The raising of the “Monnow”, the last Clayton boat in Oldbury 1978

[Laurence Hogg]

The raising of the “Monnow”, the last Clayton boat in Oldbury 1978

 

In early 1978 I had made several investigations of the state of the “Monnow”, the last sunken Clayton’s boat left in Oldbury. Although a old boat I realised that although her back cabin was burnt off many years ago the stank between the hold and the cabin was good, so in theory she would float.

You can see her in the middle of this group of boats in Max’s photo.

 

 

After talking with Clayton’s who had forgotten about it, permission was given to raise the boat and take it away. A small donation to charity was the cost and off we went to hire a pump and borrow Cygnus a small Woolwich butty of Caggy Stevens, in July 1978 she looked like this a day before her rescue was to begin.

 

 

With the pump alongside the hull did little for the first two hours and then all of a sudden the boat moved and she was floating, it was a wonderful moment as the boat was coming back to life after so many years. Slowly the tar started to clog the pump up and the team had to descend into the boat with shovels and buckets to remove the sludge overside, at the end of the first day she was completely refloated and we had found some interesting remnants in the hold.

A complete horse harness came out, various bits of the back cabin which were preserved but falling apart, an hand made stove trivet (which I still have) and most surprisingly the mast case.

We went home absolutely filthy and unbeknown to us burnt by white phosphorous which was in the tar.

 

The site at the end of day one!

 

 

The next day we returned to remove the last bits of the sides where the cabin had been, finish getting the “load” out and return Cygnus to Caggy. At the end of day two she actually looked very respectful.

 

Seen waiting to go to Keays dock.

 

A side on view showing the bow shape, as far as I know “Monnow” is the sole surviving George Hale built boat, Hales dock was just a little way down the Old Main Line towards Birmingham.

 

 

The following day Keays tug “Judith Anne” came round to tow the boat back to Keays dock, it was skippered by the legendary Len Wilson ex Shropshire Union flyboat skipper and some BCNS pals.

 

The entourage is seen passing Alfred Matty’s yard a “Mecca” for boat enthusiasts then,

 

 

 

The boats carried on to the dock on what was a very wet day, seen here at Lane Head Willenhall.

 

 

The boat arrived at Keays and Sid the yard foreman took charge – he then jumed into the hold (It just looked “wet”) and slid several feet on his back in the tar.

Sid wasn’t well pleased and relations soured to the point that dock almost went on strike about the state of the boat!! We had to do a lot more cleaning before they would go near it.

However the hull was in a fine state so well preserved and well worth the effort of raising.

 

My intention was to convert the hull into a BCN tug but when the rarity of the boat was known the word soon got out on the towpath telegraph, having then been given the opportunity of buying a wooden Rickmansworth motor (Neptune) I decided to advertise “Monnow”, she was duly sold to a gentleman from Uxbridge who paired her with another Thos Clayton motor and has painstakingly restored her to a butty over many years, I believe she is still in Uxbridge today.

 

As for my next boat “Neptune” she has not been seen in years, I sold her in 1983 when she was in really good condition, the last known sighting of her was in 1993 I would love to know what became of her.

 

MIA NB “Neptune”

 

 

[stagedamager]

A great report Laurence, which makes for a fascinating read. Nice to see some new pictures of 'Judith Anne' too!

Regards

Dan

[Chris-B]

Monnow needs a new home asap now

but it does need money and time

Chris-B

[Max Sinclair]

I have a fine old bottle stove to fit your trivet Laurence.

[Laurence Hogg]

Monnow needs a new home asap now

but it does need money and time

Chris-B

 

What is the current situation with Monnow?

[stagedamager]

Hi Laurence, i believe it is the one mentioned in this:

http://www.canalworld.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=58615&page=2&hl=monnow#entry1112622

 

Dan

[Laurence Hogg]

The suggestion in the other thread that "Monnow" had a fore cabin is wrong. We found no evidence at all of a fore cabin in the hold. It was common for Clayton boats to have two stanks in the hold, given the weight of the cargo and its density, The presence of a stank forwares does not indicate that there was automaticly a fore cabin, note the boats in Max's picture at the beginning. In my second picture of her before we raised her 6 deck beams are still in position at the fore end, we had to remove two to get access (they were loose anyway) for us to get in hence when raised she only has four in place. The presence of these indicates quite clearly she had no cabin but we did find the access hatch lids in the tar.

[BWM]

Now no more, unfortunately beyond saving. 

[Movin' on]

1 hour ago, BWM said:

Now no more, unfortunately beyond saving. 

The final bits of "ironmongery" need saving and preferably re-using...……………………………….

 

Zulu has a couple of "recycled" parts and IMHO it definitely adds to her appeal

Edited January 23, 2019 by Halsey

[billh]

Needs some enthusiast to rebuild Monnow from the ironwork, then we can supply the still extant knees etc  for the  Motor Ribble. Hey presto , a Clayton pair?

Bill 

[Jrtm]

if you have any of the iron work left ill be intrested in it, a as any spares but I'm always after clayton parts to preserve. I'm serious im intrested in what's left of her, i did enquire about her a few years back but i wasn't in a place to save her otherwise I would have!

[BWM]

I am not personally involved in breaking her up but will certainly ask what the plan is for the ironwork, with a view to handing it to someone serious about putting it to use in the future. 

[Jrtm]

yes i am serious about using it, if this can't be done all parts will 100% be kept a. displayed or b. stored labled if anyone did then want to build a replacement, but I'm very intrested and very genuine. it might even help with the re length of something like painted lady if I ever bought her

[Athy]

Given LH's 2013 assertion that Monnow had been "painstakingly restored", these are sad pictures indeed. I wonder what went wrong in the interim.

[Jrtm]

1 hour ago, Athy said:

Given LH's 2013 assertion that Monnow had been "painstakingly restored", these are sad pictures indeed. I wonder what went wrong in the interim.

it wasn't maintained

[Athy]

4 minutes ago, billybobbooth said:

it wasn't maintained

Well, quite so, but from painstaking restoration to heap of bits in about 30 years is a dramatic decline. I guess it substantiates what has often been said on here, that wooden boats need constant care and work.

[roland elsdon]

I dont remember a painstaking restoration. She was paired with umea for many years ( i remember her from 1981 to 1988 ) and was never any different from when raised

2 wooden clayton boats= £££££££££ and i dont think that was available

[Jrtm]

40 minutes ago, roland elsdon said:

I dont remember a painstaking restoration. She was paired with umea for many years ( i remember her from 1981 to 1988 ) and was never any different from when raised

2 wooden clayton boats= £££££££££ and i dont think that was available

I beleive this was correct she was raised and a back end and then cabin put on paired with umea and hardly ever moved, in all the years I saw them i never remember umea moving once. I couldn't even tell you if her bolly even ran.

 

monnow was put up for free but at the time I had just bought a house so couldn't do anything. then when I could she had gone and umea had moved, i know they went to Uxbridge for a docking around that time but that was the last I saw. I've not seen umea sence as this was the boat i was after mostly as i cant think of any other more close to original clayton motor except dane but she had alot of work done, and all the others have had all there bows and nearly all there Rears changed. and only 3 have bolly left

Edited January 24, 2019 by billybobbooth

[Athy]

38 minutes ago, roland elsdon said:

I don't remember a painstaking restoration.

I was just going by what the late Mr. Hogg said. So in fact she was never really restored?

[carlt]

14 hours ago, billybobbooth said:

if you have any of the iron work left 

 

Those knees look very interesting. 

They almost look like they came from an iron day boat which had wooden bottoms and chines. 

[Jrtm]

8 minutes ago, carlt said:

Those knees look very interesting. 

They almost look like they came from an iron day boat which had wooden bottoms and chines. 

yes i thought this, looks very sim to the one in storage at the port

[Paul H]

I think some restoration was started at one time.  I remember the beginnings of the stern end with a Kelson showing above the waterline so it might have had the bottom plank and bottoms in place.  There was certainly more stern than in Lawrence’s pics.  Any wooden boat will rot away in 20-25 years without regular docking and maintenance.  This was after all their design life.  The middles of Clayton boats tend to fair better as they have been pickled with their tarry cargoes over the years.

 

Umea had a new bow built by John Woolley but as this was over 40 years ago it is well overdue for another!  Is Umea at the Stink Hole?

 

Paul

[BWM]

5 minutes ago, Paul H said:

I think some restoration was started at one time.  I remember the beginnings of the stern end with a Kelson showing above the waterline so it might have had the bottom plank and bottoms in place.  There was certainly more stern than in Lawrence’s pics.  Any wooden boat will rot away in 20-25 years without regular docking and maintenance.  This was after all their design life.  The middles of Clayton boats tend to fair better as they have been pickled with their tarry cargoes over the years.

 

Umea had a new bow built by John Woolley but as this was over 40 years ago it is well overdue for another!  Is Umea at the Stink Hole?

 

Paul

Yes, Umea is there. I'm not sure what the future holds though. 

The back end was rebuilt but i would imagine the upkeep of two wooden boats is beyond all but millionaires and charities. I do wonder if the difference in condition between bow, stern and midships causes the tar boats to hog so often?

[Jrtm]

I have been told its was 1 of 2 or a combination of the 2

1. the weight of the bolinder and fuel tank at the back as the engine beds are quite short due to the stanks

 

2. the constant steaming of the hull for the tar to be removed.

 

I think its prob a case of both as the fmc wooden boats were 9hp weren't they?

[carlt]

3 hours ago, billybobbooth said:

yes i am serious about using it, if this can't be done all parts will 100% be kept a. displayed or b. stored labled if anyone did then want to build a replacement, but I'm very intrested and very genuine. it might even help with the re length of something like painted lady if I ever bought her

I still have Usk's paddle thingy that was in the middle stank for leveling the load.

 

It's like a big cast iron cat flap.

 

That's as technical as I get these days.

 

You are more than welcome to it.