Category: Wolverhampton

The first narrowboats played a key part in the economic changes of the British Industrial Revolution.  They were wooden boats drawn by a horse walking on the canal towpath led by a crew member, often a child.  Narrowboats were chiefly designed for carrying cargo, though some packet boats carried passengers, luggage, mail and parcels.

The first canals to feature locks in the now standard size were the canals designed by James Brindley and approved by Parliament in 1766, including the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal and Trent and Mersey Canal.  Although construction took many years, the lock size became standard for many canal-building projects.

Boatmen’s families originally lived ashore, but in the 1830’s as canals started to suffer competition from the burgeoning railway system, families (especially those of independent single boat owners/skippers) began to live on board, partly because they could no longer afford rents, partly to provide extra hands to work the boats harder, faster and further, partly to keep families together.  As late as 1858, a Household Words article states that “the Grand Junction Canal company did not allow the boatmen’s families on board.” The crew of the non-stopping flyboat in the article (skipper, two crew and a youth) is said to be typical.

The rear portion of the boat became the boatman’s cabin, familiar from picture postcards and museums, famous for its space-saving ingenuity and interior made attractive by a warm stove, a steaming kettle, gleaming brass, fancy lace, painted housewares and decorated plates.  Such descriptions rarely consider the actual comfort of a (sometimes large) family, working brutally hard and long days, sleeping in one tiny cabin.  However many shore-bound workers endured harder indoor trades in less healthy conditions and in worse accommodation, where the family was separated for long hours rather than being together all day.  The lifestyle afloat, by definition itinerant, made it impossible for children to attend school.  Most boat people were effectively illiterate and ostracised by those living on the bank, who considered themselves superior.

As steam and diesel progressively replaced the tow-horse in the early years of the 20th century, it became possible to move even more cargo with fewer hands by towing a second, un-powered boat, referred to as a butty, buttyboat or butty boat.  Although there was no longer a horse to maintain, the butty had to be steered while being towed.  So that the butty boatman could lengthen or shorten the towline as needed, the towline wasn’t tied off on the bow, instead travelled over the buttyboat through permanent running blocks on stands or retractable middle masts and managed in the stern.  On a wide canal, such as the Grand Union Canal, the pair could be roped side-to-side (breasted up) and handled as a unit through working locks.

Cargo-carrying by narrow boat diminished from 1945 and the last regular long-distance traffic disappeared in 1970.  However, some traffic continued into the 1980’s and beyond.  Two million tonnes of aggregate were carried on the Grand Union (River Soar) between 1976 and 1996, latterly using wide beam barges.  Aggregate continues to be carried between Denham and West Drayton on the (wide) Grand Union Canal and on the tidal estuary of Bow Creek (which is the eventual outflow of the Lee & Stort Navigation).

A few people are doing their best in the 21st century to keep the tradition of canal-borne cargo-carrying alive, mostly by one-off deliveries rather than regular runs, or by selling goods such as coal to other boaters.  Enthusiasts remain dedicated to restoring the remaining old narrow boats, often as members of the Historic Narrow Boat Owners Club.  There are many replicas, such as Hadar, ornately painted with traditional designs, usually of roses and castles.  Boats not horse-drawn may have a refurbished, slow-revving, vintage semi-diesel engine.  There are some steam-driven narrow boats such as the ex-Fellows Morton & Clayton steamer President.