Mossdale and Oakdale, two surviving Mersey Flats

Mossdale
This vessel was built in circa 1863 and her hull is of carvel construction (planks flush, not overlapping) of oak, elm and pitch pine. She was mainly used to carry grain between Liverpool, Runcorn, Birkenhead and Manchester, as well as carrying grain to flour mills at Ellesmere Port, Cheshire. Originally named Ruby, she was renamed Mossdale when Abel & Sons of Runcorn, Cheshire, bought her in the 1930s. They extensively rebuilt and deepened her to obtain the maximum load for a minimum displacement. She was found abandoned at Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, in 1970 and is now preserved in the Boat Museum at Ellesmere Port.

Oakdale
This vessel was built in 1951 by Richard Abel & Sons of Runcorn, and her hull is of composite construction (wood and steel), with a Lister HA3 diesel engine. She spent her working life on the rivers Mersey and Weaver and was mainly used to carry grain. She was built to a design similar to those built by Abels in the 1850s. Oakdale has been restored and is now a bed-and-breakfast houseboat.

*Duddon Estuary is a sandy estuary lying between Morecambe Bay and the West Cumbrian coast.

Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, c1930. Two Mersey Flats are moored by the wharf on the left and a flour mill stands in the background.	Bridgewater Canal, Runcorn, Cheshire, 1910. A Mersey Flat is in the foreground on the left.