One of Britain’s last horse-drawn barge businesses is up for sale as its owners Phil and Jacquie Brind prepare for retirement.
The Tiverton Canal Co, an award-winning family-run business and heritage attraction in Mid Devon, has been operating for over 40 years.
Based on the Grand Western Canal in Tiverton, the company holds sole passenger-carrying rights for the length of the canal, operating from the historic Lime Kiln Wharf and canal basin.
The Brind family has overseen the business since the mid-1980s, with Phil and Jacquie taking ownership in 2005 from Phil’s father.
Over the years, heavy horses including Shires, Clydesdales and a Welsh section D x Shire named ‘Taffy’, who featured in the BBC Countryfile calendar in 2012, have pulled the barges.
Staff wear traditional period clothing to reflect the heritage of the barge experience.
“It’s been very important to Jacq and I to be seen as a ‘true’ horse-drawn living heritage attraction, with the request that all our team wear old-fashioned clothing,” said Phil.
New owners sought
The business is for sale with a leasehold price of £425,000 and will continue running until a new owner is found.
Phil explained that the priority is “finding the right person” to safeguard the attraction’s future.
He reiterated that the only reason for the sale is due to retirement and wanted to thank all those who have visited.
“We wish to say a big thank you for your support over the years, and may the horse-drawn barge continue for many years to come.”
The sale, which is being handled by business sales specialists Everett Masson and Furby, includes two horses, George — a 15-year-old Welsh cob — and Brindley, a seven-year-old Shire.
The pair are to be sold with all associated tack and equipment, including a 70-foot horse-drawn barge, licensed to carry up to 80 people.
