A family business chalks up 75 years on the river Great Ouse. Ian Jackson, of the Great Ouse Valley Trust, has the story.
When Laurie Jones and his wife Nora converted a wartime landing craft into a houseboat on the banks of the Great Ouse on the meadows at Hartford in 1946, they must have had an inkling that the river offered an opportunity for their future. The 1947 floods surely tested their resolve but, undaunted, they rented a cowshed, previously used as a fire station, and established a business hiring out punts, converting lifeboats and building other assorted river craft. From this humble beginning it is wonderful to now acknowledge that Jones’ Boatyard, a third generation family business, is believed to be the oldest inland marina, brokerage and chandlery in the country!
In 1958 the couple and young family acquired a disused gravel pit alongside St Ives Lock and, after subduing the overgrown thorny wilderness, they built a workshop with living accommodation above, and established moorings. This is still the site of the business today. Back then, and along with a small hire fleet of three boats, Laurie designed and built motor cruisers assisted by son Mick. Later, throughout the 70s, Mick became a boat builder in his own right and his skills can still be admired today in three craft – now classics - that continue to grace the river – Tangle, Fair Wind and Eastmoor, each with a proud owner!
In 2005 Mick’s sons, Ben and Sam, became the third generation to join the yard. They soon set about modernising the moorings and expanding the business by adding a new separate marina just below the lock. This has been done sensitively with landscaped banks planted with characteristic riverside flora that now attracts a wealth of wildlife.
The enduring success of this family firm of course reflects the booming interest in the recreational opportunities offered by the river, and the beauty of the Great Ouse Valley itself, but it is also a testament to an exceptional record for customer service. And as Partner Members of the Trust we are pleased to have the support of LH Jones and Son for the work we do in promoting and protecting the Ouse Valley landscape.
The Jones family celebrates the company achievement. Mick and Carol his wife are centre right, with Ben centre and Sam to his right, surrounded by grandsons and granddaughters – a new generation in waiting perhaps. Photograph by Gilly Jackson
The Great Ouse Valley Trust promotes for public benefit the conservation, restoration and enjoyment of the landscape, wildlife and heritage of the Great Ouse Valley and environs in the county of Cambridgeshire. For more information about the Trust please visit:
