- Photograph authentic working boats in the classic canal environment of Braunston in Northamptonshire, Sunday 13th May 2018
Photograph authentic working boats in the classic canal environment of Braunston in Northamptonshire, Sunday 13th May 2018
A relaxed day out photographing the authentic pairing of powered working boat Nutfield and the boat it pulled until the early 1970s, Raymond, in classic canal country around Braunston in Northamptonshire.
£45.00
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About this event
Canalside cottages, locks
and towpaths provide an ideal backdrop for this relaxed day out photographing
two beautifully-decorated working boats around the historic canal village of
Braunston in Northamptonshire. Braunston Marina stands at the junction of the
Grand Union and Oxford canals, and six locks carry the Grand Union Canal from
the marina to Braunston Tunnel. We will spend the day photographing the boats
as they make their way along the canal, with a break for lunch at one of the
nearby public houses.
Our boats for the day are the powered boat Nutfield and the unpowered boat Raymond, both of which are owned by the charity the Friends of Raymond. The Friends purchased Raymond in 1996 with the aim of preserving what was the very last wooden unpowered working boat to be built in the United Kingdom (launched in 1958) and returning it to operational condition, a goal that was achieved in 2002. Nutfield was built in 1936 and the two boats worked as a pair up until the cessation of the canal trade in the early 1970s, carrying coal from Atherstone in Warwickshire to Southall in London. The Friends purchased Nutfield from her private owners in 2003 so that the pair of boats could be reunited, and so that Raymond had a powered boat that allowed it to be taken to events around the country. The pair are brightly coloured and decorated by skilled painters whose work is synonymous with the working boats of the golden age of canals in Britain.
Our crews will dress appropriately to mirror the type of clothing worn when the boats were still in revenue-earning traffic so that we can create scenes typical of our canal system up until the very early 1970s. Braunston is an appropriate location to start our shoot as this is where Raymond was built nearly sixty years ago.
To ensure comfortable conditions for photography, there will be a limited number of places available for this event. We aim for a relaxed and enjoyable day out and hope you will wish to join us for a pleasant Sunday out in the Midlands.
Event cost £45.00 per person.
Image Courtesy of Dave Kirkland