Issue 39 Aug 2020

Newsletter August 2020

Newsletter No. 39

From Geoffrey Dyball, Chairman

The Covid-19 pandemic shows no signs of going away any day soon. Suffolk has mercifully been relatively lightly affected compared to many parts of the country, but our sympathy must go out to those families who have suffered loss or illness.

The Trust has necessarily had to adapt to this very different world. Financially, this will be a standstill year. Broadly, members' subscriptions cover the Trust's administrative costs, and we have relatively substantial reserves. However, funds for our core activities of promoting Ipswich's maritime history and encouraging mainly younger people on to the water all come from events such as the barge trips on 'Victor' and the evening talks at the university. It is possible that there will no more talks this year. That decision is pretty much in the hands of the university. Bob Pawsey and John Warren have worked prodigiously hard to restart the barge trips but, with drastically reduced numbers, will do very well to break even.

Fortunately, much work can continue. The Window Museum on the Waterfront is still regularly updated, with displays of local interest done to a professional standard. Des Pawson and the 'Wizards’ are to be congratulated. Stuart Grimwade is constantly working on the Image Archive; Andy Parker has regularly posted items of interest on social media, and not forgetting Fraser Yates, responsible for this Newsletter.

Future planning would be much easier if we knew when we were likely to get back to normal - unless of course we are now in the new normal. We have had initial discussions with Ipswich Film Theatre on the possibility of jointly promoting a two- or three- day programme of films of local maritime interest. There could and should be benefits for both of us. Ipswich has a huge maritime history, which is not celebrated nearly enough.

Much work by the IMT has also gone into a proposal to promote the building and use of a St Ayles skiff. This is a wooden coastal rowing boat, some 21 feet long by 6 feet wide, available in kit form. There are some three hundred in use around the country. Locally a boat has been completed and is in use at Woodbridge, with a second under construction. There is community benefit in the building stage. Commonly, between six and ten people are involved; adept and enthusiastic, and with preferably two members with some experience of boatbuilding. Build time on the basis of evening and weekend working is about six months. Potential involvement in the rowing side is much wider. Typically, groups could each have the use of the boat for say a couple of hours, before handing over to the next group.

The kit, the non-kit wood, glue paint etc. are budgeted at about £8000. Having two boats would promote rather more interest. Over the country, building teams and crews come from all ages, but with more interest from those in middle or later years. In many clubs, half the rowers are female. Funding has in the past been available; at present, the money is being directed to Covid-19-related problems.

Lastly, members will recall the death of Ben Bendall earlier this year. Members of the Trust and friends of Ben have put together some memories of Ben which have been included in this newsletter. Even today, we are still finding jobs that Ben was doing for the Trust of which we knew nothing until we realised they had not been done.

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Social Distancing is nothing new ……

(extract courtesy of PMSC Newsletter)

At the Great Court, held at Ipswich July 14th, 1603, during the plague, it was agreed that…….

‘the Wagoners that come from London shall not be suffered to come into the Towne, before they have certified unto the Bailiffs upon their Othes, what persons and things they bring therein, and that such things as are suspicious shall be utterly forbidden, and that likewise the Hoye-men that shall come from London, with having no passengers, shall come no nearer to Towne than Dunham Bridge before they make certificate unto the Bailiffs that they bring no sickness that is infectious into the Towne’.

Window Museum News

Window Wizards in Lockdown.

Our plans to change the Window Museum display in April were, as so many other things, thrown into disarray by lockdown. We now plan to install the exhibition “The Development of the Dock” towards the end of September, if all is well. The delay has not stopped us in our activities; we have been meeting virtually every Tuesday, and from our discussions all kinds of ideas have been developed. We have updated our existing Occasional Papers and added another https://ipswichmaritimetrust.org.uk/occasional-papers/

We have found all sorts of sources of information such as ‘Whites 1844 Ipswich Directory’ and ‘Wodderspoon’s Guide to Ipswich 1842’ which have led to further studies that we will hope to share with everyone.

The further fruits of some of our other research can already be seen in the items of news published on the website and this newsletter. We are developing ways in which more in-depth information of some, or hopefully all, past Windows can be incorporated into the website. We are also thinking of how we can make our collection more widely viewable, a long-term project about more we hope later. We are also pleased to report that the roof of our original container, which was beginning to show its age, has had plenty of attention including some thick melted tar and two coats of bitumen paint. We remind ourselves that we should put a couple of coats on the new container long before it is needed and hope to get this done shortly. We would welcome anyone who would be interested in joining us as there are plenty of areas for which help would be appreciated

Des Pawson, for the Window Wizards

One thing leads to another …….

