Issue 41 July 2021
Newsletter July 2021
Newsletter No. 41
An Ipswich Dock engine man – a story from the Image Archive
One of the pleasures of publicising our historic photographs in the Image Archive is discovering stories about the people in them. Sometimes this comes from them now being online, but more recently it has arisen from giving talks via ‘zoom’. One such comes from my talk to the Ipswich Society on the Ipswich dock railway.
Having seen this photograph in my talk, in which I mentioned that we did not know the names of any of the engine men in the Archive, Sandra Gage wrote to me and kindly agreed to allowing me to reproduce this extract from her email which, I feel, gives a whole new perspective to the image in the archive and brings to life the social history of the Ipswich of those days. Sandra writes:
‘I attended your excellent talk for Ipswich Society about the Dock Railway last month. I said that I knew one of the railway men in a photo.
The man on the far left is my grandfather Charles Edward Skeet.
Charles was born 1899, and grew up at what he called 'The Strand' which I think is near Halifax junction in Wherstead. He attended Old Stoke school, and was in the church choir at St. Mary's Stoke. He started work in 1913, but this came to an end in 1914 when he joined the Royal Army Medical Corps, East Anglian Field Ambulance serving in Egypt somewhere between Alexandria and Cairo (I have his diary) supporting the regiments protecting the Suez Canal (I think). I have grandad's WWI medals, they are still in the packaging that he received them in, never worn.
When he returned in 1918 he went back to the railway, and signed up to the GER Pension Fund. He rose through the ranks, becoming a train driver sometime between the wars. He worked for GER, LNER & British Rail. He is listed in the 'Ipswich Engines and Ipswich Men', the Over Stoke History Group publication. He retired in the mid 1960's. My cousin has his gold watch presented on his retirement.
I have also a photo of Grandad and Nana Skeet's wedding picture. This would have been 1923. Nana came from Bedfield but I think she briefly served as a housemaid somewhere in Ipswich, so perhaps that is how they met. Grandad bought 336 Wherstead Road, from new, as did many railway men and according to my Mum the whole road was an LNER community. The house name is 'Kubrie' which I understood that this was Grandad's choice as a reference to where he was based in Egypt.
He passed away in 1974, but I have lovely memories of his stories of driving trains, cooking his breakfast on his shovel. Nothing about WWI, but that was typical of his generation. I've always thought that for a boy from Old Stoke, he had an eventful life’.
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Separately from this we also received an enquiry from a Mr Peter Clements trying to find some information about his father who was killed in action firefighting in Ipswich Dock in 1941. The archive is very fortunate in having been donated many images of the Ipswich Dock Fire brigade by the Jasper family and by David Kindred.
When we shared some of these images with the Peter he was absolutely astounded as, not only did one of them show his father in a photograph they had never seen before, but he had many times moored his yacht in Ipswich Haven Marina at the spot where his father had been killed.
Peter’s father is in the centre of this group on the deck of the dock fireboat that took a direct hit shortly after this photograph was taken on Tovell’s Wharf
There is much more to this story and of the Ipswich Dock Fire Brigade; both are being researched further for publication in the future.
This is just one of many instances where the IMT Image Archive has been able to help people with their research and we are grateful for all the people who donate their images for inclusion in the Archive.
Stuart Grimwade
Jubilee Hard at Pin Mill
The Jubilee celebrations of Queen Victoria’s reign took place in 1887. Local celebrations included a procession of decorated wagons around the village, a dinner in the Red Lion for the farm labourers and a tea party for the school children in a meadow close to Pin Mill.
But a more lasting tribute was Pin Mill Hard, named Jubilee Hard to celebrate the Queen’s long reign. A decision had been taken to construct a new Hard at Pin Mill to remedy the difficulties encountered by passengers of the Great Eastern steamers. George Garrard, the boat builder of Pin Mill, (now Harry King and Sons) was given the task of constructing a new hard 1,000 feet in length, which would provide a dry and safe landing area. The new construction would cost £100, and it was hoped that enough money could be raised to provide a small fund for future maintenance.
