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This boat was built late in 1892 by Thomas Bantock & Co. at their boat yard at Ettingshall, for their own fleet as Thomas Bantock & Co No. 19. It is a mark 3 boat with a fine stem post and a fine stern post. It was gauged as BCN 13415, in December 1892, no further details are available, as the gauging sheet was destroyed when the books were rewritten in 1895. |
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In 1958 it was the boat that caried the last load to Bromley Basin Interchange on the Stourbridge Extension Canal, from Pearson's firebrick works at the Delph on the Stourbridge Canal. Later that year it was transferred to, or sold to, the British Transport Commission, Waterways, with a book value of £318.
At an unknown date the boat was shortened to 50 feet long, by removing 20 feet from the middle of the boat, it was named "Amp" and sent to the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal as an unpowered maintenance boat, Fleet No 14176. The name is a throwback to the Shropshire, Worcestershire & Staffordshire Electric Power Co. who ran a fleet of boats carrying coal to Stourport Power Station, many of which had electric names, eg "Amp".
Amp stayed unaltered, except for the addition of the acquisition number, 80413, which was welded on, until 2006. It was deemed surplus to requirements, as it did not meet modern H & S standards. It was put up for auction, and later withdrawn, as it was an historic boat. It was then offered to groups or trusts, on loan for preservation. The BCLM inspected the boat on 6-11-2006, and then offered BW a home for the boat as the condition and historic importance made it a suitable working exhibit for the museum, British Waterways transferred the boat the the BCLM as a gift in December 2006.
