Our Disappearing Butties

Photo: Amy Tillson

Betelgeuse towed by Spey

Amy Tillson writes: Boatman Jack Roberts, speaking in the late 1960s, recalled that until the Second World War, it was horseboats that were most commonly seen on the Shropshire Union . This serves as a reminder that the motor boat was a relative late-comer to the of England and Wales, and that the horseboat or butty style was the original "narrow boat". With their long curved hull shape and large ellum they swim and steer perfectly, and require different skills to motor steering. There is no better way to improve your boathandling skills than pair boating! Emscote enters Foxton Bottom having just left the first IWA Rally at Market Harborough in 1950. A motorised butty, the cavitation plate can be seen. Note that anglers on the lock approach and at Foxton aren’t Photo: Weaver Collection No 933 a new feature!

Yet, every year there are fewer of these iconic boats. More and more are having their beautiful butty sterns removed, and replaced with motor counters, or they are cut in two, with each end having a motor stern added. Some are more sensitively (and reversibly) converted, with hydraulic drives or cut away below the waterline to allow a propellor to fit in front of the ellum. Although the number of butties motorised in the 1960s and 70s has allowed many to

26 HNBC Newsletter 2016/1 survive, albeit in an altered form, there is no doubt that they are becoming scarcer in an unaltered state. Clearly there is a decrease in demand for butties to be used as they were originally: worked with another boat. Whilst there are a few carrying companies, organisations and private owners who ensure that pairs are still seen at rallies, and on the cut, they are all the more noticeable for their rarity. Fewer people have the resources or the inclination to take on a second boat and this means the loss of not only the boats themselves but equally importantly the loss of the skills required to handle a pair of narrow boats. The skills of working a pair of horse-boats together has been all but lost, and pair boating must not be allowed to go the same way. In the light of this sad state of affairs, how should we as a Club dedicated to historic narrow boats address the problem? Already the licence fee for a butty is half that of the motor it is paired with, and numbers of butties continue to fall despite this. If there are people who have the enthusiasm to learn how to work with a pair of boats but not the resources (and speaking to the membership, there most certainly are such people), perhaps one solution would be to share one butty amongst several motors. However, currently the licence conditions mean that without a fixed motor, a butty pays the full licence fee. If you have any suggestions for how to preserve not just butties but the skills involved with handling them, please do get in touch with the committee. Perhaps you are interested in joining a butty-ownership collective or could offer others the chance to learn pair boating skills? We hope to develop a strategy to preserve the remaining butties, and we would welcome any input from members.

Steam Transport Event at Lion Salt Works Museum - May 1st & 2nd

Just to give you some background about the Museum. The Lion Salt Works Museum near Northwich in Cheshire is located on the Trent & Mersey Canal (just two miles from the ). The Museum was re-opened in June last year after a four-year £10m renovation and refurbishment. It is one of the last open-pan salt-making sites in the world (explaining why it is also a Scheduled Ancient Monument) and tells the story of salt and its impact on the people, industry and landscape through fun and interactive displays. The museum has already won four awards for its restoration and has its own moorings and direct access from the towpath. Over the May Bank Holiday (set up day on Saturday 30 April), the Museum will be staging a Steam Transport weekend, featuring up to seven traction engines as well as historic boats. A range of activities is planned for the day, both inside and outside the museum, including craft activities and stalls. We also hope to have some maypole dancers (not yet confirmed). We have already had confirmation that two historic boats can make it along for the weekend but we are keen to encourage more, especially anyone Interested children viewing the model of a salt pan that feels happy about talking about their boats and even conducting tours. More information: contact Philip Cox at [email protected] or by calling the Museum on 01606 275040. Fiona Young: PR for Lion Salt Works

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