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BOLD lettering indicates the original boat name; new names in plain text.

In 1870, William Cowburn formed a company specialising in marketing chemical products in Lancashire. The Cowpar Chemical Co, formed in 1877 had Mr Cowburn as a partner, and the businesses expanded to premises at Castlefield Basin, Manchester. Around 1914, a new works was built on Trafford Park, the companies supplying Courtaulds at Coventry and other sites with materials. All locations were chosen with canal transport in mind. The two companies were amalgamated in 1916, to become W.H.Cowburn & Cowpar Ltd. Best known to boat enthusiasts are the fleet of 8 boats built for the company by Yarwoods, which continued in trade with the company 1956. The company itself coutinues to trade on Trafford Park.

In the early 1930's, it was realised that the canal carrying fleet of the company needed expanding. The trade between the Cowburn works at Manchester, and Courtaulds at Coventry and Wolverhampton had expanded considerably after the 1st World war. Courtaulds also had works at Little Heath, (Staffs & Worcs Canal), and in North Wales. Thus in 1932, an order was placed with W.J.Yarwoods, of Northwich for 2 motor narrowboats of composite construction. Design details were left to Yarwoods, and both boats, SWAN and SWIFT had pointed counters.The boat dimensions are 70ft 6in long, by 7ft 1in beam, and a hull depth of 4ft 2in. The boats came equipped for carrying, similar to any other boat at the time.

.................................................................................................Composite W.H.C. & C. motor boat SWAN, built in 1933

L.Gardner & Sons Ltd; engine manufacturers. Engines were supplied by the local company of L. Gardner & Sons Ltd of Patricroft, Manchester, being the model 4VT single cylinder two stroke semi diesel engine. Gardners had started the VT range of semi diesels in September 1913, and development of the range continued until 1920. The engine rated at 12hp was blowlamp heated, prior to starting with a short rope looped over a retractable peg in the flywheel. Being a two stroke it developed power on every downstroke of the piston, but unlike Bolinder's engines, had a steady governor instead of the hit and miss Bolinder design. In addition, the engines were supplied with gearboxes, so there was no need to bounce and reverse the engine rotation as in the Bolinder. The exhaust and the raw water cooling, exit on the port side of the roof and hull side respectively. The other 6 boats of the Yarwoods built fleet were also supplied with the same engine.

......The Gardner 4VT hot bulb semi diesel engine.

More boats ordered from W.J.Yarwoods, of Northwich.

.................STORK, built in 1934, now mostly converted.............................STARLING, built in 1936, rebuilt in 1996.

Following trials with the first two boats; six more were ordered to similar design specifications, but with the following alterations made. The hulls were all steel, unlike SWAN and SWIFT, and the hull beam reduced to 7ft 0in. The length remained the same, but the hull depth came down to 3ft 11in, with a rounded bilge.

All eight boats were named after birds, starting with the letter S, and each boat had a brass cutout of the bird outline below the name on the engine room side. The names and Yarwoods works numbers are as follows; SWAN, built 1933, (424); SWIFT built 1933, (425); SWALLOW built 1934, (443); STORK built 1934, (444); SKYLARK built 1934, (447); SEAGULL built 1935, (448); SNIPE built 1936, (545); and STARLING built 1936, (546). The boats mainly traded between Trafford Park, and Coventry and Wolverhampton, with cargoes consisting of acid, acetone, oils, salt and lime. A major commodity transported was carbon disulphide; an inflammable liquid initially carried in drums. The traffics were largely one way, with little in the way of a return load to Manchester.

In 1934, Yarwoods provided two rivetted tanks of 5ft 6in in diameter to fit into the hold of the boat, to carry the dangerous carbon disulphide. The first boat so supplied was SEAGULL with alterations being necessary to the running gear. The top planks were supported on A frames, and the mast moved forward of the front tank. Loading and unloading was achieved through flexible hoses, the liquid being blown in by air pressure, and pumped out by introducing water into the tank. As a safety precaution, a flooding valve was fitted in the fore end port side to flood the boat in case of fire. Until the second World war, traffic was busy, but changes were on the way. In 1941, SWAN and ALICE were transferred to moving coal on the Bridgewater Canal, short runs from collieries at Leigh and into Manchester being the norm. SWAN had a near miss during the war, when tied near Stretford Moss Turnbridge. A bomb blew masonary onto three boats, with TOM and DARBY being sunk, and later never repaired. SWAN only received minor damage, the crews having already retired underground at the start of the raid.

