Articles / Dragonfly Boat | WBCT Illustrated History

Dragonfly Boat

The Wilts & Berks canal magazine ‘Dragonfly’ was named after a boat

Issue 1, November 1977:
"Our journal is named after the steam inspection launches of HR de Salis, deputy chairman of F.M.C* at the time. The second launch had many connections with W & B, being photographed in the locks at Ardington and Latton Basin. It was built at Abingdon in 1895 and its engine boiler built at Wantage"
* Fellows, Morton & Clayton

A set of glass slides held by Swindon Library shows ‘Dragonfly’ had passed along the Wilts & Berks Canal and North Wilts Canal in 1895, they don’t show ‘Dragonfly’ to the south-west of Swindon, although there is proof that it travelled along the entire canal.

H R de Salis’ book called the ‘Chronology of Inland Navigation’ was published in 1897, and at the back of the book Mr de Salis listed the journeys he had made on the inland waterways, perhaps to show his extensive knowledge. The table shows that ‘Dragonfly’ traversed the Wilts & Berks and North Wilts canals up to three times.

Image credit: Local Studies, Swindon Central Library. c1895, Longcot Bottom Lock

Image credit: Local Studies, Swindon Central Library. c1895, North Wilts canal, Latton Stop Lock & Toll House, Latton Basin

Image credit: Local Studies, Swindon Central Library. c1895, North Wilts canal, Latton Stop Lock & Toll House

Image credit: Local Studies, Swindon Central Library. c1895, Canal at basin, taken from Steventon lock, looking towards Cow common bridge.

Image credit: Local Studies, Swindon Central Library. c1895, Canal at basin, taken from Steventon lock, looking towards Cow common bridge.
AI image to video

Image credit: Local Studies, Swindon Central Library. c1895, Somewhere near Shrivenham, Geolocation estimated

Image credit: Local Studies, Swindon Central Library. c1895, North Wilts canal, drawbridge between Cricklade & Latton, Geolocation estimated

Image credit: Local Studies, Swindon Central Library. c1895, Drawbridge above Longcot Top Lock, Geolocation estimated

Image credit: Local Studies, Swindon Central Library. c1895, North Wilts canal, aqueduct over The River Thames

Image credit: Local Studies, Swindon Central Library. c1895, North Wilts Canal, River Thames just above the aqueduct

Image credit: Local Studies, Swindon Central Library. c1895, Steventon Lock and Tailbridge, near Abingdon,

Image credit: Wikimedia Henry Rodolph de Salis launch Dragonfly as seen in The Engineer of 8 November 1895

Image credit: HathiTrust Chronology of Inland Navigation in Great Britain, Compiled from various sources by Henry Rodolph De Salis, Page 124.

Image credit: RCHS. 1896, North Wilts Canal. Latton. Steam passenger barge. This is one of the steam boats used by de Salis compiling Bradshaw's, probably Dragonfly.