Issue 46 Spring 2024

Download Newsletter

Ipswich maritime matters

The Newsletter for members and friends of Ipswich Maritime Trust

Issue 46 Spring 2024 www.ipswichmaritimetrust.org.uk

Ipswich awarded Heritage Harbour status

And then there were 12: Ipswich and Bideford become Heritage Harbours page 3

IMT bursary for boatbuilder

Alex Wyatt (pictured) from the International Boatbuilding Training College

cover and page 5

Meet the Members

Our first corporate member, the Orwell Lady page 8

Walking in a winter wonderland

St Peter’s Dock in the 1950s

page 17

Contents

News pages 3-7

Meet the Members Orwell Lady pages 8-9

Heritage IMT visit to the Queen’s House pages 10-11 IMT Talks and Events for 2024 pages 12-13 Talkback reports by Ben Good pages 14-15

From the Archives selected by Stuart Grimwade pages 16-17 A Rose by any other name: the Lady Alice Kenlis pages 18-19 Book reviews by Cathy Shelbourne pages 20-21

News round-up with Ben Good pages 22-23 Diary dates page 24

A warm welcome to new members:

Louise Alexander and Gary Bricklebank

Timothy Barnes Ken Case

Brian Chadwick

Tom Crisp and Nathan Karim Anne and David Dodds Richard Fayers

Robin Hardman Rosemary Harvey Irene Jarrett Graham Knight

Robert and Rebecca Loader Tom and Fiona Loader Thomas McNie

Claudia Myatt

Jilly and Paul Pettican Rebecca and Michael Scott Samantha and Mark Sherman Jeannette Siddall

Paul and Caroline Stanley Pam Sutton

Angela Swann

Kevin and Janet Ward Steve Williams

Thank you to new and existing members for your continuing support of the IMT.

Celia Waters Membership Secretary

IMT Committee members

Chairman: Ben Good info@ipswichmaritimetrust.org.uk

Treasurer: Adam Rae treasurer@ipswichmaritimetrust.org.uk Membership Secretary: Celia Waters

membership@ipswichmaritimetrust.org.uk

Newsletter Editor and Events Co-ordinator: Cathy Shelbourne editor@ipswichmaritimetrust.org.uk; events@ipswichmaritimetrust.org.uk

Barge trips: John Warren info@ipswichmaritimetrust.org.uk Social media: Jon Cobbold

info@ipswichmaritimetrust.org.uk Minutes Secretary: Frances McGready

Help us cut down on postage

With increases in postage costs on the horizon (sic), we are keen to keep down our mailing charges. If you have an email address and haven’t let us know, do please inform our Membership Secretary now. Members receive regular mailings by email, including this Newsletter, as well

as news uploaded to our website. However, we appreciate that many members like to have a copy of the Newsletter in their hands, and to pass on to others. So if you are unable to pick up a copy at the monthly IMT meetings, we are happy to post it to you.

www.ipswichmaritimetrust.org.uk Follow us on Facebook

Photographed in the Lord Nelson, Ipswich, by Daniel Ladnar, secret agency for SPILL Festival 2023

From the Editor

ast, present and future: no, I’m not talking about schooldays and dreary

lessons conjugating verbs in Latin.

Supporting Maritime Ipswich Past, Present and Future is the strapline of the Ipswich Maritime Trust - and in this issue of the Newsletter, you will see how much we have been up to since the last one. (All Newsletters can be read online and/or downloaded from our website).

These events and activities celebrate our heritage, and at the same time, look to the future.

The Heritage Harbour accolade (page 3) not only gives us a national status, but links us into a European maritme network - as does our membership of the Hansa network (page 11).

Our support for young people, through bursaries (page 5) and the Schools Outreach Programme (page 11), and for sectors of society less well-represented (see the Shefarers project on page 4), is increasing awareness not just of maritime heritage but also the possibility of future careers and prospects in the maritime world.

Cathy Shelbourne

News

IPSWICH AWARDED HERITAGE HARBOUR STATUS

AND THEN THERE WERE TWELVE: Celebrating the twelve English Heritage Harbours, from left to right: Jodi Warren (IMT) with Dusty the dog, Rosemary Harvey (IMT), John Field (Ipswich Heritage Forum), Kath Cockshaw (Wolsey 550/Ipswich Central), Rowell Bell (IMT), Phil Hubert (IMT), Carole Jones (Ipswich Borough councillor), Paul Ager (ABP Divisional Port Manager), Val Bint (IMT), Ben Good (IMT Chair), Neil MacDonald (Ipswich Borough Council Leader), John Warren (IMT), and Stuart Grimwade (IMT) holding the champagne supplied by Phil Hubert!

Heritage Harbour award “endorsement for the future”

In January this year, we were very pleased to get the formal announcement that Ipswich has been awarded Heritage Harbour status. The accolade was given by the National Working Group

of Heritage Harbours, which comprises the Maritime Heritage Trust, National Historic Ships UK and Historic England. In addition to Ipswich, there are eleven other Heritage Harbour ports around England, including Wells next the Sea in Norfolk, and Maldon and Heybridge in Essex.

For IMT, the value of the award is not just its recognition of Ipswich’s maritime heritage, impressive though that is. It matters also because the award recognises not only what we have in heritage terms, but also what we intend to do about it. And for that second part, we convened a significant group of local partners to agree jointly on the vision and plan going forward.

This group includes the Borough Council, Ipswich Central, ABP, Ipswich Society, Suffolk Record Office, the University of Suffolk and others.

That means, that in effect, we can now demonstrate a high degree of local buy-in

to the activities in the New Prospectus we published in November (see www. ipswichmaritimetrust.org/ our-plans-for-the-future/).

That is very important for the fundraising we will have to do, as well as for the plans’ actual

implementation, of course.

