Carriage of Grain by water

[Tam & Di]

Di is writing an item on carriage of grain by water, particularly in the London region, and needs some pointers to help flesh out her information. She’s looking particularly at 1900 onwards.

Does anyone have knowledge or can point her towards sources about carriage by lighter, barge, wideboat or narrowboat, particularly in the London region but elsewhere in the country might be useful too?

 

Traffics, craft used, crewing information, amounts carried, to and from, type of grain and imported or not - these are some aspects that would help.

 

Tam

 

 

Clinton and Anny at Coxes Mill, Addleston on the Wey

[gazza]

I guess she is aware of the grain to Whitworths, Wellingborough that finished in '69?

[alan_fincher]

I guess she is aware of the grain to Whitworths, Wellingborough that finished in '69?

 

I'm sure she will be.

 

This is reported as being the most important traffic that Willow Wren Canal Transport Services still had at the time the contract was ended, and the loss of it contributed to the death knell of a company that was already struggling.

 

Although various sources contradict exactly which were the last boats into the mill, based on dates I have seen I believe it was a pair made up of our boat "Flamingo" paired with the butty "Beverley", and in the charge of Ken and Vera Ward, and quoted dates seem to support that.

 

There have been articles on this particular traffic both in Narrow Boat Magazine and Waterways World. It is interesting because a horse was still used to aid getting the buttys down the thick of the narrow locks on the Northampton Arm, the motors generally having gone on ahead, I think.

[Pluto]

I have details re the grain traffic on the L&LC, some of which I put into my recent history of the L&LC (can be ordered by email at £28 inc postage). The photos are of the traffics to Gloucester, Tewkesbury, Manchester and in Hull, all dating from the end of the 20th century.

gallery_6938_1_65033.jpg

[PaulG]

There is an article by Chris Witts on Severn grain barges here:

http://www.severntales.co.uk/grain-barge.html

[gazza]

 

I'm sure she will be.

 

This is reported as being the most important traffic that Willow Wren Canal Transport Services still had at the time the contract was ended, and the loss of it contributed to the death knell of a company that was already struggling.

 

Although various sources contradict exactly which were the last boats into the mill, based on dates I have seen I believe it was a pair made up of our boat "Flamingo" paired with the butty "Beverley", and in the charge of Ken and Vera Ward, and quoted dates seem to support that.

 

There have been articles on this particular traffic both in Narrow Boat Magazine and Waterways World. It is interesting because a horse was still used to aid getting the buttys down the thick of the narrow locks on the Northampton Arm, the motors generally having gone on ahead, I think.

Thanks Alan, that's interesting.

[Grebe]

There are details of grain carriage, usually ex Hull onto the SSYN and Chesterfield canal in a couple of books.

 

Upgate Downgate, by Ernest Clark, ISBN 1 874718 54 7. Out of print but ou may find it.

 

Humber Keels and Keelmen, by Fred Schofield, ISBN 086138 059 2

 

Both are early 20th century accounts of boat life

[Leo No2]

My Aunt (Daphne March) carried grain from Sharpness to Worcester on Heather Bell during the war and also flour (from the same grain?) from Worcester to Birmingham (Tipton). There's a well known image of Heather Bell unloading the flour at Tipton which shows 2/6d (a sack?) on the sack. I'll try and post the image later.

Edited September 7, 2016 by Leo No2

[cereal tiller]

Di is writing an item on carriage of grain by water, particularly in the London region, and needs some pointers to help flesh out her information. She’s looking particularly at 1900 onwards.

 

Does anyone have knowledge or can point her towards sources about carriage by lighter, barge, wideboat or narrowboat, particularly in the London region but elsewhere in the country might be useful too?

 

Traffics, craft used, crewing information, amounts carried, to and from, type of grain and imported or not - these are some aspects that would help.

 

Tam

 

09 - 235 copy.jpg

 

Clinton and Anny at Coxes Mill, Addleston on the Wey

IIRC one of your boats pictured had a two stroke Detroit Diesel,used to hear it howling against a strong Thames stream during Winter of 1982 'ish as it passed Thames Ditton!

