Issue 29 July 2015
Newsletter July 2015
Newsletter No. 29
The day a battleship visited Ipswich New Cut
Recently there was much excitement over a postcard showing a warship visiting Ipswich which was discovered by an IMT member, Leonard Woolf. As no records existed of such a visit this required investigation!
The unretouched post card - this does not appear to be a commercial card, it was posted in Ipswich and the sender knew all was not right with the image.
The address side of the card - the card had been posted in Ipswich in 1905.
After consulting the extensive collection of Victorian ship photos at the Imperial War Museum, the distinctive mast pattern and double side-by-side funnel indicated that this was a Majestic Class Battleship. Comparison with many of the Majestic class photos led to the conclusion that this was HMS Hannibal. She had been commissioned in April 1898 and was 390ft long with a beam of 75ft and draft of 27ft.
It does not take much thought to realise that it was not possible such a ship could have actually been in the New Cut, so what was going on? Looking at the card again there is a similarity with a picture of the paddle steamer ORWELL taken in the 1890s.
The people in the foreground look remarkably unconcerned by a very large ship; behind the Hannibal there is a third funnel making steam, it is the funnel of the Orwell. Clearly this is a turn of the century montage, long before Photoshop. Who might have done it? The main clue was the photographer of the Orwell, Harry Walters. The photo below was probably taken in 1896 and the two boys on the bench are Harry’s sons Charlie and Harold.
The paddle ship Orwell in New Cut by Harry Walters.
David Kindred, who has written about Harry Walters in The Evening Star, said that Harry was born about 1848 and was originally a cook and confectioner, but by 1894 was a photographer in Crown St. Ipswich. Harry Walters was known to be entertainer and practical joker, and it was known that he experimented with photographic montages – a later example provided by David Kindred is shown below.
The later picture of Harry is very well done it is hard to see any faults. The Hannibal montage is not of the same standard with several obvious errors and is probably one of his first attempts at montage, done whilst he was working at Crown St.
What does this tell us? Well for a start there is nothing new in ‘doctoring’ photographs, and we may be able to bring you more interesting photographs from the past in later newsletters.
Thanks to Harry’s great granddaughters and David Kindred for advice and copies of the montages.
Harry eats his head
[Adapted from an article written by David Meldrum with the assistance of Bob Pawsey, Leonard Woolf and Stuart Grimwade. The full article will be available on the IMT website]
IMT membership (1)
A ‘thank you’ from the Committee to all members who renewed their subscriptions this year and continue to support the Trust. A double ‘thank you’ to those members who renew by standing order each year. We are now back up to nearly 300 members again and it does make the administrative task so much easier when you pay by standing order.
Fraser Yates
2015 AGM
The AGM was held on April 1st before the evening talk. Capt. Geoff Hartgrove stood down as Chairman after 6 years of excellent stewardship in which the Trust’s reputation and influence in the local area have grown considerably. Richard Watkinson also stood down as Council member to concentrate on other commitments. We would like to thank them both for the work put in supporting and promoting the Trust.
Geoffrey Dyball was elected as the new Chairman and we all welcome and support him in his role at a time when there may be opportunities for the Trust to develop further.
This leaves a vacancy on the IMT Council and we would welcome hearing from any members who would like to contribute to the running and development of the Trust.
Museum News
Our 12th Window Museum Exhibition The 1837 Caley drawings of Ipswich Waterfront
IMT 12th window display is rather different to previous exhibitions, in that it consists mainly of images with just two ornate carved timber beams from the Original Old Custom House and a few small items to indicate some of the activities that took place around the quays at the time that Edward Caley made his survey.
In 1837 Edward Caley was commissioned to prepare detailed plans and drawings of all the town’s quays, wharves, warehouses, shipyards, maritime businesses and factories from Stoke Bridge as far down river as the then newly constructed gasworks (where Patteson Road is today). In those days, ship movements to and from
the old wooden quays were restricted by the river emptying and filling with the tide each day, and the bold decision was taken to create an entirely new dock for the town.
