We awoke this morning to more rain, it was quite nice to have an enforced lie in as the museum doesn’t open until 10am. I still can’t get used to being moored next to some big boats. Cuddington is a Weaver packet boat built in 1948, and carried chemicals such as soda ash for ICI down the Weaver and Mersey to Liverpool.
There are a row of Porters cottages decorated for different periods, this is the 1950’s cottage, loving the ducks on the wall.
There was an ice breaker boat on display, these boats didn’t have motors, they were pulled by the horse and rocked side to side. Toby had great fun trying out the simulator and rocking backwards and forwards, I think he looks more like a character from the Michael Jackson Thriller song.
Very little is known about the remains of this wooden boat other than the name Lily and it’s likely to have carried coal with the NVB stamp. It’s unusual in that you can see the nails where the sides of the boat would have been.
We both took a shine to Friendship and the wonderful story of a couple living on the boat for over 50 years delivering coal. It was horsedrawn by Dolly for 40 years until sadly Dolly fell on the ice and into the canal. The owners lived in the small boatman’s cabin.
Lots of steam engines to see too, the boilers reminded us of Crofton Pumping station on the Kennet and Avon canal.
The Gardiner engine is just for you Peter, you speak fondly (and often) of your time there.
Lovely to see ‘Friendship’ shining like a new pin after so many years. We saw a few tarpaulin covered freight narrowboats on the Oxford and explained to the girls about the family’s minimal living space. Elissa knows her roses from her castles and can spot a Buckby Can!