Kilsby Boat Project

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Kilsby Boat Project

We are restoring and repurposing Kilsby, a 1913 butty as an accessible trip boat and space for story telling, music and the arts.

Check out our new you tibe channel at www.youtube.com/jericholivingheritagetrust

13/12/2025

Another piece of the Kilsby puzzle. Building a detailed picture of the life of a canal boat that has been floating around the UK inland waterways for 112 years is a knotty task! We are very grateful to Colin Brace for sharing this photo with us. Colin is from a boating family, and the picture shows his grandfather John Henry Brace, the steerer. Kilsby was originally a butty boat, meaning it was towed along by another boat (motorised or horse drawn). At the time this picture was taken Kilsby was paired with a boat called Pilot. If you have any more pieces of the Kilsby puzzle please get in touch. These are the details that illuminate the history embedded in Kilsby's old hull, and get us all excited about the future of the boat!

19/11/2025

Happy 31st Birthday to The National Lottery, and thanks to National Lottery Players!

we'll be reviving historic canal boat Kilsby, bringing this floating piece of history into community service, and inviting the people of Oxford to take an active part in transforming it into an accessible hub for creativity, connectivity, and the celebration of our waterways heritage.

Happy Crossed Finger Selfie Day!

17/11/2025

WE’RE HIRING - JOIN OUR CREW!

Following the recent award of £210,000 from The National Lottery Heritage Fund we’re looking for a Heritage Project Manager to help steer The Kilsby Boat Project, an inspiring community heritage initiative transforming a 1912 canal boat into a floating creative and cultural hub. You’ll coordinate plans, people, and partnerships; support volunteers; and help share the story of Kilsby’s revival across Oxford’s waterways.

If you love bringing people together, shaping ideas, and making community heritage come alive, we’d love to hear from you!

🕰️ Part-time freelance role – 6 days/month
📅 Fixed term: 2 years from Jan 2026
📍 Based in Jericho, Oxford (remote flexibility)
💰 Fee: circa £20–23K

Find out more + apply by 26 November 2025:
👉 www.kilsbyboatproject.com/opportunities

Supported by
Thanks to players 💙

31/10/2025

The Jericho Living Heritage Trust is delighted to announce that The Kilsby Boat Project has been awarded support from The National Lottery Heritage Fund , thanks to National Lottery players! 🎉

This marks an exciting new chapter for Kilsby as we bring her back to life as an accessible floating hub for arts, heritage and community activity on the Oxford Canal.

Find out more at www.kilsbyboatproject.com

22/07/2025

A brief step back in time reminder of this lovely musical boatie film we made, thanks all!

21/02/2025

The Kilsby project team were very lucky to visit the community-led Birdswood Canal Boat and meet Kerry and Hugh. This is a really inspiring project. We loved the serene and beautiful trip on the Cromford Canal right next to the Derwent Valley Mills, a UNESCO world heritage site renowned as the birthplace of the modern factory system and the Industrial Revolution. Birdswood is powered by an electronic motor and clever hydraulic system so it is kind to the environment and also retains the original butty cabin for visitors to enjoy.! Thanks team Birdswood we hope to reciprocate when kilsby is on the water. heritage canal

11/02/2025

Woohoo visit to the Pirate Castle with the Kilsby team. Great to see how the Pirate Prince is welcoming everyone aboard. Thanks to Andrew and Kal for making us feel so welcome and showing us how it all works.

10/02/2025

Thanks to Andrew and Kal for showing us around their brilliant boat and project Thepiratecastle.org. Great to see how the Pirate prince is welcoming everyone aboard. We loved seeing how the cabin wheelchair lift worked, lots of I spiration for the Kilsby project! the The Pirate Castle

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Oxford

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http://www.kilsbyboatproject.com/

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