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Water Cans and Handbowls


pete harrison

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5 hours ago, David Mack said:

 

Ray, Do you know the date of that picture and the identity of the motor, still in its GUCCC wartime livery, and still sporting it's original pigeon box?

According to the record I have the GUCC boat is Capricorn and Raleigh at Griff, don't have a date.

 

Edited by Ray T
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9 minutes ago, Chris M Jones said:

I wrote a caption to this image in NarrowBoat Magazine Autumn 2016 page 9 which gives a probable date and helps to identify the former GUCCC motor along with the name of the boating family aboard.

1381243739_CapricornRaleighatGriff.jpg.89c2971d142310ff43cc635d285e6038.jpg

Many thanks Chris, 

 

From NarrowBoat Magazine:

"Lead-based paints soon deteriorated when exposed to sunlight, changes of temperature and the high levels of pollution of past decades, as demonstrated here on the Coventry Canal where the recently painted butty Raleigh looks almost brand new compared to her motor. This scene was most likely photographed in June 1948, when Raleigh, steered by the Grantham family, was paired with the Docks & Inland Waterways Executive’s motor Capricorn. The latter still bears her wartime livery when owned by the GUCCC, and shows how the paint has faded beneath a layer of grime and soot that covered every exterior surface in those days. Raleigh had been docked earlier that year prior to re-registration at Tamworth, but already shows marks and scuffs from daily work. Note how the varnish on the water can and hand bowl, which were both painted at Braunston at an earlier date, has darkened and yellowed with age. The paintwork on Raleigh is by George Baxter who worked at Barlows’ Glascote Dock. Another point of interest is Joe Skinner’s Friendship moored in the background. National Geographic Magazine."

Edited by Ray T
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11 minutes ago, Chris M Jones said:

I wrote a caption to this image in NarrowBoat Magazine Autumn 2016 page 9 which gives a probable date and helps to identify the former GUCCC motor along with the name of the boating family aboard.

1381243739_CapricornRaleighatGriff.jpg.89c2971d142310ff43cc635d285e6038.jpg

So were they working as a pair at this time? And if so in whose fleet?

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3 hours ago, Ray T said:

I like to think he's just finished painting the roof blue and realised it should have been red!! :D

 

gallery_7537_1_329896.jpg

I wouldn't take (Fu)lboune's livery as definitively correct. And Angel was painted in similar (but not identical) colours.

But you do raise an interesting question - should the roof be blue on a wartime livery boat? And should the handrail be red? And if so, the same colour as the cabin side or pillar box red?

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12 hours ago, Ray T said:

I like to think he's just finished painting the roof blue and realised it should have been red!! :D

 

gallery_7537_1_329896.jpg

The green on the pigeon box looks out of place, and of a shade i've not seen on these boats.

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1 hour ago, Captain Pegg said:

The lack of info in that passage was what led me to ask the question as it seems that Capricorn was not laid up, as the article would suggest, when the photo was taken.

Although a laid up boat would have been available to hire out to Barlows if the need arose.

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8 minutes ago, David Mack said:

Although a laid up boat would have been available to hire out to Barlows if the need arose.

Which is what I suspect is happening, they did take some surplus boats from the GUCCCo (or perhaps ex-GUCCCo by the time it happened) fleet on a permanent basis, as you’re probably aware.

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Just now, Captain Pegg said:

Which is what I suspect is happening, they did take some surplus boats from the GUCCCo (or perhaps ex-GUCCCo by the time it happened) fleet on a permanent basis, as you’re probably aware.

According to Alan Faulkner:
Cairo (M)

Montgomery (B)

Neptune (M)

York (B)

Halifax (M)

Mosquito (B)

Warwick (B)

 

 

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2 hours ago, Ray T said:

According to Alan Faulkner:
Cairo (M)

Montgomery (B)

Neptune (M)

York (B)

Halifax (M)

Mosquito (B)

Warwick (B)

 

 

Yes but those are mostly the names that Barlow’s applied rather than the original names so it doesn’t fully identify the boats concerned.

 

ETA - as pointed out elsewhere the boats above are those taken into the Samuel Barlow fleet and Raleigh as pictured above is an S E Barlow boat. Both companies took boats from the original GU fleet.

