In the summer we passed the moorings on the North Stratford where in 2004 we had discovered NB Lion. In the 1960s Ken Tremain, Maggie's uncle, converted Lion from the stern half of a BCN working boat of the same name. On Ken's death in 1987 Lion was sold and in 1988 she came into the hands of Ken Bromage. In 2007 I posted about the
conversion of Lion, our discovery of her whereabouts and our meeting with Ken Bromage. There is also the Lion Web Album on our blog giving lots of details about the conversion including Ken Tremain's notebook. We were looking forward to meeting Ken Bromage and Lion again, so it was with some regret we found that the old mooring was empty. We were told by local moorers that Lion had gone some time ago and they thought Ken Bromage was "on the bank".
We were therefore very pleased when an email came in the other day from Ken Bromage explaining that Lion was now moored up just off the Birmingham Main Line and he was still living onboard. More good news followed when he sent me some photographs of Lion in the 1980s. I've added these images to the Lion Web Album.
Here are just a couple of Ken B's images.
NB Lion at the top of Smethwick Locks c 1984
NB Lion in the Boshboil Arm, near Windmill End, BCN c 1986
We are very pleased to find Lion still giving service almost 50 years after her conversion and who knows how long after her hull was originally laid down. Ken Tremain would have marveled at her longevity as a conversion.