During 1887, one such fund-raising activity was a concert in the schoolroom. George Garrard was employed to transport a piano from Mr. Harbord’s house to the schoolroom. This involved the labour of three men and two lads and incurred a charge of one guinea.
Grateful yachtsmen and local people who looked forward to a less muddy landing at Pin Mill, donated to the funds. Five guineas was received from Captain Berners of Woolverstone Hall and two guineas from Mr. Bunn, whose yacht Violet was skippered by Edward Crane of Pin Mill.
Although intended to be open for the 1887 celebrations the construction was not completed until 1888 as it is recorded “that certain difficulties had to be surmounted by perseverance and tact”. It had taken Garrard and his men thirteen weeks of hard labour to deposit some 1,440 tons of shingle upon the mud. A great deal of timber was used to create a solid edging. The total account for labour was eighteen pounds and fifteen shillings.
Pin Mill Hard c1900
These improved facilities offered by Jubilee Hard were much appreciated by those who purchased their steamer tickets in the Alma Inn (the ticket window still exists in Alma cottage) and took Harry Ward’s ferryboat out to the waiting steamer, which was ‘hove to’ off the end of the Hard. When passengers arrived on board the steamers, their appearance was more presentable than in the past. Six steamers a day passed Pin Mill during the summer months and was a useful form of transport providing a day’s outing for many families.
Commercial sailing barges made full use of the landing hard situated at Pin Mill. For most local industries, including malting and brick making, the barges were a major form of transport for raw
materials and finished products. Coal, an important commodity, was offloaded into carts, taken to the top of Pin Mill Hard and stored in the coal shed (now owned by the Butt and Oyster]. One such barge involved in the coal trade was the ketch-rigged sailing barge Harwich skippered by Captain W. Rands. She carried coals from Durham to Pin Mill at a freight of two shillings and sixpence per ton.
Nocturnal landings were not unknown and the 1733 inventory of local Malster Antony Alderton included the following items in his kitchen: “100 gallons of brandy worth £28.0s.0d., some cheese and 7 dozin glass bottles”.
Certainly rather a large quantity of brandy, maybe the smugglers were involved?
Most of these interesting activities declined in the twentieth century. Expansion of the railway network contributed greatly to the demise of the passenger steamer and also the cargo-carrying barge. However leisure time increased and sailing became popular. Pin Mill’s sheltered anchorage was an attractive mooring place and Jubilee Hard was useful for all those who launched their small boats.
These recreational pursuits were curtailed when war broke out in 1939. Pin Mill Hard was covered with a wooden walkway structure to facilitate the landings of the many military men engaged in various operations upon the River Orwell. When war ceased in 1945, Pin Mill Sailing Club recommenced activities and persuaded the appropriate authorities to remove the deteriorating wooden structure and make necessary repairs to the edging.
In 1972 those interested in retaining this amenity as a Public Hard formed the Pin Mill Hard Committee. The maintenance was financed by public donations and the work undertaken by volunteer labour. In recent years Pin Mill Task Force and the Bay Company have undertaken renovation of this important village facility continuing the work started nearly 120 years ago.
The Hard with sb Cambria on the blocks
All these committees carry on the aims of the early Jubilee committee of maintaining Pin Mill Hard as a free and public Hard, the only one on the River Orwell. The recent regeneration helps the local boat and barge businesses, promotes tourism and increases the local economy. It is an essential asset to barges that come for repairs as well as all those barges who attend the annual Pin Mill Sailing Club barge match when their crews visit the Butt and Oyster and Pin Mill Sailing Club for well-earned refreshment.
Renee Waite
[Editor - stories that you would like to share with other IMT members are always welcome; please get your writing caps on!]
