The Boats of Thomas Clayton [Oldbury] Ltd

The company was originally set up in 1842  by William Clayton carrying general cargo and eventually moved into conveying bulk liquids, in 1889 the carrying business merged to be Fellows Morton and Clayton but the bulk liquid carrying side remained separate. In 1904 the Company name was changed to Thomas Clayton [Oldbury] Ltd, tar being one of their main cargoes in the Midlands and oil was also carried from Stanlow to the Birmingham area.  In March 1966 tar was the last load carried by the motor Stour from Walsall to Oldbury.

Motor Dane was bought from the Severn Carrying Co. around 1950 and is shown  moving south at Stoke Bruerne following leisure interests in the early 1960s.

Dane   The painted decoration on the cabin doors look to have typical Clayton roses perhaps painted by Fred Winnett or one of his colleagues. 

Jordan  An old horse drawn tar boat, an old picture at an unidentified location and unknown photographer.

Stour was originally built for FMC at Uxbridge in 1937 and is one of the “historic Motors” owned by the Black Country Living Museum.  Gifford - see below.

Stour at Parkhead in 2006.

Gifford originally a horse drawn butty built at Nursers yard at Braunston in 1926  and finished its working life in 1963,well restored and on show at Stoke Bruerne in 2007, one of the Boat Museum Society’s  craft.

Severn was originally built by FMC at Uxbridge in 1937 and regularly attends Waterway events in the area.