The Flower of Gloster (1967)

[Pluto]

I always think Charlie's best dead body story was passing some reeds when pressing on, and a dead body standing up in the wash the boat had created, before falling back down on its face. Rewards for finding a body varied from local authority to local authority, so you would make sure you 'found' the body in the right area with the help of a towrope. Some authorities made you wait so you could appear at the inquest, so you could be stuck for several days. In those areas, you just told the next bank man who lived in the area where the body was, and he would report it, the company giving him time off for the inquest.

[Major Dolby]

9 hours ago, Ray T said:

Quote

 

Mike H told me a tale when he and his dad, William were coming through Stoke Bruerne top lock. Jack James had fished a male body out of the cut and was going through the pockets of the deceased male. William "What are you doing Jack." Jack, "looking for money, uh, only 13/4d, 'E don't need it now do 'E, at least I can get a pint." He then proceeded to push the body back in the cut.

 

From the Museum at "The Port."

 

Death and accidents

 

 

Life on the boats was hard and dangerous.

 

The most common death was by drowning, but accidents could be caused by a windlass when it flew off the paddle spindle at speed and broke the operators arm or struck them on the head.

 

The rack and pinion gear of paddles could injure or maim by trapping fingers as the paddles were dropped. Ropes and lines, used to control the boats, could also be hazardous, entangling limbs, fingers and feet as the ropes tightened.

 

Horses and mules could kick of bite without warning; some animals wore muzzles to prevent this. The boats carried heavy cargoes which could crush if they shifted and it was possible to be crushed by the boat if it swung suddenly leaving a lock.

 

The greatest hazard was the water in the canal, incidences of death by drowning seem high and travelling at night and in winter was hazardous.

 

Quote

Although a boatman would stop to rescue a drowning person, he would pass a “dead-un” although there was a small fee for reporting and recovery of a body A corpse is beyond help and if he stopped to recover the body, he might be called to give evidence at the inquest which meant his boat would be tied up and not earning.

 

When they died a boat person was always brought home, the coffin placed just back of the mast of their own boat. The boat was worked “fly”, which meant that every boat on the canal gave way as a token of respect and to speed the journey of the dead person.

 

No matter how arduous their life had been, boatpeople always had a good road home.

That's some dark matter right there. Thank you Ray! I am sure I am not the first to find stories, lore like this fascinating. There is still a type of "silence" like no other if your moored alone on the canal and in the middle of nowhere. I find the best time for my imagination to begin to wander, is when moored under partial tree covering, when the summer night sky is twilight for longer, you moor up near an old stone bridge of which carries a footpath to the seeming silent darkness of nowhere; its here that the silhouettes can play games with your eyes and mind. 

9 hours ago, Pluto said:

I always think Charlie's best dead body story was passing some reeds when pressing on, and a dead body standing up in the wash the boat had created, before falling back down on its face. Rewards for finding a body varied from local authority to local authority, so you would make sure you 'found' the body in the right area with the help of a towrope. Some authorities made you wait so you could appear at the inquest, so you could be stuck for several days. In those areas, you just told the next bank man who lived in the area where the body was, and he would report it, the company giving him time off for the inquest.

Fascinating taking all that in. Chilling but utterly fascinating, Thank you!  

[jeannette smith harrison]

As a child i remember being with my Godparents on Alberts brother boat we where catching a lift up to West Drayton. 

On our way up the Hanwell thicket if i remember correct location. I was shouted at to get down in the cabin now this happened when entering a tunnel to keep kids safe from falling in in the dark,or a body in the water . The Boswell's where a lock in front ( bodies where if carrying a load often passed due to the time lost while police where called e.c.t. after all they would be passed help often they where inmates from the sanitorium along the side of the thicket & the Boatman was on a time line & had a family to feed  ) a few locks up passed the body a policeman was on the tow path &  Cousin John Boswell shouted there's a body down there results= they where held up for many hours & John got a whopping for his action some thing we often laugh about when remembering our child days  . Most boat people had a fear of the water due to many old superstitions revolving around water witches & ghosts .a few of my generation did however learn to swim in the locks .Lucky i was one of them & it saved my life when i was around 7 years old 

[Ray T]

Mike and his dad were in a pub when a brawl broke out. One man smashed a bottle into another man's head and the police were called. 

William offered to be a witness; the police ordered William not to move his boats until further notice, when the incident was sorted out.

 

William says to Mike "Next time I sees nothing."

 

Edited June 13, 2023 by Ray T

[Hudds Lad]

7 hours ago, jeannette smith harrison said:

.a few of my generation did however learn to swim in the locks .Lucky i was one of them & it saved my life when i was around 7 years old 

I was always told that's how my Grandad taught my Dad to swim, took him down to the Broad near Deighton and chucked him in until he got the hang of it  Grandad was very much a believer in the tough love approach.

