Do Not Moor On The Towpath Side

[Laurie Booth]

That counts and it half horse!!!

Don't tell Dolly

[Alan Saunders]

I do not know when horse-drawn traffic ceased on the Wey and Godalming Navigation (Steven's Navigation?) - except for Iona as previously mentioned. I too remember those solid little tractors on the GU - maybe as late as 1960?

 

As a teenager my father (1921 - ) lived in house (long since demolished) with a garden backing on to the Wey in Guildford. He recounts how, after completing his paper round (on a Saturday?) he would sometimes pass his bike over a bridge to crew his schoolmate's father's barge. As I recall the boatman was known as 'Leggy' - strange for a broad canal? More information at National Trust - Dapdune Wharf.

 

Apparently, the barge carried timber from Weybridge to Cox's Mill. Upstream it was horse drawn, downstream it was 'poled'. There was a walkway down the side of the barge and you repeatedly walked to the bow, planted the long pole then walked to the stern. I once asked dad how the horses got back to Weybridge but he could only say that he was never there when the horse was.

 

I do like to see traditional boats on the waterways. If you enjoy circus acts, take a trip from Kintbury. Whoop with joy as the Boatman runs across boat roofs and makes death-defying leaps from one boat to another. Raise a cheer when chimneys and other gear are swept into the canal. Feel satisfied when the heavy, wet, sand loaden hawser scrapes across the legally moored craft. With luck you may witness serious damage, such as broken windows. Unfortunately, you cannot laugh at the poor sod inneffectually attempting to pole from the roof (no 'walkway') unless you are on the bank.

 

Anywhere between Kintbury and Hungerford you may suffer damage. The locals will advise you.

 

Alan

[Derek R.]

Why was that? So the fly boats could see they were there?

 

Why would the light not be necessary on a 'recognised official mooring place'?

 

I think you may have missed the words: "anywhere other than a . ."

 

Egg on my face - I missed "Why would the light not be . . . "

Edited July 9, 2011 by Derek R.

[XAlan W]

sort of!

Iona is actually Bellerophon, small Woolwich butty from 'The Bargee' Fame

Dan

 

Shopshire Union Cruises original horse drawn trip boat Iona was wood & only just managed to pass it`s BoT examination in 1967, & at that time it was cheaper to aquire a steel/composite boat than repair the original.Bellerophon was purchased from BW & was lying at the Hillmorton workshops, I boated to Hillmorton from Mk Drayton in LILY & towed Bellerophon back to Norbury, IIRC around June of 1968. It was then fitted out with canopy , seats etc. Bot licence obtained name changed to Iona & entered service. AFAIR it was still at Norbury till the mid 70`s later sold on & moved south

[Robbo]

I recently purchased a book called" Inland Waterways of Great Britain and Northern Ireland" it was printed in 1950 (I love second hand bookshops.)

 

The book is available here to download (for free)...

 

http://www.archive.org/details/inlandwaterwayso032039mbp

[history girl]

Hi

The last horse working boat was still around up to 1963. The Llangollen operates a tourist horse drawn boat above the BW basin.

[Paul H]

I thought this deserved a wider audience and this was an appropriate place to post it.

 

ukrec waterways thread

 

Horseboating book

 

Memories of horsedrwan hostelboating and hotelboating from the 60s and 70s

 

A bit pricey (although I'm tempted) but you can preview 61 pages online for free. Use the enlarge to full screen button on the bottom right unless you've got particularly good eyesight!

 

Enjoy!

 

Paul

[Timleech]

Shopshire Union Cruises original horse drawn trip boat Iona was wood & only just managed to pass it`s BoT examination in 1967, & at that time it was cheaper to aquire a steel/composite boat than repair the original.Bellerophon was purchased from BW & was lying at the Hillmorton workshops, I boated to Hillmorton from Mk Drayton in LILY & towed Bellerophon back to Norbury, IIRC around June of 1968. It was then fitted out with canopy , seats etc. Bot licence obtained name changed to Iona & entered service. AFAIR it was still at Norbury till the mid 70`s later sold on & moved south

 

The whole of the deck (bow) of the original Iona had been filled with foam to keep the BoT happy for a while, open the deck lid and all you saw was yellow foam up to the top.

A friend of mine, Phil Haves, bought the boat, a gang of us helped him to take it from Norbury to the Birmingham IWA rally & then back to Preston Brook, where he converted it to live on while a student at Oxford. There was lots of bow-hauling involved. including walking in the cut because the Shroppie tow-path at that time was, shall we say, 'incomplete' in places. I have a rather surreal recollection of chancing upon a possibly coal-fired mobile chippy, by an SU bridge in the middle of nowhere during this operation, a welcome sight as we were rather unexpectedly able to refuel from it.

 

Tim

[Derek R.]

Best book I have come across for Horse boating is 'The Horse on the Cut', Amazon have a number second hand from £3.50 (+p&p)

 

There's also Sight Seen videos: 'Towpath encounter' covers horse boating on the Birmingham & Worcester.

