Thames Barge
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A Thames sailing barge is a type of commercial
sailing boat A sailboat or sailing boat is a boat propelled partly or entirely by sails and is smaller than a sailing ship. Distinctions in what constitutes a sailing boat and ship vary by region and maritime culture. Types Although sailboat terminology ...
once common on the
River Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the The Isis, River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the Longest rivers of the United Kingdom, se ...
in
London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
. The flat-bottomed
barge Barge nowadays generally refers to a flat-bottomed inland waterway vessel which does not have its own means of mechanical propulsion. The first modern barges were pulled by tugs, but nowadays most are pushed by pusher boats, or other vessels ...
s with a shallow draught and
leeboard A leeboard is a form of pivoting keel used by a sailboat largely and very often in lieu of a fixed keel. Typically mounted in pairs on each side of a hull, leeboards function much like a centreboard, allowing shallow-draft craft to ply waters f ...
s, were perfectly adapted to the
Thames Estuary The Thames Estuary is where the River Thames meets the waters of the North Sea, in the south-east of Great Britain. Limits An estuary can be defined according to different criteria (e.g. tidal, geographical, navigational or in terms of salini ...
, with its shallow waters and narrow tributary rivers. The larger barges were seaworthy vessels, and were the largest sailing vessel to be handled by just two men. The average size was about 120 tons and they carried of canvas sail in six working sails. The
mainsail A mainsail is a sail rigged on the main mast of a sailing vessel. * On a square rigged vessel, it is the lowest and largest sail on the main mast. * On a fore-and-aft rigged vessel, it is the sail rigged aft of the main mast. The sail's foot ...
was loose-footed and set up with a
sprit The spritsail is a four-sided, fore-and-aft sail that is supported at its highest points by the mast and a diagonally running spar known as the sprit. The foot of the sail can be stretched by a boom or held loose-footed just by its sheets. A spr ...
, and was
brail Brails, in a sailing ship, are small lines used to haul in or up the edges (leeches) or corners of sails, before furling.''Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary'', 1913. On a ship rig, these brails are most often found on the mizzen sail. T ...
ed to the mast when not needed. It is sheeted to a
horse The horse (''Equus ferus caballus'') is a domesticated, one-toed, hoofed mammal. It belongs to the taxonomic family Equidae and is one of two extant subspecies of ''Equus ferus''. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million y ...
, as is the
foresail A foresail is one of a few different types of sail set on the foremost mast (''foremast'') of a sailing vessel: * A fore-and-aft sail set on the foremast of a schooner or similar vessel. * The lowest square sail on the foremast of a full-rig ...
; they require no attention when tacking. The foresail is often held back by the mate to help the vessel come about more swiftly. The
topsail A topsail ("tops'l") is a sail set above another sail; on square-rigged vessels further sails may be set above topsails. Square rig On a square rigged vessel, a topsail is a typically trapezoidal shaped sail rigged above the course sail and ...
was usually first sail on and last sail off, being fixed to the topmast by hoops. In the upper reaches of the rivers and constricted harbours it reached into the clear air, and when approaching a berth casting off the halliard would drop it immediately killing the forward drive. The
mizzen The mast of a sailing vessel is a tall spar, or arrangement of spars, erected more or less vertically on the centre-line of a ship or boat. Its purposes include carrying sails, spars, and derricks, and giving necessary height to a navigation ligh ...
boom in a mulie is sheeted down to the long shallow rudder. The masts are mounted in
tabernacle According to the Hebrew Bible, the tabernacle ( he, מִשְׁכַּן, mīškān, residence, dwelling place), also known as the Tent of the Congregation ( he, link=no, אֹהֶל מוֹעֵד, ’ōhel mō‘ēḏ, also Tent of Meeting, etc.), ...
s so they can be lowered to pass under bridges; the anchor windlass is used to lower and raise the gear via triple blocks. This takes considerable effort and to aid in the process 'hufflers' were often used. They would come on board to help with lowering and raising the gear (for a fee). The bowsprit where fitted could be 'topped', helping where space was limited. The river barges worked the London River and the Port of London. Cut barges were smaller so they could pass into the Regent's and
Surrey canal Surrey Canal is an area in inner south east London, situated 2 miles south of Tower Bridge, which was formerly home to a section of the Grand Surrey Canal. It is formed by the meeting point of three districts: Bermondsey, Deptford and New Cross. ...
s. The larger estuary barges were seaworthy craft working the
Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...
and
Essex Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and G ...
coasts while coasters also traded much further afield, to the north of
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 South Coast, the
Bristol Channel The Bristol Channel ( cy, Môr Hafren, literal translation: "Severn Sea") is a major inlet in the island of Great Britain, separating South Wales from Devon and Somerset in South West England. It extends from the lower estuary of the River Seve ...
and to continental European ports. Cargoes varied enormously:
brick A brick is a type of block used to build walls, pavements and other elements in masonry construction. Properly, the term ''brick'' denotes a block composed of dried clay, but is now also used informally to denote other chemically cured cons ...
s,
cement A cement is a binder, a chemical substance used for construction that sets, hardens, and adheres to other materials to bind them together. Cement is seldom used on its own, but rather to bind sand and gravel ( aggregate) together. Cement mix ...
,
hay Hay is grass, legumes, or other herbaceous plants that have been cut and dried to be stored for use as animal fodder, either for large grazing animals raised as livestock, such as cattle, horses, goats, and sheep, or for smaller domesticat ...
,
rubbish Rubbish may refer to: *Waste *Garbage * ''Rubbish'' (magazine), a fashion magazine * ''Rubbish'' (radio series), a British radio series *"Rubbish", a song by Carter the Unstoppable Sex Machine *An adjective which is colloquially used in British En ...
,
sand Sand is a granular material composed of finely divided mineral particles. Sand has various compositions but is defined by its grain size. Sand grains are smaller than gravel and coarser than silt. Sand can also refer to a textural class of s ...
,
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 dea ...
,
grain A grain is a small, hard, dry fruit (caryopsis) – with or without an attached hull layer – harvested for human or animal consumption. A grain crop is a grain-producing plant. The two main types of commercial grain crops are cereals and legum ...
and
gunpowder Gunpowder, also commonly known as black powder to distinguish it from modern smokeless powder, is the earliest known chemical explosive. It consists of a mixture of sulfur, carbon (in the form of charcoal) and potassium nitrate (saltpeter). ...
. Timber, bricks and hay were stacked on the deck, while cement and grain was carried loose in the hold. They could sail low in the water, even with their gunwales beneath the surface. They sailed the
Medway Medway is a unitary authority district and conurbation in Kent, South East England. It had a population of 278,016 in 2019. The unitary authority was formed in 1998 when Rochester-upon-Medway amalgamated with the Borough of Gillingham to for ...
and Thames in a ponderous way for two hundred years; then in the 1860s a series of barge races were started, and the barges' design improved as vessels were built with better lines in order to win. The Thames barge races are the world's second oldest sailing competition, second to the
America's Cup The America's Cup, informally known as the Auld Mug, is a trophy awarded in the sport of sailing. It is the oldest international competition still operating in any sport. America's Cup match races are held between two sailing yachts: one f ...
.


