Trifter

Photo by Gary Tacagni.

As the river Dane winds its way through the town of Congleton, Cheshire, U.K. an unusual sight confronts you, close to the riverside mill can be found a sixty foot long steamboat moored at the specially designed quay at the river side. The river Dane is quite shallow and unnavigable and as such this large boat seems totally out of place.

This large vessel was transported here by local business man Joe Terry in the late 1990s, it was his dream to open a sea food restaraunt, the boat was bought here on a low loader, and the main road into Congleton had to be closed off as the boat was craned into place. Due to its size only the hull was bought here, the superstructure was created later and made to resemble a steamboat. Unfortunately the restaurant was not a success and it was closed down and boarded up, Mr Terry has since moved on and I believe he is now working on an island known as S.t Helena close to Brazil, he may have moved on but his legacy in the shape of the Congleton Steamboat is a constant reminder to people who live in Congleton, that sometimes not all one’s dreams come true!

This more recent photo shows how the vessel is falling into disrepair and also how the cradle that supports the vessel failed due to flooding in 2007 so the boat now sits at an angle in its berth. Photo by Gary Tacagni.

A recent view of the rear of the vessel amongst the undergrowth. Photo by Gary Tacagni.