[Major Dolby]

9 hours ago, jeannette smith harrison said:

As a child i remember being with my Godparents on Alberts brother boat we where catching a lift up to West Drayton. 

On our way up the Hanwell thicket if i remember correct location. I was shouted at to get down in the cabin now this happened when entering a tunnel to keep kids safe from falling in in the dark,or a body in the water . The Boswell's where a lock in front ( bodies where if carrying a load often passed due to the time lost while police where called e.c.t. after all they would be passed help often they where inmates from the sanitorium along the side of the thicket & the Boatman was on a time line & had a family to feed  ) a few locks up passed the body a policeman was on the tow path &  Cousin John Boswell shouted there's a body down there results= they where held up for many hours & John got a whopping for his action some thing we often laugh about when remembering our child days  .

Quote

Most boat people had a fear of the water due to many old superstitions revolving around water witches & ghosts

.a few of my generation did however learn to swim in the locks .Lucky i was one of them & it saved my life when i was around 7 years old 

Thank you for sharing that story Jeannette. I would love to research some of these old superstitions of yester-year. I very much love the stories Three Miles Up by Elizabeth Jane Howard and Bosworth Summit Pound by L.T.C. Rolt. It is my intention on shooting several short films containing these themes of canal superstitions, I am just at the stage of correlating these tales. Perhaps I should make a new message thread asking Canalworld members if they can provide me their stories? Though I do think, overall, this message thread was perfect to reach out. Thank you again Jeannette. 

[Heartland]

I suspect the film by Granada was made at different locations with part 7 there seems to be a scene on the Titford Canal by the Tar Distillery and the stone throwing incident might be there.

 

Interesting dog that named Baskerville 

[Major Dolby]

3 hours ago, Ray T said:

Mike and his dad were in a pub when a brawl broke out. One man smashed a bottle into another man's head and the police were called. 

William offered to be a witness; the police ordered William not to move his boats until further notice, when the incident was sorted out.

 

William says to Mike "Next time I sees nothing."

 

This does seem like the common thought process, when, once upon a time, canal folk encountered such incidents. Thank you Ray

2 hours ago, Hudds Lad said:

I was always told that's how my Grandad taught my Dad to swim, took him down to the Broad near Deighton and chucked him in until he got the hang of it  Grandad was very much a believer in the tough love approach.

That reminds me  

 

[Heartland]

Such incidents still happen, but it now much worse with drugs and violence. People have stopped reporting them in case of reprisals

 

As to part 8 there are some useful shots of Gas Street Basin and the early bridge across the bar lock

 

It is part of a TV series and I suspect the Industrial Archeologist was an actor, however which canal historians assisted with the information, I wonder ?

 

What happened to the NB Barbara ?

 

Edited June 13, 2023 by Heartland

[jeannette smith harrison]

15 hours ago, Major Dolby said:

That's some dark matter right there. Thank you Ray! I am sure I am not the first to find stories, lore like this fascinating. There is still a type of "silence" like no other if your moored alone on the canal and in the middle of nowhere. I find the best time for my imagination to begin to wander, is when moored under partial tree covering, when the summer night sky is twilight for longer, you moor up near an old stone bridge of which carries a footpath to the seeming silent darkness of nowhere; its here that the silhouettes can play games with your eyes and mind. 

Fascinating taking all that in. Chilling but utterly fascinating, Thank you!  

My folk never  tied up under the tree's cos under the spinny is one of the places where the Canal ghosts & nasty's live .

the only time spent under the trees for a short time was late evening with the light shone up into the tree's this blinded the pheasants

long enough for us to wack their legs with the boat pole down they would come breaking their neck as they landed in the hold. all except the one when i did not move quick enough & it landed on me knocking me down & out 

On 04/06/2023 at 15:30, IanD said:

That's a bit of canal history I wasn't aware of. Amazing what you can find by watching kids TV, isn't it? 🙂

 

Now waiting for Episode 9 to see Chocolate Charlie teaching them how to get a boat and butty through a flight of narrow locks, you could see the towline being laid out at the end of Episode 8. I predict some kind of mild peril will follow... 😉

Many of the Ward children attended that School if i remember right Narrow boat some time back did a bit with some pictures on the boat children's life there 

5 hours ago, Ray T said:

Mike and his dad were in a pub when a brawl broke out. One man smashed a bottle into another man's head and the police were called. 

William offered to be a witness; the police ordered William not to move his boats until further notice, when the incident was sorted out.

 

William says to Mike "Next time I sees nothing."