Build and rigging

The vast majority of barges were
wood Wood is a porous and fibrous structural tissue found in the stems and roots of trees and other woody plants. It is an organic materiala natural composite of cellulose fibers that are strong in tension and embedded in a matrix of lignin th ...
en
hulled Husk (or hull) in botany is the outer shell or coating of a seed. In the United States, the term husk often refers to the leafy outer covering of an ear of maize (corn) as it grows on the plant. Literally, a husk or hull includes the protective ...
(although a significant number of later barges were also built in
steel Steel is an alloy made up of iron with added carbon to improve its strength and fracture resistance compared to other forms of iron. Many other elements may be present or added. Stainless steels that are corrosion- and oxidation-resistant ty ...
), between long with a
beam Beam may refer to: Streams of particles or energy *Light beam, or beam of light, a directional projection of light energy **Laser beam *Particle beam, a stream of charged or neutral particles **Charged particle beam, a spatially localized grou ...
of around . The hull form was as distinctive as their rig, being flat-bottomed with no external keel. There is a degree of flare to the sides and plumb ends. The stern was a
transom Transom may refer to: * Transom (architecture), a bar of wood or stone across the top of a door or window, or the window above such a bar * Transom (nautical), that part of the stern of a vessel where the two sides of its hull meet * Operation Tran ...
, shaped like a section through a champagne glass, on which was hung a large rudder. The hull was mainly a hold with two small living areas in the bow and stern, and access was through two large hatchways, the smaller before the main mast and a much larger aperture behind. To prevent her unwanted (sideways) passage to the lee, are two massive pivoted
leeboard A leeboard is a form of pivoting keel used by a sailboat largely and very often in lieu of a fixed keel. Typically mounted in pairs on each side of a hull, leeboards function much like a centreboard, allowing shallow-draft craft to ply waters f ...
s. They were usually
spritsail The spritsail is a four-sided, fore-and-aft sail that is supported at its highest points by the mast and a diagonally running spar known as the sprit. The foot of the sail can be stretched by a boom or held loose-footed just by its sheets. A spr ...
rigged on two masts. Most had a
topsail A topsail ("tops'l") is a sail set above another sail; on square-rigged vessels further sails may be set above topsails. Square rig On a square rigged vessel, a topsail is a typically trapezoidal shaped sail rigged above the course sail and ...
above the huge
mainsail A mainsail is a sail rigged on the main mast of a sailing vessel. * On a square rigged vessel, it is the lowest and largest sail on the main mast. * On a fore-and-aft rigged vessel, it is the sail rigged aft of the main mast. The sail's foot ...
and a large
foresail A foresail is one of a few different types of sail set on the foremost mast (''foremast'') of a sailing vessel: * A fore-and-aft sail set on the foremast of a schooner or similar vessel. * The lowest square sail on the foremast of a full-rig ...
. The
mizzen The mast of a sailing vessel is a tall spar, or arrangement of spars, erected more or less vertically on the centre-line of a ship or boat. Its purposes include carrying sails, spars, and derricks, and giving necessary height to a navigation ligh ...
was a much smaller mast on which was set a single sail whose main purpose was to aid steering when tacking. The rig also allowed a relatively large sail area on the upper part of the mast, to catch wind when moored ships, buildings or trees blocked wind on the water's surface. The topsail could remain set even when the mainsail had been brailed to the mast. Sail areas varied from depending on the size of the barge. The typical, rusty-red colour of the
flax Flax, also known as common flax or linseed, is a flowering plant, ''Linum usitatissimum'', in the family Linaceae. It is cultivated as a food and fiber crop in regions of the world with temperate climates. Textiles made from flax are known in ...
sails was due to the dressing used to treat the sails that were permanently aloft (traditionally made from red ochre, cod oil, urine and seawater). The red ochre was there to block the
ultra-violet Ultraviolet (UV) is a form of electromagnetic radiation with wavelength from 10 nm (with a corresponding frequency around 30  PHz) to 400 nm (750  THz), shorter than that of visible light, but longer than X-rays. UV radiation i ...
in the sunlight from degrading the sails (much as
lamp-black Carbon black (subtypes are acetylene black, channel black, furnace black, lamp black and thermal black) is a material produced by the Combustion#Incomplete, incomplete combustion of coal and coal tar, vegetable matter, or petroleum products, inc ...
was used in the sail dressing for the Norfolk wherries), but sails that were stowed away such as jibsails were usually left untreated. The barges required no ballast, and sailing in this condition with leeboards raised they typically draw only 3 foot; this has caught out a few modern yachtsmen who have run aground while attempting to follow them. No auxiliary power was used originally but many barges were fitted with engines in later years and most retain them, but among the surviving sailing barges both ''Mirosa'' and ''Edme'' have never had engines. The mast was mounted in a mast case, or "tabernacle", at deck level and could be dropped and raised while under way, enabled the barge to "shoot bridges"-pass under bridges, on the Thames and Medway without losing headway. When no wharf was available, the barge could use the ebbing tide to stand on the mud, close to shore and offload its goods onto carts. A barge with no
topsail A topsail ("tops'l") is a sail set above another sail; on square-rigged vessels further sails may be set above topsails. Square rig On a square rigged vessel, a topsail is a typically trapezoidal shaped sail rigged above the course sail and ...
– or top mast sailing ''stumpy-rigged'' required a smaller crew. With a shallow draught, they could penetrate deep into the back waters. Not needing ballast reduced their turn-round time. Where fitted, the bowsprit could also be "topped up" - raised, to allow it to use a shorter wharf. In good conditions, sailing barges could attain speeds of over , and their leeboards allowed them to be highly effective windward performers. The unusual spritsail rig allowed any combination of sails to be set: often the topsail on its own would be effective.


