rose of hungerford

The Rose of Hungerford is a traditional canal boat offering public trips and private charters, owned by the Kennet and Avon Canal Trust and run and maintained by fully-trained volunteer members of the Hungerford branch.

It was built by Peter Nicholls at Napton, Warwickshire, was launched at Great Bedwyn in 1982 and commissioned at Hungerford Wharf in 1983, now its home mooring.

It is 55’ (16.7m) long and 10’ 6” (3.2m) wide. Its original engine came from an ex-London taxi, then a Shire 40 engine was fitted in 1997 and lasted 20 years.

It is now powered by a Barrus Shire 50 Diesel engine (50bhp at 3000rpm), fitted in 2017.

The boat was named for John O’Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster, third of the five sons of King Edward III who reached adulthood, who gave the Commoners of Hungerford fishing rights on the River Kennet (now strictly controlled). These rights were granted in addition to the grazing and hunting rights already received.

The red rose is the symbol of the House of Lancaster (the white rose is the symbol of the House of York), and since then has been a symbol of Hungerford. A red rose is presented to a reigning monarch whenever he or she visits the town.

The current Duke of Lancaster is Her Majesty the Queen. She travelled on The Rose when officially opening the restored Kennet and Avon Canal at Caen Hill, Devizes, on 8th August, 1990, 30 years ago. In 2013, The Kennet and Avon Canal Trust was honoured by Her Majesty, who awarded the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service, the MBE for voluntary groups. In 2014, The Princess Royal visited the Trust’s Headquarters in Devizes to present the Award.

During lockdown, the Rose has been treated to six new door panels, for the side and engine doors, beautifully painted with traditional roses by Bradford-on-Avon based signwriter, Ginny Barlow.

Further details of the crew and trips provided will be given in my next article for CanalsOnline magazine.

Iris Lloyd, Waterways chaplain (with thanks to Sarah Warburton, who provided the details given above and also took the photographs, except for the one of the Queen)

fern floating fine art

Fern Floating Fine Art is a nomadic arts illustration business, currently making its way around the inland waterways of Britain.

I live on, work in and sell from my little boat ‘Fern’. I am a painter of fauna and flora and resident artist at Fern Floating Fine Art. My work is influenced by folklore, superstition, fireside tales, canal and traveller traditions, the macabre, Victoriana, and I take constant inspiration from the seasons and the countryside around me.

I am fascinated by animals and their connection to the natural world. Their interdependence with the world around them, that as human beings I feel, we have now largely lost. I use my exploration of animals and the subsequent paintings as an attempt to reconnect with nature and the forgotten elements of our own culture. One way that I attempt to do this is by always painting the creature whilst we are making eye contact. In this moment I feel a special knowledge is passed between us. I use flowers as symbolic signposts to direct the meaning of the painting. Each flower is carefully chosen to represent and to compliment the birds status and the meaning of the work.

I like to separate my subjects from their everyday existence and instead venerate them to icon status by infusing them with vast amounts of symbolic flora. I pay no regard to accurate or relative proportion, instead preferring to use this to further separate the subject by using the flowers to create busy almost abstracted backgrounds. This technique and my use of colour is very much influenced by my traveller culture where almost everything is highly decorative. My paintings reflect rather than illustrate the stories that I come across through my travels.

As an artist my mission is to create a feeling of connection and guardianship towards our planet and the life it contains.

John creates our beautiful handmade wooden frames, using wood that we have found and reclaimed along our travels.

All of the work is professionally printed and comes either mounted ready for framing or framed in our handmade reclaimed wood frames.

steph’s packed lunch on channel 4

Staff from waterways and wellbeing charity, Canal & River Trust were on hand to give a warm waterways welcome to their new neighbour Steph McGovern. Today, the former BBC Breakfast presenter launched her new daily lunchtime television show - Steph’s Packed Lunch.

Steph arrived at her new studio at Leeds Dock via water taxi on the Aire & Calder Navigation, welcomed by a socially distanced crowd – with music, dancing and cheers. Becca Dent, strategic programmes delivery manager and Jade Wilkes, community roots engagement coordinator helped to escort the water taxi in the waterway charity’s canoes. Lizzie Dealey, partnerships and external relationships manager joined Joy Van Rensburg, community & youth events coordinator to cheer on Steph from aboard the Trust’s workboat ‘Beale’.

