'Taw' photos and info' wanted

[Squeezy]

Hi folks, we have recently been fortunate enough to aquire a former BW River class butty 'Taw' , built by Thames Launch Works in 1958.Now motorised with a nice counter and full cabin and sporting a Lister Hr2 with Blackstone box .We're very happy with her and have brought her from Cassio wharf near Ricky to her new base near Fradley Junction on the T&M.

We'd love to find out more about her history and would be especially keen to have photo's of her working past. Does anyone have any information or ideas on where we might look?

Cheers, Squeezy.

[Mike C]

........in thw late 80's it was owned by a biker with lots of white hair and white beard who was known as 'Snowy'

[Heartland]

I see TAW was one of six River Class all steel "butty" boats, built by the Thames Launch Works, Teddington (ALT, AXE, CAM, DEE, TAW & WYE). The date of fitting the motor to Taw has yet to be discovered, I believe. Another three of this class was fitted with a transferrable Harbour Master engine (ANNE, Beryl & LEE).

 

Ray Shill

[Laurence Hogg]

I see TAW was one of six River Class all steel "butty" boats, built by the Thames Launch Works, Teddington (ALT, AXE, CAM, DEE, TAW & WYE). The date of fitting the motor to Taw has yet to be discovered, I believe. Another three of this class was fitted with a transferrable Harbour Master engine (ANNE, Beryl & LEE).

 

Ray Shill

Anne, Beryl & Lee were built by E C Jones at Brentford and differ considerably from the Thames Launch boats.

[pete harrison]

The date of fitting the motor to Taw has yet to be discovered, I believe.

 

Ray Shill

TAW was sold by British Waterways Board to Thames Conservancy in 1965 for use as a maintenance boat. Thames Conservancy sold several 'River Class' boats in 1980, including TAW, and it was very shortly afterwards that the counter stern replaced the original butty stern. The engine fitted at this time was a two cylinder Widdop and the boat was 'reconstructed' as a carrying boat complete with blue tops. TAW languished in this format for several years at Springwell lock, Rickmansworth and was converted to a more conventional house boat in 1999. I do not know when the Lister HR2 was fitted into TAW, replacing the unusual (for a narrow boat) Widdop.

[Speedwheel]

TAW was sold by British Waterways Board to Thames Conservancy in 1965 for use as a maintenance boat. Thames Conservancy sold several 'River Class' boats in 1980, including TAW, and it was very shortly afterwards that the counter stern replaced the original butty stern. The engine fitted at this time was a two cylinder Widdop and the boat was 'reconstructed' as a carrying boat complete with blue tops. TAW languished in this format for several years at Springwell lock, Rickmansworth and was converted to a more conventional house boat in 1999. I do not know when the Lister HR2 was fitted into TAW, replacing the unusual (for a narrow boat) Widdop.

 

It would be interesting to know where the Widdop went.

[Heartland]

It is nice to know Pete has picked up on a useful point. But another thought is that all these River class boats were built under a nationalised industry and at time when narrow boat carrying was in the final decline. As relatively new craft they still had a useful life, which probably a reason why they were sold on.

 

Ray Shill

[Laurence Hogg]

Ray brings home a moot point. They were built under a nationalised industry which had already decided in the early 1950's that the family system of boating with narrowboats was to be finished. In this class you had two builders, basicly three designs, butty, butty without a cabin using a drop in cabin, a motor using a drop in cabin, there were also minor design differences, then major mods undertaken. On these and the Admiral class the Docks and Inland Waterways Research facility at Bulls Bridge played a big part and one wonders if they were just making work to keep themselves going? In the Admiral class you have three motor designs with major differences and three butty designs the same, then there are minor differences, in such small numbers the builders did get very annoyed with BW, this I know from talking to the Pimblott's when researching for a model years ago. Lord knows what would have been seen if the "County" class had been built in any numbers as planned!

And today has BW changed? - just look at the maintenance fleet cock ups of recent years!

[Squeezy]

Thanks fellas! The Widdop was replaced by the previous owner Don sometime during the 10 years he had Taw. No idea where it went. I got a nice photo' from Tim at Braunston of one of the River class buttys being towed through some locks on the Northampton by a horse that was apparently provided by BW for the purpose! Can't tell if it's Taw or not but it's getting framed and going on the wall anyway.

[pete harrison]

As relatively new craft they still had a useful life, which probably a reason why they were sold on.

 

Ray Shill

I have British Waterways Board tender forms listing over 100 boats for sale during the early to mid 1960's. It is clear to me that British Waterways Boards were selling off their redundant craft irrespective of age, both from their carrying fleet and maintenance craft.

