 A
canal without boats and boats out of water – is this a good way to
preserve and interpret waterway history? It may not sound very promising
or atmospheric but, with reservations, they are doing an interesting job
at Blists Hill museum at Ironbridge in Shropshire.
Nationally there is an ongoing
discussion-cum-argument under way about the best way to preserve
waterway history, particularly historic boats. Do you keep them afloat,
flags flying, braving the elements, living a precarious working life
fighting decay and wear, or do you immure them indoors somewhere,
cacooned safely for future generations to study and emote with. If only
there was a nice clear answer for all boats we could get on with it.
Unfortunately the value of every worthy craft is complicated by a number
of factors -- its rarity and originality, the materials it is made of,
its present condition, size, historical associations and its potential
use (to mention just a few!) Multiply all those variables by the
different ways of dealing with them—conservation, restoration,
reconstruction or replication and we already have at least twenty four
different answers to choose from, still further complicated by how much
money is available to do anything at all. Clearly, whichever option is
chosen there are bound to be a number of people uncomfortable with that
decision. Ironbridge now holds a great big example of that set of
dilemmas, past, present and future.
The Severn trow Spry was built
at Chepstow in 1894. By the 1970s she was the last trow in existence,
the last survivor of a class of craft dating back to the seventeenth
century, the indigenous working sailing barges of the Rivers Severn and
Wye and the Bristol Channel. By the 1970s she was also derelict and the
bold and expensive decision was taken to rebuild her to sailing
condition. The hulk was moved onto the Ironbridge museum site and under
a massive corrugated iron canopy this handsome ship was restored and
rebuilt, an inspiring and exciting museum display whilst the work was
underway over several years. The work was complete by 1996 and Spry
was relaunched at Gloucester, towed down to Sharpness and went sailing
the Severn waters once more, spectacularly and successfully. Her
performance was recorded on film but after a short sailing season she
was returned again to the museum to be laid up on dry land for the
foreseeable future. That was the point that most of the grumbles of
discontent were heard.
I have sympathy with both sides of the
argument. On the one hand we have those who want to see her alive and
sailing, demonstrating the real thing, being the real thing as far as
possible with all the attendant challenges of crews, moorings,
maintenance and the depredations of the weather. On the other there are
those who feel she has done the most essential part of her research
afloat and now seek to protect that huge outlay of money and timber into
a very long distance future, keeping her safely immured ashore and under
cover. Exhibit or tool -- dead or alive? We know from bitter experience
that keeping a sailing ship in commission is hugely expensive in time
and money and will necessarily mean the steady replacement of the
original fabric over the years. Kept ashore and under cover, with
minimal careful conservation she should stay near perfect for years,
half a century even, and could then be brought out to sail once more for
a generation as yet unborn. What would you do? Personally I’m glad that
someone else has made the decision for me.
At Ironbridge they have shoved the
Spry back in the tin shed she was rebuilt in and seem to have
subsequently ignored her. The preservation conditions are pretty good --
out of the sun and rain with plenty of fresh air -- but her
interpretation and display are minimal to the point of shabby. There are
some steps and a viewing gantry so that the visitor can see just how
dusty and unused she is, and some faded photographs and text about her
restoration and her glory days of sailing less than ten years ago, but
it is not inspiring. One suspects it is simply due to a lack of money
rather than vision for creating an exciting display for such a huge
single exhibit would have to be a massive undertaking. However, this
graceful veteran deserves something a bit more imaginative, but she
certainly deserves a visit.
Up at the top of the museum site is a
short length of the Shropshire Canal kept in water, running along to the
top of the impressive Hay incline plane. When the museum first opened a
wooden icebreaker and the last surviving tub boat were kept afloat in
this length but they are both now on the bank and under cover in what
looks to be a custom-made tin shed set back from the towpath. Again the
preservation conditions are good but unexciting. This does not matter so
much for the tub-boat which is little more than a very old riveted iron
tank which can be seen perfectly well from the ground but it is more of
a disappointment for the icebreaker. I do not know the conservation or
restoration history of this boat but she seems in extraordinarily good
condition and it seems a pity that more effort could not be put into
displaying her more satisfactorily and spaciously. But both boats are a
delightful bonus to the canal enthusiast visiting this wonderful museum.
Take the kids, or borrow some! |
