Winter 2020 - Issue 60

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Front Cover: Samuel Coles of Thrupp was an independent boatman contractor plying for hire on the Oxford Canal in the first half of the 20th century. His boat Louisa was bought from fellow contractor John Humphris during World War I as Elizabeth.

The Winter 2020 issue includes the following features.

Tracing Family History

Coles Family Boaters

Chris M Jones explores the history of a famous family of independent boaters on the Oxford Canal

You can view an excerpt here.

Picturing the Past

Canals in Colour

Roger Butler and Chris M. Jones examine rare colour photos of the waterways first published in a magazine of 1936, alongside a collection of evocative black and white images

You can view an excerpt here.

Working the Waterways

Midlands Boaters Wages

Tom Foxon studies correspondence showing the pay and conditions of boatmen engaged in short-distance boating on the BCN

You can view an excerpt here.

Canal Postcards

The Stanley Ferry Aqueduct

Trevor Ellis explores postcard perspectives of this pioneering Aire & Calder structure

You can view an excerpt here.

Picturing the Past

Stoppage at Buckby

Chris M. Jones studies a picture-postcard view of a stoppage on the Grand Union Canal 

You can view an excerpt here.

Famous Fleets

James Smart of Chalford

Hugh Conway-Jones explores the early history and carrying activities of a well-known Thames & Severn Canal-based carrier

You can view an excerpt here.

A Broader Outlook

Traffic at Thorne

Chris M. Jones studies three images showing keels at Thorne

You can view an excerpt here.

From the Archives

Wartime Labour Shortages

Joseph Boughey examines the difficulties of recruiting boat crews during World War II

You can view an excerpt here.

Working the Waterways

The Last Flashlock on the River Thames

David Wilson provides an insight into the ancient paddle-and-rymer locks that were once prominent on the Thames

You can view an excerpt here.

Historical Canal Maps

Canals at War

Richard Dean looks at wartime canal maps

You can view an excerpt here.

Picturing the Past

Summer Boating at Braunston

Another delve into the Jack Parkinson collection reveals two views of the Grand Union Canal in 1959

You can view an excerpt here.