 

CT

[GUMPY]

There were the six barges built in about 1950 to carry grain to Kellogs in Manchester. There is an article written by Roger Lorenz about them, I may have a copy at home.

Mike Carter (Parfield) may be able to add more.

[Dav and Pen]

Rose Whitlock wouldn't go to Whitworths as she was "afeared " of the Nene and thought the water over the top gates would sink the butty. Don't think anybody liked the "gulintine" gates.

There was a trial traffic from Liverpool to Northampton for a grain merchant which the Colliers carried can't recal the date but in the80 s

But it came to nothing.

Remember well Tam and Di and Alan carrying to the Wey.

David

[gazza]

Rose Whitlock wouldn't go to Whitworths as she was "afeared " of the Nene and thought the water over the top gates would sink the butty. Don't think anybody liked the "gulintine" gates.

There was a trial traffic from Liverpool to Northampton for a grain merchant which the Colliers carried can't recal the date but in the80 s

But it came to nothing.

Remember well Tam and Di and Alan carrying to the Wey.

David

Latimer and Crick were the corn merchants on Bridge Street, long gone now and turned into flats.

 

Company still listed...

 

https://www.companiesintheuk.co.uk/ltd/latimer-crick

 

1984 picture.

 

 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/28083135@N06/5830228578

[Ray T]

Don't know if it is of any help but the are several pictures of boats in Willow Wren days delivering wheat to Wellingborough in Robert J Wilson's book Epilogue?

 

This is one:

 

 

Edited September 7, 2016 by Ray T

[David Schweizer]

We moored up on the wharf by Whitworths one evening in the 1960's when the boats were waiting to be unloaded after a holiday closure. It was there that I was taught how to use a Keb by one of the boatmen.

Edited September 7, 2016 by David Schweizer

[tillergirl]

Grain barges used to run down from Goole to the flour mills at Gainsborough. As kids we sat and watched them and waved as they went by....so still running in the middle 1960s

[alan_fincher]

A poorly reproduced photo taken from a magazine original, but undoubtedly our boat "Flamingo" discharging grain at Wellingborough

 

 

(Photo taken from September 1983 Waterways World, and credited to Ian L Wright.)

Here "Flamingo"and "Beverley" are travelling North with the very last load delivered there

 

(I can't immediately trace who to credit with this photo - I will add it if I can find where it appeared).

[Lorna]

My Grandfather William Yarnall had a regular run from Brentford to Wellingborough carrying grain from 1910 to 1914 he worked for Emanuel Smith Canal Carrier of Brentford. He carried between 52 to 56 tons on 2 boats. I have his log book of the journeys taken during 1910-1914

I know it is not the time line you are writing about but I have records of my great great Grandfather another William Yarnall carrying wheat to Houghton Mill on the River Nene 21/03/1878 these records are from the Nene navigation records.

[Ray T]

Found this:

 

https://www.waterways.org.uk/events_festivals/festival_water/pdfs/200_years_of_northampton_arm

 

NarrowBoat Spring 2006 - issue 13 has an article on the last traffics to Wellingborough.

[Tam & Di]

IIRC one of your boats pictured had a two stroke Detroit Diesel,used to hear it howling against a strong Thames stream during Winter of 1982 'ish as it passed Thames Ditton!

 

CT

 

That was Argo Carrying's Anny - nasty noisy things . She was owned by Bill Fisher and Alan Boswell who worked alongside us on the job. Clinton was a Trent barge we bought specially for the work from the Nene Barge and Lighterage Company and had a Gardner 5LW.

 

Thanks to everyone who has contributed. There is some really useful information and pointers to sources on here. Lorna's mail is really exciting and opens up further possibilities for investigation. We did know a couple of boatmen who had worked for Manny Smith, but sadly never got to talk seriously to them about the freights they took - the what and the where to.