Today these beautifully detailed Caley drawings and plans are preserved as four coloured panels in the Suffolk Record Office (refs: EL1/7/12/1 & 2 and EL1/7/12/3,4,5,6). A couple of years ago the Trust arranged that these panels were photographed and digitised and with this exhibition replicate them so that everyone can have an opportunity to appreciate them. To augment these we have been lucky enough to have the help of Lawrence Woolston from the UCS photographic department who took photos to create a present day panorama matching that depicted by Mr Caley
Behind them, on the back wall, we have put six enlarged sections from the coloured elevations, together with his preliminary pencil sketches of the same buildings, a period photograph from the Trust’s Image Archive of the same area, and at the top, the same scene today
Spanning almost the entire width of the window are two of the timber beams that at one time spanned the “Sailors Walk” in front of the Original Old Custom House. Whilst the Original Old Custom House was built about 1350 it is not certain when the Sailors Walk was added but they are certainly of a great age. The beams are from the Ipswich Museum Collection and have not been seen by the public for at least 20 years and this our 12th window museum exhibition has enabled us to put them once more in front of the public’s gaze.
Another good job done by the window wizards, we are now preparing for our 13th, the theme of which will be “The Thames Barge”.
Des Pawson
Something from Ipswich Maritime Trust’s past
One of IMT’s aims is the education of the public in things maritime
In 1991 Ipswich Maritime Trust funded a number of boxes that could be lent out to schools through the now defunct Suffolk Museum Service. One of these boxes has recently been returned to us. The boxes had the title ‘Suffolk and the Sea’ there was a model barge and a display of knots, together with a number of publications on Barges and local maritime heritage, and a teacher’s information pack. The box, it was suggested, could be used within the curriculum covering history, geography maths, design & technology and science. Times must have changed and we wonder if there is any value in updating the information pack and offering it once again to schools. Is there anyone who could offer an opinion and perhaps help?
Des Pawson
Edward Ardizzone
Greenaway medal for illustration with 1956’s Tim All Alone
On Saturday 14th March, at a ceremony attended by his grandson Daniel, Edward Ardizzone was honoured with a blue plaque unveiling.
The event and blue plaque was organised by the Ipswich Society and promoter Mark Ling, in association with the Ipswich Maritime Trust.
The Thames barge Victor and the tugboat Fenland, examples of boats Edward Ardizzone often used in his illustrations, were moored adjacent Albion Quay for the event.
Edward Ardizzone was a writer and illustrator of children’s books who grew up in Ipswich. Born in 1900 he was responsible for more than 20 children’s books, including the Tim series for which he won the British Library Association’s Kate
Mark Ling (Ipswich Society), Deputy Mayor Hamil Clarke, Tony Marsden (Ipswich Society) and Daniel Ardizonne.
Future Events
‘Gipping Valley Stompers’ on the Orwell
Thursday 30th July, 3pm
The afternoon trip on sb Victor to the company of the Gipping Valley Stompers has proved very popular and is fully booked.
Thames barge trip on sb Victor Thursday 20th August, 8am
Our occasional day cruise on the Orwell and Stour on sb Victor has again proved popular and this date is also now fully booked.
Ipswich Maritime Festival 15th & 16th of August
This year we will not have to battle the winds nor shall we suffer heat stroke, as we will be inside the Old Custom House. IMT will be sharing the quay level floor of the Old Custom House with ABP Ipswich. The theme for the whole festival is ‘The Port at War’ and IMT will be basing the display on the photos we used for our 9th window display ‘The Port of Ipswich in Wartime’. Opening up the Old Custom House to visitors during the Maritime Festival is an unknown quantity but we are certain that it will be far busier than Heritage Open Weekend, so we need more people to man the displays. ABP will have staff looking after their display but at a minimum we need 3 people at any one time, and 4 would be better. Just as at Heritage Open Weekend I have broken the day down into 2
halves 1000-1330 and 1330-1700 - if anyone is able to help on either day for all or part of a session please contact me Des Pawson on 01473 690090 or at des@despawson.com
Heritage Open Weekend 12th and 13th of September.
