Gathering of Historic Boats

It is just two weeks until the canal at Audlem is filled with historic narrow boats.

Forty eight boats have booked in for the weekend of 26/27th July, and they will be moored all the way from the A525 road bridge to beyond the bottom of the locks.

Last year, there were 35 boats, and that provided Audlem with a great event, so this year should be really special.

The boats date from the 1880s to about 1960, but most were built between about 1900 and the late 1930s. They were operated by a variety of canal carrying companies, and several worked regularly through Audlem, including Saturn, a horse drawn "fly" boat.

Fly boats operated round the clock to a timetable, and Saturn mainly carried cheese from Audlem and other villages and towns to Liverpool and Manchester. The "Shroppie Fly" pub derives its name from these boats.

This two day gathering of historic boats has grown in only a few years to become one of the major boat gatherings in Britain. It is publicised nationally in the waterways press, and visitors will be coming to Audlem from all over the midlands and the north of England.

The event is organised by Audlem Mill, and is sponsored by CanalBookShop.co.uk and ADAS.

On the Sunday afternoon, there is also the Festival of Transport on the playing field, with several hundred historic and classic vehicles, making this a weekend not to miss!

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