Boat called Puffin from Hull

[PuffinHull]

 

This photo is of my great-grandma and her brother working their barge at Halifax around the early 1930's I think - Elizabeth Anne Hunt and Ralph Hunt. They lived in Thorne.

 

I was wondering what the chances are the Puffin is still afloat? Is there a register somewhere of canal barges? I am very interested in history and would love to know any information whatsoever about this type of boat. She seems to be wider than a lot of the ones I see as houseboats.

Edited January 10, 2013 by PuffinHull

[Guest]

Puffin to me looks like a classic - Leeds and Liverpool Short boat....

[Starcoaster]

There is a web site called Jim Shead that displays the details of all known licensed boats on UK inland waterways, that may be what you are thinking of.

 

Running a search for a boat named 'Puffin' with the approx. parameters of the boat in the pic would seem to indicate that the boat is not currently on the water under its original name. That doesn't mean it isn't called something else now though, of course.

 

This is the link:

 

 

http://www.jim-shead.com/waterways/boats.php

 

If it is an L&L short boat (I don't know well enough to tell) then these links might be helpful:

 

http://www.burscoughheritage.ukcanals.net/index.html

 

http://www.burscoughheritage.ukcanals.net/hlinks.html

Edited January 10, 2013 by Starcoaster

[carlt]

Puffin to me looks like a classic - Leeds and Liverpool Short boat....

It's a wooden Yorkshire Keel and almost certainly gone as the last surviving one is 'Guidance' at Shoreham, though I'm happy to be corrected..

[The Bagdad Boatman (waits)]

With Mackintosh's factory in the background Puffin had to be a Calder and Hebble boat of around 57ft x 14 There is a least one iron boat June still around. June used to have a square sail as most Yorkshire keels used..

Edited January 10, 2013 by The Bagdad Boatman (waits)

[BargeeSpud]

Wow! You have proper waterways heritage.

 

Good luck in your search, hope you have success.

[Pluto]

With Mackintosh's factory in the background Puffin had to be a Calder and Hebble boat of around 57ft x 14 There is a least one iron boat June still around. June used to have a square sail as most Yorkshire keels used..

Puffin is certainly a Yorkshire keel, and Mackintosh's factory suggests the Calder & Hebble Navigation, as their main factory was in Halifax, at the end of the Halifax branch. This closed in 1942. The keels working on the C&HN were 14 feet 6 inch wide and those registered in Hull would have been uncommon by the mid-20th century. The C&HN had its locks widened and lengthened progressively, though the works were never completed. I think the furthest a 15 feet 6 in keel, their more common width, could go was Figure of Three Locks, above Horbury. There is a wooden C&HN keel just about surviving at the National Waterways Museum at Ellesmere Port. It was built just after the war when good quality wood was in short supply and now needs a complete rebuild.

 

The June is a former Aire & Calder Navigation flyboat, built in the 1870s for towage by steam tugs. She was fitted with a mast and sails by Chris Topp in the 1980s.

[Guest]

It's a wooden Yorkshire Keel and almost certainly gone as the last surviving one is 'Guidance' at Shoreham, though I'm happy to be corrected..

 

Puffin is certainly a Yorkshire keel,

 

 

I stand corrected.

[Skye]

There are quite a few surviving keels to be found up and down, Sobriety is one of a few that are at Goole, Yorkshire waterways museum.

 

My partners family lived and worked on "the boats" and talking to her uncle Terry just before Christmas (he is possibly the last in her family who remembers)he was telling me of the keels his dad and granddad "sailed", They had a single mast with a square rig for Humber work, resorting to horse on the canals on the up journey and hand towed back down! ("uncle Earnest were a big bloke" he said - I'm not supprised!

 

Perhaps someone could hep, on the 1911 Yorkshire Census my partners g granddad was living on a boat with his family, including her granddad. The boats name we can not transcribe but I don't know how to put the image on here!

 

By the way keels came in varying lengths - Mavers keels were 57 feet by 14 feet 8inch same as the L&L short keels. Sheffield keels were 61 feet, Barnsley Keels were 70 feet. They started lengthening the locks on the Calder & Hebble to cater for the Barnsley keels and larger (Fall Ings lock is 120 feet. Apparently the boats locked down onto the Calder to get around the figure of Three, but walking around the area I can not see how they got back up - there is a old lock at Horbury bridge but this is above the weir)

 

Sorry don't want to hijack the thread - perhaps the Yorkshire waterways museum at Goole could help you on the Puffin question

Edited January 10, 2013 by Skye

[carlt]

There are quite a few surviving keels to be found up and down, Sobriety is one of a few that are at Goole, Yorkshire waterways museum.

Indeed there are but there is only one wooden keel extant (plus one mouldering away at Ellesmere Port), which is what I was talking about.

[Guest]

There are quite a few surviving keels to be found up and down, Sobriety is one of a few that are at Goole, Yorkshire waterways museum.

 

Sobriety can also be regularly seen out and about on the A&CN -

 

Moored just up from us at Cas last summer.

 

 

 

Two of our LTM neighbours have a Humber keels too. (name escapes me at the mo.)

Edited January 10, 2013 by The Dog House

[Athy]

Fine boat, shame about the name.

[Nightwatch]

Fine boat, shame about the name.

Part of a charity organisation I believe.

