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.

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 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.

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.

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.

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).”

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.

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