Picture Post Canals Part 1

Picture Post was a popular photojournalistic magazine that ran from 1938 to 1957. During this time, it devoted three lengthy articles to the canals, with the earliest published on 16th September 1939, less than two weeks after Britain had declared war on Germany. It was titled ‘Canals Are Coming Back’, with such optimism being accounted for by the creation of the Grand Union Canal Co in 1929, which amalgamated 11 navigations and invested £1m in its waterways in 1931.

Further investment came with the formation of the Grand Union Canal Carrying Co Ltd, which built up a new fleet of modern narrowboats to replace the limited supply of largely worn-out craft already working on the cut. The results of this modernisation programme had already become apparent by the time this issue of Picture Post was written and published.

Canals received further attention from the Committee of Imperial Defence which had made a survey of the whole canal system. The reason was that in “war-time it would be necessary to keep roads and railways as free of heavy goods traffic as possible, because of troop movements and the problem of evacuating the population from danger areas”. However it also noted “the committee has not shown particular initiative, for the importance of canals from a strategic point of view has been realised on the Continent for many years”. It was also mentioned that “recently, iron and steel for armament work have been among the chief commodities carried. Coal, coke, peat and timber also head the list.”

The committee had apparently received suggestions for new canals to be built but the harsh reality was the lack of boaters to operate boats and barges on existing canals, never mind any new canals. The chair of the Grand Union Co described them as a “dying race”. The reason given was mechanisation. “Families which for generations have provided men capable of navigating a horse-drawn craft have suddenly found that they must become engineers as well. In many cases they have learned, but more and more of the children are going in for industrial jobs, particularly in centres affected by the rearmament programme where wages are high.” A boatman “can make as much as £7 a week, but a good average return for a pair of monkey-boats in continuous commission is £4 to £5. This applies only if his crew are his wife and children; if his crew are paid out of the boatman’s wages, his own income is very low. The long hours are also a factor, with a trip from London to Birmingham being 54 hours with a motor and butty. The old horse-drawn boats were noted as being six or seven days. Thus, it is no wonder that youths, who would once have carried on the traditions of the waterways, should seek more remunerative land jobs.”

Titled 'A Bargeman of the Future', the Picture Post caption reads, “Canal children are remarkably healthy, rarely suffer from the usual childish ailments. Maybe this boy will follow the traditions of his family and become a bargee; the father of other generations of bargees.”

Christopher M. Jones Collection

The article was largely positive towards the boaters, describing them as clean, houseproud and kindly folk. They were said to be a hardy lot and the children rarely suffered from disease. Their only problem was the lack of education with children having their studies continually interrupted as soon as their parents’ boats had been loaded and ready to start another trip.

One could not help but think the author was slightly jealous at their outdoor lifestyle and romanticised them as travelling through the countryside, appearing to be little worried about what the outside world was thinking and just getting on with their lives. The author also commented that the boating life was not strenuous now boats were diesel powered and they did not have to drive a horse all day long and leg through tunnels as before.

Another boat family view aboard the GUCCC’s Aboyne. This Large Woolwich butty was built in 1936 by Harland & Wolff of Woolwich. In 1939 it was paired with Large Northwich motor Paddington, which was also built in 1936 but by W.J. Yarwood & Sons Ltd of Northwich. The pair was captained by James Robert Whitehouse and his family including their child born in 1932. It’s interesting to note that originally these Large Woolwich butties had recessed cabin-side panels as shown here. These structural features were removed in future dockings to create flush-sided cabins which remained for the rest of their working lives.

Warwickshire Canal Carrying Co Ltd of Nuneaton’s motor Enterprise and butty Rival enter a Grand Union lock. Both boats were originally part of the carrying fleet of John Griffiths of Bedworth which was acquired by the WCCC following Griffiths’ bankruptcy in January 1936. Enterprise was built as a steamer in 1910, then converted to a motor in 1914. At the time this image was taken, it was fitted with a Petter engine. Butty Rival was built in 1913. Eighteen of Griffiths’ boats entered the WCCC fleet, including two motors. Later, a number of the WCCC fleet were transferred to the Erewash Canal Carrying Co Ltd in March 1942, at the request of the Ministry of Transport, to make best use of canal transport. These included Enterprise & Rival.

