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'Chocolate' Charlie Atkins


jake_crew

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I have an undated photocopy of an interview with Charlie Atkins snr. from the BW house magazine Waterways News called 'Charlie and his chocolate boat - a story from the '50s' by Andre Drucker. A portrait of Charlie by the author was published with the article titled 'Chocolate Charlie'.

 

At the time of the original interview Charlie was on CLEMATIS and had been working between Knighton and Bournville for 'many months', and he was said to have been born 'fifty odd years ago'.

 

Can members tell me what date the article was published?

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There is another song about Charlie Atkins on the 'Songs of the Inland Waterways' website. It is called 'Charlie Atkins' by Mal Edwards http://www.waterwaysongs.co.uk/Charlie_Atkins.htm

 

Maybe this might get a better reception than Bill Malkin's song which got some rather unfavourable (and undeserved IMO) comments.

 

Perhaps there needs to be another verse added to 'Grumpy Old Boater'? http://www.waterwaysongs.co.uk/grumpy_old_boater.html

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As someone who knew the Atkins family, I was appalled by the Malkin offering, Mal Edwards' version is much more rounded and realistic, he was boating in the 60s when I knew him slightly.

 

I think that the " Narrow Boats " album, put out by the BBC in the late 60s and containing material penned by David Blagrove was one of the starting points for the canal related songs now extant.

 

Bugsworth, you may want to look in History and Heritage for the lyrics to a ballad from Victorian times with a boating theme if you are seeking material. I put them there a few weeks ago while the memory still has them, the post clarifies the background.

 

Cheers.

 

Dave

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As someone who knew the Atkins family, I was appalled by the Malkin offering, Mal Edwards' version is much more rounded and realistic, he was boating in the 60s when I knew him slightly.

 

I think that the " Narrow Boats " album, put out by the BBC in the late 60s and containing material penned by David Blagrove was one of the starting points for the canal related songs now extant.

 

Bugsworth, you may want to look in History and Heritage for the lyrics to a ballad from Victorian times with a boating theme if you are seeking material. I put them there a few weeks ago while the memory still has them, the post clarifies the background.

 

Cheers.

 

Dave

 

Hi Dave,

 

Thanks for the pointer to the Victorian ballad which I would like to add to the 'Songs of the Inland Waterways' archive. Does it have a title? By the way, I envy your memory!

 

You are quite right about the starting point for the production of canal related songs in the 1970s. It was 'Straight from the Tunnels Mouth' by The Boatmen which first got me hooked. With somewhere in the region of 300 songs in the archive (some good, some not so good) I take it as a good sign that people are inspired by our waterways to want to write songs about them. I think that modern songs which try to tell historical tales can fail on a number of levels - as evidenced by the response to 'Chocolate Charlie'.

 

Ian

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I seem to think that the name Chocolate Charlie, was a name used by the kids of the cut, like Johnny Jinks, and Maureen Shaw?, when they were young, it was a sign of respect.. They both told me of how when Charlie was on the Cadburys run, he would always have a buck full of Crumb in the engine hole, and if you were polite and helpful he would dole it.

--

cheers Ian Mac

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  • 3 weeks later...

I remember Charlie Atkins when he was moored outside the, then new Marina Village in Runcorn, I think that was the late 70's. As far back as I can remember he was known fondly as Chocolate Charlie. I wasn't aware that he'd steered Lapwing for Peter Froud until I read this thread, which is nice to know as we bought Lapwing from Peter. I did a charcoal drawing of him standing on the back of his boat and it was recognised by his niece. I did offer to do her a copy of it when I met her at the Northwich Boat Rally, not the last one but the one before and I'd love to track her down as I don't like not forfulling promises, but I lost her name and have no idea of her whereabouts only that she lived somewhere in Northwich and had a beautifully presented working boat, which I understand had won at one of that years shows. Vague I know.

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  • 2 years later...
On 09/04/2016 at 12:42, Chris M Jones said:

I have an undated photocopy of an interview with Charlie Atkins snr. from the BW house magazine Waterways News called 'Charlie and his chocolate boat - a story from the '50s' by Andre Drucker. A portrait of Charlie by the author was published with the article titled 'Chocolate Charlie'.

 

At the time of the original interview Charlie was on CLEMATIS and had been working between Knighton and Bournville for 'many months', and he was said to have been born 'fifty odd years ago'.

 

Can members tell me what date the article was published?

 

10 hours ago, Ian Mac said:

Found it!

DSC_4542.JPG

Holy thread resurrection Batman!  Good effort on recalling the topic, never mind finding the article!  So, all our OP now needs (and the rest of us excited onlookers!) is the date of the  magazine... :)

 

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It must have been circa 1975 when Charlie was living outside of Tony Lewery's cottage at Preston Brook. Mendip's cabin was in a poor state, with the external cladding needing replacement. Charlie moved off onto Gifford while Tony plus others re-clad the cabin on Mendip. I remember the internal cladding being fine, apart from the stip along the gunwhale, a testament to the white lead and canvas intermediate layer. Charlie liked Gifford's cabin and stove, suggesting that the oven on the latter would get hot enough 'to have chops bouncing in the pan'.

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  • 1 year later...

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