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BOLD lettering indicates the original boat name; new names in plain text.

On the 1st January 1948, the majority of the canals in Britain were nationalised.The Docks and Inland Waterways Executive was formed to administer the canals. The Inland Waterways Division, (part of the D & I W E) adopted the name BRITISH WATERWAYS, which appeared on the boats soon after the takeover. The colour scheme originated from Robert Davidson, a member of the Executive, and at first appeared on the boats as a yellow background and blue lettering.

Eleven months after Nationalisation, FMC went into liquidation, with the result that the FMC fleet passed into the ownership of British Waterways on the 1st January 1949. At the time of the changeover, three steel composite boats were under construction at Yarwoods; MENDIP, MALVERN, and GORSE. All these were completed, and entered service with BW, the first two going to the North West Division, and GORSE going to the South Eastern fleet. One more boat, the COTSWOLD was being built at Uxbridge at the time, and was never completed, the boat being broken up. In 1952, the last two wooden boats were built for the Executive. Constructed at Walker's of Rickmansworth, they were named ABERYSTWYTH and BANGOR, and were based on the town class boats for the GUCCC. They entered service with the North West Division in 1952.

The RIVER class boats.

On the 1st January 1955 British Transport Waterways took over from the D & I W E, and with it the change to a blue background and yellow lettering. The symbol of a life buoy and waves usually appeared on the boat sides as well. With this new start, six all steel butties were ordered from the Thames Launch Works Ltd at Teddington, in June 1957. The boats were of the River class, all named after 3 letter rivers, and were ALT, AXE, CAM, DEE, TAW, and WYE.

........................... ...... .ADMIRAL Class.................. ......... ... ........... ........ .......RIVER Class.

........Yarwoods built LINDSAY, (centre) at Stoke in the 1960's.at........Stern end of AXE; floral display in STONE.

Around 1994, AXE was motorised, the stern becoming spare. Instead of scrapping, this was turned into a flower bed, and can be seen close to Star lock in Stone today. The new boats had blue fibreglass covers, and a wider gunnel all round. The covers slotted into each other, and make a distinctive crunching sound when walked upon. The boats were not that popular with the boat people, as they were poor swimmers, and difficult to handle with their bluff lines.

However, in 1959 another 19 boats of the same type were ordered, this time from E.C.Jones & Son, of Brentford. The names of these are; AWE, ANT, AYE, ELY, EXE, FAL, HAY, KEW, LYN, RAY, ROE, RYE, TOW, URE, WEY, YEO, LEE, ANNE, and BERYL.The last three boats were different in that they had lift out cabins; an attempt to reduce crew waiting time.With ANNE and LEE, diesel outboard engines were fitted, LEE having a Harbourmaster, and ANNE having a Petter PD2. ANNE and the butty BERYL were tested on the London to Birmingham run, but the journey took longer than using conventional narrowboats. In 1963, seven of the River class were sold to Thames Conservancy, together with ANNE, LEE, and BERYL.

The ADMIRAL class boats.

In 1957 in the North West Division, four pairs of boats of a new type, were ordered from Isaac Pimblott & Sons Ltd, of Northwich. These were the ADMIRALS, named after Admirals of the Fleet, all steel boats; motors and butties, with canvas sheets spanning steel pipes across the hold. The first four pairs are (motors) EFFINGHAM, COLLINGWOOD, ANSON, GRENVILLE, (butties) BENBOW, DRAKE, FROBISHER and HOWARD. In 1960, two more pairs were ordered from.Yarwoods, motors, MOUNTBATTEN and LINDSAY, and butties JELLICOE and KEPPEL. The boats were lighter in construction, and could carry larger cargoes on a shallower draught. Cabins were also steel, and the engines fitted were Armstrong Siddeley 20hp AS2 diesels.

.................................................... ......................Pimblott built motor.COLLINGWOOD, owned by Birmingham & Midland.

These boats were the last to be built for commercial carrying on the inland waterways, but fortunately most are still in existance today.

BRITISH WATERWAYS boats TODAY.

TOWN CLASS WOODEN BUTTIES.

BANGOR. At Battlebridge in 1981. Possibly broken up?

ABERYSTWYTH . Currently (2001) at Broadmore on the Oxford Canal, and possibly for sale. Fully converted since the 1970's and still a butty.

RIVER CLASS and PROTOTYPES

NAME ...Reg. at Ricky No.. ............Current location.

ALT 209.Tearoom boat, Welshpool.

ANNE.(Prototype). Motorised, unconverted based Midlands and North West. At Middlewich rally in June, and Braunston in July 2000.

ANT 216 Motorised, on Stourbridge Canal.

AXE 208 Rebuilt as a motor, Stone, 1995. Lister HA3, and 22ft cabin. Trip boat, Aynho, Oxford Canal.

AWE 222 Motorised with butty stern, Gloucs.& Sharpness Canal.

AYE 220 Owned by contractors, Atherstone.

BERYL (Prototype) Sold by Thames Conservancy 1980's. Extended steel cabin.

CAM 207 Stourbridge Canal.

DEE 204 Converted, at Braunston marina. New cabin in 1981.

ELY 214 Houseboat Norton Jcn, GU

EXE 212 Based at Aylesbury.

FAL 213 Any information anybody ?

HAY 215 Motorised and converted. Fitted with BMC 1.5 engine.

KEW 210 Converted, on the GU.

LEE 217 Effluent disposal boat, Thames Conservancy.

LYN 226 Was trip boat, Kinver, now at Slimbridge, Glouc. & Sharpness.

RAY 218 Owned by contractors, on Braunston puddle banks.

ROE 219 Now on the River Cam, Cambridge, (was at Sunbury).

RYE 225 Was trip boat Ashby Canal. In 1981 the boat moved to Ellesmere Port as a trip boat. Moved to Tipton, recently sold.

TAW 206 Motorised , where ?

TOW 223 Mud hopper for BW at Bradley, BCN.

URE 211 Butty, currently at Thurmaston GU Leicester Section. Sold 1995.

WEY 221 Owned by contractors, at Braunston. Worked on Fibreway, and was tied at Rode Heath during 1999. At Braunston in July 2000.

WYE 205 Waterways museum, Gloucester.

YEO 224 40ft conversion, with Perkins 4.108, hydraulic drive, and wheel steer. Converted, now at Stockton.

ADMIRAL CLASS

ANSON Motor, Birmingham and Midland, trip boat.

COLLINGWOOD Motor, Birmingham and Midland, camper + commercial.

EFFINGHAM Motor, BW North West Maintenance, Montgomery Canal.

BENBOW Motorised butty at Battlebridge basin.

DRAKE Motorised butty at Kibworth, GU Leicester section.

FROBISHER Motorised butty, almost unrecognisable; new ends. Re-built at Norton Canes.

GRENVILLE Motor, BW North West maintenance, T & M. In green BW livery, based at Red Bull.

LINDSAY Motor, BW North West Heritage fleet. Blue & Yellow livery. At Middlewich rally in June.

MOUNTBATTEN Motor, unconverted, based Midlands and North West. At Middlewich rally in June.

HOWARD Motorised butty, converted, Welford arm GU.

JELLICOE Butty, unconverted privately owned with Mountbatten. At Middlewich rally in June.

KEPPEL Butty, Paired with Lindsay, BW North West Heritage fleet. Blue & Yellow livery. At Middlewich rally in June.

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