Things to do · Banbury
Tooley's Historic Boatyard
A working dry dock and forge on the Oxford Canal in Banbury, in use since 1778 and now hemmed in by Castle Quay. Small museum in the chandlery, Saturday boat trips in summer, and blacksmith courses. A scheduled monument and the start of Tom Rolt's Narrow Boat.
Car-free
A working yard from 1778 in the middle of a shopping centre, with a forge still in use. Hours are limited, so ring ahead. A Saturday trip on the Dancing Duck is the easy way in, and a have-a-go blacksmith course is the fuller one.
- Good: Saturday boat trips in summer, with extra trips in the autumn half term
- Good: A working forge of 1778, with have-a-go blacksmith courses
- Good: Next to Banbury Museum, near the bus station
- Worth knowing: Chandlery and museum normally open only 10am to 1pm, Tuesday to Saturday
- Worth knowing: Forge visits by arrangement: ring to check when a blacksmith is in
- Worth knowing: No parking at the yard: use Chamberlaine Court or Castle Quay North 2
About
Tooley's Historic Boatyard is a dry dock and forge on the Oxford Canal in Banbury, surrounded by Castle Quay Shopping Centre. It says it has been in continuous use since 1778, when the canal reached the town, which makes it one of the oldest working dry docks on the inland waterways. The site is a scheduled monument.
What is here
The boatyard is still at work, repairing boats, so what you see depends on the day. The forge dates from 1778 and is still used. The nearby 1930s workshops have been restored, and the wooden narrowboat Hardy, built in 1940, is being restored using traditional methods after being raised from the canal bottom. A small museum sits behind the chandlery, with canal artefacts and the stories of working boatmen and the first leisure boaters.
The yard's best-known visitor was Tom Rolt, whose 1939 journey from Banbury became the book Narrow Boat and the museum covers the first leisure boaters' efforts to save the canals. It keeps his letters to Herbert Tooley, and the road bridge just beyond the cinema is named after him. The site was threatened by the Castle Quay development in 1995, and the trust says a local campaign saved the forge from demolition.
Tooley's Boatyard Limited runs the business, and Tooley's Boatyard Trust, a registered charity, holds the lease and looks after the heritage.
Boat trips and courses
The trust's boat, the Dancing Duck, runs public trips on Saturdays through the summer and extra ones at autumn half term, booked through TicketSource. Private trips run any day but Saturday, from 45 minutes lock-free to the end of the park to a full day south to Nell's Bridge, with four to five hours to Cropredy and back or three to four to Twyford Wharf; ring 01295 272917. The prices are not published on the site. The forge teaches blacksmithing, from a two-hour have-a-go session to advanced courses, and boaters can take the RYA Inland Waterways Helmsman course.
Visiting
Hours are limited. The chandlery normally opens from 10am to 1pm, Tuesday to Saturday, and the museum is through the door at its back. Ring first to check the forge and the dock, as guided tours can be arranged when a blacksmith is in. The yard is on the canal next to Banbury Museum and Gallery. Spiceball Country Park is up the canal. For parking, see our guide to parking in Banbury.
Opening hours and season
Chandlery normally 10am to 1pm, Tuesday to Saturday. No published hours for the museum, forge or dock: ring 01295 272917. Boat trips Saturdays in summer.
Facilities
- ChandleryLimited boating supplies, and pokers from the resident blacksmith
- Nearby car parksChamberlaine Court or Castle Quay North 2, then the footbridge
The details
- Time to allow
- An hour for the yard; boat trips from 45 minutes
- Features
- By the water · Shop · Guided tours
- History
- Working since 1778
- Parking
- Park at Chamberlaine Court or Castle Quay North 2 (below Lidl), then cross the canal by the footbridge.
- Without a car
- Banbury Bus Station is next to Castle Quay; a short walk from Banbury station.
Photos
The forge at Tooley's, in 2013 Photo: John M, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons 
Narrowboats at Tooley's, in 2022 Photo: Steve Daniels, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons 
Moored by the yard, in 2009 Photo: Jim Linwood, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons 
The trip boat Dancing Duck
Location
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Nearby walks, places and things to do
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