It all started when Des sent me this image from the Archive asking me if I knew anything about the ‘Brown Sack and Bag Works’, as he’d drawn a blank trying to find the business in local directories as part of his research into sack-making for yet another ‘lock-down’ Occasional Paper….

‘Brown Sack and Bag Works’ to the left of Isaac Lord

This prompted me to call my old school friend Stuart Cooper whose family had owned the Isaac Lord’s premises for very many years, and so might possibly know the answer. By complete coincidence, Stuart had been approached that same day by another, but long-lost, school friend of ours who was hoping that IMT might have some information on his grandfather, Isaiah Ducker, who had been the skipper of sb Spinaway C. Arising from this reacquaintance, and over a number of emails since, Alan Ducker tells me that he has owned four yachts during a long sailing life, naming them Spinaway A, B, C, and finally D, the latter now being berthed in Bristol Dock.

Isaiah Ducker

Sadly the barge herself is now in much poorer shape at Hoo, as seen in the recent image taken by Alan.

Meanwhile, I had also been in touch with Barry Girling whose Ipswich Memories book IMT helped to get into print, and is now in its fourth edition, such is its popularity. Barry tells me that all this authorship success has inspired him to tackle a new project that may eventually become yet another book, whose working title is BOB (Book of Bargemen), drawing on his extensive friendship with Ipswich bargemen.

No doubt all these threads will come together with more to report on in due course, but if anyone reading this can help Alan with his search for more information about his grandfather Isaiah he would I am sure be delighted.

Meantime, here are some of Stuart Cooper’s recollections of the days before the demise of the old Wherry Inn building, sadly brought about by the inevitable demands of the road transport of coal and corn along Wherry Quay instead of rail:

‘I started working with my father in 1962 and then the building was occupied on the first and second floor by Brown’s Sack and Bag works.

I remember the business was run by a Mrs Brown. Whether she had been widowed or not doesn't come to mind. On the ground floor the old public bar was a mess room for our coal and corn employees. I remember our foreman (Jim Rose) had a fire burning summer and winter to cook a pan of lights provided by Wells the butcher on the corner of Salthouse Street. The lights were to feed our two cats which my father always joked that Inland Revenue allowed us to charge for as they were working animals! I mention that because a lot of Brown's work was to repair or patch the sacks that had been gnawed or chewed by the rats and mice so prevalent in the warehouses. Sacks were woven hessian in those days long before we changed our coal sacks to polypropylene. Although farmers and corn merchants had their own sacks for harvest, many sacks were hired. I am sure you will have photos of corn sacks marked CFG - the biggest provider of sacks (Chisholm Fox and Gardner).

It wasn't long after I started work that Brown’s ceased either through retirement or demand. I can't find a date when we demolished the building to enlarge the coal yard to accommodate road deliveries which were becoming more competitive than rail. Memory suggests late 1960's’

Stuart Grimwade

Ben Bendall - a tribute

Ben passed away in January this year and is greatly missed by all who knew him. The words below, from some of his friends and IMT members and collated by Pat Grimwade and Bob Pawsey, in a small way shows how he touched so many lives.

Tribute to Peter (Ben) Bendall - Bob Race

I first met Ben briefly in 1960 at the Thursday evening jazz club

at the King’s Arms on the Cornhill, but I didn’t get to know him

properly until 1961 after his National Service with the RAF. In

the Vaults at the Golden Lion I got chatting to one of his great

friends, David Wright and I was later to find out that there was

a close-knit group of friends who had all been at school

together. This ended with David asking me if I would like to

join him and Ben in a house share. This felt like a great

adventure for me as I was still living at home.

We agreed to meet up the following Saturday to finalize the

plans. We had a jolly evening and after several pints David

suggested a celebration walk to Aldeburgh when the pub shut.

(He later announced that he had an early start in the morning

so wouldn’t be joining us!) The five of us went anyway,

unprepared for 28 miles, and many hours later we managed

to catch the 8am Sunday morning bus back to Ipswich. This

gave me a good chance to get to know Ben better and tell him

all about myself. Ben liked to know all about people’s lives.

I was accepted! So we rented a small cottage in Chelmondiston. It had only one bedroom, so we slept like the three bears – no proper toilet, no heating and only a cold tap; it was certainly character-building after living at home but we had a lot of fun considering the state of our finances and spent a lot of time in The Foresters pub where we had our Sunday lunches. Ben did most of the cooking the rest of the time. We certainly left our mark in Chelmondiston but the one really good thing that happened there was that Ben met his lovely wife Jean.