History

The precursor to the square
spritsail The spritsail is a four-sided, fore-and-aft sail that is supported at its highest points by the mast and a diagonally running spar known as the sprit. The foot of the sail can be stretched by a boom or held loose-footed just by its sheets. A spr ...
barge was the London lighter or dumb-barge. They flitted up and down the river delivering cargo, using the incoming tide to send them up river, and the ebbing tide for the return journey. They were manoeuvered by a pair of bargemen using long sweeps (oars). These barges had a flat box like bow (swim-headed) and a near flat stern, or a square sloping stern (budgett stern). There is a print in the Guildhall Library dating from 1764, showing a 1697 built, round bowed barge with a spritsail rig – but with no
mizzen The mast of a sailing vessel is a tall spar, or arrangement of spars, erected more or less vertically on the centre-line of a ship or boat. Its purposes include carrying sails, spars, and derricks, and giving necessary height to a navigation ligh ...
. The spritsail and the leeboards are both of Dutch origin and can be traced back to 1416 and can be seen on the London River by 1600. Mizzenless barges, known as luff barges, were smaller and more streamlined: they principally worked the upper reaches of the Thames. In a 1752 engraving of the
Chelsea Waterworks The Chelsea Waterworks Company was a London waterworks company founded in 1723 which supplied water to many central London locations throughout the 18th and 19th centuries until its functions were taken over by the Metropolitan Water Board in ...
there is a stumpie with a transom stern. In the 1800's EW Cooke (1811–1880), made a series of engravings of barges on the river, leaving a record of most of the possible rigs. The flat-bottomed hull made these craft extremely versatile and economical. They could float in as little as of water and could dry out in the tidal waters without heeling over. This allowed them to visit the narrow tributaries and creeks of the Thames to load farm cargoes, or to dry out on the sand banks and mudflats to load materials for building and brickmaking (it was no coincidence that their use peaked while London was expanding rapidly). The main mast could be lowered to clear bridges. Furthermore, unlike most sailing craft, these barges could sail completely unballasted — a major saving in labour and time. The predominant rig was spritsail, though there were some that were
sloop A sloop is a sailboat with a single mast typically having only one headsail in front of the mast and one mainsail aft of (behind) the mast. Such an arrangement is called a fore-and-aft rig, and can be rigged as a Bermuda rig with triangular sa ...
rigged with a gaff and an overhanging boom, and some that were
ketch A ketch is a two- masted sailboat whose mainmast is taller than the mizzen mast (or aft-mast), and whose mizzen mast is stepped forward of the rudder post. The mizzen mast stepped forward of the rudder post is what distinguishes the ketch fr ...
rigged. Mulies were rigged spritsail on the main and gaff rigged on the mizzen. The dandy rig had spritsail on the main and a
lugsail The lug sail, or lugsail, is a fore-and-aft, four-cornered sail that is suspended from a spar, called a yard. When raised, the sail area overlaps the mast. For "standing lug" rigs, the sail may remain on the same side of the mast on both the port ...
on the mizzen. The hull evolved: firstly decks were fitted around 1810, the round bow started to supersede the swim-head about 1840, and became a straight stem by 1900, the transom stern replaced the budget stern about 1860. 1863, 1864 and 1865 saw the first Thames Barge Races. These continued unbroken until 1938. The aim of the founder William Henry Dodd, "The Golden Dustman", was to raise the status of the bargemen, and to improve the performance of the barges. There were two classes, one for stumpies (under 80 tons) and one for heavier (under 100 tons) topsail barges. These were fiercely competitive – and soon new barges were being built, using the improved techniques learnt, to win the next year's race. The Medway races started in 1880. Their heyday came at the turn of the 20th century when over 2000 were on the registry. That century saw a steady decline in their numbers. The last wooden built barge SB ''Cabby'', was built by Gill, at the LRTC yard in
Frindsbury Frindsbury is part of the Medway Towns conurbation in Kent, southern England. It lies on the opposite side of the River Medway to Rochester, Kent, Rochester, and at various times in its history has been considered fully or partially part of the ...
in 1928. The last Thames barge to trade entirely under sail was the Everard-built in 1970, owned by the folk song collector Captain A. W. (Bob) Roberts. ''Cambria''s last mate was Dick Durham from
Leigh-on-Sea Leigh-on-Sea (), commonly referred to simply as Leigh, is a town and civil parish in the City of Southend-on-Sea, in the ceremonial county of Essex, England. In 2011, it had a population of 22,509. Geography Leigh-on-Sea is on the northern ...
, Essex, with whom Bob carried the last freight under sail alone: 100 tons of cattle cake from Tilbury Docks to
Ipswich Ipswich () is a port town and borough in Suffolk, England, of which it is the county town. The town is located in East Anglia about away from the mouth of the River Orwell and the North Sea. Ipswich is both on the Great Eastern Main Line r ...
in October 1970. Dick wrote Bob Roberts's biography: ''The Last Sailorman''. Following the
Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, the coastal barge trade diminished as the nation became more mechanised. Cargoes went by road instead of by sea, squeezing the purses of the barge owners, until most of the once-handsome barges were given motors and relegated to short,
lightering Lightering (also called lighterage) is the process of transferring cargo between vessels of different sizes, usually between a barge (lighter) and a bulker or oil tanker. Lightering is undertaken to reduce a vessel's draft so it can enter port facil ...
passages within the Thames Estuary.


Trade

Many cargos were brought by barge into London such as building material. Bricks came from Essex and Kent, cement from Kent and sand was dug by the bargees from the estuary sandbanks. When the barges reached
London Bridge Several bridges named London Bridge have spanned the River Thames between the City of London and Southwark, in central London. The current crossing, which opened to traffic in 1973, is a box girder bridge built from concrete and steel. It r ...
, the mast was lowered with the help of 'hufflers' (spare strong blokes), so they could pass under to wharfs in the Pool of London or further upstream to Westminster or beyond. At the wharf the load was removed by
horse and cart A horse-drawn vehicle is a mechanized piece of equipment pulled by one horse or by a team of horses. These vehicles typically had two or four wheels and were used to carry passengers and/or a load. They were once common worldwide, but they have m ...
– the cart could carry one and a half tons over the un-
metalled road A road surface (British English), or pavement (American English), is the durable surface material laid down on an area intended to sustain vehicular or foot traffic, such as a road or walkway. In the past, gravel road surfaces, hoggin, cobble ...
s. The barge could carry 80 to 150 tons, although 120 was the most common tonnage.


Hoy companies

There was a well established trading network along both sides of the estuary before the Thames sailing barge became ubiquitous. Each port had a hoy company that would run weekly forays into London to deliver or collect goods. They got their names from the
hoy Hoy ( sco, Hoy; from Norse , meaning "high island") is an island in Orkney, Scotland, measuring – the second largest in the archipelago, after Mainland. A natural causeway, ''the Ayre'', links the island to the smaller South Walls; the tw ...
, an open square-sail barge. Typically they would run into London laden on a Monday, discharge and return the Thursday with a new cargo to arrive home to spend the Sunday with their families. By the 1880s they were competing for trade with steam engines on the railways, but could offer rates four or five times cheaper.


