Motor Narrowboat 'Peacock', 1915

The Canals were still a common method of transporting goods around the country, mainly in the midlands area where the terrain was best suited to the waterways. In the late Victorian and Edwardian era, steam and then motor propulsion started to be adopted for canal boats. Previously, horse haulage was used, but this was slow, and a powered narrowboat was not only faster, but could tow, or have slung alongside it (in which case the unpowered boat would be called a 'butty' boat), additional narrowboats. This is a typical motor narrowboat, 'Peacock', built in 1915 for Fellows Morton & Clayton, easily the most well known narrowboat company. The two photographs were both taken with my 1913 model Kodak No 2 Autographic camera