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Flower of Gloster - to be released on DVD in Sept. 2015


ChrisJBrady

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Has anyone reached the episode based at Stoke Bruerne yet? I am, apparently, featured twice in that episode, as was our boat, standing in for Flower of Gloster, which had broken down

Edited by David Schweizer
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Has anyone reached the episode based at Stoke Bruerne yet? I am, apparently, featured twice in that episode, as was our boat, standing in for Flower of Gloster, which had broken down

 

Yes there is a film sequence when the Flower of Gloster breaks down about midway through Blisworth tunnel and is then 'legged' through the rest of the tunnel to emerge into daylight at the south end of the tunnel after which the Flower of Gloster is 'bow hauled' by the crew to the 'top lock' at Stoke Bruerne.

 

In the same sequence of film is a nice little sequence at the south end of Blisworth tunnel when the Flower of Gloster after emerging from the south end of the tunnel after being 'legged' through is followed shortly thereafter out of the tunnel by a pair of working boats. The loaded motor boat comes passed the Flower of Gloster followed by the loaded butty with the well of the butty filled with the boatmen's family of his wife and a couple of young kids and a slightly older pretty young girl of about 10 or 11 years old with long dark hair all crammed into the well of the butty, a really nice piece of film to watch.

Edited by Flower of Gloster
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Yes there is a film sequence when the Flower of Gloster breaks down about midway through Blisworth tunnel and is then 'legged' through the rest of the tunnel to emerge into daylight at the south end of the tunnel after which the Flower of Gloster is 'bow hauled' by the crew to the 'top lock' at Stoke Bruerne.

 

In the same sequence of film is a nice little sequence at the south end of Blisworth tunnel when the Flower of Gloster after emerging from the south end of the tunnel after being 'legged' through is followed shortly thereafter out of the tunnel by a pair of working boats. The loaded motor boat comes passed the Flower of Gloster followed by the loaded butty with the well of the butty filled with the boatmen's family of his wife and a couple of young kids and a slightly older pretty young girl of about 10 or 11 years old with long dark hair all crammed into the well of the butty, a really nice piece of film to watch.

 

That is one of the sequences we were involved with. The film, crew borrowed our boat Pisces, along with us, to enable that scene to be filmed. I can remember numerous takes which involved us pulling the boat backwards in readiness for another shoot. I don't know whether the lines are visible, but there was a second line which we pulled on as the young actors ran out of strength very quickly, so we effectively bow hauled the boat, with them "acting".

 

In the original film shown on TV, there was, apparently, a shot where a rather untidy young man in denims was walking along the towpath smoking a roll up. I did not see the film, as we did nit have aTV at home, but colleagues at work insisted that they had seen me in that episode. In the scene below Stoke Bruerne, I well remember climbing up the lock gate off Pisces foredeck, only to be confronted by a camera as my head emerged. I don't know if that ever appeared in the film, but if it did, that was also me.

 

I am also intrigued about the working boat.I have no immediate recollection of that, but from the description it could have been either Ken or Ted Ward, both of whom had very pretty daughters. FRom recollection the two with very dark hair were Daphne and Julie, No doubt Jeneatte Smith Harrison can confirm or correct my memory. I am clearly going to buy this film, just for the nostalgia.

Edited by David Schweizer
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When the motor boat passes the Flower of Goster just outside the south end of Blisworth tunnel the older male character called Dick in the series shouts across to the old'ish boatman who's steering the motor boat that they had just legged there boat the Flower of Gloster through Blisworth tunnel and the old boy on the motor boat gives them a smile and a wink but says nothing as he carries on followed quickly by the butty with his family all crammed in the well of the butty as I previously said, a nice little sequence to watch.

 

Also as I previously posted I believe I watched every single episode of this series when it was first shown on telly back in late 1967 I really took to it and was very pleased to hear in 2015 that it was going to be made finally available on dvd after watching it originally 50 years ago!. Anyway the long wait has been worth it, for many years it was thought that the tapes of this series had been 'wiped' except for two episodes only that still existed?.