The hay-up dung-down trade

All transport in London was horse-drawn. The horses needed vast quantities of
hay Hay is grass, legumes, or other herbaceous plants that have been cut and dried to be stored for use as animal fodder, either for large grazing animals raised as livestock, such as cattle, horses, goats, and sheep, or for smaller domesticat ...
and
straw Straw is an agricultural byproduct consisting of the dry stalks of cereal plants after the grain and chaff have been removed. It makes up about half of the yield of cereal crops such as barley, oats, rice, rye and wheat. It has a number ...
, and they produced a vast quantity of dung. The 'Stackie' was a special type of barge designed for the hay and dung trade. The hold would be loaded with fodder root crops and hay would be loaded on the deck, in an inwardly sloping stack eight bales high. This would be covered with a tarpaulin, secured with the hatch covers and roped down. The mainsail had to be smaller to clear this stack (this could be achieved by
reefing Reefing reduces the area of a sail, usually by folding or rolling one edge of the canvas in on itself and attaching the unused portion to a spar or a stay, as the primary measure to preserve a sailing vessel's stability in strong winds. Restoring ...
), and the foresail would be sheeted to a temporary wire horse. Often the stack would also overlap the sides of the vessel, and in all cases it obscured the view from the helm requiring excellent communication between master and mate sailing such an awkward load in a crowded river. On the return run from London, the hold would be filled with dung, useful for farmers but a nuisance in London. Mirosa was once a stackie barge, built in 1892, extensively raced and chartered since c1970 she is one of the few remaining Thames sailing barges that has never had an engine fitted. built at Cooks Yard in 1897 was also a stackie. She has been restored and in 2017 is sailing again. Stackies have been popular with model-makers, and two are regularly displayed at the Thames sailing barge pop-up museum. They are ''Venta'' and ''British King''.


Cut barges

The smallest river barges were designed to trade up the Regent's and
Surrey canal Surrey Canal is an area in inner south east London, situated 2 miles south of Tower Bridge, which was formerly home to a section of the Grand Surrey Canal. It is formed by the meeting point of three districts: Bermondsey, Deptford and New Cross. ...
s as well. They had a capacity of 70-80 tons, and a beam of only . They were stumpies with a high peaked mainsail. They had little sheer as they had to pass under very low bridges. They stowed their leeboard and lowered their gear flat on deck, so their highest point would be the wheel from which spokes would be removed to gain a few extra inches. When light, the barge would be partially flooded to gain headroom for a bridge or tunnel.


Cement barges

These were the Kentish Barges from along the Medway.
Chalk Chalk is a soft, white, porous, sedimentary carbonate rock. It is a form of limestone composed of the mineral calcite and originally formed deep under the sea by the compression of microscopic plankton that had settled to the sea floor. Chalk ...
was quarried between
Aylesford Aylesford is a village and civil parish on the River Medway in Kent, England, northwest of Maidstone. Originally a small riverside settlement, the old village comprises around 60 houses, many of which were formerly shops. Two pubs, a village s ...
and
Strood Strood is a town in the unitary authority of Medway in Kent, South East England. The town forms a conurbation with neighbouring towns Chatham, Rochester, Gillingham and Rainham. It lies on the northwest bank of the River Medway at its lowes ...
, and the barges shot
Rochester Bridge Rochester Bridge in Rochester, Medway was for centuries the lowest fixed crossing of the River Medway in South East England. There have been several generations of bridge at this spot, and the current "bridge" is in fact four separate bridges ...
and took the chalk to the many cement works in the region, and then took the
cement A cement is a binder, a chemical substance used for construction that sets, hardens, and adheres to other materials to bind them together. Cement is seldom used on its own, but rather to bind sand and gravel ( aggregate) together. Cement mix ...
to London. There was brick and cement activity along the Swale. At
Teynham Teynham ( ) is a large village and civil parish in the borough of Swale in Kent, England. The parish lies between the towns of Sittingbourne and Faversham, immediately north of the A2 road, and includes the hamlet of Conyer on an inlet of the Sw ...
Charles Richardson produced stock bricks that were used in the viaduct that took the railway from Greenwich to London. Cement from his kilns in
Conyer Conyer is a hamlet within Teynham civil parish in the borough of Swale in Kent, England. It is located around one mile north of the village of Teynham, and at the head of Conyer Creek, which flows into the Swale to the north. The Saxon Shore ...
was exported from London to New Zealand. These barges were recognised by the covering of ash and cement dust, caused from lying to the lee of cement works. Additionally the Kentish creeks such as Conyer and
Milton Milton may refer to: Names * Milton (surname), a surname (and list of people with that surname) ** John Milton (1608–1674), English poet * Milton (given name) ** Milton Friedman (1912–2006), Nobel laureate in Economics, author of '' Free t ...
contained discolouring mud that would foul clean paintwork. Kentish barges had less need of bowsprits, that the Essex barges found beneficial doing the long run along the
Swin (Thames) The Swin is a passage in the Thames estuary between Maplin Sands, Foulness Sand and Gunfleet Sand northwest and the Barrow and Sunk sand ridges (shoals), southeast. The Swin was used by barges and leisure craft from the Essex rivers, and coast ...
.


Grain barges

The main trade was trans-shipping grain unloaded from large vessels from the colonies, and taking it from the London ports out to the mills or maltings at the head of the many tidal creeks on the East coast and around the Thames estuary, though also grain was transhipped into London mills further upstream such as the City Flour Mills at Puddle Dock reputed to be the largest in the world when built in the early 1850s. Grain could be carried loose in the hold or bagged. Those delivering grain out of London would then seek a suitable cargo back into London to avoid returning light. A particularly well recorded example of a grain barge is the , which was a 59-ton barge built by Glover at
Gravesend, Kent Gravesend is a town in northwest Kent, England, situated 21 miles (35 km) east-southeast of Charing Cross (central London) on the south bank of the River Thames and opposite Tilbury in Essex. Located in the diocese of Rochester, it is t ...
in 1901, and registered in
Rochester Rochester may refer to: Places Australia * Rochester, Victoria Canada * Rochester, Alberta United Kingdom *Rochester, Kent ** City of Rochester-upon-Medway (1982–1998), district council area ** History of Rochester, Kent ** HM Prison ...
. Her official number was 113,708. She was built for capacity rather than speed.; long and had a beam of . Light, she drew of water, and laden .


