Water Gypsies: A History of Life on Britain's Rivers and Canals

Product Information

Well written, exciting and a brilliant historical / period novel which evokes a wonderful spirit of a time past.

His father before him Edward Hudson Webster was also on the barges after serving in the navy after the first world war.Dad and mam went on to have 10 children four of the boys Raymond ,Robert, John and Gary all followed in dads footsteps and worked on barges and tankers. Sadly John died in a terrible accident on Whittakers tankers. Lament for the Keel (1) An account of the life and passing of the wooden carvel – built Humber keel, and the recollections of a man who sailed in and commanded several of these craft. Height of the mainsails that I worked was about nine yards from the centre of the foot rope to the centre of the head rope of the sail. The width of the head of the sail was about 19 breadths of canvas. The topsail was a square sail of very light, strong canvas; it had two carring thimbles at the head and small eyelets for the lace line, also two thimbles in the clews. Permanently attached to it were hemp rope earrings and a lighter manila rope for lace lines. It was only used in a light wind or when the wind was favourable and when in use was made fast to the topsail yard.

John Wilson is a lifelong enthusiast for London the city and for London in literature, art and film. He came to London to study Physics at Imperial College and has lived in various parts of the city ever since. Nothing more was heard of it for many, many years. Then it was brought up again, and talked of for many months. Eventually an idea was proposed to build a bridge of one single span, reaching across the Humber from the Yorkshire side to the Lincolnshire side. This was to be the largest single span bridge in the world, which when completed, would carry traffic of every description. The bridge was completed and actually opened on the 17th of July 1981. It was marvellous for me to be able to travel across the bridge. I could see for miles both up and down the Humber. The earnings of a keel for cargo were known as a freight. When I agreed with the owner to take charge of a keel, my agreement generally ran as follows: 'The owner to pay for the maintenance of the keel and gear, insurances and such.’ His reward was one third of the keel’s earnings; my duty was to find the cargoes and freights. All the expenses such as the mate's wages, haulage costs, loading and discharging costs etc., were paid by the skipper, who also victualled the keel. The skipper’s reward was the remaining two thirds of the freight. Freights were drawn by the skipper who paid the owner his share. It’s a very close community. It is quite peaceful and tranquil down here and as far as I’m aware there is no abandoned boats down here. If there is they are in the boatyard not the actual Marina.

Export record

Now that we had a bigger house, Mum and Dad's brothers and sisters used to visit us often. At Fair time we had to put children in our room, aunts in another, uncles with Dad in another. What a full house we used to have! Baking day was a headache, the day before the fair. Our visitors did not let us know they were coming; they just popped in saying 'Here we are'. Mother used to be up early getting the oven hot and the pastry made. All were coal fires and ovens; no electric or gas ones then. As soon as breakfast was over, out came all the baking items. I had to dust and grease the tins, getting them into line for the tarts, etc. It was not long before we had trays of ground rice tarts, jam, lemon curd, buns of every description, sponge cakes, teacakes, spice loaves, currant bread and pies of every kind. There were also flat-cakes, or flattie-cakes which, because they had no baking powder in, always stayed flat, never rose up. Dad used to say, 'It’s a good job the Fair only comes once a year’. Aunt Bertha said she would have Billy for company for her kiddies, and I was to stay in Hull with Arthur and Elsie going each day to the harbour side to see if the keel was all right. We had a good berth next to a coal hulk that never moved its moorings, so it was quite safe to stay alongside that. Arthur, his wife Elsie and I went to the Riverside Quay to see Mum and Dad off on the voyage of their lives and they boarded the SS Duke of Clarence.

Tony Latham, 52, grew up in Hull and has spent most of his life living on boats travelling across Europe. He returned to the city five years ago on his work boat Castille and says things have certainly changed over the years. The sound of someone hailing 'Keel – a – hoy. Are you there, Captain? Come ahead with that keel' faded away about 1940. MARFLEET was skippered by my grandfather William Rhodes and was owned by Richardson of Hull. She was a Weighton boat but he gave up sailing when she was de-rigged and a motor was installed. I do not know when this took place as all my relatives from Hull are now deceased. My father crewed for Bill for a number of years before coming to London to join the Met Police 1931. Rolt, L.T.C. (1950). The Inland waterways of England. London: George Allen and Unwin Ltd. ISBN 0-04-386003-6. The guy obviously has a grudge against the marina," she said. "It creates a bad name to people living on boats and I think a few years ago it was a cheap option, but it is certainly not now. Read More Related Articles

Census:Age 27, a barge waterman, living in Mason's Buildings, Finkle Street, Thorne with wife Frances,27, daughter, Frances,5, son James S Barley,1