The announcement also generated a pleasing amount of local and national publicity on the

day, including a BBC Radio Suffolk interview which would probably have been heard by over 30,000 listeners. It also created the opportunity for ABP to go on record publicly as recognising “the need for

modern maritime activities and maritime heritage to coexist in order to benefit the wider community.”

But, because it is about the endorsement of a locally owned plan, we should view the award not as the end of some bureaucratic process – albeit a successful one - but as the start of something exciting. And that is what the prospectus is all about: heritage activities to conserve and celebrate our tangible heritage; a youth programme to educate and enthuse the next generation; and an events programme to bring it all to life, culminating, we hope, in a Maritime Festival which will showcase our progress across the board.

Taken together, all of these activities should help us satisfy our three goals: to promote maritime heritage, to engage the young, and to create value for our community. The Heritage Harbour award is a great first step.

IMT SPONSORS SPILL’S SHEFARERS PROJECT

Shefarers of Ipswich

ne of the highlights of a very lively SPILL Festival in October 2023 was the Shefarers of Ipswich project, sponsored by IMT amongst others.

Artists from the German collective Secret Agency collaborated with local women and girls already working, or interested, in the maritime world. These included boat builders, skippers, artists and writers, sailors, swimmers, and rowers, and a maritime historian travelling the world on cruise ships!

Using SB Victor(ia), as their base, the Shefarers shared experiences and stories, took a trip up the Orwell, and enjoyed an amazing seafood feast in the company of interested members of the public.

Shefarers were invited to give toasts to aspects of their lives, using water from oceans represented by the international Women of the Seven Seas project.

Recordings and photos from interviews with the Shefarers were presented to The Hold, and an evaluation of the project - with input from IMT - will give us feedback which we can use to shape future initiatives with under-represented groups.

This material can be accessed at The Hold, on the Waterfront, by searching

for ‘shefarers’ (reference GA414) in the Suffolk Archives collection.

SHEFARERS OF IPSWICH:

Sketchbook sailor Claudia Myatt (see book review on page 20) proposes a toast to circumnavigator Jeanne Baret
Belinda Joslin, sailor and founder of Women in Boatbuilding, a Community Interest Company, reads a passage at the Shefarers’ feast
All-female shanty group The Silver Darlings performed on board Victor and at The Hold
A barrel of recordings and photos of the original Shefarers is handed over to the Suffolk Archives by the artists from Secret Agency
At the helm of SB Victor
A sally of Shefarers

SPILL Festival 2023 – Photographer: Alexander Ward (photos 3-6)

News

“I plan to continue on the path of woodwork and boat building in the UK and hopefully maybe even abroad. So many possibilities have opened up for me.” - Alex Wyatt, boatbuilding

student at IBTC

Bursary for boatbuilder a sign of things to come

MT is aiming to establish a regular bursary programme for young adults, and our award in 2023 is a good example of what we want to achieve. Congratulations to our recipient, Alex Wyatt!

Thanks in part to financial support from the IMT bursary, Alex is now a student at the International Boatbuilding Training College (IBTC) in Lowestoft.

Alex has always lived in Suffolk. As a child he took canoe courses with the Scouts, and went on sailing courses in schoolholidays. His parents have a narrowboat, and Alex has a paddleboard, which he gets out on most week-ends.

When working for a local building contractor, he realised that his favourite part of the job was the carpentry. He subsequently attended an open day at IBTC in February 2023. “It confirmed for me that working on boats and gaining a qualification and a skill was what I wanted to do with my life.” He then spent a week at a boatyard in Woodbridge, which re-enforced his desire to train as a boatbuilder.

“I’m so grateful to IMT for the bursary they’ve provided. Because of them I’ve been able to part fund the course, and buy new tools.”

Lyn Tupper, a director of the IBTC, was pleased to support Alex’s application for the bursary. “He is exactly the type of trainee boatbuilder our industry needs to encourage and support. He clearly has an affinity with boats and a desire to learn the skills required to pursue a career in boatbuilding and the maritime industry.”

Jon Cobbold, IMT Trustee, believes that this is “just the kind of thing we are planning to scale up once we have successfully funded our Mariners of Tomorrow Fund. This will include annually a set of Young Adults Bursaries, to help young people realise their maritime ambitions.

Working alongside our Schools Outreach activities, our aim is to foster the next generation of advocates, both for maritime heritage in general and for IMT. in particular.”

IMT SUPPORT FOR YOUNG MARINERS

Wet, wet, wet

- no longer!

“We are delighted that we can now order a complete new set of waterproofs for Blue Mermaid, which will ensure that hundreds of clients per year gain the maximum benefit from their voyage time on board and go away with lasting memories of their time afloat – for all the right reasons!”

Sea-Change Trust

Sea-Change Sailing Trust works with young people and vulnerable adults providing life-skills-building residential voyages aboard our purpose-built Thames sailing barge Blue Mermaid. Blue Mermaid is an engineless sailing barge, and all voyages are carried out using just wind and tide.

There is one disadvantage of having no engine: when the weather takes a turn for the worse there isn’t the opportunity to turn the key and motor for shelter to reduce the time at sea.

There are many documented benefits to mental health through being active in the outdoors, but you need to be dressed appropriately. As our sailors spend a lot of time on deck, keeping them warm and dry is imperative.

Sea-Change Sailing Trust is very grateful to Ipswich Maritime Trust for their donation to support our waterproofs appeal – also supported by The Lennox Hannay Trust, Hervey Benham Charitable Trust and Tesco.

Judy Harrison, Sea-Change Trust

In memory of Bob Pawsey

Emma Pawsey writes: “My sister Nicola and I were so pleased that so many people came along to raise a glass in my late father’s memory. We are very grateful to Wes for giving us the use of Victor for the evening. Wes said he was very happy to honour Bob after all the years of support he had given to the Trust. My father organised many days out on Victor for the IMT for over 10 years, filling them with sometimes 40 guests per day raising valuable funds for the Trust and sharing his love for this barge and the waterways around Suffolk with so many people.

