Abandoned Hulls at Marsworth

[Delirium]

Earlier I was bathing my son and for some reason the smell of his bubble bath reminded me of the smell at Marsworth locks on a summer evening, a warm and slightly sandalwood smell. Anyway that reminded me of a journey I made on my old bcn joey about 17/18 years ago. When I got to Marsworth I took a walk (more like a clamber) through the wooded area to the side of the locks (the left side if heading from London to B'ham) and there at the bottom were at least two metal boat hulls, as if boats had just been thrown down the bank and over the passage of time trees and weeds had grown up around and through them. I'm wondering if anyone knows anything about them and why they are there, and in fact are they STILL there? I can't see anyone carting them away but there must be a story attached to them surely.

 

Just thought I'd ask!

 

Delirium

[bristol & argo]

Earlier I was bathing my son and for some reason the smell of his bubble bath reminded me of the smell at Marsworth locks on a summer evening, a warm and slightly sandalwood smell. Anyway that reminded me of a journey I made on my old bcn joey about 17/18 years ago. When I got to Marsworth I took a walk (more like a clamber) through the wooded area to the side of the locks (the left side if heading from London to B'ham) and there at the bottom were at least two metal boat hulls, as if boats had just been thrown down the bank and over the passage of time trees and weeds had grown up around and through them. I'm wondering if anyone knows anything about them and why they are there, and in fact are they STILL there? I can't see anyone carting them away but there must be a story attached to them surely.

 

Just thought I'd ask!

 

Delirium

 

Yes they are still there, you can see where they are in winter and spring. Never been down to them tho'.

 

 

simon.

[AMModels]

are they iron hulls or modern(ish) steel ones?

[Delirium]

are they iron hulls or modern(ish) steel ones?

 

They looked as if they had been there a long time as one had a tree growing up through it and that was in the late eighties! I don't recall if they were steel or iron, sorry. I was just rather surprised to find them.

[Delirium]

Yes they are still there, you can see where they are in winter and spring. Never been down to them tho'.

simon.

 

Thanks Simon, I was beginning to wonder if I'd imagined them as never heard anyone else mention them. Any idea how many there are?

[antarmike]

Several boats were sunk on the Wendover arm, I remember these were dragged out ond slid off down the bank when the Summit was being dredged. (at the time "Smiler" Morris' Priestman was out on the bank on the outside bank of the arm.

 

Also the broad "Lightening boat" that was sunk in the Bulbourne winding hole was reflaoted, and I believe this was also disposed of by taking it to the start of the Wendover arm and dragging it out.

 

The area where they ended up is near the top three locks, on the same side you describe. I remember pinching the tunnel hook of one of the hulks, when it was still sunk on the arm. That was a steel or iron Butty. I can't remember what the others were. The boats ended up some distance from the bank because they slid on freshly emptied dredgings, and further dredging went behind them and these help to push them downhill and away from the arm.

 

For those not in the know the "lightening boat" was a broad craft that was available to tranship part of the cargo into from heavily laden boats, to get them across the summit in extreme drought. The load would be put back on the original boats, once they had reached the other side of the summit. The lightening boat would then take some cargo of boats going across the summit the other way, spending its time as a shuttle boat.

Edited January 31, 2010 by antarmike

[Derek R.]

That's one I hadn't heard before - not on the summit. I knew they did that to get through Sapperton Tunnel but not the summit.

 

Derek

[antarmike]

That's one I hadn't heard before - not on the summit. I knew they did that to get through Sapperton Tunnel but not the summit.

 

Derek

The lightening boat was a pain when I was Horse boating with a Vokins barge that had been converted to day tripping, (Ben Klibrech)

 

We regularly tripped across Tring Summit and winded at the Bulbourne winding hole. The Lightening boat was sunk partly in the winding hole, on the outside bank, on the cowroast side of the hole. It was easy enough to turn a Narrow boat, but when coming from the Cowroast with a 14' wide boat it was a bu99er to turn fast enough to miss the sunk boat, and get the bows fully into the winding hole.

 

The Lightening boat was eventually floated, and spent some months on the towpath side, through the Bridge, by Bulbourne yard, but it sank regularly and it was easiest to dispose of it "over the edge" at the end of the Wendover Arm. I don't know how many years it had lain in the winding hole. As far as my connection with the canal is concerned it had "always" been sunk there.

 

The Lightening boat only had about three foot deep hull sides., was the same at each end and the rudder could mount either end, to save having to wind it.

Edited January 31, 2010 by antarmike

[Kez]

Anyone know who to contact about taking on one of the boats?

[antarmike]

Anyone know who to contact about taking on one of the boats?

They remain the property od British Waterays, but they were completely knacked 40 years ago, the is no access by road, they are burried in dredgings, and 30 feet below canal level, down a bank. Have a look at them before spending any time seeing if they can be purchased!

[alan_fincher]

They remain the property od British Waterays, but they were completely knacked 40 years ago, the is no access by road, they are burried in dredgings, and 30 feet below canal level, down a bank.

They may still have moved more recently than some other boats in that area!

 

.................... Naughty!, naughty! - Slapped wrists! - I must stop saying these things! .........................

[David Schweizer]

They may still have moved more recently than some other boats in that area!

 

.................... Naughty!, naughty! - Slapped wrists! - I must stop saying these things! .........................

Yes you must. Then perhaps, you won't get so many odd comments.

