Water Gypsies: A History of Life on Britain’s Rivers and Canals

A complete historical chronicle of living afloat on Britain’s waterways. For centuries, living afloat on Britain’s waterways has been a rich part of the fabric of our social history, from the fisher-folk of ancient Britain to the bohemian houseboat dwellers of the 1950s and beyond. Yet remarkably a complete history of the houseboat has never been written. In this fascinating chronicle, Julian Dutton
who was born and grew up on a houseboat - traces the evolution of boat-dwelling from an industrial phenomenon in the heyday of the canals to the rise of life afloat as an alternative lifestyle in post-war Britain. Drawing from diaries and personal accounts, Water Gypsies is both a vivid narrative of a unique way of life, and a valuable addition to social history. AUTHOR: Julian Dutton was born and grew up on a Chelsea houseboat. He has worked as a writer & actor for over 30 years, mainly in TV & Radio script-writing and performing, and has won a BAFTA, a British Comedy Award, and a Radio Academy Gold Award. Among his credits is the BBC2/Netflix comedy Pompidou, which he created & performed with Matt Lucas. He has written articles for the Sunday Times, the Independent on Sunday, and the London Evening Standard. 100 b/w illustrations