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BETELGEUSE
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BETELGEUSE is a Grand Union Canal Carrying Co. Star Class 'Small Woolwich' butty, with a maximum carrying capacity of 30 tonnes.
She is registered as number 2320 in the
National Historic Ships Register.
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This year BETELGEUSE has been used for storage at the yard, first for timber, and then for the contents of CLENT's hold. Dry docking in April
for blacking and anodes found softness in the bow, so a new section was let in.
In June repairs were made to the deckboard, and a new tiller made. This sequence shows the transformation of an ash tree branch to the tiller.
She went to the National Festival in Burton with Renfrew in July and August, and in September the pair went to Shackerstone festival, finally
returning in a gale of wind in October. New cabin doors were fitted in November (top photo).
IN 2010 BETELGEUSE attended the Easter HNBOC gathering at Coventry, transhipping timber from SKYLARK, and in June was at the Braunston historic
boat gathering. She was used to deliver and store materials for the restoration of the FMC motor ADMIRAL, and visited Banbury for the Canal Day in
October, carrying coal and goods for the LUCY Project sales and information stand.
BETELGEUSE had a repaint inside and out, and lettering in the company livery, at Braunston.
In September she was towed to the River Thames via the southern Oxford Canal.
We attended the Wallingford Bunkfest folk festival, and then went on to the R Wey and Basingstoke Canal, delivering materials for work on the
houseboat DRAGONFLY, an iron BCN day boat.
BETELGEUSE was loaded with fresh cut oak beams at town Lock on the river Wey in October, for ongoing restoration work at Braunston,
and we returned to base in October.
BETELGEUSE was replaced on the sand traffic in April by the restored joey boat BCN No108 (Click here for details.)
In May, BETELGEUSE, towed by ARUNDEL, carried 20 tonnes of steel piling from Tyseley to Walthampstow.
This was a revival of long distance carrying by a pair of narrowboats on the Grand Union Main Line.
She was then moved to Braunston for maintenance and work as a floating carpentry workshop and retail shop.
Maintenance has included removal of sand, a complete internal repaint, and restoration of shutts.
She has appeared at Rickmansworth Festival, Braunston Historic Boat Gathering and Banbury Canal Day,
and has assisted in transport of timber and as a workshop for the restoration of NB STANTON's gunnels and running gear.
Photos of the Steel run:
On Thursday April 26th 2007 the narrowboat pair ARUNDEL and BETELGEUSE delivered over 100 tonnes of sharp sand to Hansons depot at West Drayton, Middlesex.
The sand was loaded into the boats at the Lea Pit wharf at Denham, and was delivered over the five miles and two locks on the Grand Union Canal in two trips.
The next day a further 52 tonnes were delivered in a single trip.
These were the first loads of loose material in the restored BETELGEUSE since around 1973, some 34 years ago.
BETELGEUSE is a Grand Union Canal Carrying Company Small Woolwich steel butty, a Star Class boat built in 1935, owned by Peter Boyce.
ARUNDEL is a new Large Northwich style working motor boat, owned by Richard Horne. ARUNDEL has been working the run as a single motor since 2005.
Together they form the first working pair to be used on the Denham sand traffic. During the nine months from April to January 2008,
BETELGEUSE carried 986 tonnes of sand in 38 trips.
The loaded pair above Uxbridge lock
Unloading by grab at Hansons depot, West Drayton
In June 2006 BETELGEUSE, towed by JAMES LOADER, carried Tania Kovat's artwork "MEADOW" from Bath to London,
via the Kennet & Avon Canal, River Thames, Grand Union Canal and Regent's Canal.
Later that year, she loaded coal at Hanwell for delivery to Reading and the Kennet & Avon Canal.
Moving Meadow Arts Project
Photos from the trip:
The MEADOW pair
In 2004 and 2005, during cabin restoration, BETELGEUSE loaded coal at Buckby top lock for delivery to the Kennet & Avon canal.
She visited Bristol in 2004, and delivered coal to Newbury, Aldermaston and Reading.
loading coal at Buckby
BETELGEUSE is a Star class Small Woolwich butty, built in 1935 for the Grand Union Canal Carrying Company,
as part of their large new fleet of boats to be used on the newly improved Grand Union Canal.
She was built by Harland and Wolff Ltd. at Woolwich, and entered service in November 1935,
paired with the motor narrowboat BARGUS. Fleet number 235,
registered at Brentford number 568 on 18th December 1935,
gauging number 12488. Built with rivetted steel sides and an elm bottom;
composite construction, because elm was easier to replace than a rivetted steel bottom.
She worked for the company until nationalisation in 1948, then for the Docks and Inland Waterways Executive,
then British Waterways Board, then was leased to Willow Wren in the 1960s. At some time she was paired with ELSTREE,
with Nick Hill steering.
After languishing in the Wendover Arm, she was acquired by Stroudwater Carriers and was paired with COMET,
steered by Jim Marshall, and carried retail coal in the early 1970s, with Ian Kemp as crew.
In the summer, Jim used her to carry passengers as the Chester Packet, pulled by Snowy the horse,
and she was converted for this, with a small cabin extension, in the mid '70s.
After time as a houseboat on the Macclesfield Canal, she was acquired by Ian Chambers, and a new steel
bottom welded on in 2002 at Malkin's Bank. I acquired her in 2003 as an empty shell,
and commenced restoration to working condition, working from copies of the original H&W drawings.
She collected all the timber required from Queen's Head on the Montgomery, and the running gear was
built at Godalming on the River Wey, with ironwork made by Ian Kemp.
The rudder was also restored and new cloths fitted. Shutts for the hold were finished at Newbury,
and cabin restoration commenced in spring 2005 with a new outer skin.
Loading coal at Gopsall Wharf 1970 © Richard Pearson
At Hawkesbury 1971 © Brian Holmes
In the Chester locks © Bill Garland
© Phobox Ltd. 2011 ----- Last updated: 23.12.2011