He was passionate about Victor and the IMT and he would be so happy to know we all met there to raise a glass.”

SEA-CHANGE TRUST FILM SCREENINGS

Wind, tide & oar

oday almost every sailing boat has an engine which manoeuvres the vessel in tight spaces, pushes against the tide, and allows travel even when there is no wind. For much of history this would have been unimaginable, yet in current times most mariners do not countenance leaving harbour without one.

The Sea-Change Trust’s Blue Mermaid is a nod to the past, a modern Thames sailing barge built without an engine. Blue Mermaid is also one of the locations in the Wind, Tide and Oar film project (another is Birubi, filmed on the Orwell) and will be the floating cinema for screenings of the film made by Huw Wahl.

The film will have its premiere at Cutty Sark in April, and Blue Mermaid will be taking the film on tour, visiting ten ports on the east coast and screening the film to members of the public in the hold of the barge. She will be Ipswich in late May 2024.

IMT will be working with Sea-Change to bring primary schoolchildren from Ipswich to visit Blue Mermaid, and to involve other Thames barges.

The overall aim of the tour is to raise awareness of the heritage of Thames sailing barges on our coastline and to introduce a new audience to the few that survive today.

www.seachangesailingtrust.org.uk www.windtideandoar.com

19th century Ipswich boatyard’s records available for all

MT has helped to make some unique 19th century boatyard records fully accessible to researchers or anyone else who is interested, thanks to IMT member Phil Hubert.

His great great grandfather James Hubert managed a boatyard in Ipswich, between 1849 and

1876. The yard was owned by a Mr Colchester, but was locally known as ‘Hubert’s Yard’ after its manager, and specialised in maintenance and repair work for barges.

Ten workbooks from this era survive in Phil‘s possession. They are leatherbound, and list, in beautiful copperplate writing, the jobs done, the vessels’ names, and prices of labour and all the parts and materials used.

Phil kindly gave us permission to have the books scanned by the digitisation team at The Hold, so that now anyone can go online and access their content.

Contact info@ ipswichmaritimetrust. org.uk if you would like instructions on how to do this.

For information on the Introduction to your Maritime Family History Workshop, see page 13.

IMT member Phil Hubert with one of his ancestor’s workbooks;

and in The Hold’s archive room, taking back the workbooks from Bridget Hanley, Senior Archivist.

Meet the Members

IMT’S FIRST CORPORATE MEMBER: ORWELL LADY

Orwell Lady

“Despite the weather, Orwell Lady took nearly 3,000 people on trips along the Orwell last year,”

recalls Emma Lightfoot, one of the owners of the Thames river cruiser that operates from the Ipswich Waterfront. “In addition, we had 27 private hire trips for birthdays, schools, corporate charters, and scattering of ashes.”

Orwell Lady was purpose-built in 1979 to operate on the Thames from Westminster Pier. She then spent ten years – as Purbeck

Lady - taking passengers around Brownsea Island, before she was purchased in 2001 by Emma’s father, Paul Magnus, and motored around to Ipswich.

Emma and her family continue the tradition that Paul established, of introducing people to the River Orwell, and sharing their love of the area. As she explains, this was one of the reasons for becoming a corporate member of IMT.

“Over the last 23 years, we have been involved with various organisations and events. We like to help where we can and it is important to us that Ipswich, and all its various communities and clubs, thrive.

The pandemic was a very isolating time, so when I saw the IMT social media posts I felt we should align ourselves with the maritime life of the town – and having become corporate members of the Ipswich Society towards the end of 2022, I asked IMT if we could join on a similar basis.

There are so many maritime businesses and groups associated with the Wet Dock/Waterfront, I felt a membership that was greater than the individual but also priced competitively would certainly be something I would be interested in.”

The Orwell Lady is licensed for up to 100 passengers over two decks, and Emma and her crew not only work with local businesses but have also partnered with arts and environmental organisations. Last year author Louis de Bernières brought along his mandolin and read from his novels, as part of Felixstowe Book Festival; this year the Suffolk Wildlife Trust will be leading a river trip, and on the longest day – Friday 21st June - sunrise and sunset trips will herald the Summer Solstice.

www.orwelllady.co.uk

One of the highlights of 2023: a trip under the Orwell Bridge on board Orwell Lady - with two of the men who built the bridge, Charlie Sharp and Howard Morris, explaining their roles and sharing some anecdotes. NB the design on their neckwear is tied to the bridge.

Water baby

Emma Lightfoot has always had an affinity with

the water. During her childhood at Felixstowe Ferry she was always mucking about in the boatyard, or socialising with her parents at Felixstowe Ferry Sailing Club. Taking over the Orwell Lady from her father seemed like a natural progression.

But in fact, Emma’s links with Felixstowe and Ipswich go back another generation, and a family gathering at the Last Anchor restaurant brought about a bizarre revelation.

Her grandfather was Midshipman Peter Magnus, RNVR, one of the longest-serving men on Motor Torpedo Boats (MTBs), patrolling from Felixstowe and Lowestoft in World War II. He served on Glala (see box) on 28th May 1940 in the Dunkirk evacuation by the little ships, and by 1942 was in command of the first MTBs. He received a Bar to his Distinguished Service Cross (DSC) for rescuing Ian Trelawny, the Staff Officer Operations (SOO) at HMS Beehive in Felixstowe (when Robert Hichens aka Hitch, was killed; Hitch being the subject of our February speaker Julia Jones’ talk).

Following a lunch at the Last Anchor, around seven years ago, the family were walking

back through the boatyard when they saw a Dunkirk Little Ship called Glala being renovated. Emma’s father Paul knew that his father had taken four trips on Glala during the Dunkirk evacuation. What they didn’t realise was that Glala had been sitting in Ipswich all that time, and just a few feet away from them at lunch! Unfortunately Paul Magnus died before he was able to see Glala, and she then changed owners, but Emma and her brother Olly were able to visit and see this amazing vessel.

