is a trainer.

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17 minutes ago, Paul H said:

I understand that with one or two of the Idle Women it was not obvious that they were women! ?

I’m not going to rise to it ?

 

They arguably dressed more sensibly for the job than traditional boat women. I think in many of today’s workplaces there are less obvious distinctions between male and female staff. Today’s society doesn’t view that in the same way as in the 1940s.

 

 

10 minutes ago, BWM said:

The way she seems to be holding the attention of the other ladies it is possible she is a trainer.

The person on the butty seems to be looking in the direction of the photographer.

 

JP

Edited by Captain Pegg
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4 hours ago, alan_fincher said:

Looks about right from my memories, but CALDY I have no idea about.

I can certainly easily find pictures for BATH, BEXHILL, BILSTER, CAMBOURNE DARLEY & EDGWARE.

It hadn't occurred to me before that three of those that went to Union Canal Carriers were without the guards, (BEXHILL, BILSTER and EDGWARE).

So were there no Northwich "Towns" that didn't get them?  It appears probably not?

And buttys?

The photographs I have referred to are period photographs, and I have found it quite challenging. I have good photographs of every extant G.U.C.C.Co. Ltd. narrow boat as I carried out a survey of what remains of this fleet during the 1990's - the problem with modern photographs being that they can represent a boat post restoration / modification where bits have been removed or added, and all sorts have happened to these boats over the years !

 

As for the other large Grand Unions that were not fitted with the extra guards:

 

large Norhwich motors:

 

OTLEY (currently has very long extra guards that are welded in position that were not there in 1970)

OAKLEY

PADDINGTON

READING

RENTON

RUFFORD ? (currently has very long extra guards that appear to be rivetted in position = very different to all others)

SHIRLEY

SOUTHALL

TADWORTH

 

I believe that PINNER has had its extra guards removed as part of its recent restoration, and this might also be the case for LADYBANK ?

 

large Woolwich buttys:

 

BANBURY ? (currently has more square section extra guards = very different to all others)

BARRHEAD

BAWTRY

BINGLEY ? (I do not think it has extra guards but hopefully its owner will comment on this - EDIT = yes it has got them so delete BINGLEY)

 

I have no note for the three scrapped large Woolwich buttys, which is obviously an oversight on my behalf. I am sure others will correct some of the above but as said earlier this is a very difficult list to compile :captain:

 

 

Edited by pete harrison
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7 hours ago, David Mack said:

I wonder if the Leicester Mercury could provide a higher resolution copy of the picture in which the writing on the motor cabin side is legible.

I will ask. Email sent requesting high res copy.

 

I've also done some more digging about Gimsons. They had a saw mill on Sanvey Gate (there is a receipt for sale on ebay which gives that address) which is only about 100yards from the Pasture Lane wharf. This means that timber could arrive by boat and then be transferred to the mill for ripping to size planing etc.

The boats are pointing south - the towpath  for most of the way through Leicester is on the west bank - it changes from the east to west at Belgrave lock. The chimneys in the photo could easily be part of the dye and gas works which are visible on the map of the area. The boats could have arrived from the south and winded at Memory Lane wharf/arm which is just north of the location of the image. As an alternative they could have loaded somewhere on the Trent.

Edited by Richard T
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I have now received the hi res image from the Leicester Mercury. See below. I'm not certain if this helps or not. The image does remain of interest, Hopefully someone will now be able to further enhance it and read the lettering on the motor.

wharf.jpg

  • Greenie 1
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1 hour ago, Richard T said:

I have now received the hi res image from the Leicester Mercury. See below. I'm not certain if this helps or not. The image does remain of interest, Hopefully someone will now be able to further enhance it and read the lettering on the motor.

The motor looks to be lettered as British Waterways to my tired eyes, and possibly in Grand Union colours - like how CHERTSEY is currently painted :captain:

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So the cabin sign writing is curved, and has too many letters to be GUCCCo.

 

I think I can see an "ER___S" on the side but I may have been staring at it for too long.

 

The lining looks like GU wartime livery though, so how many boats were painted in that livery with but with British Waterways on the side?

 

I think the captain is in the hold looking at the camera, his wife is in the butty hatch, daughter on the motor and younger son(?) on the gunwale.

 

 

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33 minutes ago, Rose Narrowboats said:

So the cabin sign writing is curved, and has too many letters to be GUCCCo.

Well I can't work it out.

 

Lettering apart, it does appear to be painted in the GUCCCo wartime scheme.

If it were lettered as such, would it not alo have the "Ltd", i.e.

 

G.U.C.C.CO.LTD.

 

(with the O of CO and the TD of LTD reduced in size, but still capitals)?

