Our consultants are making good progress in preparing the business plan and investigating the sustainability of the ‘Duchess Countess’ once the authentic replica has been built.  Without a Business Plan for both the building and sustainability of the vessel, following its building, it will not be possible to attract the substantial funding required.  One aspect of the study is looking into the various ways of providing the horse power to haul the boat.

Various boat builders with experience of building wooded boats have been contacted. There are not many who have this particular skill. We have short-listed two and both will be visited this month (August).

It is our intention for the boat to be built and fitted out in time for the anticipated and hoped for opening of the dry section of the  Montgomery canal through Pant in 2012.  This will link Llanymynech with the national network.

E-News

Now that we are entering the building stage it is our expectation that future editions of the Bow Knife will be larger and possibly more frequent, giving regular reports on progress.   We also plan to producing the newsletter in PDF format which will be available by e-mail.

If you have e-mail facilities and would like to help us in saving both postage and stationery, please complete the enclosed form and send it to:

Martin Clare , Committee Secretary, Packet-boat ‘Duchess Countess’ Trust, Talltoppen, LLANYMYNECH, Powys  SY22 6PA [secduchessc@btconnect.com].

Martin Grundy

It is with sadness we have to record the recent death of Martin Grundy, a member of the Trust and long standing friend and supporter of the ‘Duchess Countess’ project.  I met Martin on several occasions and we exchanged correspondence. Martin must have been the last person still alive to have seen ‘Duchess Countess’ afloat and to meet Mackey when he was on a cruising holiday with his parents in the mid-1940s  The packet was moored opposite the Beech’s boat yard half way down the Frankton flight.    JM

Martin Grundy recalls meeting the ‘Duchess Countess’ and Her final owner

“I did know 'Duchess Countess' when she was afloat. My father had bought our first boat 'Heron' in the Spring of 1945. She was then named 'Hobson’s Choice', having previously belonged to Hobson Greenwood  (Dennis Greenwood’s father). She was lying just above the stop planks at Lock Gate Bridge Cottage below Frankton Locks at the junction with the Weston Arm.

We spent the whole Summer in 1945 on that mooring trying to get the engine going. At that time Mackie was living on 'Duchess Countess' which was moored outside Beech’s Dock on the off side. We would go and get milk from Hyde’s Farm every morning (on the right bank going down the locks) and would meet Mackie doing the same thing. You took your own milk can in those days and the milk was dipped out of the churn!

We brought 'Heron' up the locks in August 1945 with some difficulty because they were in a very poor state. The canal men from Ellesmere came to help and racked the gates with ashes. I think I can say for certain that 'Heron' was the last boat but one to come up Frankton Locks. 'Duchess Countess' would be the last and I don’t know exactly when that was. It would be the very late summer of 1945 or early spring of 1946. My recollection is that 'Duchess Countess' was on the bank out of the water 100 yards beyond the first bridge on the Llangollen Arm when we went back in the summer of 1946.

I took a photo of her on 29^th September 1951 when Mackie was living aboard. I also took a photo of him. He was very shy and I remember that I was only able to take a photograph of him by having a friend of mine in the picture as well.     

I never went on board 'Duchess Countess' when she was afloat, though I did on 29^th September 1951. Mackie showed me some newspaper cuttings of photos of 'Duchess Countess' when she had the knife blade on the bow.

Reproduced from Bow Knife number 2

Involvement

As you will know, we were successful in receiving a 50% grant from Spirit 2 Ysbryd towards the cost of employing consultants:`Resources for Change, Welshpool,` to carry out the feasibility study; draw up a business plan and help in locating the substantial funding required for the building programme.

This exciting programme will be costly in time and money. Help will be needed in both aspects. Although we anticipate obtaining substantial grant funding from various sources, we need also to raise a considerable amount of money ourselves to match-fund the grants. We invite ideas for fundraising and offers to become involved in this activity, which will be welcomed by the Fundraising Committee You do not need to live in close proximity to Llanymynech nor be a member of any committee. We are looking for good ideas and, where possible, active participation.

Demand on personal time will increase as the the project continues to unfold. There are many ways you can offer to help: help in running the Visitor Centre; become qualified to helm the ‘George Watson Buck’; offer help in publicity, in fundraising events; research the history of the ‘Duchess Countess’ and the packet boats on the Bridgewater and Montgomery canals; encourage membership of the Packet-boat ‘Duchess Countess’ Trust; become a speaker; man our exhibition stand at events.    

We have exciting plans which will remain dreams without your active help