 

I got a nice photo' from Tim at Braunston of one of the River class buttys being towed through some locks on the Northampton by a horse that was apparently provided by BW for the purpose! Can't tell if it's Taw or not but it's getting framed and going on the wall anyway.

I suspect your photograph is one taken by the late Jim Payler. Mr Payler lived in Blisworth and photographed many narrow boats in the area during the mid to late 1950's, and much of his collection has been published over the years. Mr Payler supplied me with a digital copy of most of his photographs (I helped identify several boats for him) which includes several of 'River Class' buttys in carrying service - including a couple with the horse on the Northampton Arm.

[Chertsey]

I met the owners of Lee in Cambridge in 2007. At the time it still had its Harbourmaster ( I believe it was one of the last boats to be sold off by the Thames Conservancy/ EA and had latterly been employed emptying the septic tanks of lock cottages) and think it was the last of these boats to retain its original engine set up.

 

Sadly (IMO) the engine was replaced shortly afterwards with a more conventional set up, and the boat subsequently sold.

[pete harrison]

I met the owners of Lee in Cambridge in 2007. At the time it still had its Harbourmaster ( I believe it was one of the last boats to be sold off by the Thames Conservancy/ EA and had latterly been employed emptying the septic tanks of lock cottages) and think it was the last of these boats to retain its original engine set up.

 

Sadly (IMO) the engine was replaced shortly afterwards with a more conventional set up, and the boat subsequently sold.

The only two original 'Blue Top' motors were ANNE and LEE. ANNE was also operated for several years by Thames Concervancy utill being sold (as an open boat without its engine and in the same batch as TAW) in 1979 / 1980. Very shortly after being sold ANNE was converted to a counter sterned motor and was re-equipped with the 'Blue Tops' that it still retains today.

 

I agree it is a shame that both ANNE and LEE have been converted to counter sterned motors as an important part of narrow boat development has been lost.

[Laurence Hogg]

I thought there were three "River class" motors, Anne, Beryl and Lee, none had a fixed cabin just the lift out job. Not really sure whether these were intended to be "River class", with names of girls!

[Chertsey]

Lee is surely a river rather than a girl (especially of that vintage)?

[Laurence Hogg]

Lee is surely a river rather than a girl (especially of that vintage)?

Or is it a male name?? certainly no river Anne or Beryl that I know of?

[pete harrison]

I thought there were three "River class" motors, Anne, Beryl and Lee, none had a fixed cabin just the lift out job. Not really sure whether these were intended to be "River class", with names of girls!

I have known BERYL since 1980, when it was sold by Thames Concervancy - restored (in 'River Class' style) and used as a butty to Roger Fuller's Large Woolwich motor ELSTREE. This boat is still extant as a house boat, and the last time I saw it still retained a butty stern. A photograph published in Michael E. Ware's Narrow Boats At Work (frame 60) shows ANNE and BERYL during an experimental trip in about 1961, and I also have a copy of the 1964 B.W.B. tender form which includes BERYL as a butty. I understood these pairs to have been ANNE and LEE as motors with BERYL and RAY as their buttys - although they saw little if any carrying service until being sold to Thames Concervancy.

 

I refer to these boats as 'experimental Blue Tops' rather than 'River Class', although all of these craft clearly share some design details.

[Chertsey]

I understood Anne and Beryl to be prototypes, and all that came after them, including Lee, to be rivers.

Always rather disappointed that there was no Uck.

[Laurence Hogg]

I understood Anne and Beryl to be prototypes, and all that came after them, including Lee, to be rivers.

Always rather disappointed that there was no Uck.

 

Wrong way round, Anne, Lee, Ray and Beryl were the final boats built for BW in 1961 after the rest of the river class boats, as Pete says they were "experimental" and seemingly named after people (maybe the researchers families?). They were the product of the docks and inland waterways research station at Bull Bridge. They languished for four years until going to the Thames. The research facility was moved to Southampton university after Bulls Bridge ceased to be a full maintenance depot.

[Derek R.]

(snip)

Always rather disappointed that there was no Uck.

 

Too much of an opportunity for graffiti 'artists', such as done with King Orry when on dock and approaching launch with much to do . . .

[Chertsey]

Yes, the road bridge across the river has a specially shaped sign for that reason.

[Chertsey]

Yes, the road bridge across the river has a specially shaped sign for that reason.

[David Mack]

Too much of an opportunity for graffiti 'artists'. . .

 

I used to know someone whose boat was named after the River Anker...

 

David

[WCC]

Would love to see photo of river calls butty and horse! We have EXE