Jump to content

Archimedes & Ara photos


Featured Posts

56 minutes ago, BWM said:

They are a great looking pair, and have a much longer record of being operated by good people. The previous owners, Alan and Tricia were lovely folks.  After them, they belonged to a  farming couple who seemed very pleasant but the husband appeared to be less keen on the enterprise! Sadly the type of offence has seemingly stuck to the boats unfairly. 

Barney took over from Alan and Trish. He was a Suffolk farmer and a great guy. Spent many an hour sharing a bottle of single malt in the back cabin. From what I remember, I think it was becoming too much after they had an addition to the family and Barney's time away from home.

20 minutes ago, Athy said:

No, especially as most people won't know that story anyway. I don't, although its mention evokes a faint memory, but an internet search, and also a perusal of a previous thread on here about the boats, doesn't reveal anything.

IIRC the guy's name was James who worked for them.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, alan_fincher said:

Ahem, David.

It was Aynho & Ayr on the piles in the 1960s, (and early 1970s), not Aynho & Ara!

Sam & Gladys Horne ran them before Bill Brown & Dolly Dakin.

 

3 hours ago, alan_fincher said:

Ahem, David.

It was Aynho & Ayr on the piles in the 1960s, (and early 1970s), not Aynho & Ara!

Sam & Gladys Horne ran them before Bill Brown & Dolly Dakin.

Well spotted Alan to be honest i did not notice the error I also forgot you knew Barry's parents Sam & Gladys .Barry enjoyed his chat with you at Ricky & all being well i hope for him to join me again this year 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 minutes ago, Markinaboat said:

Barney took over from Alan and Trish. He was a Suffolk farmer and a great guy. Spent many an hour sharing a bottle of single malt in the back cabin. From what I remember, I think it was becoming too much after they had an addition to the family and Barney's time away from home.

IIRC the guy's name was James who worked for them.

https://www.northamptonchron.co.uk/news/predatory-rapist-attacked-young-girl-at-northamptonshire-canal-boat-festival-1-5957461

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Good sleuthing, BWN. I do not think that an incident from four years ago, which did not take place on the boat, should prejudice a potential buyer.

Edited by Athy
Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, David Schweizer said:

Things had certainly changed by the time I knew him, apart from the boats, his own appearance was bizzaire. His hair became progressively longer until someone ( presumably Dolly.or maybe himself) attacked it with a pair of scissors. I knew that the family had moved into a cottage on the Hanwell flght, and I believe John (Knuckles) Dakin was lock keeper there for  a while. I met him some years later at Cowley working on a BW maintenance gang, and he told me that Dolly was living in Harefield, but she has probably passed away by now.

Dolly passed 2 years back her health had been bad for some time Cancer got the better of her about the only thing in her life that ever did .She weighed less than 8 stone when she went to the great cut in the sky.

Yes some things you say are correct if my  memory is right Dolly got sick of his hair & cut it whilst he was sleeping off a skin full.

Billy was v close to uncle Albert Aunt Cissy was a woman of little words never a full sentence just a straight yes or no would do her.

The house in West Drayton was spotless wo betide a speck of dust that dared to enter she used to brush my hair a lot but this would be done outside under the scullery porch even washing shaving ect was done in a bowl under the outside cover  all other life went on in the scullery no one dared to open the door & let dust in  to the rest of the house. who knows maybe his life style after he left West Drayton was a statement & I know for sure dispite the rows & fights he was a lot happier with his lot 

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

12 minutes ago, Derek R. said:

His boating was hardly impressive, but now that's out the way - can we get back to the boats?

I do not think that we ever went away from them. All the posts in the thread have related to the boats in different ways. That's the good thing about historic boat threads: people come in from different angles, unexpected information and vintage photos appear, thus broadening our knowledge and understanding.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Billy Brown's pair Ayhno and Ayr have been corrected OK now. We used to see them on maintenance work, but we first encountered him when we were loaded, going through a bridgehole, and some bloke jumped into Towcester's enginehole. He immediately popped out, all embarrassed, saying he had heard something not quite right with our motor and went to have a look. In fact we had slighly over-sized blades for our JP2 which I liked but did give it a slightly different tone.

When they first left the boats they were in a Council house in Maffers village. We went to see them and they had a half dozen bits and pieces of furniture against the walls in a relatively large room - they'd never lived in a house before and didn't really know what to do with furniture. He also compained about the garden which he reckoned was worse than the 10-mile pound. I think I mentioned on here long ago, it was Dolly who told Di that to keep herself warm she should wrap herself in lard and brown paper once the weather turned for winter and keep it on till spring arrived. They also had a coloured lad, and Dolly reckoned the reason was the she fell for him in a tunnel.

It is interesting to see Ara and Archimedes coming through Bulls Bridge loaded abreast - they must have been very slow along there, and it's certainly not something we would have done.

 

Tam

Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 minutes ago, Tam & Di said:

Billy Brown's pair Ayhno and Ayr have been corrected OK now. We used to see them on maintenance work, but we first encountered him when we were loaded, going through a bridgehole, and some bloke jumped into Towcester's enginehole. He immediately popped out, all embarrassed, saying he had heard something not quite right with our motor and went to have a look. In fact we had slighly over-sized blades for our JP2 which I liked but did give it a slightly different tone.

When they first left the boats they were in a Council house in Maffers village. We went to see them and they had a half dozen bits and pieces of furniture against the walls in a relatively large room - they'd never lived in a house before and didn't really know what to do with furniture. He also compained about the garden which he reckoned was worse than the 10-mile pound. I think I mentioned on here long ago, it was Dolly who told Di that to keep herself warm she should wrap herself in lard and brown paper once the weather turned for winter and keep it on till spring arrived. They also had a coloured lad, and Dolly reckoned the reason was the she fell for him in a tunnel.