Once again IMT will be opening the Old Custom House for Heritage Open Weekend. This is always a rewarding event and last year we had over 600 visitors.
This year we are pleased that we will have as part of our exhibition a display of previously unseen drawings of the building of the Cranfield Tower by Valerie Irwin. These carry on from the drawings Valerie made when the site was being cleared, but unlike those they have not had a proper public outing. We will be complementing Valerie’s work with various items and photos we have of Cranfield Mills and Pauls Maltings. As in previous years we need people to help man the exhibition either a 10am to 1pm session or 1pm to 4pm session. If anyone is able to help on either day, for all or part of a session, please contact me Des Pawson on 01473 690090 or des@despawson.com
Autumn 2015 talks
We have another series of interesting talks on a maritime theme this autumn, starting on Wednesday 7th October. The titles of the talks are below with more details on page 11 of the newsletter. Reminders of all the talks will be sent out closer to the events, together with information for the supper booking (catering by Val, ex of the Steamboat pub), but please make a note of the dates in your diary.
Bar and catering arrangements for the talks
Unfortunately due to changing circumstances the Theta Bar, which is run by the Students Union and we have used since moving the talks to the UCS site, is no longer available to us on the Wednesday evenings.
The bar and suppers are appreciated by many to meet and chat with other members and turn the evening into more than just a talk. We have therefore arranged with our caterer Val to provide a bar and the suppers in the Foyer area of the Waterfront building.
To comply with the licensing requirements the entrance to the talk will now optionally include the cost of refreshments.
The talks will still cost £3.50 for members and £4.50 for non-members, but if you wish to have refreshments – beer, wine, soft drinks – the cost of the talk will be increased to £5 and £6 respectively. This will cover the cost of any refreshments provided by Val that you wish to have prior to the talk – we hope you will agree that this is very good value to yourselves.
The cost of the supper is being held at £11 per head, and again an additional £1.50 will cover the cost of any refreshments you wish to have with the meal.
We are introducing this for a trial period of the Autumn series of three talks and look forward to seeing you at the October talk.
Wednesday October 7th at 8pm ‘The Sutton Hoo Longship
Reconstruction Project’
by Paul Constantine
Wednesday November 4th at 8pm ‘The Royal Navy in World War One’ by Mark Mitchels
Wednesday December 2nd at 8pm ‘The Boatyard at Waldringfield’ by Mike Nunn, and
‘Arthur Ransome’s Honeymoon Cruise’ by Brian Hammett
Past Events
Spring 2015 talks
Wednesday February 4th
National Maritime Museum Model Collection by Simon Stephens
The spring series of talks at UCS got under way on 4th February with an excellent presentation by Simon Stephens, the Curator of Models at the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, to about 75 members and guests
The collection was founded in the mid 1930’s, and now comprises upwards of 3500 items. It is housed in the building formerly occupied by the Royal Hospital School, now based at Holbrook. Simon has been with the collection for 37 years.
The earliest model is of an Egyptian funeral barge dating from about 1800 BC. The most recent is of the P & O cruise liner Grand Princess, just 10 years old. There is a model of a Thames skiff, and the ship-in-a-bottle which stood on the Fourth Plinth in Trafalgar Square; the model is of Victory, and the Perspex bottle big enough for a man to stand.
The bulk of the collection starts from the time of Pepys, with 1:48 scale Navy Board models submitted by shipbuilders in the hope of a commission. They were left framed (unplanked) to give a clear view of the interior. The first named model is the St Michael, made in 1669 from the usual materials of fruit and box wood. A 1680/1690 model for a Royal Yacht had some beautiful detailing.
For intricacy, the highlight is probably the Royal George. Commissioned by the Earl of Sandwich for George III, the model is framed to starboard and planked to port. The external details and mouldings are immaculate, but so are the internal cabins and their panelled doors, and even the main capstan. The ship itself had only a short life before turning over and sinking.