Local boater Caleb Price and his wife Fiona were also on hand to cheer from their narrowboat. Caleb was one of the first to bring his boat into the newly regenerated Clarence Dock area almost quarter of a century ago, with the 1996 opening of the £42.5million purpose-built Royal Armouries Museum.

Becca Dent, strategic programmes delivery manager said: “In the absence of Leeds Waterfront Festival this year, due to Covid-19 restrictions, we’ve really missed seeing Leeds Dock draw in the crowds coming to enjoy music, performance and activities on the water, so it was especially great to be giving Steph a warm waterways welcome. With the new studio overlooking the water at Leeds Dock, it would be great to see Steph and her guests making the most of this fabulous waterside setting and getting afloat themselves by canoe or even paddleboard.”

Pete McCabe, community engagement manager (Yorkshire & North East) for the Trust, said: “It was really great news for the city when Channel 4 decided to relocate to Leeds, and we’ve been really keen to work with them to show off our fantastic network of waterways and highlight the amazing work of our staff and volunteers.”

Steph's Packed Lunch is broadcast live on Channel 4, weekdays from 12.30-2.10pm, with a mixture of entertainment, lifestyle and celebrity guests, plus a changing panel of audience members reviewing the day’s news and chatting to celeb guests.

What a way to arrive for our first show! Join us now on @Channel4 @StephLunch #PackedLunchC4 pic.twitter.com/4eoJHB0xYw

— Steph's Packed Lunch (@PackedLunchC4) September 14, 2020

canal & river trust launches project

The Canal & River Trust has teamed up with partners, including King’s College London, and is appealing for people aged 16 or over to take part in its largest ever study of the wellbeing benefits of spending time beside water.

The academic study will enable the Trust to better understand the health benefits of waterways and will help make the case to partners and funders of the importance of looking after and investing in Britain’s former industrial canals and rivers.

Those taking part download an app onto their smart phone. Then, three times a day over the following two weeks, they are prompted to answer ‘in the moment’ questions about how they feel and the environment around them. On each occasion it takes about one minute to complete the survey.

Those taking part are able to access an individualised report summarising their experiences. This could shed light on how being in different types of places, such as being close to birds, trees and water, affects their mood, as well as contributing to the wider study of the impact of different environments on mental health and wellbeing.

Jenny Shepherd, research and impact manager at the Canal & River Trust, comments: “Those of us that know and use the waterways feel instinctively that spending time beside water is good for our wellbeing. With our academic partners, and with the help of the public, we’re able to collect our own bespoke data to record how people are affected by their environment and how this changes when they are on or beside water.

“This scale and scope of this research is a first for the Trust. And, with the help of those taking part, we can emphatically demonstrate to decision makers and funders the importance of canals and the vital role they play, particularly in our towns and cities where green and blue space is at a premium. We’d like as many people to take part as possible – having taken part myself, I know it literally takes a minute or so just three times a day. It’s a fascinating area of study, both to find out about your own individual mood influencers, and for the wider social implications of the environment on wellbeing.”

The Canal & River Trust survey, which runs from 21 September to 15 November, is run on the Urban Mind app and partners King’s College London, J&L Gibbons and Nomad Projects. The app is free to download on App Store & Google Play. To take part please download and select the ‘custom’ study option and enter the password ‘water’ when prompted. The survey is confidential and participants are not asked to provide their name, phone, email or any other information which could identify them.

narrow boat engine by stephanie horton

Written by River Canal Rescue managing director, Stephanie Horton, Narrow Boat Engine Maintenance and Repair is an essential maintenance tool and perfect for those keen to keep their vessels in a good condition, inside and out.

“The idea behind the book was to combine our practical advice with our engineers’ specialist knowledge who through years of experience have unrivalled skills and repair techniques."

With a focus on diesel engines and their arrangements, it explains the theory behind the boat’s main systems, including propulsion, cooling and electrics, and gives instructions on how to identify key components, how to locate faults and where possible, how to fix them.

There are tips on everyday engine maintenance and how to complete a service and all instructions are accompanied by over 260 colour step-by-step photographs and 60 technical diagrams.

Narrow Boat Engine Maintenance and Repair retails at £18 (discounted for RCR members) and is available from River Canal Rescue and bookshops.

