W. H. Walker and Brothers was a

narrowboat A narrowboat is a particular type of canal boat, built to fit the narrow locks of the United Kingdom. The UK's canal system provided a nationwide transport network during the Industrial Revolution, but with the advent of the railways, commerc ...

builder based in Rickmansworth, England.The business was established in 1905 by Harry Walker. He leased part of Frogmoor Wharf, the Grand Union Canal, from

Robert Grosvenor, 2nd Baron Ebury Robert Wellesley Grosvenor, 2nd Baron Ebury (25 January 1834 – 13 November 1918) was a British politician. Early life He was the eldest of five sons and two daughters born to the former Hon. Charlotte Arbuthnot Wellesley and Robert Grosvenor, ...

. The firm thrived for most of the twentieth century, from 1905 to 1964. They were one of the major producers of narrow boats for the English Canal Network. The site was sold for redevelopment to Tesco in June 1989.Tributes to Rickmansworth author and historian (From Watford Observer)
/ref> Harry Walker started with repair work to boats but in 1907 he started building his own boats. Walkers specialised in wooden construction. It took eight oak trees and one elm tree per boat. The first were horsedrawn, but motor power was introduced from 1913. Boats were built for

Fellows Morton & Clayton Fellows Morton & Clayton Ltd was, for much of the early 20th century, the largest and best-known canal transportation company in England. The company was in existence from 1889 to 1947. Origins The company started in 1837 when James Fellows, a ...

, the

Grand Union Canal Carrying Company The Grand Union Canal Carrying Company was a freight carrying transport service in England from 1934 to 1948. Background ''For more detail on this section see the History of the Grand Union Canal.'' In 1929 the Regents Canal Company bought t ...

Cadbury Cadbury, formerly Cadbury's and Cadbury Schweppes, is a British multinational confectionery company fully owned by Mondelez International (originally Kraft Foods) since 2010. It is the second largest confectionery brand in the world after Mar ...

Bournville Bournville () is a model village on the southwest side of Birmingham, England, founded by the Quaker Cadbury family for employees at its Cadbury's factory, and designed to be a "garden" (or "model") village where the sale of alcohol was forbidd ...

and Wander of

Kings Langley Kings Langley is a village, former Manorialism, manor and civil parishes in England, civil parish in Hertfordshire, England, north-west of Westminster in the historic centre of London and to the south of the Chiltern Hills. It now forms part o ...

, the manufacturers of Ovaltine. No more new boats were built after World War II. Repair work kept the boatyard in business until 1964. The total production of their business was 212 new boats. They also repaired more than 600 boats.

Bibliography

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:W.H. Walker And Brothers Defunct shipbuilding companies of the United Kingdom Canals in England Companies based in Three Rivers District British companies established in 1905 Manufacturing companies established in 1905 Manufacturing companies disestablished in 1964 1905 establishments in England 1964 disestablishments in England Narrowboat builders