Endoscopy and even CT Scanning have been used by Simon and his colleagues for exploration and analysis of the collection. The model-makers almost invariably remained anonymous, but endoscopy showed the maker of the Dolphin clockwork paddle yacht to be one Allen Hunt. The best find was in the Bellona, 1759; ‘Wm Thompson + Tho Burkitt Fecit Chatham’. Recognition, after about 250 years.
One of our members put the quality of the talk very well – ‘the success of the talk lay in the fact that it was on a fascinating and immensely intricate subject presented by someone who knows, cares, and can put it over’.
Geoffrey Dyball
Wednesday March 4th
‘Maritime Felixstowe’ by Phil Hadwen
Phil Hadwen, the prominent local historian and IMT member, gave the second talk in the Spring series, on Felixstowe’s maritime history.
Felixstowe as a town had its beginnings in the early 1700s. The area had previously been known as Walton, a grain port for the Romans; the remains of their fort lie about a mile out to sea. Much of the area is reclaimed marsh, but Harwich Haven now comprises probably the best natural harbour on the East Coast. It was not always so; in the late 1600s, the passage to the sea from the Orwell and the Stour was blocked by sandbanks, with access only behind Landguard fort, then an island.
Modern history begins with Colonel Tomline. He brought the railway to the town in 1877, and in 1882 work was begun on the Dock Basin – all dug out by hand. The Pier hotel was built, at the then terminus of the railway by the Dock. The trade was mainly coal and timber, but the early part of the twentieth century saw Felixstowe expand hugely as a tourist destination. One Easter saw over 17000 people brought to the town.
The First World War brought in warships for refuelling and repair. 1912/1913 saw the growth of the harbour as the country’s main seaplane base; all testing was done there. Phil had photos of the small lighters used to get seaplanes to the submarine attack zones in the North Sea. Others showed the first jet seaplane (not a success) and the ‘Sealand’ offshore fort.
From the mid 1960s, the story is of the phenomenal growth of Felixstowe into the country’s biggest container port, a position it seems determined to hold.
Geoffrey Dyball
Wednesday April 1st
‘Lightermen and the Thames’ by Brian Cornell
Some 96 members and guests came to the last supper talk of the spring series. Brian Cornell is a Freeman of the River, and spent thirty years on the Thames as lighterman and then tug skipper.
London owes its position to the Thames, way back from Roman times. There was a fundamental change in 1197. Richard l sold the commercial river rights to the City of London for £20000. This enabled the City to make charges for the use of the river, and with hindsight was probably one of history’s great bargains.
The City’s jurisdiction extends up to Teddington Lock to below Tilbury. By the 18th century, the river was more than twice its present width but quite shallow; development and roads have brought the river to its present width.
Brian described some of the dubious activities of the watermen – obviously before his own time – and also for example swan-upping and the annual rowing race for Doggett’s coat and badge. The odd state secret also came out; for example, the Queen’s barge Gloriana, rowed with impressive precision during her 60th birthday celebrations, was actually fitted with a sizeable electric motor.
Traffic on the river was mainly to and from the huge expanse of docks each side of the river below Tower Bridge, but much traffic was just to keep London moving. There were 18 power stations between Tilbury and Teddington, all needing a constant supply of coal.
Much of Brian’s working life was spent with Tate and Lyle’s company, Silvertown Services, and he had a number of photos of that time. Dock activity declined quickly with the advent of containerisation, in London’s case based at Tilbury, and only little now remains of what was a way of life for thousands of workers.
This was an excellent talk, well illustrated, and given by somebody who has lived through his subject.
Geoffrey Dyball
Ha’penny Breeze
Saturday evening, April 18th.
The Pin Mill Sailing Club owns 74 chairs and the only copy of the 1949-made film “Ha'penny Breeze” - which is just as well as 74 IMT members and friends used them on the Saturday for an extraordinarily enjoyable evening including the viewing of this Pin Mill made film which features locals alongside the actors . . . . one of the former being present and is an IMT member.
