I am often asked to provide a stove for the back cabin of a working narrow boat. More often than not original examples of these stoves are missing and only a handful of boats in the Uk actually have one still on board. All sorts of different stoves were used, not necessarily models specific to boats although there were several types produced back in the day.
The most common examples I have seen are the Guidwife, Beetonette and Larbert portable ranges but it was the Guidwife in particular that the boatmen and women preferred and it is a Guidwife that is the only remaining original stove in any Uk museum collection. These would all have been of the 24″ wide variety for Butty boats with a depth varying from 16″-17″ excluding the trivets that clipped onto the front of the range.
All would have had slight modifications to ‘marinise’ them for example the feet would have been removed and a brass ‘fiddle rail’ or ‘galley rail’ would have been fitted. This stopped any pots and pans falling off the hot plate should the boat get knocked or bashed when out on its daily duties.
The stove would have sat on the swim plate on the left hand side as you entered through the cabin doors at the stern.
Rarer still is the 20″ Larbert stove that was used for motorboats. Motorboats provide a problem since unlike the Butty, they have a deep Gunwale that limits the space for the stove sat on the swim plate.. The 20″ Larbert sat neatly into the back cabin however and was complete with all its ornaments like the polished brass fiddle rail.
There are several back cabin stoves now commonly used on boats of all shapes and sizes but all are reproductions and are not authentic to the historic working boat. These are the ubiquitous ‘Epping’ stove, the ‘Stratford 1910’ and the ‘Premier’ the later being based on the ‘Nipper’ stove that had some limited use in working boats in the past.
Here at O.J.Osborne & Co we can source, restore and provide you authentic original examples of back cabin stoves. 24″ examples are extremely rare but they do come up and I always try to keep a couple in stock.
PLEASE NOTE O.J.OSBORNE & CO. WILL BE RELEASING PRODUCTIONS RUNS OF BOTH THE 24″ GUIDWIFE AND 20″ LARBERT IN OCTOBER 2015
Well we have finally begun the move to the new (much larger) workshop so thank you to all those who have been patient during this time. You can expect big changes to the website, services and products over the coming months with some exciting new developments like the manufacture of very high quality replica ‘Nipper’ stoves, ‘Hostess’ ranges and authentic Larbert and Guidwife ‘Back cabin stoves’!
I will post with more details on this as time goes on.
All the best.
Olly
I am often asked to provide ‘Back cabin stoves’ for the historic narrow boats. These were commonly ‘marinised’ portable cooking ranges typically 20″-24″ in width depending on wether or not they were used in a ‘Butty’ or ‘Motor’ boat. Although the ranges of this size are very rare they do come up and I try to keep at least a couple in stock.
However the most prominent and unique feature to the ranges used in the back cabin was the highly polished brass fiddle rail and standards. Finding original sets is practically impossible and in fact very few actual exist even on original ranges.
I am pleased to say that I have produced a set of patterns for the rail and standards taken directly from an original set. These standards and rail will be cast in Somerset in brass to the exact design and dimensions as the original ones used on working boats throughout the Uk.
They will be available as part of my restorations only and not as a seperate set.
Below is a picture of an original set as reference.
To say these don’t come up very often is an extreme understatement! Here we have a 24″ Guidwife range exactly like those that would have been traditionally used in the back cabin of working narrow boats. It was found in the shed of a house in London near the canal when the owners moved in.
All it is missing is its brass fiddle rail. It’ll be on the bench for restoration soon!
I’m busy as ever down here, this time with a lovely little 26″ Belle Portable with twisted brass fiddle rail and hot closet. It’s nearly finished now, I’m just waiting for for a few parts to arrive for it and I reckon its taking shape nicely!
Here’s another range beautifully installed on a live aboard boat. I can’t claim the reward for this work but the range has been fitted with one of my adapters. The owner of the range had been looking for someone to make one for nearly a year when they came across the site!
The range is a Guidwife and a model often used on historic boats.
I’ve had a few deliveries over the last week and here’s the result, you guessed it- ranges!
I tend to try and get my hand on anything cast by the Caledonian Stove and Iron Works so when this beautifully deco ‘Dover’ range came up I had to have it!
Secondly a very smart 26″ Belle Portable with removable oven. These narrower ranges are increasingly hard to come by especially in this condition!
Next is a very nice but fairly rusty Larbert 410114 30″ range, these are very pretty with their strap hinges and curve top oven doors. The firebox drop doors that are always missing will be replaced in the restoration with new ones that I have had cast in England from high quality grey iron.
Finally, here is something really special! It’s a very nice little 24″ model, the kind of stove that can be found in narrowboat back cabins but can also slip into many standard chimney openings. It’s had a hard old life but we’ll get him ship shape again before long!
