PLANS and preparations are well under way for the 14th Braunston Historic Narrowboat Rally & Canal Festival – co-sponsored by Braunston Marina and the leading canal magazine Towpath Talk – on 25 and 26 June.
From its small beginnings in 2003, the Braunston Rally has become the premier rally and festival on the English canals. Its success-formula is now much copied, with similar events springing up all over the canal network.
PLANS and preparations are well under way for the 14th Braunston Historic Narrowboat Rally & Canal Festival – co-sponsored by Braunston Marina and the leading canal magazine Towpath Talk – on 25 and 26 June.
From its small beginnings in 2003, the Braunston Rally has become the premier rally and festival on the English canals. Its success-formula is now much copied, with similar events springing up all over the canal network. This is good for the canals and the precious collection of surviving working narrowboats – but the Braunston Rally remains the best, with by far and away the most historic narrowboats and visitors in attendance.
The Braunston Rally’s location is at the heart of the canal network, in the beautiful setting of the historic Braunston Marina and the adjacent canal village of Braunston. But probably what is more important for the boaters and visitors, is that due to unique canal setting in Braunston, the historic narrowboats are able to parade in a sort of figure of 8 over a two mile circuit. This is a challenge for the steerers, and a spectacular sight for the now 6,000 regular visitors to watch and photograph from so many vantage points, which include the famous quayside beer tent – the Wet Dock!
In pride of place for the 2016 Braunston Rally will be the Braunston Marina based pair of historic narrowboats, the Nutfield & Raymond – today lovingly restored and maintained by the enthusiastic Friends of Raymond. At the end of these narrowboats’ working lives, they were part of the small fleet of five Blue Line narrowboats that took part in what transpired to be the last canal run under regular contract – carrying coal from Atherstone, north of Coventry, to the ‘Jam ‘Ole’ – a jam-factory in west London – until the trade collapsed in October, 1970.
The year 2016 marks the 80th anniversary of the building of the Nutfield, by Yarwoods of Northwich for the Grand Union Canal Carrying Company (GUCCC), at a cost of £900. The Nutfiled was unceremoniously launched on 22nd July, 1936 – so a celebration here. After the GUCCC was nationalised in 1947 by the post-war Labour government, the Nutfield was to see service with three further canal carriers, the new British Waterways Board, then Willow Wren Canal Carriers and finally Blue Line of Braunston. Few working narrowboats served in as many fleets, and the Nutfield was also one of the longest serving narrowboats from the original GUCCC fleet.
The Braunston Rally continues to inspire the restoration and ongoing maintenance of the surviving fleet of historic narrowboats, more than 150 of which have already attended various rallies over the years. Some that we have not seen before are already booked in for this year.
The Rally will be formally opened by Les Etheridge, National Chairman of the Inland Waterways Association (IWA), the organisation dedicated to Keeping our Waterways Alive, which this year is celebrating the 70th anniversary of its founding in 1946 – ten years after the launch of the Nutfield.
Les Etheridge will perform the traditional opening ceremony. This he will do with a little help from the Friends of Raymond, by steering the Nutfield, with Raymond in tow, into the marina from the Grand Union Canal and then declaring the Rally open beneath the marina’s historic Horsley Ironworks entrance bridge. He will perform this to the fine sounds of the bells of Braunston Church – known as The Cathedral of the Canals – and also the band of Daventry Brass. If past years are to go on, the marina entrance will be packed with canal enthusiasts for this theatrical spectacular.
This year’s Rally will include a special exhibition of the works of the legendary canal painter and signwriter Ron Hough, who died earlier this year aged 81. In recent times, the livery of both the Raymond and Nutfield were repainted by him. Between the parades of boats, the narrowboats will be included in the Ron Hough exhibition, as surviving working examples of his outstanding boat painting.
To help cover the infrastructure costs and to add to the public interest, trade exhibitors are invited to attend. Canal societies with whom the marina is associated are also invited – being offered free marquee or outside space. Other attractions will include the famous Braunston beer tent, plus fast food and fun. Music will be provided by a number of bands proving a wide variety of popular music.
There will be an admission charge to the public of £10 per car. All profits will be donated, as usual, to canal and local causes, the main recipient being the canal charity, the Friends of Raymond.
The Braunston Historic Narrowboat Rally & Canal Festival is sponsored by Braunston Marina and Towpath Talk magazine, with support from the Canal & River Trust.
The success of the thirteen Rallies to date has made this into THE Historic Narrowboat Rally & Canal Festival. Here’s hoping we see you here.