Tiverton’s horse-drawn barge business up for sale

A family-run heritage attraction, which is one of only two horse-drawn barges left in the country, has gone up for sale.

Owner of Tiverton Canal Company, Philip Brind, said the business had been operating in the Devon town for about 40 years but he and his wife were now considering retirement.

Mr Brind said he was hoping for a potential purchaser with “that love for horses and boats.”

If a buyer can’t be found, Mr Brind said he may be forced to liquidate the business, leaving the Grand Western Canal without such an attraction for the first time in decades.

Mr Brind said: “I think if you’ve got the love for both, it doesn’t matter if you’ve worked for horse drawn barge or not, the two go together very seamlessly actually.

“If nobody decides to buy it, then we will carry on for a certain amount of time.

“At the end of the day if it doesn’t sell then it would be a very sad situation of us liquidating the business.”

Councillor Steve Lodge said it would be a “real loss to the town” if the business couldn’t continue.

He said: “Everyone knows Tiverton and the Grand Western Canal for the barges.

“There’s enough here for people to spend the day and they don’t have to go into Tiverton but actually those fringe businesses in Tiverton do really benefit from people coming to the town.”