PRESS RELEASE
20 December 2013
RARE BARGE CRANED OUT OF CANAL FOR CONSERVATION
One of the largest cranes in the country, together with a giant purpose-built cradle, have been used
to raise a rare surviving boat out of the water for what is thought to be for the first time, ahead of its
planned conservation. ‘Mossdale’ is thought to be the last surviving all-wooden wide Mersey ‘flat’,
a type of barge which was once a common sight across the North West with history dating back
150 years. Now volunteers and staff from the Canal & River Trust’s National Waterways Museum
have stepped in, with the help of the Heritage Lottery Fund, to save the historic vessel, one of the
most important in the Museum’s collection.
Mossdale would originally have been carrying cargoes such as iron, flour and grain – and even
sugar for Tate & Lyle - along the Bridgewater Canal as far as Manchester and across the Mersey
between Ellesmere Port and Liverpool. The vessel was donated to the National Waterways
Museum by Peter Froud in the 1970s and has been cared for by staff and volunteers, but it was not
until June 2012 that a successful Heritage Lottery Fund bid for £147,300 gave hope that the boat
might be fully conserved. Lifting Mossdale from the water is an important step towards securing
further funding for the work early in 2014.
John Inch, general manager at the National Waterways Museum, said: “Old wooden boats – even
those as sturdy looking as Mossdale – are incredibly fragile, so everyone was holding their breath
when she was first lifted out. We’re all incredibly excited to see her out of the water for the first
time and delighted with how well the operation has gone. Boats like this would have been a
common sight to our ancestors and she is the last of her kind to survive. She is part of the story of
Merseyside, its waterways and people and we want to keep that story alive.”
ENDS
Canal & River Trust, Toll House, Delamere Terrace, London, W2 6ND
T: 0203 3204 4514 E: press.office@canalrivertrust.org.uk W: www.canalrivertrust.org.uk Twitter: @CanalRiverTrust
Patron: H.R.H. The Prince of Wales. Canal & River Trust is a charitable company limited by guarantee, registered in England and Wales
with company number 7807276 and registered charity number 1146792, registered office address: First Floor North, Station House, 500
Elder Gate, Milton Keynes MK9 1BB
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Pictures of the lift attached together with an archive image (please credit The Waterways
Archive: Photographer Bill Leatherwood)
For further media requests please contact:
Michelle Kozomara, Campaigns Manager, Canal & River Trust
t 01606 723854 m 07917899222 e michelle.kozomara@canalrivertrust.org.uk
Notes to editors:
The Canal & River Trust is the guardian of 2,000 miles of historic waterways across England and
Wales. We are among the largest charities in the UK, maintaining the nation’s third largest
collection of Listed structures, as well as museums, archives, navigations and hundreds of
important wildlife sites. We believe that our canals and rivers are a national treasure and a local
haven for people and wildlife. It is our job to care for this wonderful legacy – holding it in trust for
the nation in perpetuity and giving people a greater role in the running of their local waterways
www.canalrivertrust.org.uk
Heritage Lottery Fund
Using money raised through the National Lottery, the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) aims to make
a lasting difference for heritage, people and communities across the UK and help build a resilient
heritage economy. From museums, parks and historic places to archaeology, natural environment
and cultural traditions, we invest in every part of our diverse heritage. HLF has supported almost
35,000 projects with more than £5.3bn across the UK. www.hlf.org.uk.
Window on the World project
Supported by Heritage Lottery Fund, the ‘Window on the World’ project aims to secure the future of
two of the most important boats in the Museum’s national collection, ‘George’ and ‘Mossdale’ and
redevelop a historic slipway for visitors to explore. The project seeks to inspire new audiences with
the story of Ellesmere Port’s role as a significant transhipment port and an industrial powerhouse
for the North West.