A trip up the Llangollen canal with Chas Hardern and Wynford Vaughan-Thomas in the late 1970's (probably 1978), on Chas's 1946 all wooden narrowboat Chiltern. Chas operated Chiltern as a camping boat. However camping boats fell out of favour and Chiltern was sold to what is now The National Waterways Museum, Ellesmere Port in 1979 where the intention was to fully restore her. With grant funding, Chiltern had an extensive rebuild of her rear end and cabin in 1985.
However the rest of the intended restoration never happened and she lay there deteriorating, eventually sinking around 1995. She was craned out onto the bank in 2002 and due to extreme deterioration the front half of her was cut off and scrapped in 2009.
She was recently selected for disposal as the museum decided there was no realistic chance of having the resources to restore every boat in their possession. However, happily, the Saltisford Canal Trust in Warwick have acquired Chiltern to restore her as part of a canal educational display. Chiltern arrived at Saltisford in August 2022, video here • Marple and Chiltern
Chas still runs his holiday boat hire business at Beeston Wharf.
Негізгі бет Llangollen Canal on NB Chiltern with Chas Hardern - Late 1970's
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