An old ad, an old phone number, and horse-drawn trip boats

An advertisement in the very first issue of Waterways World reads as follows:

SHROPSHIRE UNION CRUISES

TAKE NOTICE THAT A CHEAP, COMMODIOUS AND COMFORTABLE FORM OF GROUP CONVEYANCING, NAMELY

'I O N A'

A HORSE DRAWN BOAT

is plying for hire to groups of gentle folk, at very reasonable rates, as a form of relaxation, and as a subject of absorbing interest to all

Please Apply

SHROPSHIRE UNION CRUISES, NORBURY, STAFFORD   Woodseaves 292

Ridiculously archaic copy, even in 1972. Perhaps they wanted to keep the riff-raff away - they might have frightened the "gentle folk".

Do you see what the telephone number is? Weren't phone numbers simple in the old days? All you had to remember was "Woodseaves" and "292". Easy.

Now, if you wanted to contact Norbury Wharf Limited, and you hadn't written it down, you'd have to memorise 01785284292. Or you'd e-mail them, I suppose.

Norbury Wharf doesn't list horse-drawn boat trips on its website. A quick trawl for horse-drawn boats produced the following:

Llangollen Wharf
Tiverton Canal
Godalming Packetboat Company for trips on the Wey
Kennet Horse Boat Company, Kintbury on the K&A

The Godalming Packetboat Company site was interesting: their boat is Iona, yes, the same boat which Shropshire Union Cruises used.

From their website:

in 1969 - 85 ("Iona") worked as a horse drawn trip boat at Norbury Junction. 1985 was brought down by lorry to the Wey navigation at Godalming to work as a horse drawn trip boat, as she does today.  "IONA" is a full length narrowboat (72ft) 19.5 meters, and we have retained the traditional painting. She is fitted with a tea bar in the shell of the boatman's cabin, and has seating for 48 passengers. There is toilet on board.

Iona was launched in 1935 as Bellerephon, a "star class" Small Woolwich steel composite butty, originally paired with Bootes.