 

As for some of the actual scenes in the series I recall the scenes showing the 'Anderson boat lift' sequence also the 'coffin boat' sequence of a lone motor boat approaching Blisworth tunnel heading south with a body of a dead boatman in the coffin in the hold of the boat and also the ending when the Flower of Gloster finally arrives on the Thames and passes under Tower bridge (where the Flower of Gloster is to be sold to it's new owner). There are two separate scenes where the character Dick of the Flower of Gloster has a 'run in' with two separate lock keeper's where on one occasion the lock keeper's has a go at Dick for 'bashing the gates open' with the prowl of the Flower of Gloster and also for 'dropping the paddles' at his lock gates instead of winding them down where the lock keeper threatens to report Dick to British Waterways plus on a second occasion another lock keeper (a Scottish man) also has a go at Dick for travelling through his locks in the 'dead of night' (to make up time) and demands that Dick 'ties up' the Flower of Gloster above the lock and to not go any further (until the morning and daylight) and to make sure that Dick complies to his instructions he confiscates Dick's windlass!!.

 

All in all a really good television series for anyone with an interest in British canals plus it is also a period piece of Britain in 1967.

Edited by Flower of Gloster
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The Flower of Gloster dvd.

 

I originally watched the series when it was shown on television back in late 1967 exactly 50 years ago and from memory I believe I watched every single one of the 13 episodes shown back then anyway I re-watched it again on dvd yesterday (28/01/17) in it's entirety all 13 episodes and it's still magical to watch again after all these years.

 

Of narrowboat interest are a couple of nice shots of a pair of Willow Wren & British Waterway's working narrowboats being featured during the Flower of Gloster's journey south 'up to London' plus Jack & Rose Skinner retired working boat people are seen briefly on there butty Raymond at Sutton Stop plus also a pregnant boat woman who gives birth on her butty (a British Waterway's boat called Belfast) is actually quite a moving sequence to watch.

 

I believe all the main member's of the cast are still alive in 2017 although I would personally love to know what Elizabeth Docherty who when she appeared in the series was about 13 or 14 years old and would now be around 62 or 63 years old in 2017 was doing these days?. It looks like Elizabeth never appeared in anything else after making the Flower of Gloster in 1967.

 

"Watch it and enjoy it the series which is set in a time past in England of a lost era 50 years ago when the world seemed a little bit more young and innocent..."

Can I take our new member to task over the Skinner's crewing Raymond? It was Arthur and Rose Bray who worked Raymond for the whole time she was carrying. The Skinner's owned Friendship - horse drawn to the last. Correct me if I'm wrong and the Skinner's crewed Raymond at some event after they retired.

Edited by Oakie
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Can I take our new member to task over the Skinners crewing Raymond? It was Arthur and Rose Bray who worked Raymond for the whole time she was carrying. The Skinners owned Friendship - horse drawn to the last.

 

You certainly can take me to task for incorrectly naming the Skinners as living on the butty Raymond for many years at Sutton Stop of course it was Arthur and Rose Bray a well known waterways couple who lived on the butty Raymond at Sutton Stop for many years, my excuse is I wrote my post off the 'top of my head' from a faded memory and didn't check my facts my apologies.

Edited by Flower of Gloster
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You certainly can take me to task for incorrectly naming the Skinners as living on the butty Raymond for many years at Sutton Stop of course it was Arthur and Rose Bray a well known waterways couple who lived on the butty Raymond at Sutton Stop for many years, my excuse is I wrote my post off the 'top of my head' from a faded memory and didn't check my facts my apologies.

I am sorry but you are incorrect.

 

Arthur and Rose Bray lived on RAYMOND for all of its working life, and then for some time afterwards in retirement at Braunston.

 

Joe and Rose Skinner lived on FRIENDSHIP for all of its working life, and then for several years afterwards in retirement at Sutton Stop (as well as a house nearby).

 

captain.gif

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I am sorry but you are incorrect.

 

Arthur and Rose Bray lived on RAYMOND for all of its working life, and then for some time afterwards in retirement at Braunston.

 

Joe and Rose Skinner lived on FRIENDSHIP for all of its working life, and then for several years afterwards in retirement at Sutton Stop (as well as a house nearby).

 

captain.gif

 

I finally got it pete it's been quite a few years since I have revisited the canal world of years gone by my apologies once more.

