From: Laurence <lhpvideo@...>
Subject: [CanalScapeBCN] The Walsall boat wrecks around Keays dock
To: CanalScapeBCN@...
Date: Saturday, 7 March, 2009, 6:05 PM

Whilst currently working on the new Keays DVD & CD package I decided to go and take a fresh look at the sites of the docks and the remaining boats. The boats have deteriorated badly since my last visit. The former tug "Dart" (FMC Steamer Duteus") now only shows the engine room casing and this sadly is collapsing, although stubbornly some green paint remains on the side. The 8 or so Joeys ahead of the boat are now not visible although i expect knees remain. Round nearer Pratts Bridge the Anderton Company fly bopats are still extant (just). The "Rose" still announces its presence with its graceful stem iron showing, even having some red paint left in situ! The cabin and stern are all but rotted away. The "Anne" a sister boat has some sides remaining visible in the trees but access is difficult with masses of strewn rubbish and glass, no fore end or stern is now visible. On the site of Keays later yard at Carl st there remains the Knobstick motor of Potter & son, the "Silver Jubilee", the fore end of this is now as one with a tree, the stern is collapsed but defiantly the new planks put in at keays near the fore end remain unrotted and still showing the wonderful rounded sides of this type of boat. Further on the two "Severners" remain, (possibly "Compton" and "Tettenhall" ) these deep sided river and canal trading long distance boats ended their days as joeys, sadly the inner one is all but rotted and both have now lost the "wooden heads" for river towage. However both stem irons remain and the outer boat is still more or less intact, this may well have a intact stern. It is not beyond the realms of possibility that this boat could be riased and conserved, however action would need to be sooner rather than later. I do hope BW will leave these craft untouched, in years to come no wood will remain but the graceful stem irons will still bear testament that "a working boat lies here", I urge you to go and see these before the summer once again buries them in foilage and growth, pictures taken today are posted in the photos section under "Walsall boat remains".