You shall go to the ball! Kilsby gets a new slipper!
After 6 weeks in the dry dock, Kilsby's original, but slightly leaky, wooden bottom has been encapsulated in a steel 'slipper' that has water tightened the historic hull and safeguarded its future.
If you've only got a minute to spare, take a look a this video/photo montage that summarises the work done this Autumn quite nicely, even if I do say so myself.
If you've got more than a minute to spare, that's nice, read on and learn all about it!
Aside from the enormous task of welding a new steel bottom for the hull, the work carried out involved a huge amount of needle-gunning (de-rusitng with a pneumatic hand-held tool) on the interior and exterior of the hull. The inside and outside of the hull were also painted out.
I'll stop going on now... if a picture tells a thousand words, how many does a 'before and after' picture tell?
Here are a few of those, for your viewing pleasure....
Three cheers for the volunteers!
While we relied on the expertise of the team at Tooley's to build the steel slipper, we relied on our team of volunteers to turn up to 15 work days, don their overalls and saw, hammer, needle-gun and paint Kilsby back to life!
Big hearty thanks go to the 22 volunteers who came and made this stage of the project a success, bringing their community spirit to the restoration.
Big thanks also go to Matt and the team at Tooley's who welcomed the volunteers so warmly, showed us the ropes (literally and figuratively), answered all our questions and made our visits to their special workplace so enjoyable.
Here are some of them, in all their work day finery,,,,
Ha Ha Ha Ha Stayin' alive;
Bringing living heritage to life!
The Kilsby Theatre Boat Project is about bringing people together to build something, and in so doing, bring narrowboat Kilsby's heritage back to life.
We learnt a few things along the way about these historic boats. For example, Matt taught us about the correct terminology for the panels and structures on the inside of the boat....
(As a boat dweller I can confirm that this is, in fact, about the size of a room on a narrowboat)
Jacob, Tooley's apprentice, discovered these markings on the bow (see photo below), that hark back to Kilsby's life as a cargo boat (her original purpose, when comissioned for build in 1912). As the boat was loaded or offloaded with cargo, the waterline would move up or down the gauge and the weight of the cargo for delivery documented. (Apologies to any waterways historians if I have incorrectly summarised this, complaints/corrections on the back of a postcard please)
What's next for Kilsby?
Narrowboat Kilsby has served many purposes over the past 109 years, and with each new lease of life has been modified to some extent.
At some point, most likely the 1930's, Kilsby was shortened from 70ft to 60ft and motorised (Kilsby was originally towed by horse or another boat). The stern (back end) of the boat was replaced to accommodate the engine. What remains of that structure today has deteriorated beyond repair.....
The next task in the Kilsby project will be to fundraise for the rebuild of this part of the boat, and then, well, rebuild it!
The process has begun with a trip to the Black Country Living Museum where Narrowboat Kildare is exhibited, a boat from the same fleet as Kilsby that can serve as a template for the rebuild of the stern.
Steph squeezed as many volunteers in to her car as was possible and legal, and drove up to Dudley to have a look at Kildare... here's a glimpse of what the restored back end of Kilsby will look like ...
They also had a look inside a traditional boatman's cabin on another historic working boat. This would have been the living quarters for the families living and working aboard. With cupboards folding down to become beds, and tables folding up in to closets, every inch of this tiny space was not only utilised but lavishly decorated....
Something similar would have once existed on Kilsby, and the restoration will involve reinstating a traditional boatman's cabin on board. The process of researching, designing, rebuilding and decorating the cabin will involve as many volunteers as possible, so do get in touch if you are particularly inspired by this element of the project.
(FYI: I enjoyed this description of the cabins... https://www.canaljunction.com/narrowboat/boatmans_cabin.htm)
The exact details of how Kilsby's restoration will accommodate a stage for performance, seats for passengers and a traditional boatman's cabin are yet to be confirmed, but with 60ft of boat to play with we are confident it is possible and will always welcome any design solutions!
If you’d like to help with the next stage of the restoration get in touch by clickong on the link below!
Thanks!