Now owned by IMT members Kathy Norris and Andrew Robson, Glala is gradually being restored by them. A short IMT video on Glala at Dunkirk can be seen here https://vimeo.

com/410327631 and there’s more information on their website http://glala.uk/ dunkirk/

Glala continues to make waves

eter Magnus’ daughter Nicky Greeves met Glala for the first time, last October, when she was visiting Ipswich from Australia, where she has lived for the last 13 years. She recalls that “After World War II, Peter took one of the MTBs out to India for their Navy, then went on to Singapore where he and my mother lived for 11 years. He served in the Malayan RNVR. His employer, Phoenix Insurance, moved us to Sydney, where we lived for 13 years and had a 48-foot motor cruiser. Peter joined the RANVR straight away and served with them until we were moved to Belgium in 1970.”

From left to right: Nicky Greeves, with niece Emma Lightfoot, and restorers Andrew Robson and Kathy Norris.

Heritage

Celebrating the past, in the present, with an eye to the future!

IMT VISIT TO THE QUEEN’S HOUSE, GREENWICH

MT members and guests descended upon the Queen’s House, Greenwich, on 13th

December 2023, for a guided tour of The Van de Veldes:

Greenwich, Art and the Sea exhibition (now ended).

One of the many highlights was the enormous tapestry, designed by the Van de Veldes, father and son, of The Burning of the Royal James at the Battle of Solebay, 28th May 1672, and commissioned by Charles II. Recently restored, it commemorates the naval battle that took place off Southwold, Suffolk, and is astonishing for its detail, from burning ships to churning waves, and even flailing sailors, definitely not waving but drowning (see tapestry detail below).

Above, our delightful guide, Vittoria Cervini, Assistant Curator of Art, points out one of the Van de Veldes sketching aboard a ship during battle. Such sketches would be brought back to the Van de Velde studio in the Queen’s House, and worked up into paintings. Below: The Queen’s House has always been a place for artistic creation, and for the 350th anniversary celebrations of the arrival of the Dutch father and son marine painters, present-day artists were invited to respond to the building and the subject matter of the exhibition.

Willem Van de Velde the Elder, holding one of his own sketches, painted in 1672 by Lodewijk van der Helst.

Richard Smith memorial

ast year’s recipient of the Richard Smith Memorial Award was Des Pawson, MBE, who was presented with his trophy by Councillor Lynne Mortimer, Mayor of Ipswich.

She noted that Des and his wife Liz’s departure was very much Ipswich’s loss and Cowes’ gain, having been involved with IMT for 36 years and contributed so much to the Trust in that time.

In recognition of his committment and achievements, Des has been given lifetime membership.

Hansa Group launch

Two new display boards about the Hansa in Ipswich were unveiled by the Mayor, Councillor Lynne Mortimer, at the Old Custom House, Ipswich.

The Ipswich Hansa Group was set up in September 2022 to promote the

Town’s history as an important Hanseatic port during the 14th and 15th centuries. Ipswich was a Headport, with a trade rivalling that of London in exporting wool and woollen cloth to northern Europe. Trade was on the same quays as exist today at our modern Waterfront.

In 2017 the Borough successfully applied to join the modern Hanse movement, with links to over 180 Hanseatic cities in northern Europe as well as five other English ports, Yarmouth, King’s Lynn, Boston, Hull and Beverley. One of the resulting benefits is that we now have impressive coverage as a tourist destination on the Hanse website www.hanse.org

Our first project has been to produce a display for the general public about the Hansa in Ipswich. Two information boards give a brief illustrated history and show the links between the shipping trade of the 14th century and the present. The Group is grateful to ABP for technical and financial support in this project.

Pat Grimwade

Blue plaque for George Frost

Emma Roodhouse

The largest collection of paintings (over 400) by artist George Frost are held in Ipswich – so it was fitting that the Ipswich Society organised a blue plaque unveiling to him on 1st November 2023. He was born in Ousden, west Suffolk, in 1754, and was a self-taught artist. He died in 1821 at his home on Common Quay (see painting, left) in Ipswich, and painted mostly scenes in and around the town. “He studied nature with the closest attention,” according to his obituary in the Gentleman’s Magazine, and was a great admirer and imitator of Thomas Gainsborough and close friend of John Constable.

Art Curator for Colchester and Ipswich Museums (front row, second from right), gave a brief introduction to his life and times, and pointed out that he recordedall types of people and animals, giving us a unique picture of Georgian Ipswich.

In her book Creating Constable (with local historian Caleb Howgego), she writes that “Frost could capture with his pencil and paints everyday characters, the bustle of business on Ipswich dock, meandering country lanes, tumbledown houses, workers in the fields, and the mills that dotted the Ipswich skyline.” He also recorded for us Wolsey’s Gate …

IMT Talks and Events 2024

Shopwreck Season

Who are our maritime forebears?

Mine were castaways; what about yours?

BEN GOOD shares a story of shipwreck and survival

In May 1866, the 1,000 ton, three-masted barque the General Grant was wreckedwhilst en route from Melbourne, Australia, to London. On board, amongst 83 crew and passengers, were a young able seaman, Joseph Jewell and his wife, Mary Ann. Lost with the ship were the captain and most of the ship’s company. Only ten people survived, rescued after 18 months as castaways on a remote island. The Jewells were among them, and Mary Ann the only woman.

Joseph and Mary Ann are, I am told, somewhere in my family tree, on the side of my father’s mother. But no one in my family can tell me much more.

All we know is the story of the shipwreck, which has been quite well told, because of the drama of the wreck itself, the ensuing survival story, and enduring interest in the horde of gold reputed to be onboard, the target of multiple unsuccessful recovery expeditions in the decades to follow.

