Horse-drawn boat facts for kids

A horse-drawn boat is a special kind of boat that travels on a canal. Instead of an engine, it's pulled by a horse! The horse walks on a path next to the canal, called a towpath, and pulls the boat with a rope.

Horse drawing from a towpath on the Kennet and Avon Canal.

Horse-Drawn Boats in the UK

Long ago, even the Romans used animals like mules to pull boats on waterways in the UK. But these boats became super important during the Industrial Revolution. This was a time when new factories and machines changed how things were made. Horses pulling boats were a key part of moving goods around.

A single horse pulling a boat could move fifty times more cargo than it could pull in a cart or wagon on a road. This made canals a very efficient way to transport heavy materials. From around 1740, most boats and barges were pulled by horses, mules, or even donkeys. Many old canal buildings were designed with horse power in mind.

Even though engines became common, horse-drawn boats were still used for business on UK canals until the 1960s. Today, you can still see them! They are used for fun passenger trips and other pleasure activities.

The Horseboating Society is a group that works to keep the tradition of horseboating alive. They want to protect and promote horseboating on the canals of the United Kingdom. You can find horseboat operators in places like Foxton, Godalming, Tiverton, Ashton-under-Lyne, Newbury, Llangollen and Maesbury Marsh.

NB Maria: A Historic Horseboat

Horseboat Maria on the Peak Forest Canal

Maria is a very special boat. It is Britain's oldest wooden narrowboat that is still around today. It was built way back in 1854 by Jinks Boatyard in Marple. What makes Maria unique is that it has never had an engine installed. It has always been a horse-drawn boat!

From 1854 to 1897, Maria was used to carry railway track ballast. This is the crushed stone used under railway tracks. It worked for the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway. After that, it became a boat for maintenance work until 1962.

Maria was left unused for nine years until 1972, when it was saved. In 1978, it was changed into a boat for passengers. Then, in 2000, it was carefully restored to look and work almost exactly as it did when it was first built.

Today, Maria is owned by the Ashton Packet Boat Company. Sometimes, the Horseboating Society borrows it for their events. For example, it took part in the "Coal and Cotton" event. This event celebrated the history of the Leeds and Liverpool Canal. This canal was used to move coal from Leeds and Wigan to Liverpool. It also carried cotton from Liverpool docks to Leeds.

In 2006, Maria was the first boat to be "legged" through Standedge Tunnel in 60 years. "Legging" is a special way to move a boat through a tunnel when there is no towpath. People lie on top of the boat and push against the tunnel walls with their feet. A government minister and a local Member of Parliament even took turns legging Maria through this tunnel. Standedge Tunnel is the highest, longest, and deepest canal tunnel in the UK.

See also