“My aim was to deliver a single reference tool, keeping things as simple as possible, and from the feedback received, this what it achieves. I’m delighted it’s been published.”

the diary of Iris Lloyd

Whenever I tell people that I live in Hungerford, home to about 6,000 inhabitants, their usual reaction is, “The scene of the massacre?” That tragedy, when 17 people were shot by a local young man, who then turned the gun on himself, was in 1987, over thirty years ago.

We tell people that Hungerford is more than the tragedy, although some who were personally affected still live here. Hungerford celebrates its antique shops, pubs, coffee bars and tearooms, an independent bookshop and butcher’s shop, a market every Wednesday morning, an annual December evening Extravaganza and the best Christmas lights you will see anywhere; they extend on both sides of the High Street for its entire length, on the trees and above the shops, with an extra large tree outside the Town Hall and another on the canal bank in the Wharf.

As well as a mayor and town council, Hungerford has a Town and Manor, presided over by a Constable, that has jurisdiction over the fisheries, marsh and common and owns the Town Hall and the John o’Gaunt public house. The name commemorates the third son of King Edward III who, in the fourteenth century, gave rights of fishing, grazing cows on the common and shooting (though no one does the latter any more) to the commoners, who retain the rights to this day.

Every Eastertide, we celebrate the ancient custom of Hocktide, the only town in Britain still to do so. 2020 has been the first time in its history that the celebration has had to be cancelled, because of the coronavirus.

So, next time you are in the area, after lockdown, do pop into The Tutti Pole tea room, which you will pass on your way from the towpath into the High Street, and then explore the rest of the town. You will be very welcome!

east end canal tales

The East End Canal Tales weaves the memories of over 50 local residents together with historical accounts to tell of intriguing, humorous, moving and often surprising stories of life and work on the Regent’s and Hertford Union Canals over two centuries.

A fascinating insight into the social history of the canals of East London, and the people who lived and worked beside them. The book is not about boating but the way in which local people interacted with the canal - sometimes in a less-than-commendable way, and how the canal had an impact on the lives of ordinary people in the mid 20th Century. It is an unusual book, covering an under-reported part of London's canal story.

The book is published this month by London Canal Museum as part of the 200th anniversary celebrations of the Regent’s Canal.

The East End Canal Tales is lavishly illustrated with over 130 photographs, many never published before, and three maps.

Read about canal trades of coal and manure and canal-side industries ranging from timber and metalworks to ice and chocolate. Learn about the canal’s role in what was the equivalent of the Victorian internet. Relive childhood memories of diving from ‘the pipe’ and being chased by the ‘cut runners’. Join the villains’ search for the holy grail of a gold cargo. Find out what happened in the old buildings which you can still find along the canal banks and what it was like to work on the Cut.

Lonely Planet London says: ‘Pick up a copy of the museum’s newly published The East End Canal Tales by Carolyn Clark to sail through the canal’s and its industries' fascinating history, meeting a colourful cast of characters who lived and worked on them along the way. Bon voyage!’

The East End Canal Tales is written by Carolyn Clark, author of The Shoreditch Tales and The Lower Clapton Tales.

The East End Canal Tales is on sale at the London Canal Museum, local bookshops including Brick Lane Books, Broadway Books and Pages of Hackney as well as on-line.

For further information:

Press contact: Carolyn Clark
Phone number: 07773 784 517
Email: carolynclark10@aol.com

MNA to launch WaterWatch with RNLI

Following the formation of the partnership between the Merchant Navy Association (MNA) and the RNLI last autumn to promote the RNLI's 'Respect the Water Campaign' on the UK’s inland waterways, the RNLI has recently re-branded its former Community Safety operations as “Water Safety”.

For some years the MNA Boat Club has operated a scheme to promote maritime safety under the brand name “SeaVue”, whereby Boat Club members undertake to act as watch-keepers afloat to “Spot, Plot, and Report” incidents, potential incidents and hazards whenever they go afloat and to alert the Coastguard accordingly. This is in a manner very similar to the National Coastwatch (NCI) operating from their fifty or more look-outs around the coast.