Throughout the day on 14 May, the ship drifted in light airs helplessly towards cliffs on the western side of the Auckland Islands, about 300 miles south of New Zealand. The cliffs were too sheer and the water too deep for anything to be done, and she bumped along the cliff base for a short distance before being drawn into a large cave.

There, the ship’s company spent a terrible night as a swell built up, and the mast top repeatedly hit the roof of the cave, causing large rocks to fall on the deck and the ship’s hull to open up around the foot of the mast. As she sank, three ship’s boats got away but the largest capsized in the surf and nearly all its occupants were drowned. Mary Ann fell in at one point, and probably would have succumbed too, had not Joseph dived in to rescue her. Those in the two remaining boats spent two days on the oars before they found a place where they could land safely.

Over the next 18 months, the castaways got themselves organised in the business of survival: finding food (pigs, seals and seabirds mainly), building shelters and bonfire beacons to attract passing ships, negotiating the inevitable social tensions that arose, with Mary Ann pulling her weight all the while as one of the men. After nine months, a group left in one of the two ship’s boats, with no charts, compass or any navigational aids, to try for New Zealand.

They were never seen again. On 21 November 1867 the survivors were rescued by a passing brig, the Amherst. It’s a great story, which as I say has been quite well told. But while the central tale ofadventure appeals to many, and the allure of the gold appeals to some, for me, what I would liketo know more about is my family connection to the Jewells, and more about that extraordinarily resilient couple themselves. We suspect that lots of people on this island nation of ours have a Jewell or two in their family histories – though hopefully they didn’t suffer quite like Joseph and Mary Ann. IMT’s Introduction to your Maritime Heritage workshop on Sunday 4th February will explain what research you can do to find out more about your maritime forebears. I aim to use it to find out how I can learn more about the Jewells; why not join me to find out what maritime jewels there are in your own family tree?

IMT Talks and Events for 2024

Talks usually take place at the University of Suffolk Waterfront Building in Ipswich

at 7.30pm. Entry is free for members, and

£5 for non-members, and includes the opportunity to

chat to the speaker over refreshments afterwards.

Joseph and Mary Ann Jewell posing in the clothing they were rescued in. After 18 months

on an uninhabited island in the southern ocean, self-made

sealskin clothing was the couture of choice! See Ben’s account on page 12.

Sunday morning workshop

INTRODUCTION TO YOUR MARITIME HISTORY

4th February 2024

The Hold, Fore St, Ipswich Price: £15; book through Suffolk Archives

Do you come from a long line of seafarers? Are you interested in tracing a particular sailing

vessel? Archivists from The Hold, and specialists from Ipswich Maritime Trust, will help you get started on your research, and share with you an unusual case study relating to the wreck of the General Grant (see page 12).

Continue the discussions afterwards in the Cafe at The Hold!

Brothers Lincoln Barnwell and Julian Barnwell hold a bronze ship’s bell, recovered in 2012 from the wreckage of the Gloucester. © Norfolk Historic Shipwrecks Ltd

First Wednesday of the month

A RIGHT ROYAL WRECK

Wednesday 6th March 2024

The discovery of the wreck of the Gloucester, originally lost in May 1682 off Great Yarmouth, has attracted huge international attention. Hear about who – and what – was on board, and its significance today.

Claire Jowitt, Professor of Renaissance Studies at

University of East Anglia, and Co-Curator of The Last Voyage of the Gloucester: Norfolk’s Royal Shipwreck, 1682, at Norwich Castle, will put it into context for us. And Julian Barnwell,

one of the divers who found the shipwreck, will talk about Our Journey on Finding the Gloucester: 1682 & Beyond.

First Wednesday of the month

WE FOUGHT THEM IN GUNBOATS

Wednesday 7th February 2024

Talk and film presented by Julia Jones

The astonishing story of a World War II hero and his manuscript, censorship by the Admiralty, revelationa within HMS Beehive at Felixstowe, and Julia's determination to track down the truth. Copies of Julia's determination to track down the truth. Copies of Julia's book We fought them in Gunboats (HMS Beehive edition) will be available at the special price of £12.99

Talk Back

Ben Good reports on the last two talks of 2023

Artists in the Rigging Wednesday 4th October 2023 by Des Pawson MBE

t’s rare to be in the company of someone like Des. Most

of us have one or two topics we’re particularly interested in, that we think we know more about than most. But although in the land of the blind any one-eyed man can be king, listening to Des talk about knots and ropework, you realise what true mastery looks like. After an hour and a half, we had peered just a few inches below the surface of the extraordinary depths of his knowledge, and yet came away knowing so much more than we started.

In no particular order, I enjoyed learning the difference between a fid and a marlinspike, about the mystery of Matthew Walker and his eponymous knot, and the great number of uses sailors found for old bits of rope: from handles for knives, shaving brushes, sea chests and kit bags, to repairing smokers’ pipes, to a wedding box caddy and toy animals for the children back

And speaking of ‘back home’, didn’t we all try to imagine what was going in the minds of those men as they fashioned doormats for their homes thousands of miles away, and of the maker of the unfinished belt, made for her, but abandoned when he got back to Liverpool to discover she had left him? Imagine, too, the surprise, in more modern times, of those good householders of Appledore, confronted by Des and his wife Liz on their doorsteps, as they did their house-to-house survey of old rope doormats… And indeed, although much of what Des had to show us harked back to the golden age of sail, he also had photos of more recent items to share with us: a bow fender for Fraser Yates’ tug Fenland, another held by a young Tom Curtis for the Lucy Laver, and a blackjack which he suggested might be useful for those nervous about walking around Ipswich docks after dark.

All in all, an amazingly rich talk by someone who thoroughly deserves the Richard Smith Award, which was presented to him by the Mayor, Councillor Lynne Mortimer, earlier in the evening. Thank you, Des!

We need to talk about the Vikings

Wednesday 1st November 2023 by Dr Keith Ruiter,

University of Suffolk

ike most IMT members, I suspect, my knowledge of Viking history is a bit

like the clarity of the Orwell on a good day: not completely awful, but even so, a very long

way from perfect. We know they didn’t really have horns in their helmets, of course, and we know that they did a bit more for our economy than merely rape and pillage, although what we mean by that is probably rather murky. We probably also know of the bloody sea battle off Shotley, though we might be a bit hazy as to who won.

So it fell to Keith to educate us on these matters, and perhaps to provoke us to think anew, not just about Vikings, but more broadly about how overseas peoples can integrate with and influence indigenous populations. And so, after noting the parallels between tenth century anti-foreigner rhetoric and today’s (a point not universally well-received!), he moved swiftly on to the case for Vikings’ comparatively benign impact. He cited evidence that agricultural production was not significantly disrupted by the Viking campaigns (as one might have expected from a rampaging horde). He showed us brooches and coins exhibiting the phenomenon of ‘hybridity’, (and academics’ penchant for long words), made, respectively, with Anglo Saxon techniques and Viking designs, and vice versa.

He discussed the Norse influence in local place names: Lowestoft, for example, means the toft, or settlement, of a man named Hlothervér. And, of course, he talked about the Vikings’ role in developing East Anglia’s place in a burgeoning maritime trade network, as well as contributing legal frameworks that themselves enabled commerce. Indeed, our word ‘law’ derives from the Norse ‘lag’, meaning ‘something laid down’. A lively set of questions followed Keith’s talk, covering the role of women, the use of money, maritime technology and the quality of architectural evidence, amongst other things. At times, Keith had to tell us that he was unsure of the answer, perhaps prompting a momentary glow of satisfaction in our common ignorance – until one remembers that he doesn’t know because, having carefully examined all the disparate yet threadbare evidence, he finds it inconclusive, whereas we don’t know because, well, we just don’t.

IMT Maritime Quiz

Wednesday 6th December 2023 at the Royal Harwich Yacht Club, Woolverstone

And the winners were... The Three (Un) Wise Monkeys, closely followed by the Gipping team. Questions ranged over the last 500 years of maritime heritage, famous sailors, local folklore etc., and of course no one cheated. Cathing Shelbourne (top left) set the questions.

A Miscellany of Archives

he latest little clutch of documents for the Archives, given to us by ABP following a clear-out of the Harbour Master’s office, is a fascinating microcosm of Ipswich docks’ recent history:

1869 brief extract from Ipswich Journal re chapel ship Helena
1956 map of Ipswich docks showing quay names and business names
1878 map of Wet Dock showing old and proposed new lock
Date unknown photo of RORO ferry passing power station
1971 IDC table of maximum permissible quay loadings
Date unknown Ipswich port area plan showing landside heights above chart datum
1988 table of Ipswich dock cranes’ carrying capacities
1976 map of Orwell estuary, (before second phase of Landguard (Felixstowe) Container Terminal)
1965 detailed map of the oysterbeds by Fagbury Cliffs (before the first phase)
2003 photo of men in punt harvesting shopping trolleys from the river(!)
1984 survey of depth soundings in Wet Dock

We particularly liked the story about the chapel ship Helena (left). This had served as a ‘Sloop of War’, and was given by the Admiralty to the diocese, who fitted it out to serve the spiritual needs of seamen, both local and visiting (and to convert the officers’ quarters into a vicar’s residence), at

a cost of £1,000. It was “dedicated to God for public worship” by the

Archdeacon of Suffolk on 3rd November 1869. If anyone has any more information about this, we would love to hear from you!

The charts below from this collection are interesting, too. As is well known, the original location of the lock into the Wet Dock, part way along the New Cut, proved impractical. The chart on the left shows the 1878 plans to ‘move’ it to its current location. Roll forward 78 years, a little over half the time between then and today, and we see evidence of the same industrial and commercial drive, with the business, and wharf names, included in the right-hand chart, from 1956.

Please do get in touch if you would like to see, or have any comment on, these or any other things in our Archive!

Saved from the Skip

We were very pleased to be contacted by the Town Sergeant, Andrew Beal, who has lent us a fascinating item, rescued from a skip by a demolition worker in the late 1980s, been in his garage ever since, and was about to be thrown out.

It is a very bulky ledger, calling itself IDC Lock Gates Log, and details ship movements including name of vessel, cargo, destination, etc, for a 20 month period, January 1966 to August 1967. In fact, since many of the entries are for passages to/from Orwell Quay, we assume the title is something of a misnomer, and that it covers ship movements for all of Ipswich’s docks.

The number of entries implies an annual traffic of over 7,000 movements per year – that feels like rather more commercial ships than I see steaming past Pin Mill today! In fact, though, Ipswich cargo volumes have increased, from 1.9 million tonnes in 1965 to 2.7 million in 2022 – a clear indication of how much ship sizes have increased in the last six decades.

We have yet to analyse the ledger properly – when we do, it’ll provide an interesting insight into the patterns of trade at that time, and how they compare to today.to be contacted by Andrew Beal, who has lent us a fascinating item, rescued from a skip by a demolition worker in the late 1980s, been in his garage ever since, and was about to be thrown out.

We have yet to analyse the ledger properly – when we do, it’ll provide an interesting insight into the patterns of trade at that time, and how they compare to today.

From the Archives

IMT Collection and Archive

The IMT’s amazing image archive is available online. Either browse the entire digital collection on ipswichmaritimetrust.org.uk/

image-archive/, or, if for specific advice or help, please contact image-archive@ ipswichmaritimetrust.org.uk.

Our collection of maritime artefacts has been photographed by our volunteers, and catalogued on eHive, a web-based cataloguing system.