After a few months we decided to move into a large flat in Oban Street, Ipswich, certainly an improvement. Time moved on and I moved to Cologne in Germany, while David accepted a teaching contract in Turkey for 12 months. Meanwhile Ben and Jean were making plans for their life together.

I was so pleased to be able to be at their wedding at Chelmondiston Church, followed by a lovely time at the Butt and Oyster. In 1963 they took an unusual belated honeymoon. They purchased a tandem bicycle and set off to Harwich for the ferry and a tour of Holland.

During the next ten years I lived and worked abroad, got married and started a family, so it was from about 1973 that we picked up again with Ben and Jean. Ben loved the Suffolk countryside and the Suffolk Punch horses, so it seemed entirely suitable that he became involved in a consortium with local interests which became Anglia Grain, for which he was Works Director. I’m sure he proved himself very quickly and he was popular with all. He was very capable and thorough but also very considerate and fair, though always expecting good work and loyalty. He often had to work on Sunday mornings but always tried to make it to the pub where the rest of us used to meet at lunchtime.

We friends were able to enjoy summer holidays in France after David and Dorothy bought a cottage in the Bordeaux region. We would camp in the large garden with our families and Ben was in his element cooking for everyone, including the neighbours. Keith Floyd would have been proud of him! A great deal of wine was consumed and there was a great deal of mess and washing up but a great time was had by all. Over the years there were several more visits to France, four times with the old friends cycling from St. Malo for five and a half days at 80 miles a day!

I feel there were few things Ben couldn’t have achieved but there was one thing which did frustrate him and which he said he didn’t enjoy. GOLF! Several of us joined Rushmere Golf Club, playing on Wednesday afternoons. Ben tried to approach golf scientifically and read up a lot but he couldn’t understand why the ball didn’t go to where he had aimed it. Actually he was quite a reasonable golfer and being strong, could hit the ball a long way, even if not always in the right direction!

In more recent years Ben and I would often cycle to various places on a Sunday morning to enjoy a liquid lunch. Neither he nor I could drink too much beer without getting a bit wobbly, but whereas I used to get very relaxed and a bit sleepy Ben would love to talk to anyone around us. He had a great thirst for knowledge on any subject.

As for music, Ben loved brass bands, George Formby and The Singing Postman and traditional jazz. Whenever possible we would go to listen to our two friends Mike Hurrell and Norman Jones playing with various bands at the Tuddenham Fountain or The Steamboat Tavern.

It was a great source of amusement that although Ben loved jokes, he could never get them quite right. After he’d had a few, Ben would be encouraged, “Hey Ben, tell the one about so-and-so”. He never ever got them right and the punch line usually came in the middle, but he still carried on and everyone had a good laugh, not that he minded.

When Ben retired it gave him time to pursue new hobbies. Apart from cooking he loved gardening, model-making and he also liked to paint with watercolours. He had a great interest in local history especially if connected with the river and barges and he also found time to get involved with the Cambria Trust. He also became involved with Ipswich Maritime Trust, where he could use his modelling interests and organisation skills, later becoming Treasurer. I’m sure he was a great asset and I know he thoroughly enjoyed it.

I finish with one special evening I spent with Ben. A few years ago Ken Dodd came to the Regent; Ben was a great fan so off we went. The show went on for hours and I had never seen Ben enjoy himself so much, with tears of joy streaming down his face. It was a wonderful evening!

My friend Ben.

When we were young - Norman Jones

I was first aware of Ben when he cycled past my house on the way to school. He was in the year below me but we soon got to know each other. I used to hear him talking animatedly about school “injustice” or about some attractive girl – normal topics for our age group. My best friend was David Wright and both he and Ben went on to work at BX Plastics, so it was through David that I got to know Ben really well.

Ben and I used to play jazz (or so we thought!) with Tucker Smith, a relatively serious clarinettist. Ben had no musical talent but with determination and perseverance he managed to play a good banjo. Keith Davidson played the tea-chest bass and David the washboard. We played some skiffle, (all the rage then), as well as jazz tunes, and our claim to fame was playing in the interval at the Baths Hall during professional concerts.

Our interest in this gradually subsided and we began using Sunday lunch times to meet and have a pint. We developed a ritual in pubs; six or seven of us used to meet and we all had to carry an old piece of coke in our pocket. On the cry “Coke Flash!” everyone had to produce their piece of coke and slam it on the polished mahogany bar top. If you failed to produce it you had to buy a round. Eventually it dawned on us that we weren’t too popular with the landlords.