Given the involvement the MNA Boat Club now has with the RNLI in respect of promoting the 'Respect the Water' campaign on inland waterways, the Boat Club is now in the process of launching its “MNA WaterWatch” scheme whereby MNA Boat Club members will undertake the same “Spot, Plot and Report” activities in respect of the UK’s inland waterways, including rivers, canals, lakes and the Broads. Initially the WaterWatch scheme will be launched as a “pilot scheme” in their East Anglian region.

The MNA’s WaterWatch members will operate both from their own boats and/or from ashore by means of ad-hoc patrols and will of course report to the relevant waterway authority rather than to HM Coastguard unless the incident is in an area such as a major tidal river or estuary. In some cases it may also be appropriate to report incidents to the Nautical Institute’s Confidential Hazardous Incident Reporting scheme known as CHIRP.

The new MNA WaterWatch scheme will be featured on the seafarers afloat website where details of the MNA Boat Club’s various other activities are also to be found.

For further information contact

Clive Edwards on 01305 781725 or email

or Steve Walker (MNA Boat Club East Anglian regional Chairman) on 07769 725434 or email

listed canal bridge damaged by motorist

Charity urges motorists to take care when crossing historic canal bridges after damage to Grade II* Listed gem

The Canal & River Trust, the charity caring for 2,000 miles of canals and rivers in England and Wales, is calling for motorists to slow down when crossing historic canal bridges after a driver caused major damage to one of the most ornate bridges on the waterways network.

Bridge 65 on the Grand Union Canal, known as Ornamental Bridge, was hit by a driver over the weekend causing extensive damage to one of the parapets, or walls. Police arrested the driver at the scene and the Trust will, if possible, recover the costs of repair from the driver’s insurance.

Ornamental Bridge is a 200 year old gothic limestone bridge which is Grade II* Listed, putting it in the top 10% of buildings listed in England and giving it a greater level of protection than the famous Abbey Road Studios and the BT Tower in London.

The collision has demolished a 5m length of parapet and it’s possible that other sections of the bridge that have been displaced will need to be rebuilt. Much of the historic stone will be recovered and reused in the repair but some of the ornamental elements will need to be completely replaced. Due to the bridge’s listed status the repairs will be carried out carefully and sensitively, under guidance from Historic England.

The bridge carries the main road into the village of Cosgrove, just North of Milton Keynes so temporary barriers and traffic lights have been put up to ensure that it can be used safely by local people.

It’s not known why such an ornamental bridge was built in this location but the presence of the nearby Cosgrove Priory, home to the Lord of the Manor at that time, may have had something to do with it. Today the bridge is much loved by people living in Cosgrove and is often used as a backdrop for artists, photographers and even wedding parties.

Hump-back bridges, synonymous with Britain’s canal network, were built for the passage of horse-drawn carts, not for today’s speeding motorists, who cause up to £1 million of damage to the Canal & River Trust’s bridges each year. The majority of accidents are ‘hit and run’, leaving the Trust unable to recoup the cost of the damage from drivers’ insurers, and diverting vital funds away from work to conserve the nation’s waterways.

Richard Bennett, heritage and environment manager for the Canal & River Trust, said: “All historic canal bridges are special but this one is a real gem, it’s beautiful, eccentric and full of character so it’s especially heart-breaking to see it damaged like this.

“It’s also massively frustrating for the people of Cosgrove who really value the bridge and want to use the road.

“Each year we have to spend more than £1million across the country repairing bridges hit by drivers and that’s money which could be better used maintaining and looking after the region’s canals.

“If motorists just slowed down a bit and took more care and attention, then they would save themselves and us a lot of cost and aggravation and protect the nation’s important canal heritage.”

To find out more about the work of the Canal & River Trust, including how you can support through volunteering or making a donation go to CRT website.

Grade I buildings are of exceptional interest, only 2.5% of listed buildings are Grade I
Grade II* buildings are particularly important buildings of more than special interest; 5.8% of listed buildings are Grade II*
Grade II buildings are of special interest; 91.7% of all listed buildings are in this class

Article reproduced from press release by Canal & River Trust

tower works development on leeds & liverpool canal

Working with the Canal & River Trust at Tower Works

Richardson and Ask are proud to be supporting waterway and wellbeing charity Canal & River Trust, the organisation that looks after Leeds & Liverpool Canal.

Richardson and Ask are working with the Trust and its neighbouring developments, including Mustard Wharf, to improve a 200-metre stretch of the towpath, from the Canal Office to the Railway Bridge to provide a route by the water to and from Leeds train station.