This can be viewed at ipswichmaritimetrust.org.uk/ collection-and-archive/

If you can help with looking after these collections, or would like to submit photos or objects relating to Ipswich’s maritime heritage, please contact us at info@ipswichmaritimetrust. org.uk

St Peter’s Dock in the 1950s

hose of us of a certain age will recall those seemingly unending and unchanging days of the commercial Wet Dock and St. Peter’s Wharf where very few Ipswich residents, or indeed for that matter anyone else not actually working there, ventured very often. It had an atmosphere of quiet purposefulness all of

its own, steeped in traditional industries such as malting, and flour milling. Such dockside noise as there was came mainly from the regular ‘clink’ of railway trucks being shunted about, while of course sailing barges and steam coasters always moved slowly and almost silently. Road vehicles were seldom seen.

This corner, overlooking the New Cut adjacent to today’s Danceast Café, always seemed to be enveloped in an all-pervading strong smell of malt; something you either loved or hated. I loved it. This image, I think taken by the EADT photographer David Kindred, and probably featured in the Evening Star newspaper, sums up well the winter atmosphere of those days when snow was an annual certainty, usually arriving just after Christmas.

This was where I spent many happy youthful hours come rain, snow or shine, due largely to the fact that my brother Mark was an apprentice working in Ransomes’ Orwell Works, and where he was permitted to keep his boat, one of the very first pleasure craft to be permitted to berth in the dock.

This enabled me to practise the art of sculling his heavy wooden dinghy around the dock, and feeling very much part of dock life, alongside real bargemen.

The trick was to do it with one hand while facing forward, giving the impression that no effort was required in keeping a fast straight course!

Stuart Grimwade IMT Image Archivist

NB The town’s Anglo-Saxon quays still exist beneath today’s St. Peter’s Wharf, while other earlier evidence of a wine trade with the Rhineland demonstrates Ipswich’s just claim to be oldest continuously occupied English town.

Heritage

Why was the hulk of the Lady Alice Kenlis (far right), abandoned in the river Deben in 1930, given protected status last August?

CATHY SHELBOURNE investigates.

A rose ...

The Lady Alice Kenlis, at the time of her launch in 1867, painted by J Crewdson. © Harris Museum, Preston

Who was Lady Alice Kenlis?

ady Alice Hill was the daughter of the 4th Marquess of Downshire.

She married Tom Tayleur, Lord Kenlis, on 9th October 1867 at Hillsborough Parish Church in County Down, Ireland.

By then the Countess of Bective, she died, aged 86, on 25th February 1928, at her home in London, 29 Eaton Place. She was buried beside her husband in the parish churchyard at Kirkby Lonsdale in Cumbria.

Why was a ship named after her? Any suggestions would be

A rose ...

In 1913, she was converted to a suction dredger, and on 20th June 1930 she was abandoned, arriving in Wivenhoe, Essex, for demolition. The lower hull was deposited in the river Deben, near Sutton Hoo, and has rested there ever since.

In August 2023, she was granted protection by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) on the advice of Historic England.

NB the hulk is on the National Trust’s Sutton Hoo estate but is not publicly accessible due to its location (unless you are a sailor or a bird! See photos). National Trust archaeologist Angus Wainwright points out: “This

is now our second scheduled ship at Sutton Hoo, as we also look after the site where the famous Anglo-Saxon burial ship was excavated in 1939. What’s interesting to me is the Sutton Hoo ship was nearly as long as its Victorian descendant, the Lady Alice Kenlis.”

Line of beauty

Much of the credit for

most welcome! One clue might lie in the fact that the third owner

of the schooner was the East Downshire Steam Ship Company Limited, of Dundrum.

Bare bones

The ship was launched in December 1867, as an ‘iron screw steamer 3-masted schooner.’ The builder was J&R Swan of Maryhill, Glasgow, and the first owner was Hugh Andrews Junior of Belfast. The Clydeships.co.uk website lists

the launch name as being Isabel Andrews, on service between Dundrum, Whitehaven and Belfast. She is also listed as being named later as the Holman Sutcliffe in 1898.

discovering the Lady Alice Kenlis, and ensuring that the hulk is now protected goes to Charles Payton.

Sitting on Claudia Myatt’s boat at Woodbridge one day, he gazed across the river and was struck by the lines of what appeared

to be a wreck on the far shore. “The lines moved me; here is something different,” he thought and asked Claudia to row him across for a closer look.

In an article he subsequently wrote for the Society of Nautical Research’s Topmasts, (no. 40, November 2021), he expanded upon what had moved him:

“The lines of a vessel bear a close resemblance to music; they speak for what is behind them and affect the mind strongly…

...by any other name

The lines of vessels, be they ever so different in form and use, often betray the hand of the architect who conceived and drew them.”

He goes on to say: “Local information says it is a steam dredger. Can that be correct? How do such ravishing lines and age of the nineteenth century add up to the word ‘dredger’?

What genius built this to dredge?”

What genius built this to dredge?

The answer is Hercules Linton – who also designed the far more famous Cutty Sark. According

to Robert E Brettle, in his book, The Cutty Sark: Her designer and builder Hercules Linton 1836-

1900 (published in 1969 by W Heffer & Sons, Cambridge),

Linton accepted private commissions before he teamed up with William Dundas Scott to form Scott and Linton, and build the Cutty Sark (launched in 1869). Newspaper cuttings show that Linton designed and supervised the building of the Lady Alice Kenlis.

The report in the Belfast News-Letter for Monday 16th March 1868 credits her with a very handsome appearance and well-fitted for her intended trade in cattle, goods and passengers.

Two very different ships, designed by the same man, but both still with us (just).

Above, the Cutty Sark in 1872, painted by Frederick Tudgay; and also designed by Hercules Linton. Below, the Cutty Sark’s final resting place, as a much-loved museum ship, at Greenwich.

Book Reviews by Cathy Shelbourne

Antarctic Sketchbook

In 2020, artist and sketchbook traveller Claudia Myatt was appointed Artist in Residence by the Friends of the Scott Polar Research Institute in Cambridge.

