Oxford Portland Cement Co

For over two decades during the 20th century, traffic to and from the works of the Oxford Portland Cement Co Ltd at Kirtlington, Oxfordshire, was one of the most important sources of work for the independent boatmen-contractors steering their own or hired boats. Indeed, during the 1920s, the company was probably the largest single employer of these master boatmen on the southern Oxford Canal.

The cement works was situated alongside the canal on the off-side bank, half a mile north of Pigeon Lock No 39. Several firms had already exploited the limestone deposits at Kirtlington, otherwise known as Washford Hill stone pits, which were little more than holes dug into the hillside.

The previous tenant was Lamprey & Son of Banbury, which took over the site from Edward Coleman after he died in 1902. Both these stone quarrymen transported limestone by canal, mainly for use as roadstone by Oxford Corporation, and delivered to its depot at Jericho, near Isis Lock. Limestone was also taken to Banbury and unloaded at Lamprey’s wharf, where it was later used as roadstone or burned in kilns on the premises.

The Oxford Portland Cement Co Ltd was founded in 1905 by four men, the most prominent of whom was London stockbroker Arthur Henry Dillon; construction started in 1906.

As there was no access by either road or rail, all machinery, equipment and building materials had to be brought in by water, including fire bricks from the Black Country in the boats of Tipton canal-carrier, William & Samuel Foster Ltd. Some cargoes came from even further afield. Perhaps the most distant was a 17-ton electric engine imported in pieces from Belfast, the heaviest part weighing about 4 tons.

Independent boatmen-contractors

After completion, the main traffic to the works was the coal used to power its steam plant and also to fire a rotary kiln in which the cement clinker was made. Boats were also used to transport away the finished cement as well as other by-products and, from the beginning, contract boatmen were used for this purpose. Two of the first were Samuel Coles and his brother John Thomas Coles, both from the canalside village of Thrupp. It seems as though the Coles family initially had a near monopoly on this traffic.

On the strength of this new contract, Samuel Coles purchased the second-hand boat Eleanor in 1906, and John T. Coles bought Rebecca in 1907. From the start, both men paired their boats with hired craft until early 1909, when John T. Coles bought another second-hand vessel, Thomas. They were also joined by another brother, Joseph Coles. He worked hired craft until he too purchased a second-hand boat from Nurser in 1908, renaming her Three Brothers.

Coal to the works was organised through a factor who also dealt with the loading orders. Over the years a number of different factors were used, one of the first being George Norris of Leamington who, in 1907, was organising quantities of slack to be loaded into boats from the Midland Railway sidings at Rugby Wharf. Coal came from a variety of collieries, mainly in the Warwickshire coalfield. Others used were in Leicestershire, such as Measham on the Ashby Canal, and pits in Staffordshire, including Littleton on the Staffs & Worcs, Cannock Chase, East Cannock and Conduit collieries on the Cannock Extension, and Walsall Wood Colliery on the Daw End Branch. From the early 1920s, Pooley Hall seems to have been the main source of fuel until the closure of the works.

In 1910 new steam machinery was installed enabling production to continue through the weekends with a corresponding rise in output. Around this time, Samuel Coles left the contract but the other two brothers remained, working five boats between them. Joseph Coles left the contract in 1913, having sold his boats, and started steering a pair from the fleet of the Moira Colliery Co. He was followed by John Thomas Coles in 1915, who left to work his boats for the Rugby Co-op, and both were replaced by other owner-boatmen, notably various members of the Grantham family.

The Granthams were the most prolific owner-boaters on the Oxford Canal, and the cement works staff became confused sorting out who was who. For example, at least three William Granthams were hauling coal to the works during World War I.

As well as the Granthams, other master boatmen started working to Washford Hill when the Coles family left. John Wilson of Napton and Thomas Lapworth of Chilvers Coton, together with several other contract-boatmen, also carried cement to Banbury for the building of the Oxfordshire Ironstone Railway in 1917. The best-known contract-boatman to carry for OPC was Joe Skinner, although it was only on an occasional basis. As well as his Friendship, built late in 1924, he also used his second boat Elizabeth, built in 1928.

The longest-serving contract-boatman to work there must surely be Abel Skinner, the older brother of Joe. By 1915 Abel was already hauling coal to the works, most likely aboard Providence and Envy, hired from Louisa Coles. She was the landlady of the Britannia Inn public house in Thrupp, and Abel married her daughter, Phoebe Ann. The couple purchased the boats shortly after and continued working to Washford Hill until production ceased, bringing their 14 years of service for the company to an end.

Administration

For many years the contract-boatmen were paid per ton on their gauged weight. Likewise, the cement company paid their tolls on gauged weight but, after complaints about the disparity between the colliery invoice and gauged weights, the Oxford Canal Co agreed to accept colliery invoiced weight for its tolls from February 1915. However, the boatmen were never told of this and they continued to be paid on gauged weight until after WWI. It was then changed to a mileage rate based on a minimum cargo of 26 tons, perhaps because of advice from OCC on how cargoes measured in gauged weight could be ‘doped’ with water to increase the tonnage.