Having been in need of repair for some time, the 200 year-old pathway is popular with
walkers, joggers, cyclists and anglers. This traffic-free route is a popular spot away from the hustle and bustle of the city centre. Design work is currently underway which will improve the section of towpath adjacent to the Tower Works site in the heart of Leeds and a start on site will be made as soon as the current restrictions allow.

Commenting on the works, Alan Daines, Infrastructure Services Regional Manager for Canal & River Trust said: “Leeds Southbank area is undergoing a huge transformation presently.

"Landmark developments close to our canal network, such as Tower Works, are coming to fruition all the time. With our research showing that spending time by water can help to improve our health, wellbeing and happiness we are working closely with developments to help communities to connect to their local waterway and realise the benefits of being by the water.

“Previous custodians of the Leeds & Liverpool Canal have undertaken a variety of approaches to towpath repairs over the years, leaving a disjointed and uneven surface due to the different materials used. Thanks to the support of developers like Richardson and Ask our charity is able to realise more ambitious programmes and extend existing works to provide safe pathways with improved access near to water. We have already begun work at Mustard Wharf and the new, continuous path of York stone will look superb."

Alison Carroll, development project manager for Ask Real Estate said: “Canal & River Trust is a key stakeholder and we are delighted to be working with them and our neighbours on this important work.

“When building work commences on the Tower Works site we will be partnering with the Trust and our construction contractors Sir Robert McAlpine to erect hoardings along the canal path where it borders the site which will ensure we have no impact on the canal during the build programme.

“During the construction phase the towpath will be out of bounds for safety reasons and the path improvement works will take place concurrently to the building of phase one at Tower Works, so when the development work is completed the canal path will also be ready for use.”

Tower Works

Tower Works site is located within the Holbeck Conservation Area, which features a number
of listed buildings across what was Leeds’ primary industrial area. The area is one of the only remaining places within Leeds where 19th Century industrial buildings have survived largely unaltered and uninterrupted, leaving a special character and appearance to the area.

Tower Works was founded on the site by T.R. Harding in 1864 to make steel pins for carding and combing in the textile industry. In addition to these items the company also developed a range of innovative and advanced industrial instruments, including speed indicators, counters, and gauges. The factory’s products were world class, selling all over the globe.

The original buildings, designed by Thomas Shaw, were erected in 1864-6, with the design being heavily influenced by his love for Italian architecture and art.

Within the Tower Works site, the Giotto Tower, Verona Tower are Grade II* listed, and the Engine House, Little Chimney, and 6-10 Globe Road are Grade II listed. The three towers are Holbeck’s most prominent landmarks and are an integral part of the area’s history and heritage.

The Grade II* listed Verona Tower can be recognised as the smaller ornate tower of the site. It was the first of Tower Works’ Italianate towers to be built and is based on the Lamberti Tower in Verona.

The Grade II* listed Giotto is recognised as the most ornate and largest of all the towers both in height and massing. It was designed as a ventilation tower and its structure contains filters that are able to collect metal particles produced during the pin making process. The Tower is based on the iconic Giotto Campanile, the bell tower of Florence’s Cathedral.

The Grade II listed Little Chimney is the latest of the towers and it is known as the Boiler House Chimney. It can be seen to represent typical Tuscan towers, such as the medieval towers in San Gimigniano, Tuscany.

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All Posts by

rose of hungerford

the diary of Iris Lloyd

the rose of hungerford

fern floating fine art

featured roving canal traders

fern floating fine art

steph’s packed lunch on channel 4

steph's packed lunch

steph mcgovern presents new lunchtime show on channel 4

canal & river trust launches project

canal & river trust launches citizen science project

narrow boat engine by stephanie horton

narrow boat engine maintenance and repair

by stephanie horton

the diary of Iris Lloyd

the diary of iris lloyd

hungerford 30 years on

east end canal tales

the story of the east end canal

east end canal tales by carolyn clark

MNA to launch WaterWatch with RNLI

the merchant navy association launch 'water watch' with rnli

listed canal bridge damaged by motorist

listed canal bridge damaged by motorist

canal river trust call for motorists to take greater care

tower works development on leeds & liverpool canal

tower works development on the leeds & liverpool canal

by Richardson and Ask in support of Canal & River Trust