The Prince Philip Lock
Soon after the death of the Duke of Edinburgh, we received an email from Andrew Harston (ABP’s Regional Director Wales and Short Sea Ports) asking if we had any images in the IMT Image Archive of the Duke officially re-opening (and renaming) of the new lock in March 2001 after the fitting of the new lock gates which replaced those installed many decades earlier. Sadly ABP had none. I had to admit that we did not either, but with Andrew’s influence it was possible to trawl the depths of the Archant photo library to find some, and these are now in ABP’s archive and thereby donated to us from Andrew. Here are a few of that day and showing the very first boat to transit through the lock after re-opening – the naval pinnace 6808.
Stuart Grimwade
Images courtesy of Archant Ltd and Nick Hall
The Ipswich Maritime Trust collection going out to the world
In the January Newsletter we mentioned that it was hoped that soon our collection of physical artifacts would be available to be viewed on-line. Since then the team behind the IMT Window Museum have been gradually photographing the collection and entering the details into the e-Hive so anyone in the world can view them. It is a time-demanding task and progress is slow, but it is happening! To date we have 198 items on-line and more are being added each month.
To view the collection go to https://ehive.com/objects?accountId=201638 then you can view all that have been added so far. At the time of writing ninety of the entries have photographs but this will be increasing. The system is used by many organisations around the world and by using the search function “objects” can be viewed from collections around the world.
It is worth remembering when searching for items to try various combinations i.e. sailmakers, sailmaking, “Sail Makers” and use speech marks to limit to exact phrases. You will be amazed what you can find.
It is fair to say that the photographs are for record purposes and not of high studio quality. If a researcher is interested in a particular detail of an object then a detailed photograph can be arranged.
Des Pawson
A new IMT ‘Cornhill cubes’ exhibition
John Warren recently invited the CEO of Ipswich Central and his colleagues to walk around the Wet Dock to help them better to understand the unique maritime heritage that they should be encouraging and helping town visitors to appreciate. Arising from this ‘walkabout’, Paul Clement invited me to meet him and his colleagues to progress various ideas on which I will report further in a later Newsletter. One option, however, was an invitation to IMT to update and re-instal the exhibition which appeared all too briefly (10 days!) on the Cornhill three summers ago, and which had to be dismantled prematurely due to unseasonably high winds.
Image courtesy of Cari Hodkinson IBC.
Work on this new exhibition is now well advanced, and I am most grateful to Andy Parker, Des Pawson, my wife Pat, and the IHCT team (see item below) for their help in this time-consuming project, involving designing 16 large panels of text and images telling the maritime story of Ipswich. One of the new panels will highlight St. Clement’s Church (see item below). This time we hope they will be erected on the Cornhill for the whole of October, under Lloyds Arch. For its part, and having funded the costly initial panel printing, Ipswich Central have kindly agreed to gift the exhibition panels to IMT for our reuse when they are dismantled.
So, something to look out for to lift the burden of town centre shopping this autumn!
A permanent home for the ‘Cornhill cubes’ exhibition
Arising from our involvement in the marking of the 250th anniversary of the death of Sir Thomas Slade earlier this year, I joined a small group led by the Chairman of the Ipswich Historic Churches Trust to progress the opening-up of the redundant St. Clement’s Church. This will involve a new floor, heating, lighting and toilet facilities, with the intention of converting the church into an arts and entertainment venue for Ipswich. The church is one of the jewels in the Ipswich crown of town centre medieval churches that has sadly been largely unused for many years. Its connection with the maritime life of the town is well-known, and is the reason for its local name as ‘the sailors’ church’. IHCT therefore invited IMT to prepare a permanent exhibition to be installed in part of the church following the reopening of the building for public events, and it was this request that prompted my discussion a few months ago with Ipswich Central about the updating of the IMT exhibition that I mounted on the ‘Cornhill cubes’ when they were first erected. I am pleased to report that this new exhibition is now planned to be re-erected in the church later this year or early next, where it can readily be updated as and when volunteers come forward!
Stuart Grimwade
New Books
‘With ENA to Maastricht’ by Doug Nicholls
With ENA to Maastricht is a booklet of 50 pages with more than 20 full colour
photographs of her 96/97 refit and the subsequent voyage to and from
Maastricht, professionally laid out and printed in A5 format.
With the major restoration of the S/B PUDGE progressing well The Thames Sailing Barge Trust Committee are now turning their minds to another round of restoration and repair to their sailing barge CENTAUR.
Built by Cann at Harwich in 1895 CENTAUR has been owned by the Trust,
formerly Thames Barge Sailing Club, since 1974. Between 1977 and 1995, her centenary year, she underwent very major repairs and restoration. More than 40 years since the commencement of that work it is evident that even with the annual maintenance undertaken by Trust volunteers and the occasional resort to professional shipwrights a new schedule of repairs is required.
The Trust has set up a new fund, The Centaur Restoration Fund, in a bid to accumulate donations specifically for this work. All proceeds from the sale of With ENA to Maastricht will be donated to the Fund. See https://www.bargetrust.org/ for more information on the Trust.
The book is available from Doug Nicholls at a cost of £5 including postage.
Contact Doug at nichollsadjm@gmail.com . Payment may be made by PayPal; other methods of payment can be arranged. For those without internet access Doug’s postal address is: - 9 Hackney Terrace, Melton, Woodbridge, IP12 1NN.
Copies will also be made available for sale at the TSBT Pop-up shop on Maldon Quay (see https://www.bargetrust.org/events/ ).
Review
The Paul’s Sailing Barge ENA, so long a fixture in Ipswich and around the east coast, with her white cross in the topsail and flying a red bob with a white cross, is no more. However, her memory lives on and Doug Nicholls, who as skipper over-saw a major overhaul 1996/7, prior to taking her across the North Sea and up the canals to Maastricht, where she was to be a hospitality venue for Paul’s Malt at the European Brewers Convention there, certainly has memories.
He has written a delightful account of both the refit and pre-trip preparations, with all its problems to overcome and the trip there and safely back again to Ipswich. We are lucky that Doug found his original notes from the time and has been able to take us every step of the way. A splendid cruise and a fitting memorial to one of Ipswich’s most celebrated barges. Enjoy.
Des Pawson MBE
‘Band of Brothers’ by Barry Girling
History is written by leaders, with major events linked to
royalty, politicians and generals.
Another, less well documented, history involves us lesser
mortals. Looking at headstone inscriptions makes you think
how people lived and worked in times past. A military
cemetery gives another view of a famous battle.
Band of Brothers contains a list of some of the bargemen of
Ipswich and the Orwell during the height of the sailing
barges 1860-1960. Much East Suffolk history is based on the
interaction between the plough and the sail, as in John
Constable's paintings; many bargemen came from the farms
between the Stour and the Orwell. The names will interest
those wishing to search this history, or those looking for
family connections. What makes it come alive are the
delightful photographs, many from the Ipswich Maritime
Trust archive. Some photographs were provided by archivist
Don Wright, originally from the collection of the late Richard
Smith. Many others have been sourced by the author from
the families of the bargemen themselves. Here we see the faces of powerful characters who led a tough life with such skill.
Band of Brothers is a companion publication to Barry Girling’s previous booklet, ‘Ipswich: Memories of a Special Town’, and you can get both books together for £12, with free delivery within Ipswich. For details, email Barry at redroundabout92@gmail.com or call 01473 328621. The books are also available from shops including Waterstones.
John Warren
‘Rowing & Regattas in Ipswich’ by Chris Jillings
This diligent book rises from a mass of newspaper archives, the Record Office, libraries and photographic collections to document the history
of rowing and regattas in the town. Many of the photographs are from
the IMT archive and the book is an excellent companion to this year's
IMT calendar.
Chris Jillings took an interest in rowing the Orwell in the 1980's and set
up a new Ipswich Rowing Club in 2013 that has been so successful that
two women training from the New Cut were awarded the Club Crew
of the Year (UK) by British Rowing.
The historical context is explained well. Competition to drop off a pilot
in all-weathers fostered the design of fast gigs that were raced in
annual regattas held around the coast for substantial prizes. Inland
competitive rowing started in East Anglia in 1813; an Ipswich Galley
Club is mentioned by 1835. Two years later a large Ipswich Town Regatta coincided with Victoria's Coronation. Subsequently boats from the Ipswich Aquatic Club, Orwell, Nautilus, Petrel and Naiad rowing clubs, joined by teams from several industrial works and pubs, competed with visiting crews from around East Anglia. Competitive women's teams were seen throughout the Victorian era. By 1862 a crowd of 25,000 jostled on the Wet Dock to witness rowing, sailing and swimming races. Even bigger crowds were seen periodically until regattas started to wind down in 1913.
There were plenty of sinkings and falling in, though fortunately few fatalities. The crowd were treated to spray from the earliest torpedoes, exploded for their amusement in 1871. Most races were rowed between the Wherstead Beacon and the committee boat moored outside the lock gates, though timed-start races up the Gipping were also held.
In 1905 the Woolwich Bell cut the Hog Highland bend too fine at full speed to demolish a skiff. The five crew were rescued, one embarrassed to be without his shorts, by the packed paddle steamer.
A fire in 1948 destroyed the two splendid rowing clubs that had been built at the edge of the salt water bathing place in 1903. Since then, the potential for the river in the town to be an aquatic park has faded from public consciousness. We should lament the loss of the splendid tree lined boulevard on the Wet Dock to a desolate, locked lorry park; the loss of beach access at Hog Highland; replacement of the swimming pool and riverside gardens of Wherstead Road by the West Bank Quay; the banning of public access to the lock gates, Umbrella site and Ship Launch Road; the concreting of much of the Gipping riverbank and the extensive silting of the New Cut.
A useful addition to the shelves of those interested in maritime Ipswich, this book is a timely reminder of what might be achieved. Most of the hive of social activity and sport were carried out in the past in a river thick with sewage and industrial waste. Now, the Orwell is cleaner than at any time in the last two hundred years, yet not used by the majority of the town.
The Island site and dock will develop further. Whether this is dominated by gated towers of second homes, or whether there will be greater access for the communities of the town for sport and leisure, will depend on an informed public who is aware of what has gone before. Chris Jillings has led the way in restarting competitive rowing in Ipswich and I recommend his book.
The illustrations are well, chosen, with many from the IMT archive.
Price £20, contact Chris at: intertech@btinternet.com or from Bob Pawsey on 01473 252893. John Warren
The Richard W Smith Memorial Award
This award1from the Ipswich Maritime Trust is given annually to the person or organisation who, in the opinion of the IMT Trustees, have contributed in a significant way to the understanding of local maritime culture or heritage.
For 2021 IMT it was awarded it to Wes Westwood, skipper of the sailing barge Victor, for keeping Ipswich’s ‘local’ barge running and bringing part of our local maritime history alive to many thousands of people over the last 15 years.
Wes (left) and Geoffrey Dyball (right) IMT Chairman
[1] The award was launched by IMT in 2020, in memory of author and photographer Mr Smith, who died in 2017. He was a founder member of the trust and a great contributor to appreciation of local maritime history and heritage. The first award went to historian Robert Malster.
IMT 2021 Barge trips on Victor
A number of trips have been organised on Victor this year and we have been fortunate with the weather so far for the two IMT trips completed. Three more are planned this season, with numbers guided by current COVID restrictions.
The skipper David "Wes" Westward was presented with the annual IMT Richard Smith Memorial Award to a round of applause on the quay before casting off for the first trip. Both outings enjoyed guided tours of Harwich by the Harwich Society; on the second occasion this included the bonus of looking around the Light Ship, LV18. We were fortunate to have a film star, Stuart Grimwade, on board who recalled his role playing a small boy on the Pin Mill foreshore in the 1950 film "Ha’penny Breeze" about sailing on the Orwell. Many of the guests are also members of the Ipswich Society and/or the River Gipping Trust who enjoyed the opportunity to view the contribution of the river to the history of Ipswich. We all admired the crew's skill in minimising the use of the engine, including leaving Ha'penny Pier under sail.
Details of the remaining trips that can be booked are on the flyer at the end of this newsletter.
Future Events - Talks and Exhibitions
We have three talks booked for this autumn, starting as usual on the first Wednesday of October. The Spring talks were all successfully held over Zoom and were well received by those who ‘attended’. At the moment it is unknown whether we will be able to resume holding the talks at the University of Suffolk, but we are hopeful…… as soon as we have a decision one way or the other, we will let you know.
Other than the ‘Cornhill Cubes’ there are no exhibitions currently as there is no Maritime Ipswich event, although the Borough is planning on a low-key Waterfront Festival in August, and Heritage Open days will be operating on a much-reduced scale. Hopefully there will be more opportunities for our popular exhibitions in the future.
The talks that are lined up are:
Wednesday 6th October at 7.30pm
Flatford, Constable and the River Stour Navigation by John Morris
John Morris of the National Trust on Flatford, Constable and the River
Stour Navigation. ‘Flatford is a wonderful place to visit. Knowing more
about John Constable’s paintings of the area, many illustrating the
industry based on the Stour, just enhances the experience.
As well as volunteering for the National Trust at Flatford, John has been
involved with inland waterways restoration, governing schools, and in the local community as a town councillor and charity trustee. He has been paid as a bus conductor, schoolteacher, college lecturer, trainer, product manager, and, for over 40 years, as a part time tutor for the Open University.
Wednesday 3rd November at 7.30pm
Wemyss’ War, a British Admiral on land and sea by John Johnson-Allen
A return visit by the popular speaker John Johnson-Allen who will talk about ‘Rosy’ Wemyss about whom he has authored a book ‘Rosy’ Wemyss, Admiral of the Fleet.
Wemyss is a largely unknow man who left an indelible mark on the life of this country. His wide range of experience cover from being a cadet in the Victorian Royal Navy to Admiral of the Fleet at the end of World War One through service on the Royal Yacht. He organised the landings and evacuation from Gallipoli and supported Lawrence of Arabia and the Arab Revolt and was Allied Naval Representative at the Peace Negotiations at Compiègne in 1918 and as First Sea Lord was also at the Versailles Peace Conference
Wednesday 1st December at 7.30pm
Red Sails on the Orwell
by Chris Turland
Another popular speaker, Chris will talk about the Ipswich company
R & W Paul, the family, the roots, activities and development of
the company and in particular the maritime activities focussing on
the routes ports and vessels both sail and steam.
Social Media and Website Update
Some of you may have noticed changes to the frequency of our website updates and activity on our social media over the last few months. Well I am excited to announce we have 2 new volunteers helping us on our Facebook page, Jon and Ang who living on the waterfront have great views of the wet Dock and its comings and goings which they have been sharing more of as well as activity out on the Orwell, something that as a townie without a boat I look on with both envy and wonderment.
We are always looking for more volunteers to help with our digital engagement from social media to helping provide content for the website as we build our new MarComms volunteer team aiming to share more of Maritime Ipswich with yourselves but also the wider world. If you are interested or know someone who might be please get in touch.
Andy Parker
Tales from Spitalfields and the ‘Raybel’
Amongst the various requests for information (which we welcome), spam and sales emails (which we don’t) that we receive at the IMT email inboxes, there are the occasional emails that open a window into another world.
One such email came from Paul Ridgeway who writes a daily blog on life in Spitalfields, London and had written about the restoration of the sailing barge Raybel at Sittingbourne. It is an interesting read complete with copious photographs which can be found at
https://spitalfieldslife.com/2021/07/16/the-raybel-at-sittingbourne/
[Be warned, the website is full of fascinating stories in which it is possible to get immersed for hours on end, if you are not careful]
Past Events – talks
3rd February
Cape Horn Sketchbook
by Claudia Myatt
The second of IMT's virtual talks was given by Claudia Myatt, to an 'audience' of over fifty members and guests.