By then the cement company operated a two-tier system of haulage rates due to the two types of coal delivered to the works. The higher rate was paid for boats equipped with side and top cloths and false floors, as these were needed for carrying a type of steam coal called ‘smudge’ – a cheap, fine slack that had to be kept dry. The contract-boatmen who owned or hired these craft also had the advantage of acquiring cement backloads, unlike the other boatmen earning the lower rate who worked unclothed boats, which were restricted to carrying ordinary coal. The smudge was used to fire the rotary kiln, while the ordinary coal fired the steam engine in the power house.

A new fleet

The first year of cement production was 1907, with 481 tons manufactured and transported by canal. The next year production increased, with 3,680 tons dispatched by boat. From the start, OPC wanted to take advantage of rail transport, but the nearest transhipment point was situated about 1½ miles south at Enslow Wharf, adjacent to the Great Western Railway at Bletchingdon Station.

Early in 1908, OPC contracted this work out to William Giles who ran a carpentry and timber business from Flight’s Mill at Pigeon Lock. Cement was transported to Enslow in a boat hired from OCC, and then manhandled into carts at the roadstone wharf, before being taken to the railway station.

Soon after, OPC started acquiring its own boats built by William Nurser & Sons at Braunston, eventually building up a fleet of four. The first was Washford registered in September 1908, followed by Kirtlington built in August 1909, Bletchington built in January 1910, with the last, Tackley, built in January 1911. (Note, Bletchington was incorrectly spelt and should have been Bletchingdon.)

The transhipment work at Enslow was a difficult, slow and expensive process that was not helped by a certain amount of alleged intimidation from boatmen who carried roadstone there, occasionally forcing OPC steerers to stop work and move their boats. Early in 1909, the subject of improved facilities at Bletchingdon Station was raised between OCC and GWR, eventually leading to the construction in 1911 of a new concrete wharf perpendicular to the GWR bridge, with two sidings terminating at the wharf edge either side of a covered platform. On the platform stood a 2-ton crane that was used to lift the bags of cement directly out of the boat’s hold.

After loading overnight at Washford Hill, a boat was dispatched daily by the foreman at 7am, carrying cement orders that had come in the previous day, even if there were only just a few consignments. Sometimes another boat was sent later in the day with orders that had come in during that morning.

In 1909, the company acquired several warehouses for the storage of cement, one being built by OCC at Worcester Street Bridge, Oxford. Its Birmingham traffic went originally to Fazeley Street but later in 1909 it relocated to Crescent Wharf on the Newhall Branch of the BCN. Small amounts of cement were taken to Coventry Basin where it was warehoused in the premises of Sidney Peters & Sons, a local firm of merchants, carriers and agents for Fellows, Morton & Clayton Ltd. Cement was also delivered along the Oxford and down the River Thames as far as Reading. The company supplied a wide range of organisations such as town and city councils, various government and private institutions, plus sewerage, gas, tramways, railways and canal companies, which included OCC.

When the manufacturing process was complete, the cement was stored in bunkers then, after weighing, was hand-filled into returnable jute sacks. This was superseded in 1915 by a bagging plant powered by compressed air. Boats going to the Birmingham or Coventry warehouses carried 12 sacks to the ton, while those going to the Oxford store carried 11 sacks to the ton. All boats used for carrying cement had to have false floors, and those in the company’s fleet were also fitted with a wooden platform in the fore-end of the hold to raise the cargo well clear of the bilges, as horse-drawn craft were usually loaded down at the head.

After WWI, the cement company sought to expand its fleet with second-hand boats, but only two suitable craft could be found: Rousham joined in December 1919 and Heyford in March 1920.

Two new craft came from George Tooley of Banbury Dock: Oxford was built in May 1920, followed by Banbury in March 1921. This brought the fleet up to its peak of eight craft, all named after Oxfordshire towns and villages, but for only eight months as the two second-hand boats were sold off to George Tooley – Rousham in November and Heyford in December 1921.

The company’s boats differed from those used by the contract-boatmen as some had their cargo holds fully weatherproofed by distinctive hatch covers, which were removable planks laid over curved frames fixed between comings attached to the gunwales. The coverings themselves were then tightly covered over with waterproof cloths to protect the cement cargo, although they did occasionally carry coal as well. Not all the fleet was fitted up like this. Several had the more conventional rig of mast, stands and cloths. Washford, Rousham, Heyford and Banbury had mast, stands and cloths, although Washford was eventually fitted with wood coverings in 1915, and Banbury had coverings fitted in 1923.

Livery

The livery of the fleet was also distinctive and contrasted with the more decorative paintwork of boats steered by the owner-boatmen. The top bends, cabin frames and panelling were white, with the boat name, company name, fleet number and panel mouldings painted in ultramarine. They were kept in good condition and repaired every two years at Banbury Dock, providing regular work for George Tooley and his boat-builder, Ernest Carvell, who was granted exemption from military service during WWI, as the cement company had become a government-controlled establishment. George Tooley’s business benefitted greatly from the cement company with dockings, repairs and commissions for building boats.

