The narrow boat TOWY was built by Fellows Morton and Clayton Limited, at Uxbridge, Middlesex during July 1938. She was one of a batch of 8 motor boats designed to work between Stanlow Oil Refinery on the Manchester Ship Canal and the West Midlands. Like her sisters, the TOWY was named after British rivers, the "T" names signifying craft built or acquired in that year (other 1938 craft include TWEED, TAY AND TEES while 1937 boats are "S" and include STOUR and SPEY). The batch of boats was completed in 1939 with "U"- USK and UMEA. These eight sisters were owned by the well known carrying firm Thomas Clayton (Oldbury) Limited, specialists in the carriage of liquid cargoes.
Prior to this time, Clayton's used horse boats mainly. Clayton's craft could easily be distinguished by their flat-topped appearance and the fully decked hold forming a tank for fuel oil or other liquids. TOWY was an "oil boat", for many years carrying its load of up to 19 tons of fuel oil from Stanlow to Langley Green, taking about 3 days for the 80 mile round trip. It was customary for the Clayton's boats to work in pairs and TOWY was normally paired with the "butty" KUBINA.
TOWY and KUBINA were the home of the Berridge family - Mr. and Mrs. Berridge and their six children. We welcome them back to take part in our current project.
The long distance oil traffic ceased in 1955 and the TOWY thereafter took loads of tar from Birmingham area gasworks to the works of Midland Tar Distributries of Oldbury. The end came on 31 March 1966 when Clayton's withdrew from canal operations and TOWY carried the last load for Clayton's( it is often said that the introduction of North Sea gas finally killed the gaswork traffic, but the chronology of natural gas dicovery and utilisation dispels this theory - in fact the change from coal to oil in many local gasworks, together with the building of the M5 motoway through Clayton's yard, were far more important factors).
The next ten years are rather shadowy; it is known that after being sold by Clayton's, the TOWY passed through the hands of at least six other owners. One of these took out the origional 15hp Bolinder engine and installed an 18hp National. Finally, in May 1978, the boat was purchased by its present owners, by which time the tank decking had also been removed.
Fortunately the stern was in better condition, having been partially re-built by Malcolm Webster in 1977. The entire front end was disintegrating and obviously needed completely rebuilding, which took place in the winter of 1982/83, and the boat was relaunched with much ceremony on Saturday 25 Febuary 1983. The rebuilding was carried out by Malcolm Webster in the dry dock at Middlewich and is an accurate reproduction of a Clayton's fore-end.
At the end of 1983, the engine was removed for total dismantling and overhaul, and over the winter of 1984/85, TOWY was slipped at the (then) new Malkins Bank, where she was extensively re-bottomed at the stern end and the stern gear was removed. The original Bolinder tank was removed from the engine to the hold to make space for the more capacious National. Regular maintainance dockings have taken place since then, including one in May 1998 when Malcolm Webster replaced the counterboards.
The TOWY is on display mainly at Ellesmere Port Boat Museum under the auspieces of Jim McKeown and his team. A substiantial period of time was spent at Braunston under the care on Stan Jankins during 1991/92.
The TOWY has been boated round the four corners of the waterway system, the Thames, Trent, Severn and the Manchester Ship Canal. Traditional boating skills have been learnt from the late John Jinks (ex-Clayton's) and are actively practised and displayed.
So, after all of that, where next for TOWY? Who knows what the future holds!!
J.S 10/06/05