Edited by Flower of Gloster
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For the record POACHER was a full length modern motor built by 'Willow Wren' in the 1970's, and was owned by Arthur Bray's stepson Ernie Kendall captain.gif

 

And the outbuilding round the back of the Stop House at Braunston still has "Poacher" painted on it, (I think on the door, but could be wrong about that). Presumably they used this building for additional storage space?

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I believe I may have read on this forum a couple of years ago that the narrowboat used in the television programme called the Flower of Goster a 72ft long ex working narrowboat was broken up sometime during the 1980s?. I could be wrong guy's so don't jump all over me if I am wrong lol ha ha ha...

 

Also if anyone is interested my father who died in 1970 told me that he once worked for Fellows Morton & Clayton (canal carries) I believe sometime either during the 1920s or 1930s as a delivery driver but I really don't know when he did?.

 

Plus while working for Fellows Morton & Clayton I remember him telling me that he once saw a narrowboat 'over turn' while being loaded most probably in London cos thats where we're from.

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Just to offer my perspective as someone who is not particularly a "history and heritage" buff and has no personal nostalgia for the era depicted in the program (not having been around at the time!): I've watched the first half of the series now and I've been thoroughly enjoying it.

 

Yes, the format (scripted drama plus educational segments where the characters talk with real-life boat people) is odd and makes for a somewhat stilted feeling at times. Yes, it's pretty slow and uneventful. But as a snapshot of the canals during their last days as a significant industrial transport network, and their first as a significant leisure facility, I think it's pretty priceless. In retrospect, the basic plot - about the delivery of a former working boat newly converted for leisure use - seems perfectly chosen. And as much as anything, it does just give a real sense of being out cruising on the canals, working locks and all the rest of it, which Is something I'm enjoying very much as someone who is "between boats" at the minute!

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Just to offer my perspective as someone who is not particularly a "history and heritage" buff and has no personal nostalgia for the era depicted in the program (not having been around at the time!): I've watched the first half of the series now and I've been thoroughly enjoying it.

 

Yes, the format (scripted drama plus educational segments where the characters talk with real-life boat people) is odd and makes for a somewhat stilted feeling at times. Yes, it's pretty slow and uneventful. But as a snapshot of the canals during their last days as a significant industrial transport network, and their first as a significant leisure facility, I think it's pretty priceless. In retrospect, the basic plot - about the delivery of a former working boat newly converted for leisure use - seems perfectly chosen. And as much as anything, it does just give a real sense of being out cruising on the canals, working locks and all the rest of it, which Is something I'm enjoying very much as someone who is "between boats" at the minute!

 

Thats a very good take on the series magictime you've summed it up well.

 

To be honest the old Flower of Gloster always nearly brings a tear to the old eyes these days, probably nostalgia for a England that has virtually disappeared now but when it was first shown on the telly back in late 1967 I was just 10 years old and now i'm nearly 60.

 

Good old Flower of Gloster the boat and telly programme you meant more to me than your ever know thank you,... happy days...

 

Michael

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At Dutton circa 1972 when owned by Mike Sampson IIRC, and not in particularly good condition as regular pumping was one of our duties at the dock.

gallery_6938_2_1107.jpg

 

Flower of Gloster in 1967 at the Leicester IWA rally

 

 

 

 

C14%20%20Flower%20of%20Gloster%20Leicest

 

At the same Rally with a Steel Band in the front well

 

C15%20Steel%20Band%20on%20%20Flower%20of

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To be honest the old Flower of Gloster always nearly brings a tear to the old eyes these days, probably nostalgia for a England that has virtually disappeared now

 

Personally I'm inclined to think that we've gained more than we've lost in terms of social change over that 50 years, but I think it's in the nature of nostagia to remember the good stuff and somehow discount the bad stuff... I mean, I'm nostalgic for the 'good old days' of my own 80s childhood, but am I actually sorry that the England of that era has disappeared? No, I'm not.

Edited by magictime
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At 72ft the Flower of Gloster must have been at the absolute maximum length I presume?. She looked very long from a full-length side on view on the telly.

 

That butty in the same picture looks a nice looking boat.