Boats sold to new owners.

SWALLOW was the first boat to be sold by the company, going to the Manchester Ship Canal Co (Bridgewater Dept) as a maintenance boat. She became bank boat No 3 and was purchased for £304. The traffic to Coventry finished in June 1951, and the boats were sold soon after this. SWAN remained on the coal traffic until 1956, together with SKYLARK. SEAGULL was sold to local canal trader Gordon Waddington.

The Cowburn and Cowpar boats today.

MINNIE; Composite butty boat possibly owned by C. & C., and Ex FMC and D & I W E. This boat may have been sold to Gordon Waddington, who then sold the boat to Willow Wren in Nov 1954. The original name could be FMC GRIMSBY. The boat was sold by Willow Wren to Ansell's Brewery who turned her into a floating bar at the Longboat Pub in Birmingham. She was later reported as derelict on the BCN and is now at Marsworth called SQUIRREL.

SEAGULL; All steel Motor boat, 1935, Yarwoods No 448. Regd at Manchester No 1131. Sold to Gordon Waddington by C & C, and in his ownership until late 1962. Three band pointed counter.Full length converted boat. Based at Aylesbury Basin.

SIRDAR; Wooden butty boat.

SKYLARK; All steel Motor boat, 1934, Yarwoods No 447, Regd at Manchester No 1128. Gardner single cylinder semi Diesel. Offered for sale in June 1983, full length, mostly converted. Now full length, and unconverted. Three banded pointed counter. SNIPE; All steel Motor boat, 1936, Yarwoods No 545. Regd at Manchester No 1137. In 1972 the boat became part of the Inland Waterway Holiday Cruises fleet operated by Peter Froud at Preston Brook. SNIPE worked in this role until 1997, when she was sold, but still remains in the same general appearance. Engine; Gardner 4LK. Full length converted boat. Three banded round counter. Based Northern Oxford.

.....................................................................................................................SKYLARK at Birmingham, 2000.

STARLING; All steel Motor boat, 1936, Yarwoods No 546; Regd at Manchester No 1138. In 1951 the boat was sold to Bill Pritchard who supplied the Mellor Mineral Mill of Etrutia with limestone and china clay. In 1954 she went to her home grounds again; at Butts Basin, Leigh Lancs being owned by Joe Prescott trading as Canal Services. In the winter she carried coal to Runcorn Gasworks, and in the summer months a trip boat. In 1983 Starling was sold, and fitted with a single cylinder Seffle engine. Prior to 1996 STARLING had been shortened, and restoration to a full length boat as we see her now, commenced around that time. Full length unconverted. Now fitted with a Lister HA2 diesel. Three banded round counter. Based at Knighton on the S U Canal.

STORK; All steel Motor boat, 1934, Yarwoods No 444; Regd at Manchester No 1123. Full length, mostly residential. Based Manchester. Three band pointed counter.

SWALLOW; All steel Motor boat, 1934, Yarwoods No 443. Regd at Manchester No 1121. Full length, unconverted..

SWAN; Composite Motor boat, 1933, Yarwoods No 424; Regd at Manchester No 1115. Full length, unconverted, original engine. Two banded pointed counter. SWAN featured in the book by John Liley, "Journeys of the Swan" published in 1971. Based London.

SWIFT; Composite Motor boat, 1933, Yarwoods No 425, Regd at Manchester No 1119. Full length, new counter, new steel cabin, (extended) owned by BW, Birmingham. Two banded pointed counter. Based Bradeley, BCN.

Other Cowburn & Cowpar boats.

ALICE; cabined wooden horseboat, BCN gauging No 1459, 1/1/1929.

JOAN; cabined wooden horseboat with fore cabin, BCN gauging No 1467, 5/2/1929.

PUNCH; cabined wooden horseboat with fore cabin, BCN gauging No 1468, 5/2/1929.

MINNIE; Originally FMC butty GRIMSBY, which Willow Wren had as TEAL. Now based Great Haywood.

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