Claudia is a well-known local artist and illustrator, based on a converted tug on the Deben. 'Cape Horn Sketchbook' was an account of a two-month voyage round the Cape, from the Galapagos Islands to the Falklands. She sailed on 'Tecla', a 90-foot steel gaff rigged ketch former herring drifter, built in 1915. 'Tecla' had a professional crew of four, which left plenty of work for the passengers.
The challenge Claudia set herself was to capture the voyage solely through her sketchbook. She allowed herself one photo per day, via her phone; otherwise, the sea, the birds, the fish, life on board, the islands, are only in the sketches. This was a return to the ways of the earlier maritime explorers - albeit Claudia's available time was severely restricted by the needs of a commercial charter, and fellow passengers laden with cameras. The painstaking works of art were sacrificed to the need for immediacy.
The trip began in November, from Galapagos. Biosecurity here is taken very seriously; 'Tecla' had called in to Ecuador for her undersides to be scrubbed. Once started, life on board soon settled into a routine. For the passengers it was four hours on and eight hours off; for the crew, six on and six off. There was the occasional swim-stop - with the sea bottom about four kilometres below - and visits from Flying fish.
First stop was Easter Island. About 14 miles wide and 7 miles top to bottom, and no natural harbour. Depressingly, many of the beaches contaminated with plastic, but the figures impressive.
The next stage took 'Tecla' around the Horn. Mercifully, fairly straightforward, but becalmed for six hours in a swell was seriously uncomfortable. Only one other ship seen, but a number of albatrosses; their wingspan is some 3 metres.
Once round the Horn, the next landfall, and the end of Claudia's trip was the Falkland Islands. Penguins, Landrovers, shipwrecks, and inevitably a lot of reminders of the war.
Having sailed from above the 50-degree line in the Pacific to above the same line in the Atlantic, Claudia is now officially a Cape Horner. Next up, a trip to Antarctica, as artist in residence on an icebreaker.
Geoffrey Dyball
3rd March
The Underfall Yard, Bristol
by Andrew Blayney
The second in our Spring series of virtual talks was given by
Andrew Blayney, the Heritage Learning Manager at the Underfall
Yard Trust Bristol.
Underfall Yard is the only group of buildings to survive the closure
of Bristol's City Docks in the 1970s. It is situated at the western
end of the Floating Harbour - the ships floated, not the harbour -
close to the entrance lock. The construction of the harbour took
place in 1804 to 1809, under the supervision of William Jessop. The reasons will be familiar to Ipswich. The tidal fall at Bristol is some 14 metres, compared to just 4 metres at Ipswich. The consequences for trade were considerable, especially as ships increased in size. The solution also looks familiar. The river was diverted into a New Cut, and the dock area locked and dredged.
the Underfall Yard buildings are now the only original buildings in the City Docks devoted largely to their original uses. They are of red brick, and comprise workshops, admin buildings, the hydraulic powerhouse, and the slipway. Bristol City Council kept the freehold interest in the complex. The Underfall Yard Trust have a long lease, and grant occupational leases of individual buildings. Bristol CC rent back part. Most of the tenants are maritime related, but with a conventional commercial tenant in the major building on the road frontage. The slipway has a large, wheeled trolley, enabling its use by sizeable craft as an alternative to going into dry dock.
The Trust was formed for the purpose of preserving the yard. Substantial Heritage Lottery funding was spent on the buildings, so that they retain their original appearance but are in sound condition. Some 90% of the Trust's income is from the let-out buildings, with the remainder from the slipway, the visitor centre, etc. The slipway is proportionate to the income generated quite expensive to maintain.
Andrew was able to give us abbreviated virtual tours of the workshops and the hydraulic power house. The power house is a joy to behold. Originally steam-powered, the pumps are now driven by electricity. The accumulator alongside, with the appearance of a water tower, in fact contains some 80 tons of steel, to help provide power all around the docks.