It is interesting to see Ara and Archimedes coming through Bulls Bridge loaded abreast - they must have been very slow along there, and it's certainly not something we would have done.

 

Tam

That's interesting. She told us that he was the result of drinking too much coffee.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

21 minutes ago, jeannette smith harrison said:

Dolly passed 2 years back her health had been bad for some time Cancer got the better of her about the only thing in her life that ever did .She weighed less than 8 stone when she went to the great cut in the sky.

Yes some things you say are correct if my  memory is right Dolly got sick of his hair & cut it whilst he was sleeping off a skin full.

Billy was v close to uncle Albert Aunt Cissy was a woman of little words never a full sentence just a straight yes or no would do her.

The house in West Drayton was spotless wo betide a speck of dust that dared to enter she used to brush my hair a lot but this would be done outside under the scullery porch even washing shaving ect was done in a bowl under the outside cover  all other life went on in the scullery no one dared to open the door & let dust in  to the rest of the house. who knows maybe his life style after he left West Drayton was a statement & I know for sure dispite the rows & fights he was a lot happier with his lot 

 

 

I am surprised that Dolly was still around up to two years ago, she must have been a good age. Do you know whether Billy was married before he took up with Dolly, and when he transformed from being neat and tidy to scruffy?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Athy said:

Good sleuthing, BWN. I do not think that an incident from four years ago, which did not take place on the boat, should prejudice a potential buyer.

Not at all, but as I understand it the boats were subject to both vandalism and extensive theft, the latter most likely taking an opportunity than any moral stance. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, cheshire~rose said:

I don't feel any future owner would have any problems with ownership as a direct legacy of their previous owner. You only have to see how the current owner of those notorious former hotel boats Oak & Ash has got on to know that. OK so a change of colour scheme has taken place but that could happen with this pair as they have had several different liveries in their history. 

You are absolutely correct. They are a lovely family I've heard and the boats look splendid in their new colour scheme.

 

Dan

Link to comment
Share on other sites

16 minutes ago, stagedamager said:

You are absolutely correct. They are a lovely family I've heard and the boats look splendid in their new colour scheme.

 

Dan

SORRY if  the posting of my photo in post 39 & then repeated by Alen in post 41 has offended anyone i truly believed this to be Tom .Alan has pointed out that it is not & also chose to remark on the other person present  crime a subject that had not been mentioned in any detail .i have been phoned & told the other family involved are members of this forum & mentioned subject by Alen still leaves a bad taste in some peoples mouths  so have asked admin to deleate my photo & remarks from post 39 & 41 

IF THIS HAS OFFENDED YOU I AM TRULY SORRY

  • Greenie 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thought you might like this photo of Archimedes when not looking so folourn. It was taken many years ago when in the ownership of Al and Trish. THe other boat is UCCs Great Britain we worked down Braunston locks breasted up. Als comment on GB was that it woould make a good working boat with the top cut off!! You can see a real connection in the styles of the hulls. We hired GB a couple of times - she was an easy boat to handle.

gallery_3364_231_23547.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

When I see Union Canal Carriers hire boats I often think that the hull shape looks very traditional - though I don't think I have seen 'Great Britain'.

Some, of course, have those Sabb engines which enhance their traditional aspect.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

11 hours ago, Richard T said:

Thought you might like this photo of Archimedes when not looking so folourn. It was taken many years ago when in the ownership of Al and Trish. THe other boat is UCCs Great Britain we worked down Braunston locks breasted up. Als comment on GB was that it woould make a good working boat with the top cut off!! You can see a real connection in the styles of the hulls. We hired GB a couple of times - she was an easy boat to handle.

gallery_3364_231_23547.jpg

Have fond memories of both them and the boats, Alan had a wonderful singing voice. last time I heard him was at the gathering in Cassiobury park.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 minutes ago, Nightwatch said:

We travelled quite a way with Great Britain on the K&A last year. Looking a bit sorry for itself, but a good looking boat.

So perhaps it is no longer part of the hire fleet?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I don't think it is. Not for sometime. The steerer at the time told me the present owner as has GB for sometime. Apparently he takes it to Henley each year, pays an enormous amount of money to moor it, buy 'lets' out bed space for Regatta goers. Does better that break even

Link to comment
Share on other sites

10 hours ago, Athy said:

When I see Union Canal Carriers hire boats I often think that the hull shape looks very traditional - though I don't think I have seen 'Great Britain'.

Some, of course, have those Sabb engines which enhance their traditional aspect.

Given it's registration number (78373),  I am pretty certain that Great Britain's Hull was built in 1980 by Braunston Canal Services. Our old boat was built by them in 1981 and  GB certainly looks like one of their hulls

55 minutes ago, Athy said:

 So perhaps it is no longer part of the hire fleet?

I have spent a lot of time at UCC over the years and have never seen Great Britain there so i assume it is no longer in the UCC fleet.

Edited by David Schweizer
Link to comment
Share on other sites

It's been a long while, I think since "Great Britain" was actively on the UCCCo fleet.

It used to winter in the Berkhamsted area up until a few yeras back, but still carried the UCCCo name.

I've not seen it in a while, but if its now on the K&A, that's not surprising.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Great Britain has not been part of the hire fleet for number of years. It had an unusaul layout in that it had a back cabin and engine room which were not connected to the rest of the boat rather like Alans Flamingo. The engine was a 3cyclinder lump I can't remember what. THe hire that the photo was taken on had been an odd one. We had set out for Stratford and approaching Warwick we felt a lot of vibration so checked the prop to find only two blades!! We returned to Braunston and she was docked to have a replacement prop - there was evidence of an crack on the old one and we must have hit a log or similar which caused it to snap off. Having got a new prop we then went to Market Harborough and back.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.