CHESHIRE’S Overwater Marina saw a different type of launch when its workshop team unveiled a painstaking conversion of a piece of boating history.
The stern of Saxon, a hand riveted cast iron open day boat first built for the London Midland & Scottish Railway (LMS) Company, has been restored and converted into a seating area for visitors to enjoy the panoramic views on offer.
Marina owner Janet Maughan said: “The Overwater workshop team have worked tirelessly to restore this wonderful piece of boating history and we are immensely proud of what they have achieved. Thanks must also go to Andy Russell, our resident narrowboat painter, for the wonderful and iconic roses on the stern deck and for assisting the youngest member of our team, Owen Turner, in signwriting and painting. Owen has recently completed an Andy Russell/Phil Speight signwriting training course and has thoroughly enjoyed trying out his new skills.”
The official cutting of the ribbon was carried out by Nick Grundy, deputy chair of the Saturn Flyboat Restoration Committee, who helped steer the boat as a 14-year-old on its way back from the IWA National Rally at Lymm in 1972.
Saxon’s stern now sits by the edge of the marina close to the Audlem Lass Boat Service jetty, a volunteer-run boat which takes visitors from the marina to the bottom of the Audlem flight.
Built in 1930 by W J Yarwood of Northwich, Saxon was one of several boats used on the 22 railway interchange basins on the Birmingham Canal Navigations. They were all made of iron, measuring 70ft long by 7ft wide, and in 1948 passed into the ownership of British Railways and continued working until 1954 when the company stopped its operations with canal boats.
The fleet was then taken over by British Waterways, with the iron boats fetching the grand sum of £50 each. Twelve were converted to long-distance carriers to fill a shortage of butty boats in the BW’s north-west fleet in the dry docks at Stone between 1955 and 1957. The boats were then renamed after stations; Saxon, fleet number 73, became Jesmond, and the fleet became known as the ‘Station boats.’
Jesmond was bought by Jon and Molly Rathbone in 1968 and over the next few years was motorised and a cabin added and fitted out. It attended the IWA National Rally at Lymm in 1972, and then spent many years cruising the North West.
The section of stern was cut away by the then owner in 2018 to make the boat shorter and was gifted to the Overwater team.
The 230-berth inland waterways marina, near Audlem, has won several awards since opening in 2010, including becoming the first canal marina to be awarded five Gold Anchors in the TYHA Marina Accreditation Scheme.
