Kilsby Boat Project

11/10/2026

Take a look at this is our new stern being made by hand - she’s starting to literally take shape before our eyes! Thanks you to David Kemp for keeping a record and posting the is film! We are off to visit on the 7th November to see her in person. Pics will follow. But in the meantime it’s really exciting to see the progress!

A big thank you to The and the players for making this possible

The Kilsby Boat Project is made possible with The National Lottery Heritage Fund. Thanks to National Lottery players, we have been able to secure the rebuild and restoration of this historic boat, engaging volunteers comprehensively in the process of repurposing Kilsby for sustainable and accessible community use.

08/10/2026

Worrying times for Oxfordshire’s historic boatyard and dry dock.

Banbury’s historic Tooley’s Boatyard, which is approaching its 250th anniversary, is appealing for donations to help restore Hardy, a wooden narrowboat in urgent need of repair.

03/10/2026

Thank you to everyone who came out to the Canal Festival to say hello to the Kilsby Boat Project crew and had a go at making poems and shadow puppets. A special thank you to our gorgeous volunteers, especially the tent wranglers! We had a great day!

A big thank you to The and the players for making this possible

The Kilsby Boat Project is made possible with The National Lottery Heritage Fund. Thanks to National Lottery players, we have been able to secure the rebuild and restoration of this historic boat, engaging volunteers comprehensively in the process of repurposing Kilsby for sustainable and accessible community use.

03/10/2026

-- Revealed! Full performance timetables for Banbury Canal Festival 2026 --

The Banbury Canal Festival starts TOMORROW - Saturday 3rd until Sunday 4th October, 11:00 - 17:00 both days!

Need to know what's on, when on the Banbury Canal Festival site? 👀 We've got you covered!

Every year Banbury Music Mix Radio and The Mill Arts Centre work with Banbury Town Council to put on a wide array of incredible acts, and we're really looking forward to this year's fantastic selection! Do you recognise any names? 🎼🎭

For a full guide to this year's festival, you can pick up a leaflet from Banbury Town Hall, Castle Quay's information desk, and of course throughout the site on the day of the festival!

03/10/2026

Look what our lovely friends, the Three Idle Women, have been up to in Margate. Give them good acoustics and you’ll get a free concert!

16/09/2026

🚢🌊⭐️ Banbury Canal Festival 2026 - Saturday 3rd & Sunday 4th October ⭐️🌊🚢

⏰When: 3rd & 4th October 2026, 11:00am - 5:00pm (both days)
📍Where: Banbury Town Centre, along the canal beside Castle Quay and The Mill Arts Centre

What to Expect:
⭐️ Canal Boat Rides - Take tours up and down the length of the festival!
⭐️ See a Range of Canal Boats - From the 'Village Butty' to the 'Dancing Duck', there will be multiple boats to see on the water!
⭐️ Live Theatre Performances - The Mill Arts Centre is providing an exciting lineup of performers!
⭐️ Music Stage - Entertaining acts representing a number of genres courtesy of Banbury Music Mix Radio!

Banbury Town Council is once again working with valued town partners including The Mill Arts Centre, Castle Quay, Banbury, Banbury Museum & Gallery, Tooley's Boatyard Trust Canal & River Trust, lock29.banbury, Banbury Music Mix Radio and more to bring you a true celebration of Banbury's Canal, which has run through the town since 1778!

15/09/2026

The fabulous Oxford Canal festival is on this Saturday 19th Sept. It’s a brilliant free community festival with SO much going on- live music, arts & crafts, fun dog show, storytelling tent, children’s canal olympics, cinema, canal walks, boat trips and lots more.
We’ll be playing at 3pm and we recommend that you check out all that’s happening on their website below. See ya there…..

https://f.mtr.cool/8ig3nud3f5

06/07/2026

16/06/2026

How do you start a creative project?

We’ve started with Roving Bridges, a get-together for anyone who wants to join in. We meet and share stories about our wild and wonderful waterways.

During our first session last week, the tales were coming thick and fast, and we were all feeling a bit inspired by the colourful history of the Oxford canal.

What next then? How can we take all this inspiration and make something - together?

The plan is to write a song. The plan might change of course. But we have the vision, and we have a few ukuleles….and next year we will have narrowboat Kilsby to sing it on!

Watch this space for the next Roving Bridges session - and please join us.

The Kilsby Boat Project is made possible with The National Lottery Heritage Fund . Thanks to National Lottery players, we have been able to secure the rebuild and restoration of this historic boat, engaging volunteers comprehensively in the process of repurposing Kilsby for sustainable and accessible community use.

08/06/2026

Kilsby volunteers are organising an event at MakeSpace on Thursday 11th June, from 7:00pm. It would be lovely to see you there.

Come and share your experiences and stories of rivers and canals - and then we'll collectively start making poems, songs or stories inspired by the events that people have described.

Give or take inspiration (hopefully both), and enjoy a warm creative evening with nice people who want to chat about towpaths, narrowboats, and life on and beside the water.

There is no need to book, but please arrive by 7:15 to avoid disrupting the session.

Hot drinks and biscuits provided.

Give us a shout at [email protected] if you have any questions or accessibility needs.

A big thank you to The and the players for making this possible

The Kilsby Boat Project is made possible with The National Lottery Heritage Fund. Thanks to National Lottery players, we have been able to secure the rebuild and restoration of this historic boat, engaging volunteers comprehensively in the process of repurposing Kilsby for sustainable and accessible community use.