Historic Boat Series – narrowboat Indus
Owners: Jane Hudson and Ian Redshaw The second in a new series on historic boats by Alice Griffin
ADAPTATION is the key to longevity and there is nothing that fascinates me more than delving into the story of something or someone who has spent their life adapting in order to survive – and narrowboat Indus, a Small Woolwich Star Class, has done just that.
Bought by Jane Hudson, Ian Redshaw and their Saluki sight hound, Lottie, in 2016, they found Indus online at a brokerage in Warwickshire: “It was taking on water and didn’t run too reliably, but the boat truly did seem to speak to us and we knew that once the hull work was done we’d have a solid base from the start.”
In the process of restoration, Jane and Ian have been keen to discover Indus’s history: “Lots of information came with the boat, but cross-referencing on online forums has helped to confirm or rule out some previous history, as well as add lots more.”
Built as a 71ft 6in unpowered butty in 1935 by Harland and Wolff for the Grand Union Canal Carrying Co Ltd, Indus was mainly used for trips between London and Birmingham until, in around 1942, it was requisitioned by the Ministry for War and hired to the London Fire Service. Fitted with water pumps, it was used on the Thames and also the Surrey Canal until probably the end of the war, just like many other GUCC Co Ltd boats.
In 1946 Indus is recorded as being used for trade again, this time on the Guinness Run between London and Birmingham breweries before, eventually, hard work was replaced with a more leisurely way of life. Ian told me: “In the ’50s Indus was shortened and motorised and when I say shortened, I mean chopped in half!” One of 16 Grand Union boats selected by British Waterways (which GUCC Co Ltd was by then part of ), Indus was to become one of the first hire pleasure crafts, with one half, the bow, becoming Water Willow and the other half becoming Water Reed.
It’s fascinating to see how, as trade on the canals declined, boats found new life with the beginning of the canal leisure industry: “Our half – Water Willow – wouldn’t have survived if it hadn’t found a new purpose and would simply have been scrapped,” Ian continued.
Perhaps Water Willow’s biggest claim to fame was when, in 1966, she was hired by the Seymour family. John Seymour was an accomplished author on selfsufficiency and wrote a book about their four-month trip in which they travelled the whole canal system that was navigable at the time.
The book, titled Voyage Into England, is described as ‘a still dependable guide for those who dream of exploring England’s relatively uncrowded and colourful canal system’ and I have to admit to being transported back to my own travels on England’s more northerly waterways when I read Seymour’s words. “But where Midland and Northern cities have it so strongly over London is that they do not sprawl so far. You come to a lock… and lock through it – and immediately you find yourself on the wide and gracious Trent, and in beautiful country.”
However, with every high there must be a low and, eventually sold into private ownership in the ’70s, Water Willow soon fell into disrepair before being saved in the ’90s, along with its other half Water Reed. Both boats were then lengthened to 62ft and worked by Southern Region Carriers as a pair of motorboats along with butty Pictor.
Ian’s extensive research has uncovered a great deal of information and he said: “Our half, by now renamed Indus Too, last worked commercially in about 2009 when it was involved in a contract to lay optical fibres down the Grand Union towpath and spent a short time as a fuel boat.”
Between then and the time that Ian and Jane became custodians it didn’t move a mile but it has since had a new bottom, restored topsides and is in the middle of an under-cloth conversion. Ian concluded: “There is a lot of pleasure to be had from working on a historic boat and we like the fact it looks traditional enough with the blinds down in the hold, that most folk wouldn’t know it isn’t a carrying workboat any more.”
Having survived this long in various guises, I don’t think the renamed again – to its original – Indus is going anywhere soon. In fact, I imagine that if Ian and Jane fulfil their dream of a piece of mooring land where they can live aboard, there will be a whole lot more story to follow.