The Marjorie.R. was a canal barge built between 1946-47. It was operated for many years along the River Calder by Norman (pictured) delivering coal to local power stations. It was named after Marjorie the wife of one of the boat builders (pictured).
The barge was a burnt-out bare shell when Chris and Victoria Bonner found it abandoned in a boat yard in 2013. Chris and Vic bought and renovated the barge to create the Hold Fast bookshop which opened in November 2022. It is currently moored in Leeds docks. Hold Fast is a welcoming space with an outdoor seating area and brings character to the local area.
Chris a former boat taxi boatman undertook all the works himself- ‘At first, I suffered from imposter syndrome about doing the renovations myself. We couldn’t afford tradesmen so there was no choice but to do all the jobs ourselves. I ended up installing 26 port holes, spraying insulation foam internally and using scaffold planks to create internal walls.’
Chris - ‘I feel lucky and blessed to have had the boat in my life.’
Victoria - ‘From the age of 16 I left home and continually moved house. This was the first place that felt like my home. The boat has changed me in so many ways. It always feels calming here. I can’t imagine never having had this boat in my life’.
Chris and Vicky Bonner
Norman
Marjorie R
Marjorie R as a coal barge