For some reason we all fancied playing the tuba and after a while we found one for which we exchanged money and unwanted musical items. The tuba had to be transported to West Ipswich and on the bus to Electric House arguments developed as to who would have first go. This calmed down as we carried it down Lloyd’s Avenue to the no. 9 bus but as soon as we were settled upstairs the squabbling began again. We all got off at Springfield Lane, but where was the tuba? We waited for the bus to return from Whitton, but the tuba had vanished. Recriminations continued well into the night.

Another friend of ours, Barry, bought a second-hand Austin 7 engine and borrowed a handcart from a relative. Our route took us down Lloyds Avenue, where Ben, Barry and I could not control the alarming speed of the cart. We shot the lights at the Cornhill and it took the level stretch of Princes Street to bring it under control. We students of mechanical engineering didn’t realize that the laws of mechanics applied in real life as much as in textbooks.

David organised the great French trip of ’56. We clubbed together and bought a 1931 Austin 14 for £20. Unfortunately our practice run to Yarmouth terminated at Yoxford due to a puncture. The trip took place a few weeks later with the car’s exhaust falling off before we got out of Ipswich. The car required frequent eggs in the radiator and sand in the clutch but we managed to reach Paris and Versailles and home again.

These incidents from our early days together do not really do justice to Ben. I have been through many situations with Ben and his family since then and he was ever the loyal, practical, most generous-hearted friend I’ve ever known.

Memories of Ben - Val Bint

I first met Ben when he and two mates would cycle to the Sunday lunch Jazz at the Steamboat sessions – we nicknamed them the “Last of the Summer Wine boys”!

Then: Ben and Jean’s wedding anniversary and family parties – I was delighted to be invited to a family lunch in celebration of his birthday.

Then: barge Victor

Ben was responsible for my catering involvement on the barge for public sailings, private sailings and IMT sailings. He would help with the IMT trips, provide the bread pudding and get stuck into the washing-up, sporting essential safety wear in the form of a cycle helmet to avoid hitting his head on the low beam over the sink in the galley!

A few notes about Ben - David (‘Wes’) Westbrook of SB Victor

Wes came across Ben relatively recently through the IMT barge trips. He already knew that Ben was a superb model maker and craftsman; also from various sources that Ben liked his pint of real ale and that he loved jazz and cycled everywhere even up to a few weeks before he died.

Wes appreciated the fact that Ben was ready to volunteer for practically any job that was necessary. For example, Ben heard that he was looking for some cheap rain macs for an excursion on Victor and immediately volunteered and purchased them on eBay.

The outstanding memory for Wes was that Ben and Jean hired Victor for their Golden Wedding party because of Ben’s love for barges.

“Ben was a great chap and will be sorely missed.”

Eulogy for Ben - Mike Hurrell

Sometime in 1960 I became aware there was a “traditional jazz band” playing at the King’s Arms pub on the Cornhill on Thursday evenings. The pub was an imposing grey-brick Victorian building with a large upstairs hall. Sadly no longer a pub, but the old building has survived.

The world of work was looming; this was my last year of school and I could hardly wait to leave. On climbing a substantial staircase the first person I spoke to was Ben, who was taking the entrance money. This was the start of a friendship which was to last nearly sixty years. Ben was one of a small group of friends all of whom were about five years older than me. They included Norman Jones, Bob Race, Clive Lennie, Johnny Vince and brothers David and Michael Wright amongst several others.

Looking back I realise how lucky I was to enjoy their friendship; they were all very kind and indulgent to me. One of the year’s highlights was the Needham Market Carnival, a lovely fun-packed day out where we were once berated by a landlord whose pub had been emptied of beers!

Over the next few years Ben and the others married, followed demanding careers or went abroad. However, really strong and sincere friendships can be re-established, making the years elapsed as of nothing. So it was with us. Jazz was again being played, new jazz clubs established and a later “flowering” emerged.

Although Ben didn’t play a musical instrument he was a very enthusiastic follower and helped in other ways. His artistic and modelling skills were highly regarded and he was a wonderful chef. The pre- Christmas lunch he used to cook for us at Bob Race’s for many years was always substantial and delicious.

I was very saddened when I learned that that his illness was terminal. Yet he remained cheerful – he was never one to complain. Ben has enriched my life with many treasured memories and I miss him.

