Previous owners of Rufford

[Rufford]

I have been rather fortunate in managing to track down two previous owners of Rufford.

 

Well I say track down - I am in Haywood at the moment (one of my favourite places and probably where I shall retire to) and I have had two people tell me the name of Rufford (Rufford is not sign written) just by looking at the dents on the stern. The one chap owned Rufford prior to the previous owners, and the other chap knows the owners before the previous previous owners - the people who owned Rufford and traded with Regulus.

 

I have been given a few photo's from the 80's and one of the previous owners is heading up this weekend for a coffee and a chat and I have a suspicious feeling that word will have gotten to the other previous owners and they may well show their faces this weekend.

 

I am just flabbergasted that two previous owners live in Haywood and that Haywood is also one of my favourite places (I usually stop around Haywood for winter). Its just too much to be co-incidence! Rufford obviously likes Haywood and picks owners whom live around that area...

 

 

[andyb116]

If the history involves Regulus, please PM me and I'll give you a contact to speak to.

[pete harrison]

If the history involves Regulus, please PM me and I'll give you a contact to speak to.

REGULUS did not 'come out of trade' (well, off maintenance) until 1972, and has only had three owners since

[Rufford]

From what I can tell they lived on Rufford and sold coal from Regulus, so perhaps not traded, however a lot of that is based upon guesses and assumption, so if/when I do manage to speak to them I will clarify.

[pete harrison]

From what I can tell they lived on Rufford and sold coal from Regulus, so perhaps not traded, however a lot of that is based upon guesses and assumption, so if/when I do manage to speak to them I will clarify.

I am sure I remember REGULUS being used as an undercloth canal giftware shop of some sort whilst in the Great Haywood area. This was a long time ago and I am happy to be corrected

[alan_fincher]

I know "Rufford" used to be in the area around Marsworth Junction much of the time in the early to mid 1970s, (I couldn't be certain about exact dates, but it was often moored near the "pile" boats Aynho and Ayr, whilst Billy Brown and Dolly Dakin were still living on them).

 

For some of that time I feel sure it was moored with a "Grand Union" metal butty breasted to it, but I can't for the life of me remember which butty, (even assuming it was carrying a name, of course). Regulus rings no bells, but that doesn't mean it wasn't, as I had no particular allegiance to the "Middle" boats back then.

 

I think that butty was unconverted, and I believe not clothed up. I have no memory of the boat being in any trade, either of the coal, or the gift ware variety. I would have had the use of Rufford at that time down as largely residential - I can't remember it moving much, (although somewhere I know I have published a picture of it at Braunston, so it did move sometimes!). I don't think I have photos of Rufford when it was at Marsworth, either.

 

If this is not a period you are interested in, please ignore these ramblings, though!

 

EDIT:

 

Re-reading Pete's comments, I think a butty may have turned up with Rufford around that 1972 date, or perhaps a bit after, so given what Pete says about disposal date, maybe it was Regulus, (.......unless Pete knows it wasn't of course!).

Edited January 9, 2015 by alan_fincher

[pete harrison]

I know "Rufford" used to be in the area around Marsworth Junction much of the time in the early to mid 1970s, (I couldn't be certain about exact dates, but it was often moored near the "pile" boats Aynho and Ayr, whilst Billy Brown and Dolly Dakin were still living on them).

 

EDIT:

 

Re-reading Pete's comments, I think a butty may have turned up with Rufford around that 1972 date, or perhaps a bit after, so given what Pete says about disposal date, maybe it was Regulus, (.......unless Pete knows it wasn't of course!).

It was RUFFORD and REGULUS, both acquired by Jim Flemming, Aylesbury in 1972 (RUFFORD December 1972 and REGULUS by October 1972). RUFFORD had been acquired already converted, whereas REGULUS had been used as a hopper by the Upper Avon Navigation Trust

 

edit - Jim Flemming had previously lived at Aylesbury Basin on the motorised wooden narrow boat TOM RAN.

Edited January 9, 2015 by pete harrison

[alan_fincher]

It was RUFFORD and REGULUS, both acquired by Jim Flemming, Aylesbury in 1972 (RUFFORD December 1972 and REGULUS by October 1972). RUFFORD had been acquired already converted, whereas REGULUS had been used as a hopper by the Upper Avon Navigation Trust

 

Thanks, Pete,

 

It is good to know that whilst my memory is shot to pieces on some subjects, it doesn't always let me down completely.

