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Blossom

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  • Gender
    Male
  • Location
    West Midlands
  • Interests
    Working boats
    keeping water (with big Nishikigoi in)
  • Occupation
    Training Manager
  • Boat Name
    Darley
  • Boat Location
    Trent & Mersey

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  1. Ooer that might have been me!
  2. Gosbrook Mill was actually fed by the Smestow Brook as it was the area that was called originally (985 AD) Gose Broc and nowadays Gorsebrook. The section of the Smestow Brook bearing the name 'Gorsebrook', is now culverted, disappearing in Fowlers Park to the east and not resurfacing again until at the other side of Dunstall Park racecourse to the west. A distance of approximately 1.25miles
  3. If you want to see an original set up speak to Cliff Sherwood owner of small Northwich motor Belatrix as this still has it's original RN and original speedwheel and 'ahead' - 'astern' gear wheel. In fact I would say it is the boat that is in it's most original condition (apart from replacement of timberworks, bottoms, gunnels, running gear, cloths etc)
  4. Hi Andy just a slight correction the the information regarding the '1973 Wendover Sale' the second sale was actually in 1971 not 1973 as stated above. I officially became the owner of Bingley on 2 July 1971. Also quite a few of the boats listed on the Wendover sale, although on the same tender list, were never actually taken to the Wendover arm or removed weeks before the sale. I went down several weeks before the closing date of the tender and recorded the following boats up the Wendover arm. Satelite, Tocan, Bingley, Tarporley, Alton, Halsall, Belfast, Alperton, Coleshill, Badsey, Baildon, Sudbury, Nuneaton and Ara.
  5. " Coal for hole, slack for arsehole".Dave, Iv'e heard a similar statement made by several old BCN boatmen except it went 'coal for hole and slack for cack'
  6. Here is a shot of the same area in 1953 but facing the opposite direction. I was always led to believe that this building housed the BCN toll office (the half hexagon extending out from the front of the building next to the bridge 'ole.
  7. I think it says Hicinton (Itchington 7)
  8. Just to add my two penneth, From my early days in the late 1950's through the 60's and into the 70's while there was still a lot of short haul traffic left on the BCN, I have heard both the term narrowboat and barge used to describe the boats of the area. As already mentioned by PaulH, the workers of the BCN were made up of two types. The ex family, long distance boaters from true boating stock would refer to the boats as narrowboats, such as the Fosters, the Garretts, Joe Chattin, Ernie Clowes, Johnny Brookes etc. while those off the land who had no family ties or connection to the cut, and probably only saw it as a job, would call them barges. My comments on Bantock's would be that I always heard them referred to as railway boats (but some of them happened to be made by Thomas Bantock)in essence the same as all the boats owned by the Grand Union Canal Carrying Company are 'Grand Unions' (but some of them were made by Harland & Wolff and some made by W J Yarwood & Sons, [and others] and the're known as Woolwiches & Northwiches.
  9. Ray, I remember going to Moxley rope works with Cliff Sherwood in about 1967 to buy cotton lines for his boat Bellatrix, just as he was setting up as a trip boat on the Staffs & Worces. I remember it as a ramshackle place down a really rough dirt track behind quite a large old house. I think the dirt track is still there, but nothing left of the rope works as it's all built on now.
  10. Whilst I agree that the can has more than likely been painted by an unknown painter, probably either repainted by a bored housewife or by a boatman' I have to disagree with 'boatman wouldn't have room for a useless can' back in the day, most boats had what they called a 'cabin can' usually a one gallon can which they kept in the cabin in the winter months when there was a risk of their crucial water supply freezing.
  11. The bow of the motor/tug is put just one side of the starn of the boat to be pushed, until the tee stud on the bow lines up with the tee stud of the pushed boat. The two tee studs are then tightly tied together(on the BCN it would be with heavy chain. And that's it, simplicity, this leaves just enough flexibility between the two boats to allow the pushed boat to be steered by the opposite movements of the motor/tug's bows.
  12. btw mate, Ive added the info you sent re Hawkesbury to my website finally, will appear when I update the site next. Sorry about the delay.

  13. I have seen lots of boats stemmed around the BCN. As mentioned previously, Thomas Clayton's, especially the short haul work around the BCN from the various gasworks to Midland Tar Distillers at bottom of the crow, but always loaded boats. However with tugs and day boats, I've seen both loaded and empty day boats being stemmed in fact quite often a tug would be stemming one day boat while towing a second on cross straps/chain and only the tug driver in charge. One thing nobody had mentioned yet is the big advantage of stemming a boat, if you are towing on cross straps without a steerer and you go astern the towed boat slews round all across the cut as it tries to catch you up, if you chuck astern while stemming the pushed boat stops in a straight line in the middle of the cut, in fact if you get it wrong while stemming and the pushed boat goes out of line that's how you correct it, chuck astern and everything lines back up, simple
  14. Hi Ally and many congratulations on acquiring Birmingham she is a nice unspoilt boat. Mikey was right on both counts regarding the funnel on Darley. It is an original and not a reproduction and it came up with the dredging's from Sutton's Stop. Take it from me as well it IS heavy and it is a struggle to lift it out the engine 'ole to the cabin top. Having boated with it in place, I don't think it was so much the weight that the boatmen did not like, as it fits easily under the majority of bridges without the need for removal, it's the fact that they don't work. The exhaust fumes/smoke do not get blown out with any force, they just seem to accumulate inside the funnel, then drift out in a cloud towards the steerer's breathing zone. Besides when you are 'giving it some' the fumes seem to prefer to come from underneath the funnel and blacken the cabin top instead. I only put Darley's funnel on at shows etc. now. I'm sure I saw Birmingham come past our garden the other night followed very closely by Starling. Look forward to seeing you out and about soon cheers Blossom.
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