Elland at Diggle

Elland came into action as she was horseboated up the Marsden flight of the Huddersfield Narrow to Standedge Tunnel, in time for the national Heritage Open Days of English Heritage in September. Elland was legged through Standedge Tunnel while a guided walk was provided over the tunnel top, following boathorse Bilbo. The guided walk and tunnel legging were part of the Launch Weekend of the South Pennines Walk and Ride Festival. The walk was very well attended. When the boat emerged from the tunnel, we horseboated with Bilbo to the Diggle top lock so the walkers had the opportunity to see a horse-drawn boat. A walker said, "Thank you so much for it all. It's been a magical day."

Elland is currently moored at Diggle tunnel portal, along with other boats, ready for the final Standedge Tunnel bi-centenary event of the year on Sunday September 18. Helpers please, for Sunday!

Plans for what happens next have changed dramatically within the last days. Elland will work her way horse-drawn down the locks from Marsden to Huddersfield next week, in order to take a motor tow to Leeds on Thursday. It is essential that Elland leaves the Huddersfield Narrow quickly on the east side as the canal is being closed for months of major building works in Huddersfield. Please, please respond to the appeal for crew.
CREW AND EVENT HELPERS ARE very urgently NEEDED. See details of dates and itinerary.

Vixen on the Rochdale

The Horseboating Society has been very busy again, involved in the Rochdale Canal Festival, which lasts two weeks. We attended two of the three official days, at Sowerby Bridge and Todmorden. Passenger cruises on horseboat Vixen were made on the journey from Sowerby Bridge to Hebden Bridge, then on two market days from Hebden Bridge to Todmorden and return. The latter journeys involved 8 miles and 12 locks on each day. Passengers booked a one way or return passage and all seats were sold and even over-subscribed.

Maria at Marple

Maria was at Marple between 23rd June and 3rd July, close to the spot where she was built in 1954. She was on public display near Marple Top Lock during this time and was horseboated down the locks as part of the Marple Locks Festival.

At noon at the Top Lock, the boat was loaded with a few "vintage sacks of coal" which were taken down the locks to the festival site in the park. After a harnessing demo to the public at 2 pm, the boat continued to Samuel Oldknow's warehouse where the sacks were unloaded. After the flight of 16 locks, the boat crossed the high Marple Aqueduct before soon being legged through Hyde Bank Tunnel

Read Sue Day's full report and see photos of the event here in our Photo Gallery.

Photo: Warwick Burton

Photo: Warwick Burton

Read Sue Day's full report and see photos of the event here in our Photo Gallery.

St. George's Day

On 23rd April 2011 we performed our St.George fun and frolics. Maria was legged through Standedge Tunnel, luring out the resident tunnel dragon, which has been attacking boats this spring. St. George and his horse (Bilbo the boathorse) saved the day by slaying the dragon, saving the princess and Easter bunny girl, and preventing the chocolate Easter eggs from melting in the dragon's fiery breath. As a result, boaters have safe passage for another year. Should any baby dragons grow into evil dragons, then St. George might need to come back next year to keep the tunnel safe for boats.

Everyone was able to enjoy the party outside the Tunnel End cottages without the unwelcome dragon. The Empire Brewery, sited at the guillotine lock in Slaithwaite, had kindly donated a barrel of beer, of a St.George brew. Or there was fiery ginger beer. Four cakes were rectangular, white with a red jam cross, like the flag of St.George. We could eat as many chocolate Easter eggs as we liked, all saved from the dragon's fiery breath.

There was a superb big report and photos in the Huddersfield Examiner of our antics.

Photo: Warwick Burton

Photo: Warwick Burton

More photos and larger versions of these images can be seen here in our Photo Gallery.

Standedge 200 Anniversary

In April 2011 the Horseboating Society embarked on a legging fiesta as part of the 200th Anniversary celebrations of the opening of Standedge Tunnel.

On Saturday 2nd April Boathorse Bilbo towed the historic wooden narrowboat Maria, built in 1854, up the Diggle locks. Maria was then legged by members of the Horseboating Society through Standedge Tunnel to Tunnel End, Marsden.

On Sunday 3rd April members of the Horseboating Society legged three horseboats through Standedge Tunnel from Tunnel End to Diggle.

On Monday 4th April the three horseboats, Maria, Elland and Vixen, were legged back through Standedge Tunnel from Diggle to Tunnel End.

Photo: Steve Bentley

Photo: Martin Clark

Maria carried a barrel full of beer through the Standedge Tunnel, an annual donation from the Ossett Brewery via the Riverhead Brewery Tap in Marsden. This year's brew was a special Bi-centenary Brew. The HBS records its thanks to the Ossett Brewery.