It was an “Altogether Evening” in all respects. The Pin Mill Sailing Club provided an extremely comfortable venue with a fabulous view – of the scenery which appeared in the film. Add to this the high quality and voluminous “nibbles”, expertly prepared and delivered by Jean and Ben Bendall,
together with the contents of the Club bar and the opportunity to chat as well as to watch the film (and also to listen to it – as someone mentioned: “It was great to hear again those “clipped” post-war Suffolk accents!”). As a further bonus, Renee Waite, the Club's Historian aided by Stuart Grimwade, set up a display of photographs and letters which provided a fascinating insight into the making of the film and those involved plus local characters of those days.
We won't go into the “plot” of the film here but it will interest members to learn that this one and only copy of the film in existence, belongs to the PMSC and, at the request of a benefactor, it may only ever be shown at the Clubhouse. It has been refined and renewed in “Half (as in Breeze) a dozen” formats over the years and is now again in very fine and watchable condition.
Our thanks to the PMSC and all those involved in making this a most enjoyable evening.
Mark Grimwade
Thames Barge Trip on sb Victor
Thursday 11th June
The ninth trip organized by the IMT started with a full passenger list a little after 0800 hours. The day’s weather was dry with sunny intervals, however there was a fairly stiff breeze for most of the time.
Bacon butties were served with coffee or tea for breakfast while sailing under topsail and foresail down the Orwell to Pin Mill on the ebbing tide.
After Collimer, with the wind hard on the nose it was necessary to use the engine while the passengers enjoyed their “elevenses” served with Ben’s special “bread pudding”, very highly acclaimed by all.
At Harwich Harbour, Victor turned to starboard for the passage up the Stour and the mainsail was un-brailed to assist with the push against the ebbing tide. One of the Carnival Lines massive cruising ships was berthed at Parkeston Quay which completely dwarfed the Victor. At Mistley it was interesting to see all the commercial activity, cargo ships unloading at the quay and it was here that Skipper “Wes” expertly turned the Victor round in the very narrow channel made all the narrower because it was low tide; the anchor was deployed so that the Victor’s motor was able to swing the craft to point downriver.
A short time after motoring downriver to Stutton Ness the anchor was dropped for lunch. Lunch was magnificent, two courses with wine, although a “starter” was also available for those who could manage it. The variety of Val’s hot and cold dishes was amazing and thoroughly enjoyed by all.
The pudding was still being served when the anchor was raised and the passenger’s didn’t notice we were under way. The engine was used to assist against the flooding tide of the Stour until
the turn upriver into the Orwell where the tide became favourable. Jean’s home-made scones with strawberry jam and clotted cream were served while passing Pin Mill. Return to the Old Custom House quay and normality was about 18.00.
Bob Pawsey
Visit to Woodbridge Tide Mill Thursday 16th July
On 16 July, twenty-one members and friends met at Woodbridge Tide Mill for a guided tour, courtesy of the Tide Mill Trust.
This is the third mill on the site, the earliest dating from about 1170. The present mill was built in 1793; it closed in 1957, but restored and opened to the public in 1973. It is now in full working order, albeit that the mill pond is only about one sixth of its original size; this necessarily restricts the times the mill can be in operation.
The mill is not only an iconic building, it is also now equipped as a visitor centre for the whole family. For the full experience, however, be sure to get there when the waterwheel is turning and milling taking place. The building comes alive, and almost has a smile on its face.
Website www.woodbridgetidemill.org.uk. Geoffrey Dyball
IMT Membership (2) New members
A warm welcome to the new members who have joined since December 2014 (with apologies for missing off names of joint memberships where it has not been supplied) –
Mark Sargent, Kim & David Wady, John Glasspool, Philip Hadwen, Graham & Honor Hussey
Fraser Yates
Page 9
Can you identify where this is?
This is an image from a postcard sent in by one of our members and estimated to be from around 1900-1910. Can you identify where it was taken? Please let us know if you know the location.
