Ellesmere Port National Waterways Museum

After my Royal Liver Building Abseil, we went across the Mersey to the National Waterways Museum at Ellesmere Port. Great displays and very informative, with a large collection of boats too







This is FCB18 - a concrete barge, built in the Second World War as wood and iron were in short supply, for obvious reasons. They weren't particularly liked as they were very heavy, therefore difficult to move and stop



'Ferret', a motor Narrowboat built for Fellows Morton & Clayton (judging by the amount of preserved narrowboats in their markings, they seemed to have been one of the main companies). It was built in 1926 and can carry 30 tons of cargo



'Ferret's 15hp Bolinder diesel engine





As well as the restored narrowboats and barges, there is also an equal number of unrestored vessels awaiting restoration



Although I think this one is beyond redemption



And the less said about this one the better!



The family that worked on this horse drawn narrowboat 'Frendship', which is now on the first floor of a warehouse with part of the hull cut open so you can walk inside, bought a Mule after WW1 which was used by the US Army in France. Amazingly, the Mule gave another forty years of hard work towing the narrowboat along the inland waterways



This unusual vehicle is a 9hp tow path tractor, built by Wickham (the same company that built rail vehicles), registered in 1960 and last taxed just five years later. It was discovered in a disused Air Raid shelter in a car park in Colney Heath