LAST TRAFFIC ON THE TRENT & MERSEY
by Dusty Miller
Based on a photograph by Harry Arnold of
Waterway Images, taken on 25 June 1962, this painting depicts
narrow boats of the British Waterways North Western fleet
loading coal at Sideways Colliery in Stoke-on-Trent for Seddons
Salt at Middlewich. This was to be the last long-distance
regular traffic on the Trent & Mersey Canal, finishing on 11
November 1967, when the boat Tench of Willow Wren Canal
Transport Services delivered the last load of 20 tons.
The loaded boats in the painting are Roach
& Howard and waiting to load are Cypress &
Aberystwyth. We like to think that this picture truly
depicts narrow boats as they were towards the end of carrying,
not the usual cosy romantic roses and castles image.
A Limited Edition of 250 numbered prints is
being produced to raise funds for the restoration and future
maintenance of the famous Josher Mendip, which worked on
this traffic, and was skippered for all but one year of its
working life by the equally famous boatman Charlie Atkins –
Chocolate Charlie. Mendip is now part of the National
Waterways Museum collection at Ellesmere Port.
All prints will be signed by artist Dusty
Miller.
50 of the prints will form a Special Limited
Edition (1 to 50) and will also be signed by well-known actor
and waterway enthusiast David Suchet OBE – who sponsors Shad,
which also worked on this traffic and is in the NWM collection –
and waterway photographer Harry Arnold MBE
All Dusty’s and Harry’s time has been donated
free to this project and, apart from some printing and sundry
expenses, all profits will go towards Mendip, via The
Boat Museum Society.
The prints will have a white border and
caption on a finished paper size of approximately 22 in x 18 in.
Image size of approximately 18 in x 13in. They will be available
by the end of August 2010. |
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