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 I know Seymour Roseblade, along with Birmingham & Midland and Willow Wren did some timber runs from Boston & Wisbech (later transhipped from barges at Newarke) in the early 60's. They delivered to Gimsons at Bede Island (where the rowing club is now) and also to Scotts Timber just below North lock, where this picture was taken. I think it's 1940's. Scotts must have taken over Gimsons yard. Here's a Leicester Mercury photo from 1965:

 

 

 

SEYMOUR ROSEBLADE 1965.jpg

Edited by Dangereaux
grammar
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Engine room looks to have lift up hatches instead of slides.

Have opened the original photo in photoshop to enlarge it as much as possible.

Motor name looks to be six or seven letters.

Motor fore end hatch cover is possible checkerplate and only curves a little bit over the underneath upstand.

Edited by barry adams
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9 hours ago, barry adams said:

Engine room looks to have lift up hatches instead of slides.

Have opened the original photo in photoshop to enlarge it as much as possible.

Motor name looks to be six or seven letters.

Motor fore end hatch cover is possible checkerplate and only curves a little bit over the underneath upstand.

Scuttle hatch is standard Woolwich (probably kicks up in one corner!) and can't see anything different with the slides, what makes you think that they lift?

 I keep looking at the name and wonder if it says Bath?

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29 minutes ago, BWM said:

Scuttle hatch is standard Woolwich (probably kicks up in one corner!) and can't see anything different with the slides, what makes you think that they lift?

 I keep looking at the name and wonder if it says Bath?

But I keep looking at the name and wonder if it says CHERTSEY ? - which would be too coincidental as CHERTSEY is painted in the Grand Union / British Waterways livery.

 

If this large Woolwich motor is in the Grand Union / British Waterways livery then it can not be BATH, as BATH was sold to the Flixborough Shipping Company in September 1946 - and as you say this is a completely standard large Woolwich motor, slides and all. It did initially cross my mind that this could have been a Flixborough Shipping Company pair but the lettering on the motor does not appear to fit :captain:

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1 hour ago, pete harrison said:

But I keep looking at the name and wonder if it says CHERTSEY ? - which would be too coincidental as CHERTSEY is painted in the Grand Union / British Waterways livery.

 

If this large Woolwich motor is in the Grand Union / British Waterways livery then it can not be BATH, as BATH was sold to the Flixborough Shipping Company in September 1946 - and as you say this is a completely standard large Woolwich motor, slides and all. It did initially cross my mind that this could have been a Flixborough Shipping Company pair but the lettering on the motor does not appear to fit :captain:

I can see what you mean about Chertsey being the name when i look again.

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2 hours ago, BWM said:

Scuttle hatch is standard Woolwich (probably kicks up in one corner!) and can't see anything different with the slides, what makes you think that they lift?

 I keep looking at the name and wonder if it says Bath?

Looking at the engine room with the magnification as high as possible before the photo pixalates.

The tops of the slides / covers appear to be a lot higher than the capping strip across the front of the engine room.

1 copy.jpg

Edited by barry adams
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I still want to see the end of the word "WATERWAYS" on that cabin side, and agree with some that have suggested you might be able to see "ER__S".  However I'm just not seeing enough space between the possible "ER" and the possible final "S" to fit in the "WAY" part.  There isn't enough space for 2 letters, I suggest, let alone 3, and the "W" also consumes more space than most!

That said, I can no more easily see anything that fits with G.U.C.C.CO.LTD, so a bit of a mystery really!

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I agree the lettering looks the right shape to Chertsey.

 

Given the condition of the paintwork it's certainly not recent, so date to the early 50s?

 

Does anyone know who had Chertsey then, and which butties she was paired with? That might rule her in our out.

 

The engine room slides don't look unusual to me. Coincidentally there's a picture elsewhere on the forum of Chertsey (presumably as built) which shows the slides well.spacer.png

Edited by Rose Narrowboats
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2 minutes ago, Rose Narrowboats said:

I agree the lettering looks the right shape to Chertsey.

 

Given the condition of the paintwork it's certainly not recent, so date to the early 50s?

 

Does anyone know who had Chertsey then, and which butties she was paired with? That might rule her in our out.

 

The engine room slides don't look unusual to me. Coincidentally there's a picture elsewhere on the forum of Chertsey (presumably as built) which shows the slides well.spacer.png

That must be early, still got funnel and recessed panels. From what i've seen the slides often grew in height with the addition of extra layers of wood (repairs?) and strips of wood for finger grips.

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2 minutes ago, Lorna said:

18/5/1960 from Braunston Lock Keepers log 130 Chertsey steerer Withey loaded to Apsley

 

This information does not refer to the above picture. 

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