News - The Horseboating Society

There was a television programme showing Queenie with Maria on the Discovery Real Time channel. The programme, called "Narrowboat Afloat" was shown on November 15th. Maria was shown arriving at the 40th Anniversary Gathering of the Historic Narrow Boat Owners' Club at Bugsworth Basin. See report.

October 2006

There was a feature showing Bonny towing Saturn on the BBC North West programme "Inside Out" on 23rd October.

Following the broadcast, Sue Day took part in a live "web chat", answering viewers' questions.
Click here to read the questions and answers.

October 2006

Maria was horseboated to the Bridgewater Hall in Manchester. This became a "protest cruise" to draw attention to cuts in BW's funding. Local MP David Heyes joined the crew and took a turn steering Maria. See report.

August 2006

Maria was horseboated to the Historic Narrow Boat Owners' Club Rally at Marple, then on to Bugsworth Basin, where she was loaded with limestone to bring back to the Ashton Canal. On the way to Marple, BW's Chief Executive, Robin Evans, joined the crew and legged a tunnel, steered the boat and worked the locks! See report. See photos of journey.

May 2006

Members of The Horseboating Society legged "Maria" through Standedge Tunnel as part of a special celebration to mark the 200th anniversary of Thomas Telford's appointment to finish the tunnel (details).

Legging through Standedge Tunnel.

The Ashton Packet Boat Company's historic wooden narrowboat "Maria", built in 1854, made the horsedrawn journey along the Huddersfield Narrow Canal between Ashton and Huddersfield and back, including being the first boat legged through Standedge Tunnel for 59 years. The passage through the tunnel took 2 hours 52 minutes. Click here for photos.

On the return journey, the boat was legged solo through the tunnel by Horseboating Society member Nigel Dix in a time of 3 hrs 3 minutes. Click here for photos.

March 2006

The 2006 Annual General Meeting of the society took place at the Black Country Living Museum, Dudley.
Click below to see the Minutes of the 2006 AGM.
.pdf file ( - needs Acrobat Reader or similar)
.Word document

September 2005

Members of The Horseboating Society legged "Sunny Valley" through Blisworth Tunnel as part of a special weekend to mark the tunnel's 200th anniversary. On Sunday morning, 25th September, the boat was legged from the Stoke Bruerne end northwards. The boat was then towed on past Blisworth Village to Gayton Junction by Bonny the Boathorse, who had walked over the top of the tunnel, accompanied by villagers dressed in period clothing.

Reaching the northern end of Blisworth Tunnel.
Photo: Sean Neill

Click to see more photographs of the boat being legged through Blisworth Tunnel.

July 2005

The Horseboating Society Website was "Website of the Month" for June in Waterways World magazine!

March 2005

Bugsworth Basin
Maria was horse-drawn to the opening of Bugsworth Basin, which took place on Easter Saturday, 26th March. On Easter Sunday, Maria's original purpose was re-created when she carried a load of 16 tons of limestone out of Bugsworth Basin. See Photo Gallery for more pictures.

Photo: Mike Casswell

February 2005

In February, Maria was horse-drawn along the Ashton Canal to Portland Basin for the AGM of The Horseboating Society. The return journey was in the snow, with thin ice on the canal!
See Photo Gallery for pictures.

The 2005 Annual General Meeting of the society took place in Portland Basin Museum.
Click here to see the Minutes of the 2005 AGM.

Some of the members of The Horseboating Society gathered for the AGM, with Maria at Portland Basin.

Members of The Horseboating Society inspect the boat horses at Portland Basin.

July 2004

Maria travelled from Guide Bridge to the top of Marple Locks for the Marple Locks Celebration.

On Saturday 3rd July Maria went down the top four locks, carrying passengers portraying Samuel Oldknow and his apprentices, re-enacting the first journey down the locks 200 years ago. Later in the afternoon Maria continued down to the bottom of Marple Locks before returning to Guide Bridge.

Maria was launched from Jinks' Boatyard at the top of Marple Locks in July 1854, so this event was also celebrating the 150th anniversary of the first journey of Maria down the locks! Maria has been de-converted from being a passenger trip boat and restored to her original 1854 condition as an open working boat.

Peak Forest Canal - 2003

The horse-drawn boat Maria was taken along the Peak Forest Canal to Marple Aqueduct to be present for the unveiling of a memorial to Dr Cyril Boucher.

Maria crossing Marple Aqueduct, towed by Queenie driven by Steve Corbett.

It was appropriate for the horseboat Maria to attend the ceremony as she was built at Marple in 1854 at Jinks' yard, above the top lock. She celebrated her 150th birthday in 2004.

When the Boucher family came to Marple in the 1950s the locks were still open and a few boats still making passages. In his speech at the ceremony, John Boucher. the eldest son of Dr Cyril Boucher, referred to Maria as one of the graceful maintenance boats of the area.

Thanks were given by IWA National Chairman, John Fletcher, to the Ashton Packet Boat Company for providing Maria and to Sue Day for supplying the motive power of boathorse Queenie.

The eight mile journey between Guide Bridge on the Ashton Canal and Marple is lock-free but includes two turnover bridges, two tunnels and the Marple Aqueduct. Queenie pulled Maria through Woodley Tunnel and the crew legged her through Hyde Bank Tunnel. Ten foot high trees on the towpath edge caused great difficulties in the Woodley area. Sadly, the boathorse path over Hyde Bank Tunnel has been made into a difficult route for horses as new wooden barriers have been erected. Despite these problems, the horseboating was much enjoyed by the crew in glorious weather.

Pictures of the unveiling can be seen on the Pennine Waterways website.

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