Audlem welcomes Gathering of Historic Boats

Visitors at Audlem Wharf

Fly Boat 39 Saturn

Display of Steam Tracti9on Engines

Selection of Boats on Display

Audlem welcomes Gathering of Historic Boats

A Gathering of Historic Boats took place at Audlem Wharf on the Shropshire Union Canal in Audlem on Saturday 29th and Sunday 30th July 2023.

The Gathering was organised by Peter and Chris Silvester from Audlem Mill ( and sponsored by Canal Book Shop).

This free event included over 30 historic former working canal narrow boats, built between the 1850s through to the early 1960s. There was the opportunity to board some of the boats.

Boats on display included fly-boat 'Saturn'. Fly-boats worked round the clock to a timetable, with horses regularly changed along the route.

The canals were the major form of long distance transport for many decades until the arrival of the railways from the 1830s. Nearly 3,000 miles were built in England and Wales. Much of the system still exists, and most is now managed by the charity Canal & River Trust (.

The 'narrow boat', about 7' wide by 70' long, was the major form of transport on most canals. Narrow boats typically carried up to 20-25 tons of cargo. Originally horse or mule drawn, and occasionally still so until the 1970s, steam and later diesel engine motor boats ('motors') started to take over just over a hundred years ago, some towing an unpowered boat (a 'butty').

There was also a display of steam traction engines.

Despite a mixture of wet, windy and sunny weather over the weekend the event was attended by several hundred people.