 

Martyn

[Pluto]

There are quite a few surviving keels to be found up and down, Sobriety is one of a few that are at Goole, Yorkshire waterways museum.

 

My partners family lived and worked on "the boats" and talking to her uncle Terry just before Christmas (he is possibly the last in her family who remembers)he was telling me of the keels his dad and granddad "sailed", They had a single mast with a square rig for Humber work, resorting to horse on the canals on the up journey and hand towed back down! ("uncle Earnest were a big bloke" he said - I'm not supprised!

 

Perhaps someone could hep, on the 1911 Yorkshire Census my partners g granddad was living on a boat with his family, including her granddad. The boats name we can not transcribe but I don't know how to put the image on here!

 

By the way keels came in varying lengths - Mavers keels were 57 feet by 14 feet 8inch same as the L&L short keels. Sheffield keels were 61 feet, Barnsley Keels were 70 feet. They started lengthening the locks on the Calder & Hebble to cater for the Barnsley keels and larger (Fall Ings lock is 120 feet. Apparently the boats locked down onto the Calder to get around the figure of Three, but walking around the area I can not see how they got back up - there is a old lock at Horbury bridge but this is above the weir)

 

Sorry don't want to hijack the thread - perhaps the Yorkshire waterways museum at Goole could help you on the Puffin question

 

The surviving keels was discussed at some length recently in the topicSheffield sized boats. L&LC boats were longer than you suggest, with 61 feet 6 inches being the length quoted in the canal company's specification for new boats.

 

The lengthening of the C&HN locks was started when the waterway was under A&CN control, and they were hoping to have the locks increased to the then A&CN standard.

[Derek R.]

(snippped) I don't know how to put the image on here!

(snipped)

 

 

Help is at hand:

Posting images.

[Skye]

The surviving keels was discussed at some length recently in the topicSheffield sized boats. L&LC boats were longer than you suggest, with 61 feet 6 inches being the length quoted in the canal company's specification for new boats.

 

The lengthening of the C&HN locks was started when the waterway was under A&CN control, and they were hoping to have the locks increased to the then A&CN standard.

 

Sorry I meant the longer Sheffield boats, The Barnsley canal was took over by the Aire & Calder in its latter years and the extension to the locks from Wakefield was to cater for the sea going vessels, Billy Boys (two masted vessels)to cut down on Transshipment

 

I really need to re read an excellent book by Roger Glister called The forgotten Canals of Yorkshire.

 

What I should have done, although I never met HWNTBO Grandad, I did know aunty Irene who quite often joined her dad on the boat, but sadly she as passed away, uncle Terry remembers the boats but not the type and the mother in law again remembers the boats but being 10 years younger her memory of them is vague, she as told me that before she was born, two children were lost in the cut that would have been her uncles (more genealogy for me to do!)

 

I'll try posting the 1911 Census - Thanks for link

 

David

[Skye]

Help is at hand:

Posting images.

Derek

I'm sorry it would have been quicker to print a few copies off and hand delivered them to you all

 

The image is in PDF format, Imageshack does to take this format, so I have downloaded a converter and changed it to an image. tried to open an Imageshack account (nearly there just problem with log on) tried to down load image now too big! Paint shop pro time!

[tree]

 

This photo is of my great-grandma and her brother working their barge at Halifax around the early 1930's I think - Elizabeth Anne Hunt and Ralph Hunt. They lived in Thorne.

 

I was wondering what the chances are the Puffin is still afloat? Is there a register somewhere of canal barges? I am very interested in history and would love to know any information whatsoever about this type of boat. She seems to be wider than a lot of the ones I see as houseboats.

what a wonderful photograph and from the best city in the world ( no prizes where I am from mind you being a fairly youngish tree !!! all I can remember is trawlers ... but been born in a fishing city, you have boating running through your veins

[Chris Pink]

It is a very fine picture. There's a few stories in there.

[Idle boater]

It might be of assistance to your search, there is a " humber keel and sloop preservation society". type this in to google to contact them.

[John Holden]

what a wonderful photograph and from the best city in the world ( no prizes where I am from mind you being a fairly youngish tree !!! all I can remember is trawlers ... but been born in a fishing city, you have boating running through your veins

 

Trawlers - Halifax!

[tree]

Trawlers - Halifax!

erm.... no LOL... doh! John the boat me thinks is from Hull or as I say it 'Ull'

 

edited cos i forgot a bit ... ahem!! ee by gum ecky thump.. chucks a soggy yorkshire pudding at John take that ahahah

Edited January 10, 2013 by tree

[John Holden]

erm.... no LOL... doh! John the boat me thinks is from Hull or as I say it 'Ull'

 

Tee hee! The photies from Halifax though.

 

I lost my heart to a girl from Hull many years ago. She went but she never gave it me back

[Skye]

Trawlers - Halifax!

 

That explains the poor catches I have in the Calder, or am I just crap at angling

[tree]

Tee hee! The photies from Halifax though.

 

I lost my heart to a girl from Hull many years ago. She went but she never gave it me back

 

aye appen I got that them there photies ( been to specsavers moi

ohh eck she probably flogged it down the ' Land of Green Ginger' or ... panic hmm... how many years ago... phew!! panic over tree as I was long gone my beloved city before the Humber Bridge was completed. So it carnt have been me... mind you if it was .... I aint saying NOWT until I have spoken to my solicitor hahhaahha