South Midlands Area first outing of 2015

On a cold March Saturday, four classic cars ventured out for the first South Midlands outing of 2015 which was a visit to the National Waterways Museum in Gloucester docks. The museum is housed over three floors of a converted warehouse right on the water's edge and traces the history of the UK canal system. After coffee we had an interesting tour of the exhibits, which ranged from complete boats to the smallest of boat related items, antique posters and old photographs etc. There are many working models and plenty of interactive items which explain the workings of locks and boat lifts etc. After exploring the three floors we were given a talk about the origins of the museum and also a tour of the outside exhibits which included some railway wagons, a steam locomotive that used to work in the docks and several boats in the dock including the oldest known narrowboat. 

We actually went aboard a very early steam dredger, visiting the crew's quarters and the engine room complete with a working steam engine.

The most enjoyable visit was rounded off with an excellent good value lunch at a nearby restaurant. Thanks Ian for organising such an excellent start to the season and we are all looking forward to next month's South Midlands event which is a visit to Wells Cathedral
.

Posted in Events on the 27th March 2015 at 12:40pm.