Museum celebrates 50 years with colourful display

A flotilla of historical narrowboats and barges is set to arrive in Cheshire later as part of celebrations marking the 50th anniversary of the National Waterways Museum in Ellesmere Port.

About 40 vessels from across the UK will travel along the Shropshire Union Canal for the four-day event at the museum, which is home to the nation's largest collection of historical boats.

The event, organised by the Canal & River Trust charity, marks the start of a year of celebrations celebrating the museum, which first opened in 1976.

Jon Horsfall of the Canal & River Trust North West said the museum was vital in preserving the boats and telling the key role canals played in the industrial revolution.

"We owe an immense debt of gratitude to those early volunteers in the 1970s, whose inspired determination to preserve the past resulted in the restoration of some of the wonderful port buildings and canal features we enjoy today," he said.

"The National Waterways Museum at Ellesmere Port plays an important role in preserving some of our nation's key historic boats and explaining the important story of how our canals made a vital contribution to Britain's Industrial Revolution.

Events taking place over the weekend include boat trips, horse‑boating, lock and harnessing demonstrations, live music, family workshops and craft stalls.

There will also be tours of the museum, which has been used as a location for TV blockbusters such as Peaky Blinders and the new Netflix House of Guinness series.

One of the stars of the weekend is a 100-year-old former horse-drawn tar boat, Gifford, complete with a fresh coat of paint by expert canal boat artist Phil Speight.

Speight, who was awarded an MBE in 2024 for his contribution to heritage craft, will also be hosting painting demonstrations on Saturday and Sunday to offer visitors an insight into traditional canal art.

The idea for a new waterways museum was first floated in September 1970 and The North Western Museum of Inland Navigation society was launched a year later.

Volunteers began work to restore the site in Ellesmere Port at the junction of the Shropshire Union Canal and the Manchester Ship Canal and River Mersey and the new Boat Museum was launched in June 1976.

In 1999, The Waterways Trust, took over management of the museum and it became a new National Waterways Museum.

The Canal and River Trust charity took over responsibility for the museum, along with 2,000 miles of inland waterways in England and Wales in 2012.

Read more stories from Cheshire on the BBC, watch BBC North West Tonight on BBC iPlayer and follow BBC North West on X. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230.