Water Gypsies: A History of Life on Britain's Rivers and Canals

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Census- Age 7, at Crowle, River Trent at Amcotts, on board the vessel Agile with his uncle James White and aunt Annie (nee Oliver, later known as Grandma White)

It’s a very close community. It is quite peaceful and tranquil down here and as far as I’m aware there is no abandoned boats down here. If there is they are in the boatyard not the actual Marina. Burton, Anthony (1983). The Waterways of Britain: A Guide to the Canals and Rivers of England, Scotland and Wales. London: Willow Books, William Collins and Sons & Co Ltd. ISBN 0-00-218047-2. Bill Johnson and Len Tennison in wheelhouse of Maureen Eva 1965 XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXGORDON RHODES It wasn't long before I moved up from the Infants into Class 2. I suppose I was a bit cleverer than some pupils, because George, Arthur and Elsie had to make our own fun, and School was played at more than anything else. They had taught me to write my own name and do easy add up sums. I could read fairly well, and that helped me to be a Class higher every pass-up.This should have been exactly the kind of book I enjoy. I love England's canal systems and narrowboats and would love to know more about the lives of the people who lived on these waterways. The riverfront has become much more of a leisure destination than APH describes. A slightly annoying feature is that river wall has a pointed top, so you can’t sit on it or rest a drink on it. The wall looks new, but it annoys Jane in the novel. In The Water Gipsies , living on a boat was the recourse of the poor. Now it’s a middle-class option, and a mooring at Hammersmith is highly desirable. Some of the houseboats are former canal boats like Fred and Jane’s with the cargo space converted to cabins. Keelmen’s aquatic sports have been held on the canal at Thorne since the 1890s, always in June, except during the wars. Sports include swimming, greasy pole walking, sculling races, propelling a boat by hand with a crew of two or four men in the boat, and other interesting events. It was impossible to learn the keelman's trade at a Nautical school. Only the hard, rough school of experience, and the knowledge and skill of the old skippers could produce a trained keelman. Census:Age 27, a barge waterman, living in Mason's Buildings, Finkle Street, Thorne with wife Frances,27, daughter, Frances,5, son James S Barley,1

As you can see there are some boats in a state of repair but the Marina has promised they will be dealt with – but most people keep their boats in good repair." Read More Related Articles Elsie and I were also the stokers-up, keeping the oven hot. We pared apples, cleaned berries and did odd jobs in between. Mum used to get a large piece of ham, and a very large joint of meat, sometimes pork. We had to see that the pan with the ham did not boil dry, and after the baking was done, to keep an eye on the joint in the oven. It was like cooking for hundreds and thousands.He says that life on the Marina, which has approximately 30 residents, is "brilliant" and that it is "a very close community". photo 75 kind permission Thorne Local History Society "The sound of someone hailing 'Keel – a – hoy. Are you there, Captain? Come ahead with that keel' faded away about 1940. Rolt, L.T.C. (1950). The Inland waterways of England. London: George Allen and Unwin Ltd. ISBN 0-04-386003-6. My family lived in Owston Ferry and my g grandfather is listed on the 1891 census as being on board a Hull Keel tied up at Owston. He was a master mariner and his son was crew.

kilns, and coal wharves. Through the stone-built toll bridge are oil and cake mills, the Great Northern Railway Wharf, Newsham’s timber depot, with keelsMain article: List of the types of canal craft in the United Kingdom Originally canal boats were horse drawn But once through the Jubilee Bridge, we were all right for reaching the Mill. Sometimes we did not have briggage and had to drop anchor in a hurry, then wait for the tide to turn and lower, until we could get under the bridge. If the cargo was needed urgently, we had to take a line ashore, fasten it securely to a tree and then wind the other end to the sheet roller and heave our way under the bridge. This was a very slow process, as we had to take one line along, while the other held the boat. I was pleased this did not happen very often. Sometimes the mil men would come and help to pull, and that made it easier. Used to work on the juneville in the summer holidays with Jim Taylor, i remember going under the Humber bridge a few times when they were building it. loved every minute of it. It took all morning getting ready for the afternoon races, sculling races in coggy-boats for keelmen, and also one for the women. As I grew older, I once entered sculling with one oar and came first winning a silver vase with three holders which I have today.