TARPORLEY was built in 1937 as one of 38 Large Northwich Town Class boats by W.J. Yarwood. Town Class boats were named after towns and villages in the UK in alphabetical order, the first to be delivered was HALSALL, and the last YEOFORD. Similar boats where also commisioned from Harland and Wolff which were known as the Big Woolwich class, being of all steel construction, and numbered 24 pairs, and 24 single motors. All the Big Woolwich boats have names from A to H, ABER to HAWKESBURY.
Walkers of Rickmansworth built 62 wooden butty boats, HALTON being the first in June 1936, and HALE completing the order in 1938. These boats became known as Big Ricky boats.
The motor boats were all fitted with either National or Russell Newbery diesels, designed to give a loaded speed of 6 knots carrying tonnages between 50 and 60 on a pair. With over 350 boats, it was the largest fleet owned in the country. However, only a maximum of 119 pairs was ever in service, the difficulty being finding crews. Within 3 years, boats were sold off to private companies, mostly the earlier Star class, and the Royalty class. In the 1940's a number of newer boats were sold, particularly the middle Northwich class, which with the rounded chines were not as stable as the Town and Star class. Today, virtually all the steel and composite Grand Union boats are extant, with only the wooden boats suffering major losses.
TARPORLEY was first employed by the Grand Union Canal Carrying Company with butty TAUNTON from their Bulls Bridge depot in Southall, Middlesex and carried many cargos around the London area. The picture above was taken in the 1960’s of her returning empty with the butty Sunbury at Cow Roast Lock on the Grand Union Canal.
TARPORLEY changed hands several times untill 1971 when she was sold to M.E. Braine (Boatbuilder), Norton Canes, Staffordshire for £811.00 who sold her on to the London Borough Council of Camden who converted her for community use. They retaining many of the original features, such as the boatman’s cabin, where the working family used to live, and the engine room, but adding accommodation for twelve passengers where once the cargo was carried. She was re-engined with a 2 cylinder Lister H series.
Since then Tarporley has been kept busy taking groups of people of all ages on day, evening, and residential trips. Thousands of people have been introduced to the history and environment of the canals and the workings of locks. Many hundreds of children have savoured the experience of living and working together on this historical narrowboat with such a strong link to the origins of the canal system.
Tarporley is now run by Camden Canals & Narrowboat Association, a registered charity manned entirely by canal loving volunteers. The boat is kept operational through charges to users, fundraising and a small grant from the London Borough of Camden.