Brick barges

Bricks were made using the heavy Essex clay, or clay deposits from along the Swale which was mixed with local chalk and breeze (town ash). The
breeze Breeze often refers to: * A gentle to moderate wind * Sea breeze, an onshore afternoon wind, caused by warm air rising over the land in sunny weather Breeze or The Breeze may also refer to: * Breeze block a concrete masonry unit made from recovere ...
was the ash screened from London rubbish. This was transported by barge, to
Teynham Teynham ( ) is a large village and civil parish in the borough of Swale in Kent, England. The parish lies between the towns of Sittingbourne and Faversham, immediately north of the A2 road, and includes the hamlet of Conyer on an inlet of the Sw ...
,
Lower Halstow Lower Halstow is a village and civil parish in the Swale district of Kent, England. The village is northwest of Sittingbourne on the banks of the Medway Estuary. It lies north of Newington on the A2 Roman road. The 2011 census recorded th ...
and
Conyer Conyer is a hamlet within Teynham civil parish in the borough of Swale in Kent, England. It is located around one mile north of the village of Teynham, and at the head of Conyer Creek, which flows into the Swale to the north. The Saxon Shore ...
and the finished Kentish yellow bricks went back to London. A sizeable barge building industry was created in
Sittingbourne Sittingbourne is an industrial town in Kent, south-east England, from Canterbury and from London, beside the Roman Watling Street, an ancient British trackway used by the Romans and the Anglo-Saxons and next to the Swale, a strip of sea separa ...
. These 100 ton capacity barges stowed 40,000 to 42,000 bricks and were box-like in section.


Coastal barges

Portland stone was brought from the quarries at Weymouth round the North Foreland, into the Thames estuary and up into the London River.


North Sea barges

The North Sea was important. Coals were brought from Newcastle, to the shallow estuary ports along the London River. These essentially were schooner rigged with the flat barge hull. After the second world war, coal was still delivered to the gasworks at
Margate Margate is a seaside resort, seaside town on the north coast of Kent in south-east England. The town is estimated to be 1.5 miles long, north-east of Canterbury and includes Cliftonville, Garlinge, Palm Bay, UK, Palm Bay and Westbrook, Kent, ...
by from
Goole Goole is a port town and civil parish on the River Ouse in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. The town's historic county is the West Riding of Yorkshire. According to the 2011 UK census, Goole parish had a population of 19,518, an increa ...
. During the first world war, they carried coal between Goole and Calais; this was four days work- 200 tons at £6.00 a ton. The barges general were too shallow to activate the mines. Coastal barges made long passages, built in 1858 used to trade regularly between
Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...
and
Rotterdam Rotterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Rotte'') is the second largest city and municipality in the Netherlands. It is in the province of South Holland, part of the North Sea mouth of the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta, via the ''"N ...
.


The matches

The barges' performance was perfected through the annual sailing matches, in which they competed for trophies and cash prizes. The matches are credited with encouraging improvements in design, leading to the craft's highly efficient final form. They were begun in 1863 by a wealthy owner called Henry Dodd. Dodd was a plough boy from Hackney,
London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
, who made his fortune carrying the city's waste to the country on the barges. He may well have been the model for
Charles Dickens Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English writer and social critic. He created some of the world's best-known fictional characters and is regarded by many as the greatest novelist of the Victorian e ...
's character the Golden Dustman in ''
Our Mutual Friend ''Our Mutual Friend'', written in 1864–1865, is the last novel completed by Charles Dickens and is one of his most sophisticated works, combining savage satire with social analysis. It centres on, in the words of critic J. Hillis Miller, quo ...
''. On his death in 1881, Dodd left £5000 for future match prizes. The Thames and Medway barge matches were temporarily discontinued in 1963. In the matches that year, ''Spinaway C'' (skippered by George Morgan) won the Thames race and came second in the Medway. ''Memory'' came second in the Thames (skippered by Hedley Farrington) and first in the Medway (skippered by "Dick" Springett). These two were the very last of the restricted staysail barges to win the old classic races. The matches have ceased and been reinstituted several times, and are now considered the world's second-oldest sailing race (after the
America's Cup The America's Cup, informally known as the Auld Mug, is a trophy awarded in the sport of sailing. It is the oldest international competition still operating in any sport. America's Cup match races are held between two sailing yachts: one f ...
). The course was originally from
Erith Erith () is an area in south-east London, England, east of Charing Cross. Before the creation of Greater London in 1965, it was in the historical county of Kent. Since 1965 it has formed part of the London Borough of Bexley. It lies nort ...
upriver, but as of the early 20th century the start was moved to the Lower Hope downriver from
Gravesend Gravesend is a town in northwest Kent, England, situated 21 miles (35 km) east-southeast of Charing Cross (central London) on the Bank (geography), south bank of the River Thames and opposite Tilbury in Essex. Located in the diocese of Ro ...
into the Estuary and back to Gravesend. 2013 was the 150th anniversary of the Thames Match – and to celebrate the finish line was at Erith. There was a full programme of races in 2017 on the Medway and Thames. The 109th Medway barge race took place on Saturday 3 June 2017. The course was from Gillingham Pier, following the channel to the Medway buoy east of the
Nore The Nore is a long bank of sand and silt running along the south-centre of the final narrowing of the Thames Estuary, England. Its south-west is the very narrow Nore Sand. Just short of the Nore's easternmost point where it fades into the cha ...
in the Thames and back to Gillingham. The 110th is scheduled for 19 May 2018.


Operation Dynamo – the Dunkirk evacuation

Thirty barges were part of the fleet of ' Little Ships' that rescued soldiers of the retreating British Expeditionary Force from the beaches of
Dunkerque Dunkirk (french: Dunkerque ; vls, label=French Flemish, Duunkerke; nl, Duinkerke(n) ; , ;) is a commune in the department of Nord in northern France. The flat-bottomed barges could reach the beaches, and take off the troops, ferrying them to the larger vessels waiting off shore. These would make the Channel crossing. Twelve barges were sunk, but eighteen vessels returned: one of these, , was harmed by a mine but has been fixed up and is still used on the rivers today; another, ''Ena'', had her crew taken off and was to be abandoned in France but was floated and sailed home by a group of soldiers with only holiday sailing experience. The oldest Little Ship still active is the barge ''Greta'' (built in 1892).


