Painting to raise funds

A LIMITED edition of prints of the painting Last Traffic on the Trent & Mersey by Dusty Miller are being offered to raise funds for a heritage boat restoration.

The painting is based on a photograph by Harry Arnold of Waterway Images, taken on 25th June 1962, that depicts narrowboats of the British Waterways North Western fleet loading coal at Sideways Colliery in Stoke-on-Trent for Seddons Salt at Middlewich.

Last load

This was to be the last long-distance regular traffic on the Trent & Mersey Canal, finishing on 11th November 1967, when the boat Tench of Willow Wren Canal Transport Services delivered the last load of 20 tons.

The loaded boats in the painting are Roach and Howard, and waiting to load are Cypress and Aberystwyth, with Harry telling us:

"We like to think that this picture truly depicts narrowboats as they were towards the end of carrying, not the usual cosy romantic roses and castles image."

Raise funds

A Limited Edition of 250 numbered prints is being produced to raise funds for the restoration and future maintenance of the famous Josher Mendip, which worked on this traffic, and was skippered for all but one year of its working life by the equally famous boatman Charlie Atkins—Chocolate Charlie. Mendip is now part of the National Waterways Museum collection at Ellesmere Port.

All prints will be signed by artist Dusty Miller. 50 of the prints will form a Special Limited Edition (1 to 50) and will also be signed by that well known actor and waterway enthusiast David Suchet OBE—who sponsors Shad, which also worked on this traffic and is in the National Waterways Museum collection—and waterway photographer Harry Arnold, MBE

Donated free

All Dusty's and Harry's time has been donated free to this project and, apart from some printing and sundry expenses, all profits will go towards Mendip, via The Boat Museum Society.

The prints will have a white border and caption on a finished paper size of approximately 22 in x 18 in. Image size of approximately 18 in x 13in. They will be available by the end of August.

Print prices

Standard Limited Edition—£48.00 Special Limited Edition—£85.00. (Prices include post and packing, with delivery in a cardboard tube.)

Orders for the Standard Limited Edition (51 to 250) should be addressed to Boat Museum Society, c/o 68 Eastham Village Road, Eastham, Wirral  CH62 0AN, with cheques made payable to  ‘The Boat Museum Society'.

Orders for the Special Limited Edition (1 to 50) should be addressed to Waterway Images, 26 Chaseview Road, Alrewas, Burton-on-Trent,  DE13 7EL
Cheques should be made payable to  ‘Waterway Images'

(Please Note - Numbers 1, 2, of the Special Limited Edition are already sold!)