Saturn and the History Siciety

Saturn Moored by the Shroppie Fly – Photo by Nick Grundy

Audlem and District History Society

Next meeting: Thursday 15 January 2026

Saturn – last of the Shroppie fly-boats

Saturn is the last of the Shroppie fly-boats, originally built in 1906 to work as a horse-drawn cargo boat carrying cheese and other high value/perishable cargoes from Cheshire, Shropshire and mid-Wales to the industrial towns and cities of the northwest. Saturn continued to work as a cargo-carrying vessel until the 1950s when she started a second life as a hotel boat, taking passengers on canal holidays. This talk is the story of her history and remarkable survival into the 21st century.

Tonight’s speaker, Nick Grundy, lives in the village and owns a historic narrow boat. He’s chair of the Shropshire Union Fly-Boat Restoration Society which operates Saturn as a heritage and educational charity.

Click on the Image to enlarge

Forthcoming talks for 2025/26 season

19 Feb Graham Dodd John Gerard, English Herbalist

19 Mar Rebecca Griffiths Echoes of a lost village. Remembering the Polish Heritage of Penley

16 Apr Pauline Griffiths The history of Liverpool – from muddy pool to major port

21 May Simon Carr The Shropshire Orthopaedic Scheme 1900–1948

Meetings take place in the Scout and Guide Hall in Cheshire Street and start at 7.30pm. The full annual subscription is £15 but a reduced rate of £10 is offered for the remainder of the 2025/26 season. Alternatively, visitors can pay £4 on the door.