Working boat Bramble was built for canal carrying company, Fellows Morton and Clayton Ltd (FMC) in 1934. Bramble is an example of a working boat, once common on Britain’s canal system. They were the ‘Eddie Stobart’ transporters of their day, liveried and constantly on the move. Families lived and worked aboard. The cabins were tiny, so that the hold would be maximised for transporting goods. Although Bramble isn’t completely original, she has her own history of conversion for different uses over the years.
Bramble was built for canal carrying company, Fellows Morton and Clayton at WJ Yarwood & Sons at their Northwich Yard as part of the 7th batch of motor boats for FMC, with a coppered-steel hull. She was completed at Northwich on 16th April 1934 and was subsequently fitted out at Uxbridge.
Bramble was first registered for the FMC fleet as number 307 at Uxbridge and entered service on 31st July 1934. By 1935 she was paired with butty boat Bascote and operated by captain Albert Russon and his wife Emma. The Russon family lived aboard the boats full time, living in the cramped conditions of a tiny cabin with no facilities and working long hours, always on the move between London and Birmingham. There is photographic evidence of Bramble working on the Grand Union Canal between Brentford and the Midlands over many years, carrying coal, steel bars and other goods.
In January 1949, she was one of 56 FMC motors taken over by the South Eastern Division of the Docks & Inland Waterways Executive, when the canals were nationalised. It was probably at this time that Bramble’s original Bolinder engine was replaced by the Lister HR2, but this is unclear. She was then operated by the Inland Waterways carrying fleet and by the 1950s her captain was Charlie Powell, working alongside butty ARGUS. Later in the 1950s, she became a British Waterways Board maintenance boat and, in the 1960s, she was shortened to the length of a tug and continued to work on the Midlands canals.
In 2001, British Waterways began to dispose of many of their large fleet of old working boats and she was leased by R Brindley, who did a considerable amount of work on her at Ian Kemp’s yard at Stourbridge, re-lengthening her to 68ft.- not quite her original length, which was probably around 72ft. Sadly, R Brindley passed away and the boat was returned to British Waterways (now the Canal & River Trust) who sold her to Stourport Forward for £1 on condition that she is used for educational purposes.
Surviving features include a lister engine, traditional cabin with stove, bedding, roses and castles decoration. Bramble has been sympathetically restored by a traditional boat signwriter in original colours.
Current works:
Engineer Alan Botham and former museum lighting, theatre and film technician, Brian Hill, have been working hard since the 2020 lockdown, to recreate the working boatman’s cabin more accurately. Alterations to the bed and side beds have meant that we can now display Bramble to look as she might have done, back in the 1950s.
Since the National Lottery Heritage Fund grant was received in 2024, Stourport Forward and the Bramblers have been making major sympathetic modifications to the hold steps to ensure entry and exit from the boat is more graduated and thus accessible. Anti slip matting has also been added to the steps to prevent slips and trips. To further aid the transition from mooring point to the hold we also plan to install hand rails.
We have also invested in an iPad and portable PA system to overcome physical barriers to participation. The iPad will be used to upload videos and pictures of the basin and boat for those who cannot board the boat and PA system to allow our presentations on board to be louder and clearer to those who are hard of hearing
Ballast boxes have been installed to tidy the hold area and blankets and cushions purchased to add a little luxury.
Bramble is licenced to carry up to 12 passengers with trips running from Spring through to Autumn annually. Public trips run once a month during this time and dates can be viewed on our Eventbrite page (insert Eventbrite link). For private group trips please contact us directly.
Stourport Forward have formed a partnership with Canal & River Trust Explorers and offer fantastic, free visits for 7 – 11 year olds. Schools and groups can book by visiting the Canal River Trust website and requesting a booking for a visit with Stourport Canal & River Explorers.
