Tales from the water front!

An unusual water 'happening' took place in 1614, when eccentric Thames ferryman named John Taylor, who called himself the ‘water poet’, made an extraordinary journey from London to Queenborough in a paper boat.

The boat was made of hempseed paper, varnished with the same varnish people would have used on wooden boats in the 17th century. The oars were two giant dried fish strapped to two canes. Taylor turned his time in his paper boat into a poem called:

'In Praise of Hempseed, or the voyage of Mr Roger Bird and the writer hearof in a boat made of Browne-Paper'.

The paper boat record set by John Taylor was the world's oldest surviving maritime record, and stood as the world-record distance travelled in a paper boat until Tim Higham broke it for Comic Relief in 2003.

Under the bridge and over the bridge

What's this about bridges in Bradford on Avon? Not a lot.
'Under the bridge and over the bridge' is in fact a classic move within the game of fivestones. Bags of fivestones with full instructions will be on sale during the Arts Festival.

The Bradford On Avon (BOA) Arts Festival 2010

Friday 17 to Sunday 26 September 2010:

The BIG Splash:

Themed round water and the river, this year's festival has some great events planned. They'll be taking place in different venues and open spaces around BOA. Full programme currently being finalised.

First date down - The BIG Splash launch:
Friday 17th - The River of Light Sculpture Garden.

Watch this space!