A talk by Colin Richards

Those members ‘of a certain age’ will likely remember a radio jingle sung by the Ovaltinies , a group of young children promoting the benefits of the healthy beverage. It’s a product we don’t see on our TV screens these days. But in the mid-1920s it was much consumed, and the manufacturer, A. Wander Limited, established a factory beside the Grand Union Canal  at Kings Langley. Coal was required from the Warwickshire coalfields to feed the factory’s boilers, and this was initially delivered by contractors’ narrowboats. But in 1925 Wander commissioned their own narrowboat fleet. They were constructed at Walker’s Boatyard in Rickmansworth and, with their distinctive livery, became a common sight on the canals.

Colin will tell us about the Fleet’s history, its workers and what remains today of the boats and the factory.

[The photo shows motor narrow boat Mimas in Ovaltine livery – IWA collection – photographer unknown]