The Norfolk Wherry Trust is a

waterway society A waterway society is a society, association, charitable trust, club, trust or "Friends" group involved in the restoration, preservation, use and enjoyment of waterways, e.g. a canal, river, navigation or other waterway, and their associated ...

and UK registered charity number 1084156, based at Womack Water near

Ludham Ludham is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk, in the Norfolk Broads, at the end of a dyke leading to Womack Water and flowing into the River Thurne. It lies to the East of Ludham Bridge, which is on the River Ant. It cov ...

in the

Norfolk Broads Norfolk () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in East Anglia in England. It borders Lincolnshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the west and south-west, and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North ...

Norfolk Norfolk () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in East Anglia in England. It borders Lincolnshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the west and south-west, and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the No ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. The

Trust Trust often refers to: * Trust (social science), confidence in or dependence on a person or quality It may also refer to: Business and law * Trust law, a body of law under which one person holds property for the benefit of another * Trust (bus ...

keeps afloat ''Albion'', an example of the Norfolk trading wherry, so that she can be seen on the

river A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, sea, lake or another river. In some cases, a river flows into the ground and becomes dry at the end of its course without reaching another body of w ...

s and broads. ''Albion'' was built in 1898 - unusually - as a carvel wherry in

oak An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' (; Latin "oak tree") of the beech family, Fagaceae. There are approximately 500 extant species of oaks. The common name "oak" also appears in the names of species in related genera, notably ''L ...

on oak frames, by William Brighton, Lake Lothing, Suffolk (between

Oulton Broad Oulton Broad refers to both the lake and the suburb of Lowestoft in the English county of Suffolk. The suburb is located west of the centre of Lowestoft. It became a civil parish in 2017. It had an estimated population of 10,338 at the 2011 Uni ...

and Lowestoft) for Bungay maltsters W. D. and A. E. Walker. All other trading wherries in East Anglia were clinker built. ''Albions first load was

coal Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock, formed as rock strata called coal seams. Coal is mostly carbon with variable amounts of other elements, chiefly hydrogen, sulfur, oxygen, and nitrogen. Coal is formed when ...

from Lowestoft to Bungay. Wherry Albion Ludham

''Albion'' was bought by the

General Steam Navigation Company The General Steam Navigation Company (GSN), incorporated in 1824, was London's foremost short sea shipping line for almost 150 years. It was the oldest shipping company in the world to begin business with seagoing steam vessels. Foundation ...

in the 1930s, and later she became a

lighter A lighter is a portable device which creates a flame, and can be used to ignite a variety of items, such as cigarettes, gas lighter, fireworks, candles or campfires. It consists of a metal or plastic container filled with a flammable liquid or ...

until she was discovered by the Trust in 1949. In February 1949, a letter in the ''

Eastern Daily Press The ''Eastern Daily Press'' (''EDP'') is a regional newspaper covering Norfolk, northern parts of Suffolk and eastern Cambridgeshire, and is published daily in Norwich, UK. Founded in 1870 as a broadsheet called the ''Eastern Counties Daily P ...

'' suggested the formation of a trust to preserve a wherry. The fifty-year-old wherry ''Albion'' was then owned by

Colman's Colman's is an English manufacturer of mustard and other sauces, formerly based and produced for 160 years at Carrow, in Norwich, Norfolk. Owned by Unilever since 1995, Colman's is one of the oldest existing food brands, famous for a limited ra ...

Mustard factory and was moored at the company's works at Carrow Bridge in

Norwich Norwich () is a cathedral city and district of Norfolk, England, of which it is the county town. Norwich is by the River Wensum, about north-east of London, north of Ipswich and east of Peterborough. As the seat of the See of Norwich, with ...

. In October 1949, after

restoration Restoration is the act of restoring something to its original state and may refer to: * Conservation and restoration of cultural heritage ** Audio restoration ** Film restoration ** Image restoration ** Textile restoration * Restoration ecology ...

work, ''Albion'' sailed regularly from Great Yarmouth to

, carrying

timber Lumber is wood that has been processed into dimensional lumber, including beams and planks or boards, a stage in the process of wood production. Lumber is mainly used for construction framing, as well as finishing (floors, wall panels, w ...

or grain, and sugar beet from Surlingham to Cantley. However, freight alone could not sustain ''Albion'', and from 1961 she carried passengers. In 1981 the Trust acquired a base at Womack Water near Ludham. During 1997, the black-sailed ex-trader ''Albion'' carried a total of 648 persons; at any one time she can carry up to 12 people, plus skipper and mate.

External links

National Archives holdings about Norfolk Wherry Trust 1961-1974

National Historic Ships Register: ALBION, Certificate number 99

* [http://new.edp24.co.uk/content/news/obituaries/story.aspx?brand=EDPOnline&category=Obits&tBrand=EDPONLINE&tCategory=OBITS&itemid=NOED01%20Jul%202008%2015%3A11%3A00%3A947 Eastern Daily Press, 28 June 2008: Obituary Roy Clarke, Wherry campaigner, broadcaster, film producer, author]
Wherry Albion's website
Waterways organisations in England Boating associations Charities based in Norfolk Boat types {{water-transport-stub

See also

External links