 

We'd not thought about when freights of grain to the Nene started, so records dating it to the 1870s is terrific news and means it existed for at least 100 years. What other companies were involved in that traffic? Presumably FMC? GUCCC? BW? In addition to the generality what we are looking for now is detailed information - it was presumably imported grain, but where from? Where was it loaded - Brentford? Limehouse? London Docks (Millwall)?. If it was down river, were the earlier unpowered craft towed up and onto the canal at Limehouse or right up to Brentford? We’ve looked at Dacorum Heritage Trust’s site about grain to Toovey's Mill, but where did craft like their Golden Spray load? Did they load overside from ships? What about grain on the Lea from Ware? Henley was a very significant grain town - there are quite a lot of paintings/etchings of craft on the upper Thames and if anyone thinks of any that might throw light on how they were towed that could be useful. e.g. the horse boats with someone shafting the fore end that appeared on CWDF recently was interesting as it is possible to put yourself in their situation and posit what is going on there.

 

So at present there are still a lot more questions than answers.

[Dav and Pen]

No it wasn't Latimer and Crick but a chap from Eastcote I think who had a plan to use the old power station on middy meadow as a store. The pair where unloaded at Stowe Hill. All a bit of a farce really but then we were trying to find loads anywhere even whole food groceries London to Birmingham as well as the retail coal.

Davidj

[gazza]

Tam,

 

When looking into Houghton mill, be aware it is Little Houghton not the NT one on the Great Ouse near St Ives

 

http://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/northants/vol4/pp266-270

No it wasn't Latimer and Crick but a chap from Eastcote I think who had a plan to use the old power station on middy meadow as a store. The pair where unloaded at Stowe Hill. All a bit of a farce really but then we were trying to find loads anywhere even whole food groceries London to Birmingham as well as the retail coal.

Davidj

Ah right, the power station was well finished by then, not much left there now with the new college campus going in.

Used to be a regular at Davron Motorcycles on Nun Mills Road, all a distant memory now!

[fanshaft]

Interesting topic - apologies for delayed response. Carriage of grain by waterway was very important in the north of England as has been mentioned. Grain was imported into Hull and discharged 'overside' by floating elevator for barge delivery in bulk to mills on the river Hull, and to Gainsborough, Kings Mill Knottingley, Hanleys at Doncaster, to Ranks at Rotherham, and to Sheffield (until 1970). Rotherham was served by 100 tonne capacity 'Sheffield' boats and up to 60,000 tonnes/annum was carried until 1977. I recall a trip on 'Thomas Porter' with Alan Oliver from Hull in the early 1970s; coming up the Humber waves crashed along the hatch covers but Alan wasn't peturbed at all as these vessels were well designed for rough weather. There was a plan to re-install grain discharge equipment at Kings Mill, Knottingley, with the aid of a Freight Facility grant in the 1990s but a change of purchasing policy scuppered that.

BOCM were major users of the waterways in the north east and north west, with the well known fleet of 'Selby' boats. Not grain, but huge quantities of shea nuts were shipped to Hull for elevator discharge to lighters, barges and anything that would float, for movement to Selby, and also to York (for storage) and other waterside destinations. BOCM wound down operations only using its barges as floationg storage after 1982.

BOCM also operated a silo storage facility at Whitley bridge and for many years English wheat was barged from there to Selby; Les Hill was a familiar sight with his Lincoln sized barge 'Misterton' travelling via the Selby Canal. Laterly I ran craft on this traffic with 50 tonne Leeds & Liverpool craft in the mid 1970s , but other operators ran from time time via Goole until at least 1979.

Grain also came into the smaller wharves e.g. Neap House on the Trent and was barged to Sugdens Mill Brighouse in 70 tonne 'Yorkshire keels' (aka 'West Country boats') ; in later years larger craft went to Thornes wharf in Wakefield, and later still to Lofthouse Basin in Stanley Ferry, for storage and transhipment on to road vehicles for final delivery. The contract was held by a Wakefield barge operator, Tom Fletcher, who in turn subcontracted to the British Fuel Co and they in turn supplemented their barge 'Jolly Miner' with Flixborough Shipping Co craft though I did some runs for that company by which time the rate per tonne had probably halved! There was an almost perfect back load of coal from Park Hill colliery to Flixborough wharf and when the coal contract ended without warning in the mid 1970s it was a major blow. The grain to Brighouse probably finished late 1970s and Lofthouse basin is now inevitably a marina.

