About Tooley's Boatyard
Tooley's Boatyard is situated in the heart of Banbury on the South Oxford Canal and has one of the oldest, continually working dry dock on the Inland Waterways, working continuously since 1778. The site also includes a blacksmith's forge and carpenter's workshop used for building parts for traditional wooden boats, as well as providing specialist services and sales for boaters including boat building and repairs, painting, blacking, chandlery, training and certification in boat handling. Tooley's was also the birthplace of the movement to rescue Britain's canals from neglect and decay.
Tooley's Boatyard Trust promotes the history and heritage of Tooley's Boatyard and provides guided tours of the boatyard and boat trips.
Dry Dock, Workshops & Forge
The Dry Dock is part of the original boatyard from 1778 and is listed as a Scheduled Monument by Historic England. The dock can be filled from the canal and emptied via a culvert which crosses beneath the canal then past The Mill Arts Centre to drain into the River Cherwell. Stop boards and waterproof sheeting are used to hold back water when the dock is empty.
The dry dock provides a service for the boating community and an opportunity for visitors to see work in progress, as well as the fully restored workshops dating from the 1930s, which include a carpenter's store, a belt-driven machine workshop and a paint store. There is also a 200 year-old forge where a blacksmith plies his trade. In addition to its day to day use for boat maintenance, the dock is sometimes used as a performance space for Theatre in the Dock.
The Trust has proposed to the local authorities that they open up the towpath alongside the dry dock to provide a path for the general public to walk past (and maybe look in!), together with a long-term plan to replace the existing dry dock building with a two-storey building linked to the adjoining Museum bridge, enabling visitors to walk around at the upper level, and watch and learn about the skills and techniques involved in narrowboat maintenance.
Hardy restoration
The team are also working on the conservation of historic narrowboat Hardy, which is to be fitted with a zero-carbon hydrogen-powered drive unit. Hardy was built in September 1940 by Nursers in Braunston for the Barlow Coal Company. In 1962, she was sold to Blue Line Carriers in Braunston and some time before 1971, sold into private ownership and converted to a pleasure boat. In October 2022, Tooley's Boatyard were awarded a National Lottery grant to develop a restoration plan for the 1940 narrowboat.
Courses at the Boatyard
These are the courses which are currently being offered at Tooley’s Boatyard:
— Boat Handling: including RYA Inland Waterways Helmsman Certificate and Canal experience/Boat handling.
— Traditional Canal Boat Painting: Experienced painters regularly working on boats in the dry dock are willing to pass on their skills to new students. Skills from novice upwards.
— Blacksmithing: Novice or improver, you can learn from one of their experienced blacksmiths how to create useful items from steel using simple hand tools, the fire and Anvil. Courses from Beginners to Advanced available.
Friends of Tooley's Boatyard
The team at Tooley's is determined to take this precious, working forge and boat building business into a bright and sustainable future. As a 'Friend of Tooley's Boatyard' you'll be at the centre of assuring this jewel in the waterways crown continues to thrive and grow and your support will help them to develop various projects:
• A free, working museum and events on Saturdays which will provide access to restricted areas of the boatyard and train volunteers. Funding will bring it all to life with Blacksmith demos, Belt Shop demos, Stationary Engines and the Carpenters' Shop. They'll also be able to provide guided tours, boat trips and courses.
• A plan to build new, electric wooden boats making them available to youth groups and charities.
• They are looking to set the standard for Modern Apprenticeships for boatyard qualifications, keeping centuries of working practice relevant and alive.
• A canal memories project which will record audio and video of people who have spent large parts of their lives living and working on the canal. The recordings will then be catalogued and archived for future record.
Tooley's Arts Festival 2024
An historic narrowboat converted into a floating music venue called The Village Butty, and based in the Banbury area, has secured a grant to fund a 10 day cross-arts festival supported using public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England. ‘Tooley’s Arts Festival 2024’ will run from 3rd – 12th October at Tooley’s Historic Boatyard and coincide with Banbury’s annual Canal Festival.
Richard and Anna Crockatt were awarded the grant after staging last year’s very successful tester event — ‘Dry Dock ‘n’ Roll’ — which featured three nights of spectacular music in the dry dock.
“We are totally thrilled that Arts Council England has recognised our commitment to promoting great art in unique venues, and it’s brilliant that we can bring more fantastic music, theatre, comedy and art to Banbury and put it all on in Tooley’s awesome dry dock” Richard said.
Anna added “Tooley’s dry dock is a truly magical place to enjoy the arts. Last year we had to do everything on a shoestring. This grant means we can be bigger, better, and bolder and make the very most out of the 255 year old dry dock which is so rarely open to the public. We plan to transform it into the best venue in Oxfordshire for 10 nights of unforgettable top quality entertainment.”
The line-up is still awaiting final confirmation but will feature local, national and international talent. Early bird tickets - at 30% reduction - for the whole festival are on sale now for £100 at www.villagebutty.com for what promises to be ten very special nights.
Find out more:
www.tooleysboatyardtrust.org.uk
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