Skip to main content
Home
Historic Narrow Boat Club
  • Login
  • Home
  • About us
    • About the Club
    • Aims and Constitution
    • Awards
    • Campaigns
    • Heritage and why it matters
    • Join us! Membership
    • Representation
    • About this website
  • News & Events
    • Newsletter taster
    • Events calendar
    • Latest news
    • Event galleries
  • Historic Boats
    • Know your boats
    • Barlows
    • British Waterways
    • Claytons
    • Cowburn & Cowpar
    • Day boats
    • Erewash CCC
    • Fellows, Morton & Clayton
      • A-D
      • E-J
      • K-R
      • S-Z
    • Grand Union C C Co
      • A-D
      • E-J
      • K-R
      • S-Z
    • LMS
    • Midlands & Coast
    • Navigation Authority boats
    • Other Carriers
    • Severn & Canal
    • Tugs
    • Willow Wren
  • Club Shop
  • Small Ads
  • Links
    • Archives, History and Fleet listings
    • Associations and Societies
    • Boats for sale and BSS
    • Canal Restoration Societies and Trusts
    • Directories
    • Discussion forums and Magazines
    • Downloads
    • Family History
    • Going boating without your own boat
    • Heritage buildings and structures
    • Miscellaneous
    • Museums
    • Navigations and Navigation Authorities
    • Virtual Towpath Walks
  • Contact us

Welcome to the HNBC

HNBC is passionate about navigational and waterway heritage interests and we welcome all who support our aims, whether boat owners or not.  By supporting the Club, you are helping to ensure that the UK’s canals retain their unique heritage value.

We hope you enjoy exploring this website.

Radiant at Braunston, June 2024 (pic R Prettyman)

Find historic boats

By Company: BCN, Fellows, Morton & Clayton, Grand Union Canal Carrying Co, Cowburn & Cowpar, Barlows, LMS, Bantock, Willow Wren Canal Carrying Co
By type: Motor, Butty, Icebreaker, Bantock, Joey, Tug
By Class: Admiral, River, Royalty, Small Northwich, Middle Northwich, Big Northwich, Small Woolwich, Big Woolwich, Station Boat, Fish
By Builder: Bantock, Braithwaite & Kirk, FMC Uxbridge, Harland & Wolff, Harris Bros, Nursers, Walkers of Rickmansworth, Yarwoods

Six good reasons to join us

  • Access to our Archive of boat histories
  • Regular updates on waterway pinchpoints affecting historic boats
  • Advice on using and preserving traditional boating skills
  • Campaigning on issues affecting historic boats
  • Socials and gatherings for members and their boats
  • Money saving discounts on boating services

How to join

All the details are here

Our Newsletter

Newsletter 2025/1 front cover

Our quarterly  Newsletter is a good read! 

Why not join the club and get your copy hot off the press every three months?

Read 'taster' Newsletter articles here.

Navigation issues

It is so important to tell CRT, and us, if you get stuck on the waterways.

CRT's general contact phone number is 03030 40 40 40, their emergencies number is 0800 479 9947, or you can use their Contact Form. 

CRT Region by Region - a list of email contacts, and a map of 2019 Regions, is here.

Please let us know too so that we can chase it up. 

Here is our pinchpoints form, or you can email navigation@hnbc.org.uk

DON'T JUST SORT IT, REPORT IT

Thank you!

Upcoming Events

Sat 17 May
Batchworth boat rally

We have received the following update from the team at Batchworth:

 

"We have been working hard behind the scenes all year to try and ensure that the 2025 Rally will be as successful as last year. There will be a few minor changes/additions but ultimately the rally will take a similar format as it did in 2024.

Sat 17 May
Moira Canal Festival

More details on website here

Sat 24 May
Crick Boat Show

Further details are here 

Sat 24 May
BCN Marathon Challenge

Held over the late May bank holiday weekend, BCN 24 hour Marathon Challenge details will be listed on  BCNS website

"The finishing point will be Withymoor Island, where the Trust made a great job of hosting the finish line gathering in 2022.
 
The format will remain similar to previous events. 
 
It is intended to introduce scoring factors for draught in 2025 as part of the ongoing process of trying to even up the scoring system for all types of craft."

Sat 31 May
Etruria Canal Festival and Rally

Please contact James Woolcock for further information and to book in.

All historic boats that attended in 2024 are automatically booked in unless James hears from you otherwise.

Fri 6 June
Kelvin Engine Owners Club

Gathering at Langley Mill

Sat 7 June
IWA 75th Anniversary rally

Foxton is the venue for IWA's anniversary rally, 75 years after its first event at nearby Market Harborough in 1950

General information about the event is here

Fri 13 June
Middlewich FAB

Middlewich Folk and Boat festival Facebook

Sat 21 June
Brentford Canal Festival

Details of programme of events and venue on website

Sun 22 June
Lymm Historic Transport Day

Details here of the Historic Transport event (Sunday only) 

Fri 27 June
Russell Newbery AGM

Venue: The Rising Sun, Willington, T&M

RN website

(The Stalybridge 2025 event has been postponed to 2026, due to the closure at Bosley)

Sat 28 June
Braunston Historic Narrow Boat Rally

Braunston Marina - more details here

Sat 28 June
Reading Water Fest

Venue: Forbury Gardens, Reading Abbey Ruins, Chestnut Walk and Riverside Walk

Reading Borough Council Website

Sat 12 July
HNBC Committee
Sat 12 July
HNBC Committee

Venue: St Pancras Cruising Club, London N1C 4PN

Fri 18 July
Thames Traditional Boat Festival

Held at Henley-on-Thames, check their website here for further information.

Fri 18 July
Gnosall CFest

Gnosall on the Shropshire Union Canal

Links to: Booking Form and Terms & Conditions

Sat 19 July
Northwich River Festival


Takes place on the River Weaver. 


Details on Festival website

  • Search
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Site map

All content copyright © 2025 Historic Narrow Boat Club 
All rights reserved. Unauthorised reproduction prohibited. Copying of images and other material for use elsewhere on or offline is not permitted.
Site development by Steve Wood