FROM THE ARCHIVES………Winter 2006/7

by Richard Thomas

The Archive Desk had five articles in last year’s 195, so it is galling to report that there is little or no new “old” news.

What I can do is tell you about a splendid new magazine. I suspect some of you will have already seen it but it is worth telling all of you about NarrowBoat to make sure no one misses it.

It is published quarterly by Waterways World and is crafted by WW’s former editor, Hugh Potter. The three editions which have appeared so far have contained a treasure trove of waterways heritage and history. It is printed on high quality glossy paper, which adds an extra dimension to all the illustrations.

In each issue, Alan Faulkner has provided a detailed history of a carrying company including fleet lists, covering Claytons of Oldbury, Severn & Canal Carrying Co, Samuel Barlow and Midland & Coast so far. In the March edition (just out) and continued in June 2007 he will cover our very own Fellows, Morton and Clayton. The first instalment will take their history up to the end of the steamer era and then continue in the next edition with the story up to their end in 1949. President will appear in both articles.

Apart from this regular feature, the journal contains a fascinating selection of other articles, including a detailed history of a different canal in each issue.

The covers of NarrowBoat are worth preserving in their own right. They each carry a scene specially drawn by Christopher M Jones, featuring the canal company whose story is told inside.

I can recommend this publication not only for the content but also for the presentation and layout and (by no means least) the fact that there are no advertisements, so every page is a pleasure.

I have one complaint. When it appears through the letterbox, I make a cup of coffee and settle down to read it through. My complaint? By the time I reach the back cover, my cup of coffee is still untouched, cold and wasted!

Richard Thomas

magazine website:
http://www.narrowboatmagazine.com/ cover photo above reproduced by kind permission of Hugh Potter