Please note that some links on this website are affiliate links. We may receive a commission, at no extra cost to you, if you click through our links and make a purchase from one of our partners. See our Affiliate Disclosure for more details.
Fir is a rare 55ft Sevener tug-style narrowboat built in 1935 by Charles Hill Ship-Builders of Bristol.
Steeped in history, Fir has been lovingly updated, retaining much of her character and charm and has been in our ownership since 1995 when she was lived on as a home for 20 years, and leisure use since.
A gorgeously cosy saloon with Squirrel multi fuel stove and a contemporary double sofa bed, modern kitchen area with full size (600mm) Hotpoint gas cooker, Morco water heater and oak worktops. She has a tiled shower room with a 800mm shower tray. Fir has a 1950’s 29hp 2 cylinder air cooled Lister HR engine (that blows smoke rings) and beyond this a separate boatman’s cabin with a double bed.
Fir is equipped with two 100w solar panels and a Victron sinewave phoenix 12|800 inverter and 240 plug sockets in the saloon, kitchen and engine room. She also has an RCD for landline hookup. All the 12v lights are equipped with LED bulbs. On the front deck she has a space for two 13L propane gas bottles. At the point of the bow there is a large space used for storing firewood and under the front deck a hold containing a 190 gallon water tank and another large space that is extremely useful for storing tools, coal, paint etc so that it is very easy to keep the living space of Fir clear, clean and tidy.
Fir had a full hull survey carried out by Christopher Berry Marine Surveyor in August 2023 and carries a Boat Safety Certificate valid until November 2026.
Fir’s sides were replated in 2004 and she has been regularly removed from the water to be inspected, blacked (sides and base plate) and have new anodes fitted every 4 to 5 years since ownership in 1995. The latest survey showed the hull to be in very good condition throughout.
Fir has a rich history, starting out life in 1935 as a 70ft tug for the Severn & Canal Carrying Company (SCCC). One of 8 boats built between 1934 and 1935 and all named after trees, commissioned to work for Cadbury’s, this set of boats became known as Seveners. She would ply the Severn river and Sharpness canal from Gloucester docks to the Cadbury’s factory in Bournville, carrying up cocoa beans and bringing back chocolate crumb (a waste product in the chocolate industry). In 1950 she was sold to Charles Ballinger and renamed Bridget. In 1963 she was sold again to Wyvern Shipping and was cut down to 55ft (two boats would often be cut down to make a third). Fir was restored by Duncan Knapp boat fitter at Cowroast Marina and sold to us in 1995 when she was moved to Bath and lived on for 20 years before being used for leisure. Oak, one of Fir’s 7 sisters, is kept at the Waterways Heritage Museum in Gloucester.
Fir has been lovingly looked after, updated and semi refitted over the years, keeping her in great condition. She is the perfect liveaboard or holiday home for someone wanting an authentic and historic traditional narrowboat that is constantly admired wherever she goes.
Video walkthrough available.
Current Price: £69995.00
This Rare 1935 Historic 55ft Traditional Narrowboat Built By Charles Hill Shipbuilder may be available on ebay