Historic Boats – Tramway Wharf and nbs Prince and Yeo
As such, Prince was put on maintenance work carrying lock gates etc. quite early on. Latterly, British Waterways fitted a cement spraying gun in the hold and used this to reinforce the underside of bridges.
Yeo, built in 1959 by E C Jones of Brentford, is an example of the end of canal carrying. Built for traffic throughout the South East, these River Class boats could carry more cargo and be loaded in less time, but their larger hold and blue glass-fibre covers were unpopular with boatpeople, earning them the nickname ‘dustbin boats’ or ‘bluetops’.
Within three years of Yeo being launched, the harsh winter of 1962-3 effectively ceased most trade on the canals.
The rarity of both these boats was definitely a factor in Steve deciding to become their custodian. “I must admit to liking their awkwardness; the Royalties being these huge dinosaurs – too deep and quickly superseded – and the River Class being generally considered ugly and ungainly. I do love an underdog!”
In 2019 Steve’s passion for the waterways led him to buy an historic wharf in Marple. Built in 1798, Tramway Wharf transported goods between the upper and lower Peak Forest Canals while funds were being raised to build the Marple lock flight.
Limestone and lime was the primary reason for the construction of the Peak Forest Canal. Its uses in agriculture (soil stabilisation and fertilisation) and construction (mortars, paints and cements) were in demand as well as its use as a high-quality building stone.
After this, Steve tells me that the wharf was in use for the adjoining mineral mill, but that over the centuries – and despite the tramway having its own mention on a red plaque on the lock flight – its history has largely been untold.
Evidence of the tramway itself is clear from the still-visible bored holes which, with an oak peg and iron spike, held the beds and rails along the very edge of the canal itself. More correctly known as a plateway, 3ft lengths of 1in thick L-section iron were used for its rails, within which the carriage wheels sat.
Steve told me: “The full wagon bodies were loaded from the boats on to waiting chassis and chained together in small groups. These were sent down by gravity only, the speed being controlled by a ganger (person in charge of a gang of tramway wagons) and a lad who would lock or ‘sprag’ wheels with an iron hook on a chain to slow the speed. The empty wagons would then be hauled back up the slope by horse.”
Steve’s goal is to restore some of the workings of the wharf and tramway, as well as encourage visiting historic boats to moor while passing. “The wharf has sat overgrown and overlooked for years and we would like to see it become a vibrant resource within the amazingly supportive community we have found in Marple,” he said.
With plans to offer monthly open days where people can come and learn about the wharf, as well as workshops and exhibitions from artists and craftspeople, I am positive Steve will recreate a scene befitting Marple’s rich industrial heritage.
I do have to wonder however, whether it will simply provide space for his own collection of historic boats! “I still do look into the history of interesting boats.
“The tapestry of cargoes, routes and families woven into each one really does make them completely unique. In that sense, if you have one, it’s more a relationship than an ownership.”
Instagram: @tramwaywharf Website www.tramwaywharf.uk
www.marplelocalhistorysociety. org.uk www.canalsidecamera.weebly.com www.pittdixon.go-plus.net
Alice Griffin is a writer and intermittent boat-dweller, currently spending time in the mountains of Central Portugal.
Instagram: alice_is_in_wanderland www.alicegriffin.co.uk