Christine Bergin made her annual contribution of a splendid cake for our celebrations, showing Maria at Tunnel End at Standedge, with a boatman, boatwoman, horse, boat, and lock and even the HBS round logo. Congratulations and thanks go to Christine! The beer and cake were shared with the public.

The event meant that an important achievement had been made. Three boats had been horse-drawn to the location of Standedge on the Huddersfield Narrow Canal. This equalled our own record in 2001 to Uppermill, also on the same canal. However the boats travelled greater distances this time. Elland came from Manchester City Centre, horsedrawn for 32 miles on the Rochdale, 6 to Brighouse on the Calder & Hebble, 4 on the Huddersfield Broad, and 10 on the Huddersfield Narrow, making 52 miles. Vixen came on the same route from Hebden Bridge, totalling 26 miles. Maria came 10 miles from the Ashton Canal through Standedge Tunnel to join the other two at the Standedge Visitor Centre. Does anyone know when such a gathering of horse-drawn boats was last achieved? As far back as 40 years ago, eg 1971, or 30 years ago, or when?

Photo: Rick Baines

Photo: Warwick Burton

More photos and larger versions of these images can be seen here in our Photo Gallery.

Additional photos can be seen here on Stuart Coleman's website.

Willow Boathorse

The Waterways Action Squad recently ran a willow weaving workshop at the National Waterways Museum.

The young participants create but a near-life size willow horse, complete with boat and bridge arch!

Hazel Mayow of Waterways Action Squad said: "Seeing the finished sculpture I couldn't help but think of the Horseboating Society. The sculpture will stay there over the summer for the public, and hopefully if it roots, it will be semi permanent (and increasingly green)."

Horseboating in Holland

Our one Horseboating Society member in Holland, Ron Le Poole, went horseboating in Holland in 2010.

Ron hopes to come to England in 2011 to join in some horseboating here.

Photo: Ron Le Poole,

Photo: Ron Le Poole,

Larger versions of these images, plus photos from Ron's previous horseboating trip, can be seen here in our Photo Gallery.

Passenger Horseboat at Hebden Bridge again

After an absence of 6 years, horse-drawn passenger boat operation has returned to Hebden Bridge!

As part of the celebrations of 500 years of Hebden Bridge, the horsedrawn passenger boat Vixen has been brought to the town and is providing passenger trips this year as a trial to see if horse-drawn trips can be viable once again.

Horseboat Vixen about to pass Horseboat Elland. Photo: Ken Catford

First horsedrawn passenger boat in Hebden Bridge in 6 years. Photo: Ken Catford

Bonny the Boathorse

Bonny the Boathorse gave birth to her third and last foal on Sunday August 1st. A charming bay filly. Mother and daughter doing well. No name yet.

Photo: Ken Catford

Photo: Ken Catford

Photo: Ken Catford

Rochdale Canal Journey

In conjunction with the Rochdale Canal Festival, the Horseboating Society are travelling the length of the canal from Castlefield to Sowerby Bridge.

Boathorse Bilbo is towing the historic narrowboat Elland. Because Elland is only 60 ft in length, when the journey to Sowerby Bridge has been completed, it is intended to continue around the South Pennine Ring to the Huddersfield Narrow Canal.

A selection of photographs taken on the journey so far can be seen here in our Photo Gallery.

Travelling up the Littleborough flight. Photo: © BAC Photography

Rochdale Canal Journey

On 21st July, Elland set off from Castlefield on a journey over the Rochdale Canal, the first stage of which included the section of canal running alongside Canal Street in Manchester.

The Waterways Trust supported the Horseboating Society in getting Manchester City Council to remove all tables and chairs off the towpath in Canal Street, Manchester so Bilbo could have a free passage to pull Elland up the Rochdale Nine during the Rochdale Canal Festival 2010.

However, note the posts which the council are refusing to remove which interfere with towline use. The posts have tiny notices at the top, warning people not to climb the new high railings!

This was probably the first time in ten years that a horse-drawn boat has had unblocked passage on the towpath of Canal Street, usually totally taken over by cafe and bar furniture. Thank you, TWT, for your support.

Canal Street Photo: Keith Hallam

Canal Street Photo: Keith Hallam

Lock 86 Photo: Keith Hallam

Piccadilly Lock Photo: Keith Hallam

A selection of photographs taken on the journey so far can be seen here in our Photo Gallery.

Horses at Work event

The Horseboating Society joined the Boat Museum Society and the National Waterways Museum at Ellesmere Port to put on the first Horses at Work event there.

Bonny the Boathorse was pleased to be back in harness for two demonstrations on the day - a harnessing demo followed by the short pull to the winding hole and back to the museum.

Bonny has done little boating since 2008 due to having two foals. With a third foal due in August, the short journey was just right "to keep her hand (hoof) in". The third foal will be Bonny's last foal, so she will return to horseboating more fully in 2011. The photos show Bonny's rotund appearance as she proudly carries her foal. Nothing like getting her foals started early - horseboating while in the womb!

