ADHS talk 'Saturn – last of the Shroppie Fly-boats'

Review of latest History talk :

“Saturn – last of the Shroppie Fly-boats”.

The latest talk to ADHS on Thursday was given by Nick Grundy, who lives in the village, and is Chair of the Shropshire Union Fly-Boat Restoration Society which operates “Saturn” as a heritage and educational charity.

“Saturn” was built in 1906 in Chester of oak and elm with an iron frame to fit narrow locks. Fly- boats were built for speed, lightness and strength, and provided an express service (Nick called them the White Vans of the nineteenth century!), running to a timetable of 24/7. They carried perishable goods such as cheese (“Saturn’s” speciality), so had precedence over other canal craft.

The crew of 4 slept in shifts, and the horses were changed regularly, with stables being provided every few miles.

The Shropshire Union Canal Company was formed in 1846 from a number of other smaller companies, and their fly-boats travelled as far as Ellesmere Port, Manchester, Stoke and Birmingham. “Saturn” is the only survivor of over 300 boats at the peak of the trade. Post-WW1 fly-boat services declined due to motor traffic, and “Saturn” was moved to the West Midlands carrying bales of wool to carpet manufacturers in Kidderminster, but continued to be horse-drawn till the mid-50s. It was then sold into private ownership and used as an hotel boat from 1957, powered by an Austin 7 engine. After 1987 it became a private house boat, but it was badly-maintained and later purchased by the Shropshire Union Fly-Boat Restoration Society in around 2000, when it was almost completely rebuilt at a cost of £87k.

Nick then diversified to give the audience a quick history of the vagaries of using horses for pulling canal boats, and the various techniques used to overcome any issues, for example, stopping the boats and closing the lock gates when horses are involved.

Nick’s talk was really well-illustrated with old and new photos of “Saturn”, and he ended the evening on a very topical issue of how the recent breach of the canal at Whitchurch has affected all the plans for “Saturn’s” busy calendar of events for 2026.

It was a really absorbing and informative evening, entertaining the packed audience.

Brenda Smethurst.