Sunken boat raised from depths

Members of the Sight Seen Partnership were at the Tipton Road site in Dudley to produce a film demonstrating how boat raising was carried out in the 19th century.

Lifting a lightweight wooden joey boat using virtually forgotten methods, the team recorded the techniques for museum archive and educational purposes.

Glyn Phillips, chairman of the Sight Seen Partnership, said: "The sunken boat was jacked up using two boats either side of it as supports. The boat lift was a real success and went better than I'd hoped for.

"The last time the equipment was used was in the early eighties when we raised a boat that had been sunk in the Netherton tunnel."

Boat raising was historically a common feature of life on the Birmingham and Black Country canals, with each of the five sections having their own boat-raising tackle.

The equipment would have been used to retrieve boats that had sunk accidentally, often loaded with up to 50 tons of cargo at the time. Joey boats were like the lorries of their day and the tackle acted as a tow truck.

The boats would often spring leaks or be involved in collisions and, like a lorry causing a traffic jam, would block the canal until they were removed.

Rumour has it that cash-strapped skippers would even sink their boats in winter to avoid paying taxes on them.

It is hoped the film will eventually be shown in a number of museums alongside an exhibition of the boat-raising tackle.

A video of the boat-raising will also be available to buy.