In March 1927, the Oxford Portland Cement Co Ltd went into voluntary liquidation and was relaunched as the Oxford & Shipton Cement Ltd. Its new cement works at Bunkers Hill in Shipton-on-Cherwell was built alongside the Great Western Railway, with sidings from the main line leading into the works. This new plant started production in 1929 and these structures, together with its huge chimney, became a major landmark in the area for boaters. Oxford & Shipton Cement Ltd only had a short life and was taken over by Alpha Cement Co Ltd in 1934.

Boaters

Some of the steerers who worked these vessels went on to become owner-boatmen. John Millward, who steered Washford for a time, bought Rousham from George Tooley late in 1922 and renamed it Re-echo. Joseph Rice worked Washford and Tackley during WWI, then bought a pair of old horse-boats from boat-builders Lees & Atkins of Polesworth in 1921.

Boats used in the cement company’s traffic were horse drawn with one exception: David Hambridge, who has the distinction of probably being the only contract-boatman to steer his own motor boat to the works. His horse-drawn boat Fair Trader was converted into a motor in May 1927 at Banbury Dock and carried coal to the cement works on its maiden trip.

Originally OPC stabled its own horses locally but, due to rising costs, in 1910 it constructed its own facilities on site with a ferry boat, built by Salter Brothers of Oxford, to transport the animals across the cut onto the towpath side. The contract-boatmen, however, had to use stables at Pigeon Lock, ½ mile south of the works, but by 1924 this arrangement was the subject of continual complaints about the man who kept them and the condition of the buildings. Such were the concerns raised by boatmen and the cement company that OCC built new stables on the towpath near the works in 1928.

Other traffics

Other materials carried to the works included gypsum, which was added to the cement to control the setting time. It was supplied by Goodacre Brothers of Barrow Mills, near Loughborough, and brought to Washford via the Leicester Navigation and the Grand Junction, on a journey of 101 miles. The craft used by the owner-boatmen and the cement company were employed on this traffic, and often carried a cement cargo on the outward journey. Gypsum was loaded in 2-cwt bags and care had to be taken to protect them from water and damp, as Samuel Coles found one trip when a leak in his boat caused several bags to set hard. However, competition for this traffic from the railway, combined with occasional floods on the River Soar, made it uneconomical and it was later consigned to rail. After delivery to Bletchingdon Station, it was transhipped into the cement boats as a backload.

Other lesser traffics included flintstones and pebbles, probably imported through London Docks and used for grinding the crushed raw clay and limestone in a tube mill. The flintstones were packed in cases and flint pebbles in bags and transported to Washford in the boats of carrier John Griffiths of Bedworth. Traffics sent away from the works included boiler ashes, handled by OCC, and taken to Kings Bridge Wharf near Kidlington, plus limestone, sand, gravel and stone for crazy paving.

In order to compete with rival cement manufacturers, OPC needed to dispatch orders on the day they arrived, which was not always possible with canal transport and this was made worse in times of frost and drought. Sometimes boats would leave the works on a winter’s day with cement and canal company employees aboard armed with shafts to break the ice as they went. With a potential disruption in fuel supplies looming, the works manager would send a man along the towpath on a pushbike to locate boats coming up with their coal. If they were relatively close, extra horses and men were sent out to assist the boaters the rest of the way. A boatman could expect a severe telling off if he had tied up his boats at Banbury or elsewhere, even at Christmas, causing urgent fuel supplies to be delayed. Equally, in times of drought, boats could experience difficulties, with some craft becoming stemmed up, and it was not unknown for the works to send an empty boat to lighten those craft and keep traffic moving. In order to get around such difficulties, coal could be delivered to Bletchingdon Station and transhipped aboard boats, but this was a time-consuming and very expensive process. During the 1920s two Foden steam wagons, bought for local deliveries, could be used to assist with transporting cement to the station, if necessary.

A new start

In the early 1920s, OPC acquired land near Shipton-on-Cherwell, adjacent to the GWR, south-west of the Oxford Canal below Bakers Lock. This site was developed into a new cement works in 1928 after OPC went into voluntary liquidation, and was relaunched under the name of the Oxford & Shipton Cement Ltd in March 1927. When production started there in 1929, the company had turned to the railway and roads for its transport needs and it was clear that the old Washford works was coming to the end of its working life.

With its master boatmen leaving the contract, carrier S.E. Barlow of Glascote was brought in to help with the traffic and, in January 1929, the cement company sold off four boats in their fleet. Two were retained and continued to carry cement, mainly to the Oxford warehouse. The remaining contract-boatmen were given notice to quit at the beginning of October 1929, and the two remaining company boats, Oxford and Banbury, were sold to George Tooley in November.

The Washford works was then used for producing grit and roadstone for a short while and S.E. Barlow continued to carry coal there before the plant was finally dismantled and the site abandoned. One of the last reminders of canal traffic was the old horse ferry which was left to rot and was eventually removed in March 1938.