Cotswold Life

Each month the team at Gloucestershire Archives delve into our diverse collections and put together a piece that appears in Cotswold Life magazine. Articles often include - Photograph of the Month, Spotlight on Maps, Documents of the Month and Gloucestershire Character. 

This Photograph of the Month  article was written by John Putley and appeared in the April 2022 issue.  

Gloucestershire Archives GPS609/13

This photograph was taken around 1910 on the Stroudwater Canal near Stonehouse Court (out of shot to the right) close to the Midland Railway bridge.  The barge, which is unladen but probably a coal carrier judging by the wheelbarrows on the top, was based at Gloucester and belongs to George Bratston, who is possibly the man at the helm.  It is being hauled (no doubt by a horse) from the towpath and is heading down towards Saul Junction, having just passed Ocean Bridge.  Classic ‘roses and castles’ decoration can just be seen on the stern, cabin and cabin doors.   A southbound mixed goods train of covered vans, coal wagons and stone wagons is passing slowly by the white-walled lineside hut.  The purpose of the large building on the right is a mystery.  It is covering a small dock on the canal and may have been used by a boatbuilder, although there is access to the railway line, so it might have had a railway connection.  To the right of this are some pollarded willow trees and on the water, a big patch of water lilies are visible, suggesting that the north side of the basin is little used.