HISTORIC NARROWBOAT
CHISWICK
The continuing story of a ex-working boat

Chiswick, like Tarporley was built in 1937 as a Town Class carrying craft for the Grand Union Carrying Company. She was constructed to the same specification as the Northwich boats but by Harland and Wolff and called a Big Woolwich, it takes quite an expert to spot the difference between the two versions.
Chiswick has had a long working life which reached notoriety in a book by Tim Wilkinson ‘Hold On A Minute‘, she also appeared in a film, but until 10 years ago she was still employed on a gravel run around Nottingham. She is listed on the National Register of Historic Vessels as the oldest working narrow boat, a bit of artistic licence.

I purchased Chiswick in 2000 from Mike Ilett, who had owned her for many years, being the last skipper to ran her as a working boat. She was then in great need of a lot of care and attention as can be seen in our early photograhs above.

We ran Chiswick as a camping boat for a few trips, a venture which Mike Ilett had been part of in conjunction with butty Meteor run by Hugh and Chris Cauldwell. This was such a magnificent adventure, it is such a very great shame that camping boatshave become a thing of the past - what a great loss for future generations of children!

It was time to get Chiswick's steel work worked on at Stockton Dry Dock, how did she ever float?

A renovated antique Lister JP2 engine. Then finnally she did float again!!

Then she journeyed back to her Langley Mill moorings near Nottingham, for a good painting.

In 2005 we purchased a house on the Thames at Sutton Courtenay, Oxfordshire, which also provided brilliant new home for Chiswick. Pictured arriving to discover the new house and moored at the house. But then came a call from Stockton Dry Dock - they had a spare slot to work on an under-canvas conversion for Chiswick. I hated the idea of changing Chiswick from a vessel that could step back in time and hauled coal, but you need a crew to come on adventures and sadly they need their home comforts. So Chiswick has been undergoing some more changes, which I have tried to keep in style to her original shape, so that people seeing her go past will still consider she is carrying cargo rather than people.

She is now almost complete in her new disguise.