06/04/2025
Canal NEWS
The DUCKS DITTY Now Sold !
Many of you may have heard on the grapevine, that the Ducks Ditty Bar was put up for sale.
Well . . . I‘ve some very happy and exciting news! . . . The Ducks Ditty Bar has now been purchased by Julie and Steve (the owners of the Canal Tearooms), and the reason Jacquie and I are so excited about the sale, is because we know that Julie and Steve truly have their hearts in the Grand Western Canal and talking with them both, I know they have lots of exciting plans to take the Ducks Ditty Bar to the next stage of its development in the Canal Basin.
Over the years I’ve often been asked, what is the history of the Ducks Ditty? So in my last and final post on the Ducks Ditty page, I thought it would be nice to share the real back story to the Ducks Ditty Barge . . .
It all started in the 1970’s (picture of the tub) a chap by the name of Bill Fisher (owner of Newbury Boatyard in Berkshire) was commissioned to build a houseboat. Work was completed as far as a large floating Tub, but the person never returned, and the tub remained moored in the boatyard unfinished. British Waterways spotted this large tub/vessel at Bill Fishers Yard and rented the tub from Bill to be used to carry the lock gates along the Kennet and Avon Canal to locks that were inaccessible by road. It’s also said that the Tub was used in the renewal of the 29 locks at the Cane Hill Flight in time for the opening by Queen Elizabeth in 1990.
Following British Waterway’s historic use of the Tub, Ray Brind (my dad) contacted Bill as he’d had an idea to build a floating tearoom on the canal, thereby giving a unique boat facility in the Tiverton Basin and at the same time its rentable space on the water would go to support Devon County Council in the upkeep of the Canal (win-win!). My dad purchased the tub from Bill, and in Newbury boat Yard set about building a roof with Ricky Brind (my brother) as he was working as a welder at that time and supported dad with this project. Once the basics of the roof have been established, it was time to crane the Tub onto a lorry and travel to Devon. The Tub was craned into the Grand Western Canal (picture) my dad can be seen riding inside the tub as it’s gently lowered down into the canal.
Fabrication work continued in the Tiverton Basin (pictures) until the Tea Barge was completed (pictures) and ready for launch in 1988. Pat Brind (my mum) was very involved in the finishing and the flowers (comment below if you remember this version of the Tea Barge).
Some years later the Tea Barge was then turned into the Barge Shop (comment below if you remember this version of the Barge Canal Shop)
In 2006 Jacquie & I purchased (from Mum & Dad) the Horse-Drawn Barge business that included the Barge Canal Shop. We had the idea of a specialist Pub/Bar and Artisan Coffee Shop on the Canal. So, we set to work, 100% stripping back the barge to the bare steel, then redesigned and rebuilt. Jacquie had the idea for the name, as ducks were always seen a dabbling, so the barge re-opened in 2008 as the Ducks Ditty Café Bar, in the centenary year of Kenneth Grahame’s Wind in the Willows.
In one way Jacquie and I are very sad to be leaving the Ducks, we’ve run it for over 15 years, and have made some great friends and memories, however we couldn’t have achieved this without the team behind the bar, including Bex (our daughter), so a big thank you to you all; and a big thank you goes out to everyone that’s enjoyed the very special place that is the Ducks Ditty Café Bar.
So we say goodbye and Welcome Aboard to Julie and Steve who will take the Ducks Ditty into 2025, we wish them both every success.
Best Wishes
Phil & Jacquie Brind xx
Tiverton Canal Co
ps:
We would also like to give special thanks to namely;
Dave Poxon, Martin & Wendy Disney, Simon Arm, Kevin Partridge, Jeff from Tolchards, Geoff form Marshfields, Richard & family from The Coffee Co