Construction

Thames barges were built for strength. They had flat bottoms to allow them to be easily beached or lie on the river mud, and were rigged to allow them to be operated by two men and possibly a lad. They were built in bargeyards adjacent to a river or creek on bargeblocks- a series of trestles raised about a metre from the compacted ground, that allowed working access above and below. The smallest barges were the river barges of 100 ton capacity, the estuary barges were generally heavier 120 -140 tons and the coasters reaching 160-180 tons. At 280 ton, the four ''Everards'' barges built in
Great Yarmouth Great Yarmouth (), often called Yarmouth, is a seaside town and unparished area in, and the main administrative centre of, the Borough of Great Yarmouth in Norfolk, England; it straddles the River Yare and is located east of Norwich. A pop ...
and the R & W Pauls,
Brightlingsea Brightlingsea is a coastal town and an electoral ward in the Tendring district of Essex, England. It is situated between Colchester and Clacton-on-Sea, at the mouth of the River Colne, on Brightlingsea Creek. At the 2011 Census, it had a popu ...
built barges ''Barbara Jean'' and ''Aidie'' were the largest. Barges were built exclusively of wood until 1900, when the first steel barges appeared. During its active life it could be doubled or boxed- that is a second shell of planking would be fixed over the first. ''Kathleen'' was a typical grain barge built at Gravesend in 1901. She became notable by featuring in two reference books, where her measurements were published in great detail. Over time her rig was changed to suit commercial conditions. The
keel The keel is the bottom-most longitudinal structural element on a vessel. On some sailboats, it may have a hydrodynamic and counterbalancing purpose, as well. As the laying down of the keel is the initial step in the construction of a ship, in Br ...
was a piece of
elm Elms are deciduous and semi-deciduous trees comprising the flowering plant genus ''Ulmus'' in the plant family Ulmaceae. They are distributed over most of the Northern Hemisphere, inhabiting the temperate and tropical-montane regions of North ...
. It was broader than it was deep and long. At the bow the stempost was raised vertically and at the stern the
sternpost A sternpost is the upright structural member or post at the stern of a (generally wooden) ship or a boat, to which are attached the transoms and the rearmost left corner part of the stern. The sternpost may either be completely vertical or may ...
, these were made from lengths of
English oak ''Quercus robur'', commonly known as common oak, pedunculate oak, European oak or English oak, is a species of flowering plant in the beech and oak family, Fagaceae. It is a large tree, native plant, native to most of Europe west of the Caucasus ...
. The apron and the inner sternpost were strengthening timbers. The fore and aft deadwood would raise the floors to give shape at the bow and the sweep to the fashion timbers of the
transom Transom may refer to: * Transom (architecture), a bar of wood or stone across the top of a door or window, or the window above such a bar * Transom (nautical), that part of the stern of a vessel where the two sides of its hull meet * Operation Tran ...
. Across the keel and deadwood were laid the ''floors'', these were
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 ...
timbers at centres. The length of each floor would be taken of a half hull model, most would be long, the same length as her beam. On top of the floors, on top of the keel, on earlier barges was bolted a massive
Oregon pine The Douglas fir (''Pseudotsuga menziesii'') is an evergreen conifer species in the pine family, Pinaceae. It is native to western North America and is also known as Douglas-fir, Douglas spruce, Oregon pine, and Columbian pine. There are thre ...
keelson The keelson or kelson is a reinforcing structural member on top of the keel in the hull of a wooden vessel. In part V of “Song of Myself”, American poet Walt Whitman Walter Whitman (; May 31, 1819 – March 26, 1892) was an Ame ...
. This used iron bolts. On ''Kathleen'' the keelson was a made of a steel section, in profile similar to railway line (): it was cheaper but could distort. The keelson would be scarfed into the apron and deadwood and would be shorter than the keel. There were equivalent stemsons and sternsons. The futtocks (side-frames) were dovetailed onto the end of each floor and every other joint was strengthened with an iron angle plate. The futtocks were of oak and of varying length averaging . Temporary cross-poles were used to hold the ends of the futtocks in place. The barge was now in frame, and the
shipwright Shipbuilding is the construction of ships and other floating vessels. It normally takes place in a specialized facility known as a shipyard. Shipbuilders, also called shipwrights, follow a specialized occupation that traces its roots to befor ...
approved the lines.
Ribband A ribbon or riband is a thin band of material, typically cloth but also plastic or sometimes metal, used primarily as decorative binding and tying. Cloth ribbons are made of natural materials such as silk, cotton, and jute and of synthetic mater ...
s were temporarily nailed to the outside of the frames to hold this position. The inner angle between the floor and the futtocks were stiffened by inner chines or chine keelsons, made of a single piece of
pitch pine ''Pinus rigida'', the pitch pine, is a small-to-medium-sized pine. It is native to eastern North America, primarily from central Maine south to Georgia and as far west as Kentucky. It is found in environments which other species would find unsuit ...
This was bolted to each floor and futtock. Above it was a oak stringer that was bolted to the futtocks and led out to stem and stern post.


Ceilings and linings

The ceilings were now laid on the floors. These would be pine planks thick, and as wide as available. The height of the deck was marked on the frames – forming a beam-line, and a beam thickness beneath it, a oak inwale was bolted to the futtocks. The inside of the
hold Hold may refer to: Physical spaces * Hold (ship), interior cargo space * Baggage hold, cargo space on an airplane * Stronghold, a castle or other fortified place Arts, entertainment, and media * Hold (musical term), a pause, also called a Fermat ...
was lined with thick
pine A pine is any conifer tree or shrub in the genus ''Pinus'' () of the family Pinaceae. ''Pinus'' is the sole genus in the subfamily Pinoideae. The World Flora Online created by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and Missouri Botanical Garden accep ...
. The inwale formed a ledge on which the curved beams of the deck, and the carlings rested. The two large holds made it impossible to use deckbeams alone. There were 3 beams afore the forehold, three beams under the mast-case between the holds, 2 between the mainhold and the companionway to the cabin, two supporting the transom. On the Kathleen, the port and starboard decks were of differing widths.


Leeboards and rudder

The
leeboard A leeboard is a form of pivoting keel used by a sailboat largely and very often in lieu of a fixed keel. Typically mounted in pairs on each side of a hull, leeboards function much like a centreboard, allowing shallow-draft craft to ply waters f ...
s are a distinguishing feature of wherries and Thames barges. They are needed to prevent lateral movement in the absence of a keel. On the Kathleen they were made of thick oak and strapped with seven iron straps. They weighed around were long and had a fan, They were pivotted from the gunwale, and dropped below the hull. They were raised by means of two crab
winch A winch is a mechanical device that is used to pull in (wind up) or let out (wind out) or otherwise adjust the tension of a rope or wire rope (also called "cable" or "wire cable"). In its simplest form, it consists of a spool (or drum) attache ...
es. Partially raised leeboards could be used as a means of steering, and in shallow waters, the barge could be pivotted on a leeboard that was being be dragged in the mud. The
rudder A rudder is a primary control surface used to steer a ship, boat, submarine, hovercraft, aircraft, or other vehicle that moves through a fluid medium (generally aircraft, air or watercraft, water). On an aircraft the rudder is used primarily to ...
was attached to a square oak rudderpost. The blade of the rudder was wide made up of boards tapering from to . On older smaller vessels, there was a long
tiller A tiller or till is a lever used to steer a vehicle. The mechanism is primarily used in watercraft, where it is attached to an outboard motor, rudder post or stock to provide leverage in the form of torque for the helmsman to turn the rudder. ...
. On a few vessels, ropes/chains and pulleys were attached to the rudder post and these lines passed round a drum with a conventional ships wheel- on the vast majority of barges, the rudder was attached to the wheel by an intentionally loose fitting worm screw gear. Some barges had an all metal ships wheel: this was known as the chaff cutter after the similar-looking agricultural tool.