Rest in Peace, Ben.

Ben and the Wizards on ‘Waistcoat Day’

Memories of Ben - Des Pawson

It was Ben’s offer to donate to IMT the model barge, LADY JEAN, he had built that got him involved with what would eventually become “The Window Wizards”. What a lucky bunch we were to have Ben’s skills and thoughtfulness to help us. He had such a can-do attitude, not a “you can do”, but a “we can do and I can help”, kind of can-do.

He would often think of a problem, and come up with a solution, before we had thought of it. He had the skills to make perfect little models and yet at the same time be able to create a practical simple solution, such as one of his first master-strokes, turning a full sized standing manikin into a seated sailmaker for our very first window museum display on “Barges and Sailmaking”. For the next display he transformed the manikin into a kneeling shipwright, caulking a pretend barge side, which Ben had also created. Out would come a piece of paper, a pencil and a scale rule, working out what would fit where. He created the scale dummy window that has proved so useful to plan the basic layout of all our displays over the years, together with the series of scale models that went with it. This gave us a good start when we came to install each new display.

Ben created the large model of Cliff Quay for our display #15 on the development of Cliff Quay. So splendid was the model that it is now on permanent display in the ground floor of the Old Custom House. When we decided to create a display based on the Maritime Ipswich plaques around the town, he offered to try and create a model of the Old Custom House, a very tricky challenge that he undertook and completed, even though he was not feeling his best. He would still be going down to our container to organise things, preparing for displays and exhibitions. We think today of the older container, which has all our support materials,stores, old photos, labels, bits and pieces, as Ben’s Container, so well did he organise it.

Last Heritage Open Days weekend, Ben suggested that he might create a display using all the models that he had made for us, with explanations as to the significance of them to the heritage of maritime Ipswich. We were very happy to support him with this display. It was his swansong, yet being the modest man he was, nowhere was there a note saying that all the models on display were of his creation. When we started to plan the window #20, The Development of the Wet Dock, he was slowly failing before our eyes, but carried on as if nothing was wrong. He was energised when his idea of creating a large 3D plan of the wet dock was accepted with enthusiasm by his fellow Window Wizards and he helped Colin Waters start something that he never saw completed. As we carry on planning the window, we keep on thinking “Oh, Ben’s not here to help us with that. How would he tackle that problem?” When we finally install the display that had originally been planned for April of this year, there will be a small tribute to Ben in one corner. Window display #21 will be created around all of Ben’s models and be our tribute to him written large.

Not content with being part of the Window Wizards, he took on the role of IMT’s Treasurer. He also took on the role of Treasurer for Maritime Heritage East (MHE), the museum network group for maritime museums in East Anglia. Later, when I became chairman of MHE, he was a great support to me. Indeed we had a number of trips out together on “Maritime Matters”.

I and all the Window Wizards miss Ben, but are thankful for all that he contributed, and will continue to contribute, to the public face of IMT.

Ben and the Wizards at the completion of Window #17

Monumental Maritime Heroes

IMT member Cathy Shelbourne – who gave us a talk in January on the 400th anniversary of the Mayflower – has produced a pack of Monumental Maritime Heroes playing cards and invited Stuart Grimwade to shuffle through the decks.

The recent media attention on heroes has made us all question our values, but Cathy has wisely kept to maritime players in her selection of suits and suitors. Hearts are for seaborne heroes (from the obvious such as Nelson to his now sadly unknown protégé, Hoste), Clubs for explorers and navigators, Diamonds for ships … and of course, there are Spade loads of pirates and privateers.

The cards are beautifully designed and each one features an image of an appropriate monument – from magnificent memorials in St Pauls Cathedral, to pub signs (such as The Shannon at Bucklesham) or village signs (Cavendish at Trimley St Martin). The date and place of birth of the hero, and where you can see the monument or ship is included, with a precis of their achievements. In the cards presentation box Cathy has included a leaflet and timeline, giving a great deal of information on major events in the Age of Sail, and some personal recommendations on books, museums and useful organisations.

Not surprisingly, East Anglian characters and ships feature strongly. Cathy, like Nelson, was born in Norfolk, and now lives in Ipswich (unlike Nelson, despite the purchase of Roundwood House), and regularly travels the world as an enrichment speaker on cruises. Several of her heroes were born or lived in sight of the river Orwell (Broke, Cavendish and Vernon). Others sailed ships that have been imaginatively commemorated locally, such as ‘Desire’, painted on Thomas Eldred’s mantelpiece now in Christchurch

Mansion, Gosnold’s ship ‘Godspeed’ in the gardens of St Edmundsbury cathedral, and Columbus’ ships strikingly set into a mosaic overlooking the river at Lowestoft.

