Wey Barges

The Wey barge was a specialised vessel, designed for the specific conditions of the navigation. Narrower and shorter than Thames barges, with a shallow draught to navigate the river's depth, they were built at Dapdune Wharf from the 17th century until the last one launched in 1935.

These were working boats, not pleasure craft. They carried 80 tons of cargo--timber, grain, flour, coal--moved by horse power along the towpath or by punt poles in the hands of skilled bargemen. A trip from Guildford to London took about two days downstream, longer against the current.

The Reliance

Only one Wey barge survives: the Reliance, built at Dapdune Wharf in 1931 and now restored and on display at the same site. You can climb aboard, see the spartan accommodation where bargemen lived, and understand the scale of these working vessels.

The Reliance continued commercial work into the 1960s, one of the last working boats on the navigation. Her preservation is a direct link to the river's industrial past.

See the barges

Dapdune Wharf is open from March to November, Thursday to Monday. The Reliance is there year-round, though interior access depends on volunteer availability. The site also includes the former barge-building workshop, smithy, and stables.