Sad Demise of an old Thames boat

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BB1

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Very odd - SL Belle which was for sale last year has been spotted looking almost dumped in a field near Sittingbourne,Kent
SL BELLE
Built: 1894 (restored 1980) - Kingston upon Thames
Engine: Gardner 84hp diesel
Length: 75ft
Operators:
River Severn(various operators)
Maidenhead Steam Navigation Company (1980-Present)
For sale priced £150,000 (2009)
Sold to owners in Yorkshire for just £6,500(2010)
The Liquid Highway's photo.
The Liquid Highway's photo.
 
Yes. I remember Belle in the late 90s doing trips when I was living around Cookham on a narrow boat.

Nice boat but the "SL" bit in her name is a bit misleading as she is diesel powered.
 
So is she firewood then? Or maybe some benches can be made out of it. Gardner 84hp sounds like a 6L2 or something. Very nice.

(I do realise she was built as a steam boat but keeping the SL bit did seem a bit wrong to me for some reason)
 
She's just down the road from me.
I've copied & pasted a bit from the keeper on facebook below:



Although not a resident of Iwade, I thought I would maybe answer a question that has been on peoples minds for the last few months.


She is the S.L. Belle built in 1894 and used on the Thames before being sold on to a company in Worcester on the river Severn. She was steamed by sea around the coast and up the Severn, before being resold in the 30's to a company on the Thames, and sold on again recently to a buyer in York. Her previous names were the Sunbury Belle and the Severn Belle, Hopefully if all goes to plan the "Medway Belle" will be working the Medway.
We rescued her from being scrapped a few months ago and brought her to kent from York with the intention of putting her into a trust and restoring her to run on the Medway. However the current owner was indecisive and
rather than be a Trustee, has now decided he wants to sell her again.
The group I represent do not have the £13,000 asking price wanted for her and are considering starting a crowd funding as we have to purchase her and get her moved fairly soon as the land has been sold for redevelopment. Her restoration will hopefully be lottery funded. An initial survey shows that there is a couple of rib spars need replacing and the hull needs recaulking. Although not a Steam Launch anymore her engine is in working order, It is possible that a Steam engine could be installed,
She is listed on the National Historic Ships Register, And until she is purchased and in a trust she is still very much at risk.
Any suggestions or advice would be appreciated, also anyone with an area of land that could be used to move her to and worked on, should we be successful, would be useful. It would be a great shame to see a boatof such age and beauty scrapped for the price of its timber !
regards all
Mike Toms












5959





 
Current owner wants 13k?
He didn't pay anywhere near that and is trying it on/wants to recoup some of his losses.
This would be the man that vowed to honour Belle's historic status and would do everything in his power to save her etc etc
Indecisive owner....pah.
 
The Medway Queen is "historic" having taken part in the Dunkerque evacuations and was one of perhaps only two or three PS left in Engerland.
Faversham Creek is chock full of "sort of interesting" old wooden boats (B1 has some excellent pics) quietly rotting away with no realistic chance of Bill Gates popping round on the off chance that somebody needs half a million quid to restore a nackered old hulk.
Good Luck to anyone attempting to get this old girl afloat again but bigging it up as historic is pushing it a bit.
 
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oldgit said:
Faversham Creek is chock full of "sort of interesting" old wooden boats (B1 has some excellent pics) quietly rotting away with no realistic chance of Bill Gates popping round on the off chance that somebody needs half a million quid to restore a nackered old hulk..
Click to expand...
www.mylittleshed.com/northkentcoast1
 
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I am in love with the clinker built pile of firewood about to part company with the rudder, looks very historic to me.
If I can conjure up some tenuous connection with Noah ,anybody with nothing to do for the rest of their life and no grasp of financial reality fancy a restoration project.
Please PM me for details of my restoration account in the Caymen Isles.
 
Is it a recognised perversion to really love photo's of old wooden boats rotting away in creeks? If they are 30's/40's/50's estuary motor cruisers even better! Tony really great set of photo's, I must get to Faversham to see more.
 
ianc1200 said:
Is it a recognised perversion to really love photo's of old wooden boats rotting away in creeks? If they are 30's/40's/50's estuary motor cruisers even better! Tony really great set of photo's, I must get to Faversham to see more.
Click to expand...

Just beware of the couple of dozen traditional olde pubs lurking in the back streets :)
Good time to go is when the street market is on.

http://www.faversham.org/visit_faversham.aspx

Ps. Much prefer it to Whitstable.Unfortunately Faversham is now on Londons property radar....the number of posh estate agents is on the up.Course the really adventurous will go there by boat.
 
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oldgit said:
.Course the really adventurous will go there by boat.
Click to expand...

But best do a reccy first, eh Fred?

favershamquay1.jpg


favershamquaylowtide.jpg
 
Please could anyone help me to establish a link to the National Historic Ships website for the Thames pleasure steamer Sunbury Belle II (the second Sunbury Belle) built in 1896. I have a link for Sunbury Belle (the first) registered as No.272 in 1874. I need to find the length, beam and number of passengers carried on Sunbury Belle II. I have been unable to establish this link to the National Historic Ships website myself.

Thankyou if you can help

Battle66
 
Could you help me to find a similar link to the later Sunbury Belle 2 built in 1896. I seem unable to locate it on the National Historic Ships register. There are photos of it on this ybw website, being lowered into the river Severn to take up duties at Worcester. I would like to establish its length and beam. Old adverts in the Lock to Lock Times show that it was licensed to carry 250 passengers. This is far more than the 100 passengers for the 1894 Sunbury Belle which was only 75 ft long with a 15 ft beam. Many thanks. User Name : battle66
 
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