For Cathy, putting together the pack was a treasure hunt. “As soon as I tracked down one monument, I would find myself caught up in a story or suggestion for another,” she says. “For example, when I was in Bury St Edmunds, photographing the Godspeed sculpture, I took a quick look at the Lego model in the cathedral. Later, when googling Lego models, I spotted Liberty, the store in Regent Street. Closer examination revealed that the weathervane on top, in Lego, was of the ‘Mayflower’.”

Even if you never play a game of cards with them, just reading the details and absorbing the history is an education in itself.

The Monumental Maritime Heroes playing cards and leaflet are available in a presentation box from cathy@seashellcommunications.co.uk for £10 plus £2 for postage and packing. A limited edition poster of the whole pack, costs £15 + p&p.

The Ipswich Rowing Club

Not many people have probably heard of The Ipswich Rowing Club.

Originally started in 1835, the two rowing clubs at that time, including The Ipswich Rowing Club. were destroyed by a fire in 1948. It was closed during the two World Wars.

However, it was re-started in 2013 by Chris Jillings and

by his sheer determination and will power as

Chairman amongst several other positions, now has a

very successful operation from the New Cut. Chris has

had little time to spare to publicize the Club but it is

hoped that with help from the IMT and similar

organizations that this will now be remedied.

On Sunday, 23rd August, Chris has organized a display of

the Club's rowing single and family double sculls to row

upstream to St Peter's Dock and under Stoke Bridge to

Princes Street Bridge and further to the weir adjacent

to the Bobby Robson pedestrian bridge. This is where

the fresh water from the River Gipping and the tidal

salt-water meet. High Water Ipswich is about 16.00 and the time of the display will be between 15.30 and 16.30. More exact times will be published nearer to the date.

A further note of interest is that Chris Jillings will shortly be publishing his book on the history of The Ipswich Rowing Club and drawing on our Image Archive.

Bob Pawsey

IMT Website

You may have noticed more frequent emails from us each week with our blog posts. Lockdown has allowed me more time to focus on the redesigned IMT website and focus on giving our amazing members and supporters. Giving a weekly taste of maritime matters, be that an interesting story, photo or update on what we have been doing.

Our website has been visited by thousands of people throughout lockdown. So a big thank you to everyone that has visited, read and commented on our posts and continues to do so.

I have written and researched many of the posts and articles but I would like to thank all of those that contributed stories as well, helped with research and assisted me with research and writing. We have now moved to sending and posting the blog posts fortnightly and are in the process of designing and developing a new and exciting fortnightly maritime matters update. So keep an eye out for this soon!

Andy Parker

2020 IMT Sailing Barge Trips.

We have now completed two barge trips this year. The first two in June were cancelled due to the Covid-19 restrictions at that time.

However, the first one on Thursday, July 9th was a great success. We sailed with 12 passengers and despite being a slightly showery day, it was enjoyed by all. Wes, the Skipper took advantage of the first commercial trip of the year by sailing most of the day, first of all down wind and on the return tacking through the moorings which was a novel and a very much appreciated experience for most of the passengers. The picnic style food for the day was excellent and the Covid-19 operating procedures worked well and contributed to a successful start to this extraordinary year.

The second trip to Harwich Thursday 30th July was a total contrast in weather. The sun shone all day and as for the first trip, food and wine were well received. Another new experience for most was that Wes the Skipper, instead of using the engine sailed off the Ha'penny pier pontoon. It was a very enjoyable trip with a few more passengers than the first.

Two more trips are planned for Thursday, August 13th to Harwich and Thursday, September 10th Orwell and Stour Rivers and there are only a few places left.

John Warren and Bob Pawsey

IMT Membership news

Thank you to everyone for renewing your subscription for 2020. Our membership has remained at over 320 members - thank you all for helping to support the Trust and its aims.

If you are still receiving our communications by post and would like to change to email, please either send me an email to membership@ipswichmaritimetrust.org.uk , or call 07531 083576 and leave a message and I will call you back.

It really does help if we can communicate by email with our members.

