In Celebration of Raymond

One Boat's Story: NarrowBoat, Summer 2018

Raymond, the last wooden working narrowboat built at Braunston, celebrates its 60th this year. We look at images of her taken between 1958 and ’70 when she was in service as a commercial-carrying boat

Raymond was built for the Samuel Barlow Coal Company and during her working life had two owners, the other being Blue Line Cruisers, later Blue Line Canal Carriers, both owned by Michael Streat of Braunston. Barlows gave up its canal-carrying business late in the autumn of 1961, with Raymond then passing directly to Blue Line. Raymond’s crew throughout that period was Arthur and Rose Bray, together with her son Ernest Kendall. Before they took command of Raymond, they had Barlows’ wooden pair Roger & Elsie. Roger was paired with Raymond when they took her over from new and was replaced by the former Grand Union Canal Carrying Company/British Waterways motor Nutfield in 1968. She was a large Northwich town class motor built of all-steel construction by W.J. Yarwood & Sons of Northwich. Throughout most of her 12 years of service, Raymond carried coal. Barlows had various coal contracts to fulfil including that of Kearley & Tonge, jam manufacturers of Southall. S…