 

I miss Mike & the Sunday afternoon chats he left a big hole that will never be filled 

[Ray T]

Often when some of the boaters were having a "session" in The Greyhound at Suttons "last orders" would be called.

Water cans were produced, filled with beer and the "session" carried on outside.

 

On the way back to their boats one or two would fall in the cut.

 

Photo's, back of The Greyhound from the DVD "Boating in the 50's."

[John Brightley]

On 13/06/2023 at 14:24, Heartland said:

What happened to the NB Barbara ?

Birmingham & Midland CCCo boat "Barbara" was Grand Union CCCo "Argon", and is still around as "Argon", now converted, according to the Historic Narrow Boat Club website.

[mark99]

On 10/06/2023 at 13:45, Graham_Robinson said:

the general charging about looked a bit dodgy, it's a wonder nobody hurt themselves but the camerawork and the shots of boats and places all those years ago more than makes up for that.
All in all a real gem of a period piece.
 

 

The "charging about" is the bit I most enjoyed. A hark back to times when most kids did this without being mollycoddled, surrounded by warning signs or delivered to their every destination in sealed Chelsea Tractors.

 

It is a gem. Rewatching it again.

Edited July 8, 2023 by mark99

[granary_bread]

The YouTube channel has been closed?

[rusty69]

Damn. I was going to watch the final episode today.

 

Can anyone tell me if they made it on time? Did they get paid by the grumpy man in the phone box? Did Ann and Richard get married?

Edited July 8, 2023 by rusty69

[Graham and Jo]

Of couse they made it and despite the obvious chemistry between Ann and Richard they just said goodbye. No hugs, no kisses, no fade to black. I am glad really as I was madly in love with her and couldn't have coped. 

 

Cheers Graham 

[junior]

Glad I managed to watch all episodes then if the channel has disappeared. I wonder if it is anything to do with copyright.

[lampini]

2 hours ago, junior said:

Glad I managed to watch all episodes then if the channel has disappeared. I wonder if it is anything to do with copyright.

I found the channel but the videos have gone so I imagine it is a copyright issue 😢

I was looking forward to it as I have the book on my bookshelf.. 

[Rob-M]

I think the videos may have been made private which means they can only be viewed with a direct link.  When I watched the last episode I got the link from the community tab in the channel but the comment in there states links will be removed after 48 hours.

[sparrowcycles]

where can we watch episode 12 onwards please?

 

we just reached 11 and my girlfriend is going to have a meltdown!

[Graham and Jo]

This channel on youtube seems to be adding episodes. No episode 12 yet but it might be worth keeping an eye on it.

 

 https://youtube.com/@retrobt

 

 Cheers Graham 

 

[sparrowcycles]

16 minutes ago, Graham and Jo said:

This channel on youtube seems to be adding episodes. No episode 12 yet but it might be worth keeping an eye on it.

 

 https://youtube.com/@retrobt

 

 Cheers Graham 

 

Thanks, that is how we have been watching it but we got to number 11 and were worried that was the last they had. 

[Ray T]

12 hours ago, sparrowcycles said:

where can we watch episode 12 onwards please?

 

we just reached 11 and my girlfriend is going to have a meltdown!

 

DVD

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Flower-Gloster-DVD-Richard-OCallaghan/dp/B00WQT47M0/ref=sr_1_1?crid=27LBPI648RP7I&keywords=flower+of+gloster+dvd&qid=1690016961&sprefix=flower+of+gloster%2Caps%2C57&sr=8-1

 

Book

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Flower-Gloster-Temple-Thurston/dp/0715342274/ref=sr_1_2?crid=27LBPI648RP7I&keywords=flower+of+gloster+dvd&qid=1690017391&sprefix=flower+of+gloster%2Caps%2C57&sr=8-2

[David Mack]

1 hour ago, Ray T said:

 

DVD

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Flower-Gloster-DVD-Richard-OCallaghan/dp/B00WQT47M0/ref=sr_1_1?crid=27LBPI648RP7I&keywords=flower+of+gloster+dvd&qid=1690016961&sprefix=flower+of+gloster%2Caps%2C57&sr=8-1

 

Book

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Flower-Gloster-Temple-Thurston/dp/0715342274/ref=sr_1_2?crid=27LBPI648RP7I&keywords=flower+of+gloster+dvd&qid=1690017391&sprefix=flower+of+gloster%2Caps%2C57&sr=8-2

 

But be aware that the DVD and the book are completely different journeys in different places and eras that just have the same title.

[John Brightley]

1 hour ago, David Mack said:

 

But be aware that the DVD and the book are completely different journeys in different places and eras that just have the same title.

This is the book of the TV programme:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Flower-Gloucester-Bill-Grundy/dp/0246640189