Fraser Yates

Future Events - Barge Trips

Thames Spritsail Barge Trips 2020

IMT Thames Barge trips

There are two trips on sb Victor still available this year. Numbers have been reduced and extensive cleaning procedures introduced to ensure

compliance with anti-Corvid19 requirements

The dates of the trips which can be booked now are:

Full-day sailing

Thursday 10th September

Visit Historic Harwich trip

Thursday 13th August

There is more information on the form at the end of the newsletter; please contact John Warren at jbwarren5@gmail.com, or via post if you wish to make a booking; details on the booking form.

Future Events - Talks and Exhibitions

We have talks lined up ready for the Autumn but at the moment it is uncertain as to whether we are able to hold them, and of course whether members would wish to attend. More information will be provided closer to the time as hopefully the situation become a bit clearer.

Unfortunately, but not unexpectedly, the Ipswich Maritime Festival in August and the local Heritage Open Days in September have both been cancelled and therefore we are unable to hold exhibitions in the Old Custom House quay level rooms. This year is the 25th anniversary of Heritage Open Days so it is particularly regrettable.

Past Events – Spring 2020 talks

We managed to hold two talks in the Spring this year before everything closed down.

February 5th

In the Wake of the Mayflower – Cathy Shelbourne

The first talk in the IMT Spring series was given by Cathy Shelbourne, celebrating the 400th Anniversary of the Mayflower’s voyage to America. An historic journey which is now recognised as the founding of the USA.

Mayflower sailed in 1620. She was built in 1609, but where?

In this part of the country, we like to believe she was built in

Harwich. She was first registered there, but there is no record

of her having been built there. Captain Christopher Jones was

her first master and owner. He was a Harwich man, having

been borne in what is now Kings Head Street. He moved to

Rotherhithe in 1611, but there is no reason to believe

Mayflower was built at Rotherhithe. At the time, there were

a number of shipyards capable of building a ship the size of Mayflower, including Ipswich. In fact, very little is known; the claim of Harwich is the most plausible one.

What then did she look like? Again, there is very little to go on. The evidence, best described as fairly sketchy, consists of a Spode plate, drawings in a church at Boston and the Plymouth Maritime Museum, and a drawing on a bottle of Plymouth gin. The 1957 replica by the naval architect and ship historian William Baker was more a typical merchantman of the period; he could do no more. The replica was sailed across the Atlantic by Capt. Alan Villiers, and is now a major feature at Mystic Seaport in the ownership of a charity, Plymouth Plantation.

Mayflower’s most famous voyage began on 15 August 1620, with 102 passengers on board. She began with the Speedwell, a particularly leaky ship. The two had to turn back to Plymouth for repairs to Speedwell. These proved not to be sufficient, and Speedwell eventually abandoned the crossing. The delays meant that Mayflower left Plymouth in early September and was now sailing into Atlantic storms. She made land on 11 December 1620, the ship badly battered and with many sick passengers.

The passengers were mainly from England and The Netherlands. They were dissenters who were seeking religious freedom and peaceful co-existence. They were there to help create a new life, founded on equitable principles. Indeed, their Mayflower Compact contained many laws which were put into the American Constitution. There had been many voyages to America before Mayflower, but it is the Pilgrims at Plymouth Rock who are today remembered as the Founding Fathers.

The talk was warmly applauded by about seventy members and guests.

March 4th

‘The London’ wreck - Steve Ellis

The London was a 64-gun Second Rate warship, built at Chatham in 1656. She was leaving the Medway in 1665, loaded with explosives, when she accidently blew up and sank. Some 300 sailors were killed, with about 25 survivors. This was the time of Cromwell, and the Anglo

Dutch war. The London was blasted into two sections 400 m apart.

They are both on the very edge of the dredged main Thames shipping lane, in about 18 m of water. They are constantly scoured by the tide and by the wash and propeller turbulence from the passing ships. Visibility is at best 1 m.

Steve and his wife Carol are Thames Estuary pleasure divers. Some ten years ago they first identified the wreck, which is on Historic England’s high-risk register. Since then they have meticulously recorded the two locations, to what is acknowledged to be a professional standard. Their first licence enabled them merely to visit the sites, the second to bring artefacts to the surface for recovery. The two have been able to save a compass, shoes, a cannon ball gauge and a considerable quantity of other items, many of which are now in the National Maritime Museum. Later, a test pit has enabled a full survey to be made of what is left of the hull – and identified a complete gun carriage.

As if diving blind and being pulled about by passing container ships were not sufficient dangers, an unexploded 4 000 kg German magnetic parachute mine was found close to the site. It was disposed of at Shoeburyness, but there is thought to another buried to the west.