FLOWER OF GLOSTER had two previous names, and as such is captured in the Grand Union Canal Company gauge registers at 70'6'' shortly after conversion to a counter sterned motor.

 

The butty in the middle distance belonged to the same owner as FLOWER OF GLOSTER and had just been acquired from Willow Wren Canal Transport Services Ltd. as KESTREL. I am lead to believe that the former B.C.N. day boat on the inside of FLOWER OF GLOSTER is now an exhibit at Ellesmere Port captain.gif

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FLOWER OF GLOSTER had two previous names, and as such is captured in the Grand Union Canal Company gauge registers at 70'6'' shortly after conversion to a counter sterned motor.

 

The butty in the middle distance belonged to the same owner as FLOWER OF GLOSTER and had just been acquired from Willow Wren Canal Transport Services Ltd. as KESTREL. I am lead to believe that the former B.C.N. day boat on the inside of FLOWER OF GLOSTER is now an exhibit at Ellesmere Port captain.gif

 

Which is still a butty, albeit with a cabin conversion, and owned by a (former) member of this forum.

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post-8273-0-01482300-1485905429_thumb.jpg

 

That is one of the sequences we were involved with. The film, crew borrowed our boat Pisces, along with us, to enable that scene to be filmed. I can remember numerous takes which involved us pulling the boat backwards in readiness for another shoot. I don't know whether the lines are visible, but there was a second line which we pulled on as the young actors ran out of strength very quickly, so we effectively bow hauled the boat, with them "acting".

 

In the original film shown on TV, there was, apparently, a shot where a rather untidy young man in denims was walking along the towpath smoking a roll up. I did not see the film, as we did nit have aTV at home, but colleagues at work insisted that they had seen me in that episode. In the scene below Stoke Bruerne, I well remember climbing up the lock gate off Pisces foredeck, only to be confronted by a camera as my head emerged. I don't know if that ever appeared in the film, but if it did, that was also me.

 

I am also intrigued about the working boat.I have no immediate recollection of that, but from the description it could have been either Ken or Ted Ward, both of whom had very pretty daughters. FRom recollection the two with very dark hair were Daphne and Julie, No doubt Jeneatte Smith Harrison can confirm or correct my memory. I am clearly going to buy this film, just for the nostalgia.

 

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I believe I may have read on this forum a couple of years ago that the narrowboat used in the television programme called the Flower of Goster a 72ft long ex working narrowboat was broken up sometime during the 1980s?. I could be wrong guy's so don't jump all over me if I am wrong lol ha ha ha...

 

Also if anyone is interested my father who died in 1970 told me that he once worked for Fellows Morton & Clayton (canal carries) I believe sometime either during the 1920s or 1930s as a delivery driver but I really don't know when he did?.

 

Plus while working for Fellows Morton & Clayton I remember him telling me that he once saw a narrowboat 'over turn' while being loaded most probably in London cos thats where we're from.

Several bad accidents happened at Limhouse & other ports in the early days. One incident involving a family member happened when steel rods where being loaded from a ship onto the narrowboat ,the chains shifted resulting in the load crashing down onto the boat flipping it onto its side & sinking.

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Several bad accidents happened at Limhouse & other ports in the early days. One incident involving a family member happened when steel rods where being loaded from a ship onto the narrowboat ,the chains shifted resulting in the load crashing down onto the boat flipping it onto its side & sinking.

 

Yes I believe with all narrowboats having more or less flat bottoms when they were being loaded (and unloaded I presume?) it had to be done carefully in case the boat turned over?.

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The butty in the middle distance belonged to the same owner as FLOWER OF GLOSTER and had just been acquired from Willow Wren Canal Transport Services Ltd. as KESTREL. I am lead to believe that the former B.C.N. day boat on the inside of FLOWER OF GLOSTER is now an exhibit at Ellesmere Port captain.gif

 

I know many working narrowboats were built at different boat yards around the canal system in the past and although I know a bit about canals from a historical point of view I would be pushed to tell anyone if that Butty (in the picture) was either a small Woolwich or a large Woolwich if it is either?. I believe I can recognise a British Waterways 'River' class narrowboat though they looked a bit rough & ready lol ha ha ha...

Edited by Flower of Gloster
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