This weeks Tiny House in a Landscape is of a narrowboat somewhere in Great Britain. I had the opportunity to see several of these a couple years ago while we explored rural England. Wikipedia defines a narrow boat: A narrowboat or narrow boat is a boat of a distinctive design, made to fit the narrow canals of Great Britain.
Modern “narrowboats” are used for recreation and more and more as homes, whose design is an interpretation of the old boats for modern purposes using modern materials.
Because of their slenderness, some narrowboats seem very long. The maximum length is about 72 feet (22 m), the length of most locks on the narrow canals. However, modern narrowboats tend to be shorter than this, so that they can cruise anywhere on the connected network of British canals – including on the “wide” canals (built for wider, but shorter, boats).
To see what it is like to live on a narrowboat visit Dominique’s Narrow Boat, and watch the video below by Kirsten.
Would have loved to see picture of the inside of some of these narrow boat homes.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2176938/Homemade-U-Boat-sails-English-canal-goes-sale-30-000.html
I found this and thought it was cool and would make a unique floating house.
Great way to live. I wonder how they get rid of sewage etc.
7×50 is 350 square feet.
That’s palacial by tiny house standards.
If I were to build one, I might design it to fit in a standard 40′ shipping container so I could cruise the canals of the world.
Her comment that “It’s good to have a bit of hardship” rang true for me. Having been boat-dwellers for twenty-three years We’ve faced the challenges of having to use a laundromat, a toilet that requires pumping out, limited storage, issues that come with moisture and movement. We’ve been out budking winds in many late night winter storms securing lines. It’s all been balanced, though, by the joy of sunrises and sunsets on the water out our windows, the pleasure of a diverse and intersting community, and the coziness of the space in which we live. We feel like it’s a quiet cocoon in the midst of a major city. We’ve always considered out boat as providing us with a lifestyle rather than just a place to live.
We agree. The gentle rocking at night, especially when swinging on the hook in a lovely harbor, is worth all the rest.
She truly is into the Bohemian lifestyle. I really appreciate her originality and innovativeness. Now this is what I call “sustainable living” in the truest sense.
So how about electricity? Given that it’s floating and the water can hold up the weight, battery power is feasible.
I like the idea of a boat like that, but there aren’t too many places in the world where one can build and have them. Even on a lake, wind and waves might topple one, never mind the ocean.
Are there special rules on mooring and travel in British canals? I wonder how other municipalities would handle them, or if they would allow them. Living on a river might be legislated against the same way as claiming land in the wilderness isn’t allowed.
My best friend and her British-born husband left British Columbia a few years ago to retire on a narrowboat in England. They took their two cats with them, and all are happy aboard their floating home.
One of these days I hope to get over there to visit them.
K
I loved this. I live on a houseboat in FL and would much rather have a narrow boat.Of course they were not built for salt water.
Absolutely lovely boathouse! Being a constant PBS viewer, it did not take me long to recognize her. It’s wonderful to see British actors living like real people. I’m also happy someone so young has such a deep appreciation of history, antiques and relics with a life force all their own; now that thought makes me pine for an episode of Lovejoy!
I listened to Emma Thompson today on an NPR interview telling her story of how she has lived her entire life on the same street, now directly acroos the street from her mother and so close to her other relatives. Good for them.
I appreciate, cause I found just what I was looking for. You’ve ended my 4 day long hunt!
God Bless you man. Have a nice day. Bye