Water Gypsies: A History of Life on Britain's Rivers and Canals

Add To Wish List Icon
Add to Wishlist
Description
For centuries, living afloat on Britain's waterways has been a rich part of the fabric of our social history, from the fisher-folk of ancient Britain to the bohemian houseboat dwellers of the 1950s and beyond. Yet remarkably a complete history of the houseboat has never been written. In this fascinating chronicle, Julian Dutton - who was born and grew up on a houseboat - traces the evolution of boat-dwelling from an industrial phenomenon in the heyday of the canals to the rise of life afloat as an alternative lifestyle in post-war Britain.

Drawing from diaries and personal accounts, Water Gypsies is both a vivid narrative of a unique way of life, and a valuable addition to social history.
DELIVERY

We offer free standard UK delivery on all orders over £50.

Orders up to £30 are charged a flat fee of £4.95

Orders between £30.01 and £50 are charged a flat fee of £6.95.

Usual UK delivery timescale (excluding custom prints) is between 5 and 7 working days from the date of dispatch. Please allow up to 14 working days for delivery. For custom print delivery pricing and timescales see below. These timescales may vary especially when we have online sales and in the weeks before Christmas.

Delivery Worldwide

We can also ship most items worldwide. 

For full details, including prices, click here.

Custom Prints

Your prints and frames will be handmade by King & McGaw at their Sussex workshop.

Unframed orders are shipped within 5 working days (normally shipped next day).

Framed orders are shipped within 20 working days.

Further information on delivery timescales for custom prints can be found here.

RETURNS

If you are not completely satisfied with your item you may return it within 28 days for a refund.

For further details on returns click here.

Unfortunately we cannot offer a refund on custom prints unless they are faulty or we have made a mistake. Custom prints are exempt as they are made to order.

Code Cracker

Are you a subscriber to The National Archives mailing list? Sign up now to get our latest news -- and code crackers!

To mark the publication of Spydle, until the end of the year our e-newsletter will contain monthly taster puzzles – written exclusively for subscribers, with the solution published here.

Solution - Puzzle #1: Treason and plot

The words can be unjumbled as follows:

BLENHEIM + G

WESTMINSTER + U

WINDSOR + Y

RICHMOND + F

BUCKINGHAM + A

LAMBETH + W

KEW + K

HAMPTON COURT + E

ST JAMES’S + S

The name spelled out is GUY FAWKES, a figure involved in the Gunpowder Plot of 1605 – which, if successful, would have blown up the Palace of Westminster.

Solution - Puzzle #2: Continental conundrum

The European cities are as follows:

MILAN

ANTWERP

TOULOUSE

ATHENS

HAMBURG

AMSTERDAM

ROME

ISTANBUL

The name hidden in the first letters of each city is Mata Hari, who was convicted of spying for Germany during the First World War.

Manufacturer/Publisher: History Press
Author: Julian Dutton
Date Published: 2021
Pagination: 176p

SKU: 9780750995597

Description
For centuries, living afloat on Britain's waterways has been a rich part of the fabric of our social history, from the fisher-folk of ancient Britain to the bohemian houseboat dwellers of the 1950s and beyond. Yet remarkably a complete history of the houseboat has never been written. In this fascinating chronicle, Julian Dutton - who was born and grew up on a houseboat - traces the evolution of boat-dwelling from an industrial phenomenon in the heyday of the canals to the rise of life afloat as an alternative lifestyle in post-war Britain.

Drawing from diaries and personal accounts, Water Gypsies is both a vivid narrative of a unique way of life, and a valuable addition to social history.
DELIVERY

We offer free standard UK delivery on all orders over £50.

Orders up to £30 are charged a flat fee of £4.95

Orders between £30.01 and £50 are charged a flat fee of £6.95.

Usual UK delivery timescale (excluding custom prints) is between 5 and 7 working days from the date of dispatch. Please allow up to 14 working days for delivery. For custom print delivery pricing and timescales see below. These timescales may vary especially when we have online sales and in the weeks before Christmas.

Delivery Worldwide

We can also ship most items worldwide. 

For full details, including prices, click here.

Custom Prints

Your prints and frames will be handmade by King & McGaw at their Sussex workshop.

Unframed orders are shipped within 5 working days (normally shipped next day).

Framed orders are shipped within 20 working days.

Further information on delivery timescales for custom prints can be found here.

RETURNS

If you are not completely satisfied with your item you may return it within 28 days for a refund.

For further details on returns click here.

Unfortunately we cannot offer a refund on custom prints unless they are faulty or we have made a mistake. Custom prints are exempt as they are made to order.

Code Cracker

Are you a subscriber to The National Archives mailing list? Sign up now to get our latest news -- and code crackers!

To mark the publication of Spydle, until the end of the year our e-newsletter will contain monthly taster puzzles – written exclusively for subscribers, with the solution published here.

Solution - Puzzle #1: Treason and plot

The words can be unjumbled as follows:

BLENHEIM + G

WESTMINSTER + U

WINDSOR + Y

RICHMOND + F

BUCKINGHAM + A

LAMBETH + W

KEW + K

HAMPTON COURT + E

ST JAMES’S + S

The name spelled out is GUY FAWKES, a figure involved in the Gunpowder Plot of 1605 – which, if successful, would have blown up the Palace of Westminster.

Solution - Puzzle #2: Continental conundrum

The European cities are as follows:

MILAN

ANTWERP

TOULOUSE

ATHENS

HAMBURG

AMSTERDAM

ROME

ISTANBUL

The name hidden in the first letters of each city is Mata Hari, who was convicted of spying for Germany during the First World War.