The Morgan Giles Register Narrow Boat

Show/hide the Morgan Giles Canal Cruisers History

Show/hide the Morgan Giles Canal Cruisers History

A total of 25 Canal Cruisers were built in the Morgan Giles Teignmouth shipyard between 1967 and early 1969. To generate another outlet for work from the Teignmouth yard the Morgan Giles Aynho Boatyard was created.

Commander Cliff Parsons who was a director of Morgan Giles researched various sites and in 1967 developed the new yard from a derelict coal yard on the Oxford Canal at Aynho. The intention was to hire and sell canal cruisers and inland waterway boats, all to be built in Teignmouth. Eight of the 25 cruisers built at Teignmouth went to the Anyho yard.The boats also went to the British Waterways Board, Blue Line and Lady Line.

John Roberts of Thomas Roberts of Westminster had bought the Teignmouth yard and the first major project was the construction of a glass fibre production shop, using retrained Morgan Giles personnel it was capable of producing fibre glass to Lloyds of London A1 standards. At the same time as the Aynho yard was being built Mr Roberts also bought Stone Pier Yard in Warsash on the Hamble.

Canal cruiser being constructed in the Teignmouth Yard

Boats on the river

Morgan Giles Canal Cruisers at the Aynho Yard before the main buildings were built

Cliff Parsons, with the help of newly qualified engineer Roger Cox, set up the canal cruiser hire fleet. Initially from a canal side shed and a 41ft canal cruiser near where the new boatyard was being built. Mrs Parsons acted as office administrator initially from Teignmouth and later from the new Aynho yard. The first canal cruisers were transferred by road to Oxford and placed in the canal at the British Waterways yard. These were then ferried up the Oxford Canal by Cliff and Roger, initially there were 5 boats.The boats were known as Mariners and the name of each boat ended in Mariner. Those recorded in 1969 are:

31ft - AYNHO MARINER &, BANBURY MARINER. 41ft - SHIPTON MARINER & OXFORD MARINER. 43ft - NAPTON MARINER, SOMERTON MARINER, HAYFORD MARINER, CLAYDON MARINER. NORTHBROOK MARINER & KIDLINGTON MARINER.

Aynho Wharf showing the canal side shop and the workshop in the background

Initially five boats were delivered to the Aynho Wharf, one of which was used as an office. The canal side shed was used as a workshop. Later an office shop and workshop were built. The photo shows these building which are still in existence today but for different purposes. The shop is now the reception for a caravan site.

Subsequent to the yard closure in Teignmouth the canal cruisers were made in the Stone Pier Yardat Warsashand records show that there were another twelve made there.

The yard at Aynho continued until 1978 and was sold to Anglo Welsh Canal Boats.