A few mystery boat pictures - can you confirm and identify?

[Laurence Hogg]

I have been scanning numerous slides into the archive, however there are few of boats I cannot be sure of the identity and location, can anyone help?

 

This is Northwich yard in 1973, but what is the butty called?

 

 

 

This was taken on the Grand Union south in 1973, at first I thought it was the wreck of FMC's "Pioneer" wide boat but it doesn't look wide enough, is it "Progress" which John Dickenson had built slightly wide at about 9ft for carrying newsprint? Also where is the location?

 

 

This Thos Clayton horse boat lay on the Ashby for years tied to this tree, no name was visible on the boat. Taken 1974

 

 

Another 1973 shot at Berkhamstead, two names are visible but two are not, any suggestions?

 

 

Again Berkhamstead can anyone name the barge and the nboc narrowboat?

 

[pete harrison]

This is Northwich yard in 1973, but what is the butty called?

DITTON

[Laurence Hogg]

Does not anyone have any memories of the wide wooden boat wreck? If I saw it others must have, location still eludes me but is definatly around Cowley area.

[alan_fincher]

Another 1973 shot at Berkhamstead, two names are visible but two are not, any suggestions?

 

 

Again Berkhamstead can anyone name the barge and the nboc narrowboat?

 

The two wooden converted houseboat barges in Berkhamsted were "Fleet" and "Tuba". For a while in the early 1970s their owner attempted to operate both as horsedrawn hotel boats, (not very successfully).

 

The steel barge converted to a trip boat was Ben Klibrech, under the same ownership, and a rather more lucrative enterprise, but still a ramshackle operation.

 

I'm not sure what other boats are in the pictures, but a wooden Joey, lettered as something like "Birmingham Salvage Department" and numbered (from memory), something like 1511, would be a distinct possibility, usually moored near the Crystal Palace.

 

The boat sporting the NBOC plaque has many trademarks of being an early Wyvern conversion to a hire boat, and then sold off. It looks from what can be seen of the name that it may be "Lady Flora", which was I think the back end of Nurser's "Duchess of Atholl" once operated by Wyvern as a trading boat. I think the front end retained its original name when two hire boats were made from one butty. It may not be an ex Wyvern boat at all, but I think I can see the name could be Lady Flora!

Edited March 30, 2015 by alan_fincher

[Derek R.]

1511 can be seen outside the Crystal Palace in one shot. I believe this was the boat the Fosters lived on prior to converting the warehouse opposite, and developing Bridgewater Boats.

Interesting little cart on the towpath. I wonder what tales it could tell.

 

Costin's shed seen in the second had a long beam holding up the gable end, and which later came to rest along the moorings - I think it got nick-named the Bridgewater Pooh stick.

Edited March 30, 2015 by Derek R.

[Laurence Hogg]

Thanks for the info. 1511 came back to Keay's in around 1977 and was rebuilt as a houseboat with the joey cabin intact, the late Tony Miles lived on it before going to Europe, sadly it ended its days in a pub garden at Alrewas as a children's play den.

[alan_fincher]

1511 can be seen outside the Crystal Palace in one shot. I believe this was the boat the Fosters lived on prior to converting the warehouse opposite, and developing Bridgewater Boats.

Correct!

[J R ALSOP]

The wooden boat was called "Peserverance". owned by Mike and Lindy.