What has been achieved at Bristol must be yet another lesson on what should be possible in Ipswich. There is still much to preserve, both on the waterfront and on The Island.
Longer virtual tours of the yard are available; contact Andrew at andrew@underfallyard.co.uk. Geoffrey Dyball
7th April
AGM and ‘The life of the Ipswich Dock Railway’
by Stuart Grimwade
The Trust's Annual General Meeting was held on 7 April, followed by a talk on the Ipswich Dock Railway. Both were 'virtual', on account of the pandemic restrictions. The AGM last year had to be postponed, but since then virtual meetings have of necessity become widely used. They are better than no meetings, but frankly not that much better. We all badly miss the inter-action with like-minded people; the catching up, the occasional googly question leaving the speaker with his mouth open, even waving to a friend the other side of the room.
Much of the AGM business is, almost of necessity, formulaic. This year was different, in that both Mark Grimwade and his brother Stuart stepped down as IMT Directors after many years' service. Mark worked prodigiously in the early years, occasionally almost single handed. Stuart's legacy will be reminders around the Waterfront of its history, but in particular the IMT image archive; over three thousand images, and still growing.
Stuart's talk on the life of the Ipswich Dock Railway spanned the period from the earliest days of the Wet Dock until the closure of the line in about 1980. The images were from our image archive and illustrated not just the railway but also the men - and occasionally women - who worked there. It was not an easy life. The Wet Dock itself was largely dug out by hand; the Ransome and Rapier walking drag-lines would have made a huge difference.
The railway reached Ipswich, at Croft Street, in 1846. It was extended to the west side of the docks via the bridge over Wherstead Road. On completion of the tunnel under
Belstead Road, the main line was laid to Norwich, and from that line
was run the link to the Wet Dock and The Island, via the Lower Yard
and a level crossing at Stoke Bridge.
Stuart's images were of interest to historians of Ipswich in particular
and railways and engineering in general. Some were poignant; the
impressive Britannia- class loco in steam, and the paddle steamer in
New Cut. The bustling Lower Yard, and the same yard in later years
empty and desolate. Trainloads of Ransomes engines and equipment;
a vivid reminder of our proud engineering heritage. The present swing bridge being put into position over the lock.
A really interesting look into the archive. Stuart is putting together more video presentations, some themed, so we may well see more in the future.
Geoffrey Dyball
IMT Membership news
IMT members
Our membership is holding up at a healthy 325 despite there was much less opportunity to reach out to new members. To all our loyal 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.
New Members
David Mears
Clive Bradley
Thomas Cresswell
David Sparkes
David Collett
Barry & Yvonne Chittock
Colin Kreidewolf
Angela & Jon Cobbold
Fraser Yates
‘Two Rivers’ sailing trips Join IMT on a full day trip on the rivers Orwell and Stour
Thursday 19th August 2021 at 9am
Thursday 2nd September 2021 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, restored in 1974 and refurbished in 2005/7. Leave from her usual berth in front of the Old Custom House about 9am.
- Bacon roll and coffee breakfast
- Mid-morning coffee and biscuits,
- Two course lunch with wine, and
- Afternoon cream tea
Return about 5pm, depending on wind and tide.
The cost is £65 per head.
Visit ‘Historic Harwich’ all day trips Thursday 16th September 2021 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. 10.45/11.00 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 drinks and lunch at 13.00 (two-course meal with wine). Victor will then leave Harwich as soon as possible 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, restored in 1974 and refurbished in 2005/7.
The cost is £65 per head, including a donation to Harwich Society
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Booking and Payment information:
For all trips, please book and pay-online at https://ipswichmaritimetrust.setmore.com
If booking and payment on-line is not possible or for any questions regarding the trips, please contact John Warren at
jbwarren5@gmail.com or on 07789 825 680
Parking and special dietary requirements
Limited parking available on the Island site by prior arrangement, courtesy of ABP. For a parking permit or for special dietary requirements please contact John Warren at jbwarren5@gmail.com or on 07789 825 680