 

A subsequent check on someone else's photo, (which I don't have permission to pass on), shows what I know to be Rufford, and the butty paired with it is not clothed up in any way - not even a cratch. It is clearly not loaded. I doubt it was really being used for trade at that time, but of course it is not impossible.

 

It would have been a wooden conversion on Rufford at that stage.

[Rufford]

I am sure I remember REGULUS being used as an undercloth canal giftware shop of some sort whilst in the Great Haywood area. This was a long time ago and I am happy to be corrected

 

Jim and Flo flemming did moor near the Great Haywood junction and sold giftware and other bits and pieces. They also rented the little brick hut opposite Anglo Welsh. Tony Tipton has told me this and also given me a postcard depicting Rufford and Regulus tied up in the snow at the junction.

 

Tony has also said that Jim used to moor at Gas St Basin for some time in the early 80's. I do not think either boat was used for trade as such, however I do think that Regulus was used as a floating shed for storage for bits and pieces and the odd bag of coal for retail.

 

I have a few pictures of the wooden conversion in the 1980's - and a few up at Stone dry dock.

 

If Jim came from Aylesbury way, and from memory I believe Rufford was converted at Aylesbury? (no doubt Pete will correct me if I am wrong!), could it be that Jim converted Rufford? Which also makes me ask if Jim and Flo were on Rufford at Marsworth Junction moored near Aynho and Ayr, perhaps Jim and Flo were friends of Billy Brown and Dolly Dakin and could Jim and Flo themselves be working boat people?

 

Obviously Jim and Flo are the people to ask, I have heard that Jim and Flo are still about in Great Haywood so I shall have to hope they contact me - or I could try some posters in the local shops? What do you guys think?

 

Pete, do you have any information in your vast records/memory that would indicate that Jim or Flo had steered a working pair?

[pete harrison]

If Jim came from Aylesbury way, and from memory I believe Rufford was converted at Aylesbury? (no doubt Pete will correct me if I am wrong!), could it be that Jim converted Rufford?

 

Pete, do you have any information in your vast records/memory that would indicate that Jim or Flo had steered a working pair?

RUFFORD was converted at Aylesbury in 1964, some 8 years prior to it being acquired by Mr Flemming. This detail was included in the history of RUFFORD that I prepared for you in August 2013.

 

I am not aware of Mr and Mrs Flemming being from boat families, but this does not mean that they were not

[archie57]

Some friends of mine once had the "Rufford" as a change boat (a long time ago - they knocked off boating in 1953!) - they didn't like it at all as someone had knocked out all the baffles in the silencer and it made too much noise!

[Rufford]

I thought you might mention that Pete I shall have to dig out the information!

 

Righty I have dug it out, it does make very interesting reading.

 

First owner was H.J Mylam from 1963, then Jim Flemming and then from 1988 to 1991 - Tony Tipton (you need to update your records with this information).

 

It does however have me thinking, was H.J Mylam a working boater or enthusiast? I presume enthusiast because I would assume that working boaters would be content living in the back cabin and would not have had the hold converted.

 

I do wonder why she was tied up by Ayr and Aynho in 1972 - perhaps Jim Flemming was a working boater or had befriended working boaters, as they had a common cause of trading on the canals.

 

Time to put some posters up in Great Haywood shops methinks as Im sure Jim Flemming will be full of information :-) Perhaps he will even be up for a cruise!

[pete harrison]

and then from 1988 to 1991 - Tony Tipton (you need to update your records with this information).

Done, thank you

[Rufford]

Done, thank you

 

Well thats made my year, its not often that Im of much help to you Pete! Seeing as you know everything and everyone

[jake_crew]

When my family had the ex Anglo Welsh "Forget me Not", we used to moor above Star Tops lock by the White Lion at Marsworth. That would be in the early 70s.

 

Sam Brookes lived opposite in the lock cottage and kept an eye on her for us.

 

Rufford used moor behind us and was owned by some people from Haddenham (Aylesbury) - I recall seeing some people in their 20s on her several times.

 

At that time she had a full conversion on. I may have some slides somewhere .............

Edited January 14, 2015 by jake_crew

[Rufford]

I would love to see the slides :-)

 

I think that it may have been Jim Flemming on Rufford in the 1970's at Marsworth.