This photo is also likely to show Enterprise & Rival underway after negotiating the lock. The original caption reads: “Monkey-boats have been proved more economical than wide boats, whose deeper draught displaces water which damages the canal banks.”

“On the Canal near King’s Langley” is the caption to this image showing two pairs of GUCCC boats passing each other at speed, with the wash causing a large splash against the motor’s bow on the left.

GUCCC boats loaded directly overside from ships at Regent’s Canal Dock. This had to be done with haste as ships had to be cleared to leave the dock at high tide. As well as expediency, this loading method also avoided wharfage charges which applied when the cargo was landed on the wharf. The article mentioned grain, cement, timber, sulphur, coal and sugar as some of the commodities loaded at the dock.

The motor is a Large Woolwich paired with the wooden Large Ricky butty Dudley, the latter bearing the red, blue and white Coronation livery introduced later in 1937 after the GUCCC moved its headquarters from Fenchurch Street in London, to the Port of London Building a short distance away in Seething Lane. In 1939 Dudley was crewed by John Henry Coles and his wife, and was paired with the Large Woolwich motor Gainsborough, which could be the one shown here.

Three images taken at Regent’s Canal Dock show some of the procedures following loading.

One titled ‘Checking Orders’ shows a special dock policeman inspecting orders to deter pilferers. The middle image, titled ‘Checking Weight’, shows a GUCCC pair being gauged at the Commercial Road locks. The caption states, “Bargees are usually paid by the weight of cargo they carry, calculated by the displacement of water.” The third image was titled ‘Checking Out’ and the caption reads, “After loading, monkeyboats wait until their number goes up on the departure board.”

'Checking Orders'

Christopher M. Jones Collection

‘Checking Weight’

Christopher M. Jones Collection

'Checking Out'

Christopher M. Jones Collection

‘The First Lock of the Journey: A Barge at Islington on its Way North’, is the title of this image referring to City Road Locks. This is incorrect unless the boats had loaded at City Basin. If they were from Regent’s Canal Dock many locks had been passed already since leaving, the first being at Commercial Road.

It looks as if the photographer has hitched a lift aboard the butty’s fore-end to get this shot. The caption states more than 12,000 people, including wives and families of bargemen, make a living from the canals of Britain.

Christopher M. Jones Collection

The first tunnel en route after leaving Regent’s Canal Dock was at Islington. Built without a towpath, boats and barges had to be legged through or pushed through with shafts against the roof and sides. By the time this image was taken, long-distance narrowboat pairs were motor powered and were able to head straight through as shown here. Unpowered barges were towed through with a tug. 

Barge traffic on the Regent’s and Grand Union canals was still horse-drawn in places, which was an advantage at locks. This view is at Clitheroe Lock 99 with a boat heading downhill to Brentford running light. The caption emphasises the difference between the previous main mode of transport by horse and the use of diesel-engined narrowboats which could transport cargoes between London and Birmingham in 54 hours.

After entering this lock a boatwoman has just closed the bottom gate while a GUCCC butty has just come to a stop. Notice the large T-stud bolted into the cabin roof behind the slide. This allows the steerer to control the towrope leading from the motor and reduce the strain when it becomes taut as the pair leave the lock. It was previously used on horse-drawn pairs pulled by one animal to ease the strain on the horse when operating locks. This is a good example of how older working techniques were adapted after the introduction of oil- and diesel-powered boats.

Opening the gate paddles creates a spectacular effect for the photographer and also shows how important it was to have watertight cloths to protect the cargo. Many of these Grand Union craft had deeper draughts than Fellows, Morton & Clayton boats, which helped to prevent water washing over its boats’ foredecks.

Before reaching Clitheroe’s the barge horse had to change sides over Gallows Bridge 207, and the animal clearly knows the way and what to do without being led over by the horse driver.