Edited by Captain Pegg
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I am sure the photograph of CAPRICORN / RALEIGH / FRIENDSHIP can be dated to 1948. I have records of Oxford Canal traffic from the 1940's and 1950's which shows CAPRICORN and RALEIGH being paired for a very short period of time and loading at Griff Colliery on 20 June 1948, arriving in Oxford on 22 June (CAPRICORN for Morrells, Nelson Wharf and RALEIGH for Co-op, Dawson Wharf). At this time CAPRICORN and RALEIGH were under the 'captaincy' of the Grantham family. By the end of July 1948 the Grantham's had turned CAPRICORN in for the S.E. Barlow motor BLAKE (exG.U.C.C.Co. Ltd. MIZAR), and most likely CAPRICORN was returned to 'British Waterways'. By the time of Queen Elizabeth's coronation CAPRICORN was on loan to the maintenance department of 'British Waterways' with whom it remained until being sold in 1964.

 

S.E. Barlow's RALEIGH was previously John Harwood's SEARCHLIGHT and had been paired for several years with the former F.M.C. Ltd. PRINCE, again on Oxford Canal coal traffic.

Capricorn is my boat so I naturally take an interest in its history. Subsequent research suggests it was actually sold off by BWB in 1961/2 and reduced to 49ft at Charity Dock to form a pleasure boat.  In 2015 I had it stretched to 57ft 6ins at Brinklow Boats using some of the original sides which had been stored at Bedworth and later at Long Itchington for over 50 years!

 

Paul

Edited just now by Paul H
Edited by Paul H
  • Greenie 1
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  • 9 months later...

This long thread is fascinating! I am researching a vintage water can that my Mum left to me. I wonder if anyone here can tell me anything about it?

My Mum and Dad went on a couple of long boat trips in the late 60s while they were professional dancers in Ballet Rambert. On one of those trips (possibly while my Mum was pregnant with me in 1969!) they bought this water can which was a fixture in the various living rooms that I grew up in. As you can see, the can is well loved and unrestored.

 

From an earlier post on page 9 in this thread I have a suspicion that the can itself can possibly be from Joseph Ash Ltd in Birmingham. The style seems to match the picture posted there. Any other suggestions?

And does anyone have any ideas regarding the painter? I see some similarities to the work of Frank Nurser, but I imagine there could be other artists who have similar style. Any clues I could look for?

 

As you can probably tell, this isn't something I would want to part with - it's a part of my family history and it will remain with me here in Sweden for the forseeable future. Unfortunately, it won't live on a canal boat though!

20210907_224952_crop.jpg

20210907_225010_crop.jpg

20210907_225000_crop.jpg

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There will be others who may be able to identify the painter, but I think I am safe in saying that it is not the work of Frank Nurser. His work changed over the years but he always painted leaves behind his roses, and the lead petal was always more robust that the other petals. This site illustrates the features I refer to:- http://nurser.co.uk/decoration/frank-nurser-2/water-can-by-frank-nurser-2.html#previous-photo

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Thank you for the clarifications David. It was the images on that site that I felt were closest in style to the piece that we have, but the devil is always in the details. As you say, there aren't leaves behind the roses in the same way. 

 

If anyone else has any thoughts I would be extremely interested to hear more insights.

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50 minutes ago, Steve Priest said:

IMO that can was painted by Dennis Clarke’s brother Colin, but interestingly enough the example that David refers to as being by Frank Nurser is actually by Dennis himself

 

Thanks for the explantion Steve, I am not sure how that picture came up, but  if you click on the upwards arrow and then click on Frank Nurser, you should get some illustations of Frank Nurser's work . Here:-

 

http://nurser.co.uk/decoration/frank-nurser-2/index.html

 

60939965_FrankNurser.jpeg.31dc894f812776ab14b9d47f6806979b.jpeg

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited by David Schweizer
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Just noticed & read   this topic & got me thinking of an old cabin block i have in the attic 

As far as i was  told over the years this was painted by my  Dad when he was a kid so painted i think around 1939/40 ish &

it was used on Grandads working boats .

On pictures here the blocks are straight on top & the planks held down with rope .

The one i have has a cutting into the top just the right size for a plank to sit into.

any info/History on this style block as i would love to add this to my collection of my boat peoples family memory books  

105_0305.JPG

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