The rig

When she was built, ''Kathleen'' had a
bowsprit The bowsprit of a sailing vessel is a spar extending forward from the vessel's prow. The bowsprit is typically held down by a bobstay that counteracts the forces from the forestays. The word ''bowsprit'' is thought to originate from the Middle L ...
,
main mast The mast of a sailing vessel is a tall spar, or arrangement of spars, erected more or less vertically on the centre-line of a ship or boat. Its purposes include carrying sails, spars, and derricks, and giving necessary height to a navigation lig ...
and a mizzen mast. She was rigged with
sprit The spritsail is a four-sided, fore-and-aft sail that is supported at its highest points by the mast and a diagonally running spar known as the sprit. The foot of the sail can be stretched by a boom or held loose-footed just by its sheets. A spr ...
sails on both masts and a
topsail A topsail ("tops'l") is a sail set above another sail; on square-rigged vessels further sails may be set above topsails. Square rig On a square rigged vessel, a topsail is a typically trapezoidal shaped sail rigged above the course sail and ...
on the main. She was rerigged in 1926 without a bowsprit. In 1946 she lost her mizzen when an engine was added. In 1954 her rig was reduced to that of a motor barge, and from 1961 to 1965 she was used as 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 c ...
, with engine and mast stripped away. When she was converted to a barge yacht for the 1966, 1967 sailing races, her rig was similar to that in 1926. This was the classic spreetie rig. Early spritsail barges were rigged without a top mast: these were called stumpies, and they sailed as a separate class in the Thames barge race until 1890 which was won by ''Early Bird''. The loose footed spritsail was suited to river work. The rig has the advantage of allowing a high stack of deck cargo. The entire sail can be quickly brailed to the mast, allowing unimpeded access to the deck and hold when loading and unloading. Barges are un
ballast Ballast is material that is used to provide stability to a vehicle or structure. Ballast, other than cargo, may be placed in a vehicle, often a ship or the gondola of a balloon or airship, to provide stability. A compartment within a boat, ship, ...
ed and, if overpressed, will heel excessively and must be pulled to wind. As the sheet is eased, the aft end of a boom would drag in the water, making the rudder ineffective and a capsize inevitable. In contrast, the sheet of loose-footed mainsail is just released and control is immediately regained. As there is no boom to project outboard. the vessel can pass through a narrow gap between moored vessels. Loose-footed sails do suffer from
sail twist Sail twist is a phenomenon in sailing where the head of the sail is at a different angle of incidence from the foot of the sail in order to change the lift distribution with height. Twist is measured by comparing the angle of a straight line betwe ...
, which reduces their aerodynamic efficiency when sailing off the wind, which usually is not a commercial issue. Vangs control the head of the mainsail and act a sheets for the topsail, which can be set so as to make use of the air above the wind-shadow of moored ships, warehouses and local features. Sail could be shortened rapidly by the two-man crew in the most difficult seas. The topsail was on hoops, so the halyard was let go and the sail ''rucked'' (dropped) to the hounds. The mainsail was pulled tightly to the mast by brails. The vangs were slackened, the sheet released and the sail ''brailed up'' by the mate using the brailing winch. The mate let go the foresail halyards and it dropped to the deck. If she was beaching, the crab winches were manned and the leeboards hoisted to stop them bumping. The anchor was let go. She could be unloaded onto the sand when the tide had dropped. The sails were secured and the spreet was fixed and warps and fenders made fast. In narrow channels, and in the lee of tall buildings the mailsail and mizzen are brailed and the bowsprit topped up, and she sails on topsail and foresail alone. A gaff rig was more suitable for heavy weather and long sea passages, but when a gaff rigged boomie takes in the mainsail, she cannot set the topsail. A boomie, is a flat-bottomed ketch-barge, ketch rigged on the main, and the mizzen- the sprit was replaced by a
gaff Gaff may refer to: Ankle-worn devices * Spurs in variations of cockfighting * Climbing spikes used to ascend wood poles, such as utility poles Arts and entertainment * A character in the ''Blade Runner'' film franchise * Penny gaff, a 19th-ce ...
, and the foot was tied to a boom. These were big barges that were built to finer lines often with a false clipper cutwater, and a rounded counter-stern. It had a standing bowsprit, and the mast was stepped on the keelson. It took four or five men to sail, took more space on the wharf and could not operate on its topsail alone, it was more suited to longer sea journeys. The centre of gravity of the stowed sails was lower and the crew accommodation more comfortable. When times got hard, some of these barges would be re-rigged with a sprit on the main but leaving the gaff on the mizzen, becoming a mulie. The biggest barge ever launched in Kent, ''Eliza Smeed'' (1867) was rigged as a
barquentine A barquentine or schooner barque (alternatively "barkentine" or "schooner bark") is a sailing vessel with three or more masts; with a square rigged foremast and fore-and-aft rigged main, mizzen and any other masts. Modern barquentine sailing r ...
fitted with leeboards. The Thames and Medway sailing match community divides the barges into two classes, the staysail barges whose foresails are attached to the mainstay and those having a bowsprit known as bowsprit barges. The Medway and London river barges generally are staysail barges and the estuary barges that do the longer open water runs up the '' Swin'' and the ''
Wallet A wallet is a flat case or pouch often used to carry small personal items such as paper currency, credit cards; identification documents such as driver's license, identification card, club card; photographs, transit pass, business cards and oth ...
'' channels tend to be the larger bowsprit barges. Barges can change rig and class, as did the Kathleen. For racing purposes, extra sail can be carried: additional staysails and
spinnaker A spinnaker is a sail designed specifically for sailing off the wind on courses between a reach (wind at 90° to the course) to downwind (course in the same direction as the wind). Spinnakers are constructed of lightweight fabric, usually n ...
s.


Spars

The mainmast was made of spruce, it was to the head, and it was to the hounds. The sprit was . The topmast was to the hounds, it had a pole, and a headstick. The mizzen mast was to the head. The sprit was , and the boom was . The bowsprit was with outboard.


Standing rigging

The original barges were rigged with
hemp Hemp, or industrial hemp, is a botanical class of ''Cannabis sativa'' cultivars grown specifically for industrial or medicinal use. It can be used to make a wide range of products. Along with bamboo, hemp is among the fastest growing plants o ...
, where most barges in use today use
wire rope Steel wire rope (right hand lang lay) Wire rope is several strands of metal wire twisted into a helix forming a composite ''rope'', in a pattern known as ''laid rope''. Larger diameter wire rope consists of multiple strands of such laid rope in a ...
s. The standing rigging had to hold the masts, and sprit in place. As the masts were lowered and raised to clear bridges the
forestay On a sailing vessel, a forestay, sometimes just called a stay, is a piece of standing rigging which keeps a mast from falling backwards. It is attached either at the very top of the mast, or in fractional rigs between about 1/8 and 1/4 from the t ...
was connected to the
windlass The windlass is an apparatus for moving heavy weights. Typically, a windlass consists of a horizontal cylinder (barrel), which is rotated by the turn of a crank or belt. A winch is affixed to one or both ends, and a cable or rope is wound arou ...
. The topmast could be lowered. The lower end of the sprit was held to the mast in a 'muzzle', but held aloft by the 'stanliff' or 'standlift' chain. She was rigged with shrouds.


