Kilsby Boat Project awarded £210,000 by The National Lottery Heritage Fund to restore historic Oxford canal boat
Today, the Jericho Living Heritage Trust is delighted to announce an award of £210,000 from The National Lottery Heritage Fund to restore Kilsby, a canal boat built in 1912, and to relaunch it as an accessible floating hub for arts, heritage, and community activity on the Oxford Canal.
Kilsby has been in use on the inland waterways for 113 years, one of 24 originally commissioned by the canal-carrying company, Fellows Morton and Clayton, with a tiny back cabin providing living quarters for the family who navigated it. Having survived two world wars,
Kilsby eventually became a residential boat in Oxford city centre. Most historic boats of this calibre remain in private ownership. This funding not only secures the vessel’s heritage, but supports a future in which it is readily accessed and cared for by the community. Volunteers, individual donors, local businesses, civic leaders, and charities have made generous and ongoing contributions in cash and kind since 2019, when Kilsby was donated to the trust in a salvageable but uninhabitable condition.
This funding will bring Kilsby back into active use, offering opportunities for people of all ages and backgrounds to engage with canal heritage in whatever way is most meaningful for them. With the support of volunteers, local schools, and community groups, the programme will include boat trips, festivals, creative workshops, performing arts, and heritage skills training.
Mark Davies, Chair of the Jericho Living Heritage Trust, said:
“We are delighted to receive this award from The National Lottery Heritage Fund. It will provide us with the means to emphasise the historical importance of the Oxford Canal to the city, including to the University, and to Jericho in particular. The grant will enable Kilsby to bring that little-appreciated story alive for future generations.”
Stuart McLeod, Director of England - London & South at The National Lottery Heritage Fund, said:
“We’re proud to support the restoration of Kilsby, a remarkable piece of Oxford’s canal heritage. Thanks to National Lottery players, this project will not only preserve an important historic vessel but also create a hub for the community to connect with the local heritage on their doorstep.”
Steph Pirrie, Jericho Living Heritage Trustee and Project Lead for The Kilsby Boat Project, said:
“Kilsby has really captured people’s imagination, and for me this is what living heritage is all about - not just restoring a boat, but giving people the chance to be part of something. We want to keep the heritage of the waterways alive in exciting and meaningful ways that build knowledge, skills and community.”
Tish Francis, Kilsby Project Team Volunteer, said:
“I am thrilled to hear that the vision behind this project, and the great voluntary effort that has sustained it thus far, has been recognised by the NHLF with this award. I look forward to voyaging through Kilsby’s stories - real and imagined - and to re-donning my overalls when “hands onboard” are called for!”
Notes to editors
About the Jericho Living Heritage Trust and Kilsby Boat Project
Founded in 2012, the Jericho Living Heritage Trust works to protect, celebrate, and share the heritage of the Oxford suburb of Jericho and its neighbourhood, including Oxford’s canal and riverside communities. Through projects such as the restoration of the Kilsby canal boat, the Trust promotes access to heritage, supports community engagement, and creates opportunities for learning, skills development, and cultural activity. It is registered charity No. 1126723.
Further information
For further information, images and interviews please contact:
Enquiries to Sophie Stanley at Jericho Living Heritage Trust on communications@jlht.org
About The National Lottery Heritage Fund
Our vision is for heritage to be valued, cared for and sustained for everyone, now and in the future. That’s why as the largest funder for the UK’s heritage we are dedicated to supporting projects that connect people and communities to heritage, as set out in our strategic plan, Heritage 2033. Heritage can be anything from the past that people value and want to pass on to future generations. We believe in the power of heritage to ignite the imagination, offer joy and inspiration, and to build pride in place and connection to the past. Over the next 10 years, we aim to invest £3.6billion raised for good causes by National Lottery players to make a decisive difference for people, places and communities.
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