Gifford

Built for Claytons as a horsedrawn tank boat with the hold decked to make a watertight tank for moving liquids in bulk.  Carried gas tar from gasworks at Oxford and at Leamington in 1930s and 1940s, fuel oil from Stanlow Refinery to the midlands in 1940s and 1950s until Claytons finished canal carrying in 1966..

In the boat collection since 1976 at the National Waterways Museum, Ellesmere Port, operated and cared for by the Waterways Museum Society.

Winner of the HNBOC Keay Award 1995.

Winner of the HNBC Keay Award 2018:

When the boat was docked in 2018, the initial plan, estimated to take about 7 weeks, was to replace 7ft of bottoms and to renovate the fore end and stern cabins and the paintwork. However, the discovery of fungus necessitated referral to a world expert to identify it.  It turned out to be a particularly virulent wet rot, similar in appearance to dry rot but white, not orange.

The extra work, over the next 9 months, involved 35 ft new opepe bottoms, stern tank bulkhead removed for the time being, stern tank bulkhead framing replaced, adjacent shearing to stern bulkhead replaced, 3 ft of deck replaced above stern tank bulkhead, front deck cant under T-stud replaced, set of deck planks under this replaced,  half the depth of the next plank down replaced, starboard tapered fender replaced, all shearing and packing pieces replaced, all remaining exposed timbers adjacent to replacements treated with borate fungicide recommended by the expert.

All woodwork repairs were carried out by Ade Polglase and Andy Cox of A P Boatbuilding, repainting by Alvecote and livery reinstated by Phil Speight.