Sails

The mainsail was (weather), by (head) with a leech of and a foot of , giving a sail area of . The topsail was (weather), with a leech of and a foot of , giving a sail area of . The foresail was (weather), with a leech of and a foot of , giving a sail area of . The jib was (weather), with a leech of and a foot of . Her jib topsails were (weather), with a leech of and a foot of , giving a sail area of , and a lighter set with (weather), with a leech of and a foot of , giving a sail area of . Her mizzen was (weather), by (head) with a leech of and a foot of , giving a sail area of . The sails on a Thames barge are
red ochre Ochre ( ; , ), or ocher in American English, is a natural clay earth pigment, a mixture of ferric oxide and varying amounts of clay and sand. It ranges in colour from yellow to deep orange or brown. It is also the name of the colours produced ...
in colour. The sailcloth is of
flax Flax, also known as common flax or linseed, is a flowering plant, ''Linum usitatissimum'', in the family Linaceae. It is cultivated as a food and fiber crop in regions of the world with temperate climates. Textiles made from flax are known in ...
, and to be kept in a supple and waterproof condition it must be dressed. Importantly, the flax must not dry out or will chafe against the rigging or against the brails when not in use.


Preservation

Inspired by a mention of the
Norfolk Wherry The Norfolk wherry is a type of boat used on The Broads in Norfolk and Suffolk, England. Three main types were developed over its life, all featuring the distinctive gaff rig with a single, high-peaked sail and the mast stepped well forward. Dev ...
Trust in
Hervey Benham Hervey William Gurney Benham (; 1910–1987) was an English journalist, the founding proprietor of Essex County Newspapers, an author of books on Essex and the East Coast, a musician, and benefactor. Of his at least fourteen books, among the best k ...
's book ''Down Tops'l'', the Thames Sailing Barge Trust was founded on 15 April 1952 in the cabin of the sailing barge ''George Smeed'', anchored at Blacktail Spit in the Thames estuary. The committee members were Jim Lawrence (chairman), Colin Leggett (treasurer),
John Kemp John Kemp ( – 22 March 1454, surname also spelled Kempe) was a medieval English cardinal, Archbishop of Canterbury, and Lord Chancellor of England. Biography Kemp was the son of Thomas Kempe, a gentleman of Ollantigh, in the parish ...
(organizing secretary), and Tom Hawkins. In 1955, the trust bought the sailing barge ''Memory'', which it operated as a cargo vessel until 1960 when the trust was dissolved. The Thames Sailing Barge Trust referred to here was not the same body as the current organisation with the same name. ''Memory'' was bought from the trust by Sailtrust Limited, a partnership between John Kemp and Brian Beer. Following a suggestion by
Hervey Benham Hervey William Gurney Benham (; 1910–1987) was an English journalist, the founding proprietor of Essex County Newspapers, an author of books on Essex and the East Coast, a musician, and benefactor. Of his at least fourteen books, among the best k ...
, she was converted for use as an adventure training ship. However, the company was unable to make sufficient money from adventure training and they operated ''Memory'' as a weekend charter vessel with John Kemp as the skipper. ''Memory'' was the first sailing barge to engage in charter work. In April 1965, Sailtrust Ltd were contracted to the
London Borough of Redbridge The London Borough of Redbridge is a London borough established in 1965. The borough shares boundaries with the Epping Forest District and the ceremonial county of Essex to the north, with the London Borough of Waltham Forest to the west, the ...
to take parties of school children sailing, each week from April to October. This contract lasted for eleven years. During the second year of this contract, the
Board of Trade The Board of Trade is a British government body concerned with commerce and industry, currently within the Department for International Trade. Its full title is The Lords of the Committee of the Privy Council appointed for the consideration of ...
tightened up the regulations for charter vessels and ''Memory'' could no longer be used for that purpose. She was replaced by the auxiliary sailing barge , previously owned by R & W Paul and operated as a cargo ship until 1966. Both barges were skippered by John Kemp, with
Jane Benham Jane Mary Benham MBE (28 January 1943 – June 1992) was an English painter and sailor who was instrumental in the formation and operation of the East Coast Sail Trust. Early life Born in Colchester, Essex, Jane Benham was the daughter of Hervey B ...
as mate. Operation of ''Thalatta'' was then taken over by the East Coast Sail Trust. She was then re-rigged by the Trust, using some items from the damaged barge ''Memory''. In 2005, the Trust had to repair the hull, using Heritage funding they completed the repairs in 2009. Then in August 2011, they re-launched the barge.


See also

* List of active Thames sailing barges * Cooks yard – a barge building and repair yard in
Maldon, Essex Maldon (, locally ) is a town and civil parish on the Blackwater estuary in Essex, England. It is the seat of the Maldon District and starting point of the Chelmer and Blackwater Navigation. It is known for Maldon Sea Salt which is produced ...
*
Mersey Flat A Mersey flat is a type of doubled-ended barge, they were commonly used on the River Mersey. Construction Traditionally, the hull was built of oak and the deck was pitch pine. Some had a single mast, with a fore-and-aft rig, while some had an ad ...
– another flat-bottomed cargo boat on the
Mersey The River Mersey () is in North West England. Its name derives from Old English and means "boundary river", possibly referring to its having been a border between the ancient kingdoms of Mercia and Northumbria. For centuries it has formed part ...
Estuary *
Norfolk wherry The Norfolk wherry is a type of boat used on The Broads in Norfolk and Suffolk, England. Three main types were developed over its life, all featuring the distinctive gaff rig with a single, high-peaked sail and the mast stepped well forward. Dev ...
– another flat-bottomed cargo boat for operating in rivers * Humber Keel – another traditional river and estuary boat Thames River Steamers


Citations and references

Citations References * * * * * * * * * * * * Further reading *


External links


Thames Sailing Barge Trust

Mersea museum barge database

Sailing Barge Association



Photographs of the 1957 Thames Barge Match

Vintage News Reel of Thames Barge Races

Thames Barge Match with Nick Gates 2016 (video)

Thames barge sailing matches 2015
* * {{Sailing Vessels and Rigs Barges Sailboat types Ships built on the River Thames Transport on the River Thames Port of London Sailing ships of England Thames sailing barge