Sponsors
National Historic Ships UK acknowledges the financial support of its sponsors
Registration number
612
Status
Registered
a12admin
Details
Function
Cargo Vessel
Subfunction
Narrow Boat
Location
Gloucester
Vessel type
Horse Drawn
Current use
Museum based
Available to hire
No
Available for excursions
No
Web address
www.canalrivertrust.org.uk
Construction
Builder
Fellows, Morton & Clayton, Saltley Dock
Built in
1898
Hull material
Iron
Rig
None
Number of decks
1
Propulsion
Towed
Primary engine type
None
Boiler type
None
Boilermaker
None
Dimensions
Breadth: Beam
7.25 feet
(2.21m)
Length: Overall
71.28 feet
(21.74m)
Tonnage: Gross
36.00
History
Built in 1898 at Saltley, Birmingham for Fellows Morton and Clayton, NORTHWICH is a horse drawn narrowboat. Taken over by the newly formed British Waterways Board in 1949, she was withdrawn from service in 1963 and put on display at the Waterways Museum at Stoke Bruerne. Having been identified as one of the oldest vessels on Britain’s canal system, she was initially displayed afloat, restored to her original colour scheme. In 1973 she had a refit which included completely replacing her bottom, again with elm boarding. In 1980, she had a rebuild which included rebottoming her with steel plate and much work on her superstructure with the object of reducing maintenance Thereafter she toured the canal system as a roving exhibit, spending time on loan to The Boat Museum, Ellesmere Port and the Black Country Museum. She is now based in Gloucester.
Sources
Northwich leaflet, British Waterways Board, 1980
Brouwer, Norman J, International Register of Historic Ships, Anthony Nelson, Edition 2, 1993
Sullivan, Dick, Old Ships, Boats and Maritime Museums, Coracle Books, 1978
Own this vessel?
If you are the owner of this vessel and would like to provide more details or updated information, please contact info@nationalhistoricships.org.uk