Note the period clothing worn with crew of Gifford. The boat was built in 1926 so Victorian clothing is inappropriate. Women wore a floral dress and a pinny.

Other work horses in attendance were a grey Shire mare with a dray of full sacks ready for unloading to a warehouse or boat, and a cob with a bread van . In addition there were horses and ponies from the Parkgate Horse Rescue Centre, reminding people that horses require much love, care and attention.

The event brought in visitors who came especially to see horses at work and to learn about the activity of horseboating, now so seldom seen. A coach party came from the North Counties Heavy Horse Society. Those able to walk the distance followed the horse-drawn boat to the winding hole and back. A great many photos were taken.

The General Manager of the National Waterways Museum at Ellesmere Port is interested in repeating a similar type of event in the future. The HBS received the following thanks from organiser, Ken Catford, who is an HBS member and former BMS chairman.

"Thank you very much for participating in the Horses at Work event. We were very pleased with the day, with a good number of visitors over and above a normal Sunday. I think it met the objective of illustrating the importance of horses in the history of the canals, the docks and the local community."

Demonstrating traditional boathorse harnessing. Photo: Ken Catford

Demonstrating horseboating - Bonny sets off with Gifford. Photo: Ken Catford

Bonny the boathorse takes Gifford along the canal. Photo: Ken Catford

Period clothing for 1926. Bonny due to foal in August.. Photo: Ken Catford

Really Sad News - Obituary by Sue Day

Jayne Bradley's horse PRINCE, a Clydesdale at 16.3hh, had to be put to sleep on the morning of Sunday May 16th. Prince will be sorely missed by all who knew this gentle giant.

Prince was well known at the Black Country Living Museum where Jayne had been head horse-keeper for 8 years, and she worked Prince there in many ways, pulling a cart, dray, omnibus, or the ice-boat Ross. He gave the horseboating demo with Ross at the first Horseboating Society AGM at the BCLM in 2002.

Out of the museum, he had pulled both steamboat President and horseboat Kildare to a local yard for repairs.

He attended the Parkhead Festival every two years where he worked on the top lock, demonstrating the use of a pulley wheel to send a boat out of the lock in the opposite direction to the way the horse was walking.

Prince worked under the HBS banner in September 2009 when he pulled a loaded boat of the Coombeswood Trust to the Windmill Festival. Loaded with about 17 tons, Prince travelled 3 miles in a charity pull, comparing times with a bow-hauled boat (manpower) and a motorboat (motor power). The boat was legged through Gosty Tunnel en route. To Jayne's delight, Prince put in a winning time.

The report came to HBS:
"Prince had been out in the field with Shire horses Toby, Polly and also Barney but had been unable to get up in the morning of Sunday May 16th. We got the JCB and lifting ropes and the vet and seven people but he just could not put any weight on his legs once hoisted up. We all tried and tried but in the end the vet said that there was nothing more that could be done."

Polly Booth, of the Waterways Action Squad (ages 16-25) wrote -

I signed up to help the Horseboating Society because I was very interested to see this old style of boating in practice. I wasn't sure what to expect before I arrived but I did imagine it to be very arduous for the horse. I was surprised that the boat glided effortlessly and Bilbo (the boat horse) didn't seem to struggle at all. There was a gentle silence to the boat, which is not possible with a motored barge, and when we weren't preoccupied with the locks it was relaxing to walk alongside it. I'd never operated a lock before so that was an experience in itself, some of them were quite easy but others were rusty and they posed a bit of a challenge.

When the narrowboat, horse and crew in (mostly) full Victorian dress passed through more urban areas the difference between old and new was striking and it made a nice image.

It was exciting to ride in the boat through a long, dark tunnel in Huddersfield, which had been especially built beneath a development to accommodate passing boats. There was no room for Bilbo who had to be taken along another route to meet us at the other side. Without the horse towing us members of the crew used poles against the side of the walls to push us along. I appreciated seeing this technique but I was quite glad we didn't need to 'leg' the boat through. 'Legging' involves lying on the narrowboat and pushing it along a tunnel with your feet using the walls or ceiling. I wasn't sure I was quite ready for the indignity of that!

It was an interesting day and I'd encourage anyone to have a look at horseboating in action if you get the chance.

On 22nd April 2010 the Horseboating Society set off from Guide Bridge on the Ashton Canal to make a return trip to Huddersfield by way of the Huddersfield Narrow Canal and Standedge Tunnel.

Maria was legged through Standedge Tunnel on April 25th in a record time for the Horseboating Society of 2 hours 20 minutes. The return through Standedge Tunnel will be on Bank Holiday Monday, 3rd May. (See "Events")

See Gallery section for more photographs.