Steve’s recovery licence has been temporarily withdrawn, but of course this does not stop the destruction of the wreck and the loss of artefacts. A charity has been founded, ‘Save the London 1665’, to try to save what is left of the London. The proposed method is to box in each half and transfer the boxes to dry land for conservation work to start. This is a very different scheme to that used for the Mary Rose but has been successfully used for the Nanhai No 1 in China. The cost, predictably, will be horrific.

This was an excellent talk, given by a dedicated fanatic.

Geoffrey Dyball

Sailing trips on ‘Victor’

Join IMT on a full day trip on the rivers Orwell and Stour

Thursday 10th September 2020 at 9am

A great chance to get the best views of the rivers Orwell, Stour, and

the Walton backwaters depending on the weather, and to help with

the sailing of an iconic boat.

Victor was built in 1895 by Shrubsalls at Ipswich for Owen Parry of

Colchester, mainly for use in the linseed oil trade. In 1947 she was the

last sailing barge to be decommissioned. She was converted to a

motor barge in the 1950s, but restored in 1974 and refurbished in

2005/7.

Leave from her usual berth in front of the Old Custom House about 9am.

- sausage rolls available for breakfast

- pre-packed cold lunch with wine or non-alcoholic drinks

- cream tea on return trip

- hot tea and coffee available all day

Return about 5pm, depending on wind and tide.

Parking available on the Island site by prior arrangement, courtesy of ABP.

The cost is £65 per head. Book through John Warren at jbwarren5@gmail.com or by post; payment can be made by bank transfer to IMT sort code 20-44-51 ac.no. 8048 6485 or by cash, or complete the form and send with cheque to the address shown below.

Booking Form

Barge Trip on Victor – 10th September

Please reserve .…… places at £65 per head, cheque made payable to ‘IMT’, enclosed for £…………. Name: ………………………………………………………………………………………………

Address: ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

…………………….…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. Phone number and/or email address for confirmation of reservation, and in case of need to contact:

Phone number: …………………………………………………………..

Email address: ……………………………………………………………………………………

Is a car parking space is required on the Island Site - NO/YES (please write car Reg No on reverse) PLEASE NOTE ANY DIETRY REQUIREMENTS OVERLEAF

Please return form and cheque to J Warren, 78 Christchurch St, Ipswich, IP4 2DE

Visit ‘Historic Harwich’ all day trips Thursday 13th August 2020 at 9am

Leaving from outside the Old Custom House, Ipswich at 09.00 and returning approximately 17.00, ‘Victor’ will motor/sail to Harwich Ha’penny pier. Passengers will leave the Victor at approx. 11.00 for a conducted tour of Historic Harwich Town by two guides from the Harwich Society. The tour will last approx. 90 minutes and the passengers will return to the Victor at 12.30 for pre-packed cold lunch and drinks. Victor will then leave Harwich to sail/motor back to the Old Custom House

with a cream tea on the way.

Victor was built in 1895 by Shrubsalls at Ipswich for Owen Parry of Colchester, mainly for use in the linseed oil trade. In 1947 she was the last sailing barge to be decommissioned. She was converted to a motor barge in the 1950s, but restored in 1974 and refurbished in 2005/7. Parking available on the Island site by prior arrangement, courtesy of ABP.

The cost is £65 per head, including a donation to Harwich Society. Book through John Warren at jbwarren5@gmail.com or by post; payment can be made by bank transfer to IMT sort code 20-44-51 ac.no. 8048 6485 or by cash or cheque, or complete the form and send with cheque to the address shown below.

Booking Form

Harwich Trip on Victor –13th August

Please reserve .……. places at £65 per head, cheque made payable to ‘IMT’, enclosed for £…………. Name: ………………………………………………………………………………………………

Address: ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Phone number: …………………………………………………………..

Email address: ……………………………………………………………………………………

Is a car parking space is required on the Island Site - NO/YES (please write car Reg No on reverse) PLEASE NOTE ANY DIETRY REQUIREMENTS OVERLEAF

Please return form and cheque to J Warren, 78 Christchurch St, Ipswich, IP4 2DE

Vehicle Registration Number if parking is required on Island Site

…………………………………………………………………………………………

A parking permit will be available for collection on the day of the event from the Ipswich Haven Marina Office from 08.30 onwards

If unsure of the location of the Ipswich Haven Marina Office and Island car park, please ring 07789 825680 (John) or 01473 252893 (Bob) for directions

It is recommended that passengers keep a copy of the booking form for their information on the day.

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If there are any dietary requirements or allergy information we should be aware of please note them in the space below, thank you.