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Book Offer for IMT members
Catherine Watts of Boydell & Brewer Ltd, a local publisher, has offered members of the Ipswich Maritime Trust a discount on a recent publication. Members are offered 25% off the book which would make it £14.99 (usually £19.99.); the discount code for members to receive this will be 15374 and will be available until the 1st October 2015.
East Anglia was a distinctive English region during the Middle Ages, but it was one that owed much of its character and identity to its place in a much wider "North Sea World" that stretched from the English Channel to Iceland, the Baltic and beyond. Relations between East Anglia and its maritime neighbours have for the most part been peaceful, involving migration and commercial, artistic, architectural and religious exchanges, but have also at times been characterised by violence and contestation. All these elements have played a significant role in processes of historical change that have shaped the history both of East Anglia and its North Sea world.
This collection of essays discusses East Anglia in the context of this maritime framework and explores the extent to which there was a distinctive community bound together by the shared frontier of the North Sea during the Middle Ages. It brings together the work of a range of international scholars and includes contributions from the disciplines of history, archaeology, art history and literary studies.
Professor David Bates is Professorial Fellow in History, Robert Liddiard is
Professor of History, at the University of East Anglia.
Orders can be placed by phone on 01394 610600, by fax on 01394 610316, by email at trading@boydell.co.uk or on-line at www.boydellandbrewer.com
Postage is £3.00 in the UK, £7.50 per book (up to a maximum of £30.00) to mainland Europe and £13.50 per book outside Europe. Please quote the offer code 15374 to ensure that the discount is given. The offer ends 1st October 2015.
Page 10
IMT 2015 Autumn Talks
Wednesday October 7th at 8pm
The Sutton Hoo Longship Reconstruction Project
by Paul Constantine
This heritage project is based on the redeveloped site of the former
Whisstock’s Boatyard in Woodbridge. The talk will cover the Mound 1
ship itself, its significance in Scandinavian boatbuilding, and the relevance of such boats to the Anglo-Saxon migration.
Recent developments with the replica longboat ‘Sae Wylfing’ will also be discussed. Paul Constantine has lived in Woodbridge since the early 1960s. He has a basis in timber technology, and is a very experienced boat builder and sailor. He is also the author of a number of practical sailing books.
Wednesday November 4th, 8pm
The Royal Navy in World War One
by Mark Mitchels
For most people, the Royal Navy would appear to have done little towards the victory, and even Jutland was less than a glorious triumph. But Germany was starved into surrender by the Navy’s blockade of the homeland and the destruction of its U boats; once again the Navy successfully fulfilled its traditional role.
This is a story which needs to be told, if only to correct the impression created by the previous century. Mark Mitchels taught at Woodbridge School for many years. He is a well-known speaker especially in East Anglia, and is a published author and photographer.
Wednesday December 2nd, 8pm – a double bill!
The Boatyard at Waldringfield
by Mike Nunn
Mike Nunn’s father started the boatyard in 1921. This is the history of the
yard, from the conversion of the former cement works almost to the
present day.
Mike is now retired, having been in the business and then owning Seamark Nunn, for some fifty three years. followed by….
Arthur Ransome’s Honeymoon Cruise
by Brian Hammett
About four years ago, Brian Hammett retraced the route of AR’s 1924 Latvian honeymoon cruise, inland from Riga. His wife was the mysterious Russian Evgenia, Trosky’s secretary. This is the story of that cruise. Brian is a member of, inter alia, the IMT and the Arthur Ransome Society, and has published a book on this topic. It links with the February 2014 talk given by Ted Evans and Michael Rines.
All are welcome to our lectures at the Waterfront Building, University Campus Suffolk, where a warm welcome, bar, adjacent parking and an optional supper await. Supper commences at 18.45 hrs, and the talk at 20.00 hrs.
The cost for attending a talk is £3.50 for members and £4.50 for guests. Please note that it is only necessary to book for suppers (1 week in advance, please!) but not for the talk.