IWA to celebrate Tom Rolt centenery

NEXT year Inland Waterways Association is to celebrate the centenary of the birth of Tom Rolt, one of its 'founding fathers'

Born in Chester in 1910, Tom trained as an engineer, and had a passion for Victorian engineering of all kinds. As well as campaigning for the waterways he was also a lifelong vintage car and steam railway enthusiast.

From working within the engineering sector, Tom moved on to become a prolific author of both fiction and non-fiction. However, many of those titles reflected his enthusiasm for engineering structures and those who had designed and built them. One of his first books, Narrowboat, which chronicled his tour of the inland waterways in 1939 with his wife, Angela, on the restored Shropshire Union narrowboat  Cressy, prompted the formation of the Inland Waterways Association in 1946.

Several events

To celebrate this centenary, several events are currently in the planning stages, and some definitely been confirmed.

Needless to say there will be a Tom Rolt Centenary Celebration Event on the August Bank Holiday weekend at the 'National' at Beale Park on the Thames.