Also introducing...

Hello there!

Great photo there from the boss!

My name is Martin. Though it would probably be easier if I changed it to Matt, as there's two of them and only one of me.

I've been working at the wonderful Tooley's boatyard since March 2007, having moved from Bath thanks to the good lady wishing to be closer to family (looking back, it was a great big plan, as we now have a baby boy). I've been involved in boating since 1999, when I became licensed as a passenger-boat skipper on the Thames. Since then I've skippered 300-tonne 'Dutch' barges in both England and France, also obtaining the French equivalent of the MCA Boatmasters (the written exam taken, of course, in French - now THAT was a learning curve), as well as operating a 'wide-beam' passenger boat on the Kennet & Avon canal. I'm also a registered RYA Inland Helmsman Instructor, running as Chief Instructor the 'Isis School Of Boat Handling' here at Tooley's.

Along the way, my travels and work have now led me to be (here at Tooley's), dare I say, remarkably competent at boat painting, a role I've taken on since November last year following proven success painting all sorts of boats and barges. Alongside that, there's also some mechanical expertise, as well as marketing, IT (who DO you think dragged Matt A screaming into the 21st Century?!) and a firm belief in the future of Tooley's as THE boatyard for your works.

So, I suppose it's over to the other Matt now, 'M'. (Very Bond). In the meantime, I look forward to meeting any/all of you. And remember, if I don't look so happy, it's mainly down to the way my face falls.

Best,
MARTIN

Welcome!

Hello!

Welcome to Tooley’s Boatyard’s new Blog.

My name is Matthew Armitage ( hereafter referred to as 'Matt A') and I am one of the company directors of Tooley’s Boatyard Ltd, having been involved in the Marine industry since 1990.
Tooley’s has the oldest working dry dock on the Inland Waterways of Britain, and has been in continuous use since 1790 when it was established to build and repair the wooden horse-drawn narrow boats, which plied the newly constructed canal network, so vital to the development of the Industrial Revolution.
The site was threatened by the Castle Quay development, but good fortune prevailed, and the site was saved and incorporated in the new Banbury Museum. Tooley’s is now a scheduled 'Ancient Monument' and run by ourselves as a private company since 2002, with its dry dock providing a service for the boating community and an opportunity for visitors to see work in progress, as well as the fully restored workshops - dating from the 1930s - including a carpenter’s store, a belt-driven machine workshop and a paint store. There is also a 200 year-old forge offering items made to order, as well as blacksmithing courses.

As we are a small team, we all have lots of responsibilities! My main responsibilities are:

• The day to day running of the yard
• Docking, Blacking and prepping boats
• Welding and basic Blacksmithing
• Some mechanical work
• Chandlery sales
• Isis School of Boat-Handling – Instructor
• Guide tours and Talks

We decided to do a blog so that people can see the day to day running of the boatyard and show people the work that we do.

The rest of the team will introduce themselves and we shall post regular posts of the different works we are doing at the boatyard, as well as (hopefully) some less serious stuff!

We will be happy to answer any questions you may think of, and any comments on the blog would be greatly appreciated. We would also love to post any pics or videos and/or any boating-related stories you may have that would liven up our day! (These can be emailed to us at info@tooleysboatyard.co.uk).

So, here we go - dragged screaming into the 21st century - the Tooley's Blog Page!

MATT A.