[Tiny]

I understand the horse drawn hotel boat on the Monty has ceased running as the towpath was too overgrown and the canal got ever shallower. A few years back there were hire boats running on this section but a little neglect goes a long way.

[Pluto]

I recently purchased a book called" Inland Waterways of Great Britain and Northern Ireland" it was printed in 1950 (I love second hand bookshops.)

 

In the section on mooring it says the following

 

 

 

 

My question is when was the last horse drawn boat still working on the canal.

On the L&LC, the last horse boat was Ainscough's Parbold which finished circa 1960.

[alan_fincher]

They are reputed to be the last but that honour must surely go to Caggy Stevens who was working horsedrawn well into the 80s.

 

 

I recall Caggy's horsedrawn bin boats and I didn't start boating until 1983 so he must have still been at it up to the mid-80s.

 

I must admit this sounded wrong to me when you posted it, but I didn't challenge then, as I had no evidence.

 

However quite by chance I have happened upon a Waterways World for April 1975, that records that "Mac" bows out", saying he died in November 1974.

 

The article states he was the last horse boat in use on the BCN, and certainly isn't written in a way that implies Mr Stevens was about to find another, quite a few months after "Mac's" death.

 

As "Caggy" himself looks quite elderly in the photo, I find it hard to imagine that he had resumed the use of horses for boat haulage 8 years later, so I can't explain why you recall working horse boats (for freight carriage) well into the 1980s.

[carlt]

 

As "Caggy" himself looks quite elderly in the photo, I find it hard to imagine that he had resumed the use of horses for boat haulage 8 years later, so I can't explain why you recall working horse boats (for freight carriage) well into the 1980s.

I recall a Central TV piece about Caggy still working into his 80s. The piece showed him working a horse drawn boat , though it may have been archive footage.

 

As I didn't move to the Midlands until 1985 it would have been impossible for me to see such a local TV item before then.

 

I wasn't stating a fact. Like most posts made in the H&H section, I was looking for confirmation of my suspicions.

[BuckbyLocks]

I recall a Central TV piece about Caggy still working into his 80s. The piece showed him working a horse drawn boat , though it may have been archive footage.

 

As I didn't move to the Midlands until 1985 it would have been impossible for me to see such a local TV item before then.

 

I wasn't stating a fact. Like most posts made in the H&H section, I was looking for confirmation of my suspicions.

 

Fraid I can't confirm or deny any of it but I do KNOW that Caggy tried several horses after Mac died, without much sucess. One I recall fell in the cut several times and lost confidence so it would not go onto the towpath, and another damaged a foot so badly it couldn't continue. I can't remember any horses after he moved from Whimsy Bridge, apart from the one he was going to use with a trip boat. (Rye I think but it was a long time ago.)

[alan_fincher]

Fraid I can't confirm or deny any of it but I do KNOW that Caggy tried several horses after Mac died, without much sucess. One I recall fell in the cut several times and lost confidence so it would not go onto the towpath, and another damaged a foot so badly it couldn't continue. I can't remember any horses after he moved from Whimsy Bridge, apart from the one he was going to use with a trip boat. (Rye I think but it was a long time ago.)

That's interesting......

 

Certainly the report in the WW I have here is presented very much along the lines of "Mac" being the last, with no suggestion that Caggy intended to try and find a replacement.

 

I do recall a trip through Birmingham in the early 1970s where we encountered "Mac" at work - not having prior knowledge of it, I was very surprised, if only because I don't recall seeing any other commercial boat actually at work as we passed through.

[LEO]

Hi,

 

My pal helped Sue Day on her epic journey by horse boat some 12 years ago from the Midlands to the IWA festival at Enfield.

 

Two problems emerged, especially as they approached London, the first was lifting the tow rope over moored boats and the second was finding safe overnight grazing for the horse.

 

Judging by the increase in the numbers of moored boats on the towpath it would be vitually impossible to repeat her journey now.

 

Leo.

[BuckbyLocks]

That's interesting......

 

Certainly the report in the WW I have here is presented very much along the lines of "Mac" being the last, with no suggestion that Caggy intended to try and find a replacement.

 

I do recall a trip through Birmingham in the early 1970s where we encountered "Mac" at work - not having prior knowledge of it, I was very surprised, if only because I don't recall seeing any other commercial boat actually at work as we passed through.

Because he still had the rubbish contract with the 'Wire' (bottom of Camp Hill) a horse was the favoured means of traction. Taking the tug up and down the Thirteen and Ashted as well as bringing the joey back with you was a real pain. After Mac died it was normal for the joey to be dragged to the tug waiting at Cambrian Wharf. My wife recalls having to steer Otley into the top lock of the Thirteen with Caggy standing on the bridge watching her. We went into his stable on one occasion to see his 'new oss' but it wasn't a success. I believe Mac had started work as a boat horse for Bham. Corporation.

[Blossom]

After the death of 'Mac' Caggy had another horse by the name of 'Nobby' although it's career was quite short as upon falling into the cut it got a piece of broken glass go through the sole of it's hoof and became incurably lame. This was certainly in 1975 or possibly early 1976 and was the last horse working freight on the BCN.