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THE "RUMPUS" PROJECT

The progress of the restoration was best shown in pictures, though the Canals Newsgroup (uk.rec.waterways) and the Canals Mailing List (UKcanals@yahoogroups.com) had a weekly blow-by-blow of the restoration in words.

 

BEFORE AND AFTER

14th June 1976 (photo Harry Arnold)

14th August 2000 (photo Molly Mockford)

 

If you want to know where Rumpus was restored, CLICK HERE!

The Illustrated History of Rumpus

The Rumpus Photo Archive - Original Pictures Taken for the Boat Review in Waterways World

as found, under the arches in Manchester

As found, in December 1996, "under the arches" at Castlefield in Manchester

Rumpus Goes To A Little Chef!

Rumpus Goes To a Little Chef on her way home - 14th November 1998

Baseplate Alongside

After great amounts of repair work on the hull (and burning the bottom off) June 1999 sees the new baseplate alongside Rumpus.......

The Roof Installation Completed

..... and a new ply skin for the cabin.......


...... which when it was panelled and painted quite looked the part.


The engine went in vertically........

Cabin Front Half

November 1999 sees the front half of the cabin insulated - the plywood plates on the cabin sides are for the Portholes. Note the mains light.

Most of the floor down


February 2000 sees most of the floor down - note the problem with long planks!

The Bow Rises

Launch Day - 1st April 2000 - the bow rises as she goes back into the water for the first time in years.

(photo Susan Dominic)

Ballast installed

A fortnight later, the ballast went in...........

Through Redhill Lock

..... and we all had a play! (photo Keith Midgely)

All the Cover Strips in Place

The new cabin top lining, portholes and lights...........

The Galley Useable

............ was followed by a useable cabin, with galley (with pots and pans) food, chairs, a table and A CARPET (well, an Ikea mat, anyway.....) ready for the trip to Stafford for the Great Internet Get-Together at Stafford Boat Club in the August.

the table flap

The only way to incorporate storage AND a table was to build a traditional-style table cupboard , here seen after decorating.......

..... but the contents at the moment are much more prosaic!

..... which came in useful for storing materials!

.........and with the floor painted
With the final decoration and the upholstery installed, floor painted and rugs down, she looks like a little palace!

 

.... and just to prove it's possible, here are no less than NINE people eating in the cabin!
.... and just to prove it's possible, here are no less than NINE people eating in the cabin! (picture taken by the ninth person, Sean Neill)

 

Rumpus's Can
Rumpus (like all good narrowboats) has her water can on the cabin roof. It was painted by Jan Deuchar and the design of the decoration includes 3 panels which give a potted history of the boat: the one to the left of the spout shows a kingfisher (for Kingfisher Line, the boat's builders) the one on the right shows some colliery headgear, (for Colliery Narrowboats, the boat's second owners) and the spout itself has a cotton boll and some rain, as I found her in Manchester!

These days, instead of containing water, she carries bottles of beer - just as useful!

Updated on 21st August, 2003

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