Gertrude

[PeterScott]

...Carl, did those folk who bought Gertrude Bow Haul her north?

No. Sadly Gertrude was broken up, last year.

Comments from the current 'rocking the boat' topic: does it continue a topic I've missed?

 

References I can find: a letter in June 1981 WW "recently bought butty Gertrude (but known as Clifton County since she was converted and motorised)"

Anyway here we are towing nbGertrude at Rugby; we had passed her being single-handedly bowhauled at Calcutt and took her to Hawkesbury on 22-23Aug1995; said to be headed for the Macclesfield after having been rescued from a long-term sinking. Heard later that an outboard was acquired to assist the journey. Here is a picture from Waterways World published in 1977 of her in working days and here and

a couple of pictures from t'Internet. Angle is the same as mine even if the location is different :-)

 

This mentions an October 1998 trip "'Southam' ... locks beside the main road to Sandbach ... passed the Samuel Barlows butty Gertrude moored on the outside, ... its owner has fitted a lot of new planks" as well as saying here that Gertrude is a SBCC/Nurses butty currently in Macclesfield with a cabin conversion. This refers to being built in 1945 by Samuel Barlow at Braunston while this refers to Samuel Barlow butty No 66 "currently converted at Newbury Wharf and at risk".

 

Demonstrating the ills of Googling with insufficient background, and references to different boats, maybe? Saved you all from the references to gertrudes and chip butties, though.

 

Anyway, a pity if the butty has been broken up; a bit of recent history gone.

 

Regards

PeterScott

[carlt]

Hi Peter

Interesting pictures.

 

There's more discussion, about Gertrude's fate, in this thread:

 

clicky

[carlt]

The last picture, of mum and daughter, on Gertrude's back deck, is on the front cover of an excellent book called "Canals of England" by Eric de Mare, btw.

 

 

Edited March 6, 2009 by carlt

[alan_fincher]

There's a good side on view of (most of) the back cabin and back end in Alan Faulner's "Barlows" - one of those slender books published by Robert Wilson.

 

It explains that by the time she was built at Braunston, Barlows had taken over Nurser's yard, although the Nursers were still active in running it, and supervising new boat builds. It places Gertrude as March 1945. Beautiful looking boats.

[churchward]

The last picture, of mum and daughter, on Gertrude's back deck, is on the front cover of an excellent book called "Canals of England" by Eric de Mare, btw.

 

 

 

I like the way the roses are painted on the doors they look more plump and lush than some modern examples. I also like the small anchor anchor motif at the bottom right of the picture.

[carlt]

I like the way the roses are painted on the doors they look more plump and lush than some modern examples. I also like the small anchor anchor motif at the bottom right of the picture.

The anchor motif is, I understand, peculiar to Nursers.

[Hyperion 53]

I have a picture of Empress (owned by Simon Jenkins at the time) and Gertrude going up the Thames, when it went down onto the Kennet and Avon. I will try and dig it out.

 

 

Regards