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The late Edward Paget-Tomlinson was an important canal
historian, and one of the founders of the Boat Museum at Ellesmere Port.
Between 1987 and 1984 he created a series of illustration for Waterways
World magazine under the title Colours of the Cut. The series
started off illustrating the cabin-side liveries of narrowboat carriers, but
later branched out into other kinds of vessels from other waterways. All were
carefully researched and meticulously detailed.
For some years there have been rumours that these were to be
published in book form, but nothing had appeared by the time EP-T died in 2003.
The project has been completed from his notes by his widow, Pam and his
colleague from Ellesmere Port, Tony Lewery, himself a highly-respected painter
of boat decorations.
The book is lavishly produced, each double-page spread,
about 80 of them, containing a page of EP-T’s paintings of boat liveries,
and one of text and associated photos. A high degree of scholarship is evident.
Where EP-T has had to make assumptions for lack of proper evidence, he points
this out.
The scope of the vessels covered ranges from the well-known
narrowboat carrying fleets of FMC and GUCCC, through smaller concerns like
Seymour Roseblade and John Gould. In addition we have tugs, BCN day-boats,
sailing and motor barges from a whole range of waterways and even some Weaver
Packets which are fully-fledged ships.
The draughtsmanship is breathtaking and the text
fascinating. When I bought the book I thought “This is a reference book
to look things up in rather than a book to read through from cover to
cover", but it so gripped that I actually did read it from cover to cover
in a single sitting.
It is clearly destined to become a standard work of
reference.
On the dust-jacket was some good news. The same publishers
are to publish, later this year, a new revised edition of the same
author’s encyclopaedic work Britain’s Canals & Rivercraft.
I wonder if it will be on sale before my battered copy of the earlier edition
falls apart from over-use.
Review by Mike
Stevens, first published in Excalibur, February 2005 |