In the north west BOCM were, again, major players with a very enthusiastic transport manager (Hugh Porter) overseeing the north of England. Grain was carried from Liverpool docks (initially Coburg but later the new Seaforth grain terminal which opened in December 1974) in flats and motor barges to Birkenhead and to the Manchester mill opposite no 9 dock. Hugh was keen to get barge traffic back on the Leeds & Liverpool so from October of that year L&L short boats carried grain screenings from Coburg across to Selby and barley back to Manchester from Whitley Bridge, and then from December maize from Seaforth to Manchester via Wigan. These movements continued off and on until May 1978 - the last loaded boat across the L&L summit being Derek Bent's 'Weaver'. Memorably, narrow boats 'Comet' and 'Betelgeuse' loaded 46 tonnes of maize at Seaforth dock on 11th February 1975 experimentally for BOCM Manchester, but they were not popular with the dockers at either end and the Seaforth grain terminal manager said 'no more canoes please' when I arrived later that day to load. Larger craft, up to 1000 tonnes, of Bulk Cargo Handling Services, Liverpool Grain Storage & Lighterage, Heather Chaplin and other companies also operated at this time between Liverpool and Manchester via the Ship Canal. In recent years Mainmast operated a fleet carrying grain up to Manchester but this ceased fairly recently owing to problems with wharfage in Manchester. In February 1981 Nelstrops of Stockport switched to barge transport thanks to assistance and support from BW's Ken Moody (Anderton depot) and I operated the traffic until 1982, when the current operators, Viaduct Shipping, took over. Initially running to Anderton, today the wheat is transhipped to road at Wigg wharf above Runcorn after many years operation at Frodsham on the Weaver, and a short period in Runcorn docks.

I hope that is of interest.

Kind regards

David L

[Giant]

Grain was imported into Hull and discharged 'overside' by floating elevator for barge delivery in bulk to mills on the river Hull, and to Gainsborough, Kings Mill Knottingley, Hanleys at Doncaster, to Ranks at Rotherham, and to Sheffield (until 1970). Rotherham was served by 100 tonne capacity 'Sheffield' boats and up to 60,000 tonnes/annum was carried until 1977. I recall a trip on 'Thomas Porter' with Alan Oliver from Hull in the early 1970s; coming up the Humber waves crashed along the hatch covers but Alan wasn't peturbed at all as these vessels were well designed for rough weather.

 

David,

 

Thank you for your writeup and especially the above section. Our Sheffield size boat Goodwill was built in 1953 and worked for Waddingtons. We knew that she did carry wheat but I had little idea how this fitted into broader patterns. Steve Waddington told us that she would take wheat from Hull to Mexborough, Rotherham and Sheffield, and then on the return trips take coal from various pits to the Hull gas works.

 

We know from a 1976 payslip found under the forecabin floor that the skipper got £5.50 pay for loading 100 tons of wheat!

[Chertsey]

The current owners of Misterton have a long standing blog which I used to follow ages ago when they were first renovating it and on searching for it I was pleased to see that it was still going, at least as of last February. The blog is here with a brief history of the barge here.

 

Slightly off topic I know but hopefully potentially interesting.

[gazza]

 

David,

 

Thank you for your writeup and especially the above section. Our Sheffield size boat Goodwill was built in 1953 and worked for Waddingtons. We knew that she did carry wheat but I had little idea how this fitted into broader patterns. Steve Waddington told us that she would take wheat from Hull to Mexborough, Rotherham and Sheffield, and then on the return trips take coal from various pits to the Hull gas works.

 

We know from a 1976 payslip found under the forecabin floor that the skipper got £5.50 pay for loading 100 tons of wheat!

This is money inflation calculator gives £5.50 in '76 as £41.67 today

 

Today's minimum wage for 25+ is £7.20; so today assuming an 8 hour day you'd earn £57.60

Edited September 20, 2016 by gazza