Edited February 3, 2010 by David Schweizer

[Delirium]

Antarmike, thanks for posting this. It is really nice to know a bit more about them. Do you know when the boats got flung down the bank? I wondered how they managed to get quite so far away from the towpath so the dredgings makes sense. When I went to see them it was a pretty tricky journey to get to them almost 20 years ago, so I imagine you'd need Time Team now

 

Best wishes

[antarmike]

Antarmike, thanks for posting this. It is really nice to know a bit more about them. Do you know when the boats got flung down the bank? I wondered how they managed to get quite so far away from the towpath so the dredgings makes sense. When I went to see them it was a pretty tricky journey to get to them almost 20 years ago, so I imagine you'd need Time Team now

 

Best wishes

 

All I remember is "Smiler" Morris as he was known had his Priestman dredger on the bank. Presumably he grabbed the boats with the dredging bucket. It must have been right on the limit of his lift but the hulks would not have been full of mud because all had sunk with the hull sides above water level, I don't know if he managed to lift one end and drag the other, or how he did it but I can imagine some distortion to the hulls having resulted from the operation. If you look on the thread I started some months back "senenties boating" There are picture of Cambourne, Hoppers, and Alberts Priestman at the other end on the summit derdging around Cowroast widing hole. The boats will have been pulled out at about this time so I guess probably 1970.

 

 

My memory tells me that there was a wooden butty and a steel Iron Butty,plus the Lightening boat from Bulbourne winding hole. One of the butties had at least some cabin left on it.

 

Since the boats were dragged out and dumped, a new outfall was constructed from the Sewage works, running out several lock down Maffas flight. This will futher limit access to the site for a crane or winch vehicle.

 

There was the remains of a wooden butty at Wendover canal end basin, The iron stem post was clearly visible. I don't know whther that wreck is still there?

 

I never took photgraphs of these Wendover wrecks.

Edited February 6, 2010 by antarmike

[LEO]

There was the remains of a wooden butty at Wendover canal end basin, The iron stem post was clearly visible. I don't know whther that wreck is still there?

 

I never took photgraphs of these Wendover wrecks.

 

The stem iron is still visible.

 

Leo

[alan_fincher]

There was the remains of a wooden butty at Wendover canal end basin, The iron stem post was clearly visible. I don't know whther that wreck is still there?

 

The stem iron is still visible.

 

Pedant's alert (possibly ?).

 

When did an unpowered boat first acquire the name "butty", I wonder.

 

Wendover Arm was completely closed to navigation in 1904, so anything abandoned there by that date was presumably a lot older, and I'm guessing not a "butty" in the sense we now know it ?

 

Anyway, not a lot remains!

 

[Derek R.]

Pedant's alert (possibly ?).

 

When did an unpowered boat first acquire the name "butty", I wonder.

 

Wendover Arm was completely closed to navigation in 1904, so anything abandoned there by that date was presumably a lot older, and I'm guessing not a "butty" in the sense we now know it ?

 

Anyway, not a lot remains!

 

Alan - how could you! The Wendover arm was drained between Tringford and Drayton Beauchamp in 1904 closing THAT portion of the arm!

 

I would imagine the term Butty would have been coined to the first horse boat that got paired up with a steamer. Dumb boat might have been an alternative, but I can't see the Ladies of the boats putting up with that description of their pride and perhaps birthplace! Butty as in Mate - much more like it!

 

Nice to see remnants of the past at times. In a way it's a shame navigation might stir those waters again, as it's almost certain that stempost and whatever else is attached will end up in a mud hopper. Probably get saved and planted in a museum, maybe set in a concrete plinth alongside the navigation head with a historical plaque describing the arm and its history. Not a bad epitaph I think.

 

Derek

[alan_fincher]

Alan - how could you! The Wendover arm was drained between Tringford and Drayton Beauchamp in 1904 closing THAT portion of the arm!

Yes fair point ! - I did kind of realise as I was typing it I might not be allowed to get away with it!

 

I do wonder what is holding that stem up.

 

I'm kind of surprised that someone hasn't long ago hooked something around it, and removed as a souvenir - I can't imagine there is much but mud and other sludge at the bottom end.

 

We were also kind of surprised to find that a "6 mile" post has survived this long. (Cath and I walked the Drayton Beauchamp to Wendover section and back, yesterday afternoon).

 

I can report, however, no trace of any BW temporary "paper and clingfilm" signage identifying bridges and culverts - apparently there are some on other currently closed canals!

 

In fact the best entry for "funny signage" goes to the MOD. As you walk past Halton Camp, there are many notices saying "MOD Property - Keep Out". Each is accompanied either by a break in the hedgerow, with a well worn track, or, in at least one example, a stile is provided!

[carlt]

I do wonder what is holding that stem up.

 

I'm kind of surprised that someone hasn't long ago hooked something around it, and removed as a souvenir - I can't imagine there is much but mud and other sludge at the bottom end.

There's probably a substantial amount of Elm still bolted to it.

 

Elm rots very slowly, when fully immersed.

[Hairy-Neil]

There's probably a substantial amount of Elm still bolted to it.

 

Elm rots very slowly, when fully immersed.

 

Will be iron bolts too at that age. Steel bolts wouldn't fare half as as well.

[alan_fincher]

There's probably a substantial amount of Elm still bolted to it.

 

Elm rots very slowly, when fully immersed.

Not planning to try and re-float it, are you ?

[Derek R.]

If you go onto the Mary Evans image library HERE and enter 'canal', then go to page 56 - or search for image ref: 10263655, you will find a shot of New Mill in 1955 with the buildings adjacent to Bushell's yard there which I sketched in 1970 albeit in an advanced state of delapidation.

 

Fascinating collection there, canals across the world, but a great many in the UK. Location and boat spotters beware - it's addictive!

 

Derek Reynolds.