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Origin of “The Butty”.

From time to time villagers have asked about the origins of the name of the bungalow in Frenchlands Lane. BUTTY is a very old English word for friend or companion, the Americans corrupted it into Buddy. When the boats on the English canal system were horse drawn the boatman named the craft where he worked ,and was his floating home, his Butty.This became the universal term even when the early oil engined boats were introduced to work as a pair towing on a long line.In the photo Arthur Bray sits in the well deck of the Butty Raymond, one of the loveliest boats on our system. When we planned to build our new home the young Architect produced a plan and said the building was 72 feet long. My wife and I simultaneously said “Its a Butty” as that was the length of working boats.Now Arthur sails as a weather vane across the Worcestershire countryside on top of the Belgium cowl on my chimney.
Max Sinclair.

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The children ,and half the village. enjoyed my quarter scale Foden. This used a New Hudson Autocycle engine with the exhaust directed up the chimney.I used wheelbarrow wheels and the back tipped so it was quite useful around the garden. It went off eventually to a South Wales Museum. The children soon learned if they put extra oil in the two stroke mix a grand cloud of smoke was generated. Too much oil and the plug furred up and they had to start over again. Max.

The three ton section of Worcester Bridge saved by Sir Edward Elgar when the bridge was widened.
Elgar composed his Severn Suite leaning on this.
The section makes an excellent addition to my garden pool. Max

GWR Clock at the Butty.