Saturn is a canal “Fly Boat” (express delivery boat), built by the Shropshire Union Railways & Canal Company in 1906. She has been restored to her original working condition and is now both an outdoor classroom for schools and an 'eye-opening' historical experience for adults.
Saturn's history is fascinating - & you could be part of her future!
Saturn - a concise history
- Saturn was built 1906 in Chester for the Shropshire Union Railways & Canal Company.
- Entirely wooden construction – oak sides, elm bottoms.
- Horse-drawn she would usually carry between 12 and 16 tons
- Worked on the Llangollen Canal in the early 20th century
- Only surviving Shropshire Union fly-boat in original condition
- Saturn specialised in carrying cheese from Cheshire and North Shropshire to Manchester
- Saturn remained a horse-drawn cargo boat into the 1950s, by then working around the Wolverhampton area
- Mid 1950s to 1980s she was converted to work as a hotel boat
- Fully restored in 2005. To see more about her Restoration click here.
- She is now run by The Saturn Project, a trust whose volunteers present her as a travelling education resource and heritage attraction.