What this meant in practice was a voyage to Antarctica, post covid, in the footsteps of explorers, whalers, and scientists, in the company of the Royal Navy team on board the ice patrol ship HMS Protector.

As they journeyed from the Falklands to South Georgia, and onto the South Sandwich Islands and the tip of Antarctica, Claudia was out on deck, or on land, with her sketching gear - and warm gloves and plenty of layers of clothing.

One of the many fascinating aspects of this beautiful book of sketches and paintings is the range of subjects covered. So there are annotated drawings of snarly seals and fishermen’s sea chests, how to stand at ease, crew completing keep fit circuits ... and icebergs. How does one paint something that is basically colourless? Find out how Claudia cracked that one!

Interspersed with the lovely colour washes and pencil drawings are references to past explorers (such as Cook) and previous trading operations (for example whaling); a visit to the Signy Island Research Station, and a commemorative service to Shackleton at his grave on South Georgia: giving

a picture of life on these islands now and then.

“I hope you don’t mind me asking, but what are you doing here?” a young marine commando enquired of Claudia. It’s a very good question - and this book provides some thought-provoking answers, from the importance of Antarctica and our place in preserving it, to the role of artists and what they conjure up.

As Claudia writes: “I tried to draw not just what I was seeing but what I was feeling, and what it is about the Antarctic air and landscape that makes you feel more intensely alive.”

As most of us are probably never going to breathe that invigorating Antarctic air, possession of this delightful sketchbook is definitely the next best option.

Antarctit Sketchbook by Clausia Myatt

Golden Duck Publishing

Available from claudia-myatt.co.uk or golden-duck.co.uk: £15.99

MY SHIP IS SO SMALL was Ann

Davison’s third book, written in 1956, and re-issued in 2023 by Golden Duck Publishing, a local publishing house specialising in maritime titles and managed by our February speaker, Julia Jones.

A tale of two Anns

Ann Davison, born in 1913, was the first woman to sail the Atlantic alone. Her 23’ boat,

Felicity Ann, is apparently one of the 500 most important vessels in history. Although Ann died in 1992, her boat lives on – and one very special aspect of this re-issue is that Felicity Ann’s later years, when she was restored and cherished by the Community Boat Project, Port Townsend in Washington state, are included in the Afterword written by Captain Wayne Chimenti, founder of the Project.

This was not Ann Davison’s first book, nor even her second. It was her third. To gain a deeper

understanding of what enabled Ann to undertake this extraordinary voyage from Plymouth, Devon, across the Atlantic and ultimately to New York through the Intercoastal Waterway, it’s useful to read the first, Last Voyage (1951) – if you can get hold of a copy. Within its pages you will discover that it wasn’t her last voyage, but her husband Frank’s, and the trauma of losing him – and her own personal choice to live – that brought about the voyage described so powerfully in her third book.

In between is Home was an Island, an account of her life on a Scottish island with Frank – who she’d met when she was an

aviator! While others might pursue a conventional life with occasional forays in adventures beyond one’s comfort zone, Ann’s life was governed by her mantra that ‘courage is the key to living.’

Courage in the face of adversity … and she had obstacles in bucket-loads as she battled single-handedly across the ocean: storms, sea sickness, lack of sleep, navigational hazards, as well

as her own inexperience, and fear.

Writing books was not just a source of income. It was

a therapy for her, and an education for us. She writes beautifully and amusingly,

and is endearingly self-deprecating: “It was always the same. I would work blindly and wholeheartedly towards a certain point, and when it came I would go numb. And feel sick. I felt sick now.”

But there were compensations. “All colour faded as the day died; then night, darkly enveloping, spread

a mantle of solitude over the sea. An immeasurable solitude that reached up from the bottom of the ocean and stretched out beyond the stars, that penetrated every particle of water and permeated the very structure of the ship, that muffled the sound of the engine, that was life and death and everywhere and nothing.”

And although she was alone on the ocean, she was being tracked – and feted. When she docked in Vigo, northern Spain, the Spanish stood on the quay staring at Felicity Ann, and “occasionally someone would hiss ‘Pssst … pssst … Senora!’ with the hope of luring me on deck so that they could study La Navigante Solitaria as well; for a lone female sailor was the strangest thing they had ever heard of and well worth a good hour’s staring time.”

By contrast, her reception in Gibraltar was typically British. “A large, imposing gentleman in immaculate white uniform and large white knees halted smartly on the quay by FA. ”From England?” “Yes,” I said. “Alone?” “Yes,” I said. “Good trip?” “Yes,” I said. I very nearly

said “Rather.” “Good show,” he said and briskly walked away.”

In Dominica (finally), she overheard some boys discussing her. “Say, how she navigate?” and a voice replied, sharp with scorn. “Why man, don’t you know? She navigate by heart.”

This is a heart-felt and humorous book, penned by a woman who was never going to put her feet up after her incredible cruise from Plymouth to New York. In 1961, aged 47, she sailed the Great Circle, from Florida to the Hudson River in New York, through the Great

Lakes to the Mississippi River and eventually to the Gulf of Mexico.

As Shirley Testerman, one of the researchers at the Community Boat Project, said: “Most of the time you hear about daring young people. But as Ann shows us, you are never too old

to take a risk and have an adventure.”

My Ship is so Small by Ann Davison

Golden Duck Publishing

Available from golden-duck.co.uk: £15.99

OGA60

Jubilee party

“The OGA has gathered in the historic port of Ipswich for many years, since its founding in

1963, to enjoy the sailing, hospitality and maritime heritage.

For this reason, the port was chosen as the place to celebrate the culmination of our OGA60 celebrations.”

Paul Masters, OGA East Coast Area President

The Old Gaffers Association’s Diamond Jubilee

Party, in Ipswich, from 3rd – 6th August 2023, was the official finish for the fifteen boats participating in the OGA Round Britain Cruise. They were welcomed by over 100 classic boats arriving in Ipswich to celebrate 60 years of the OGA.

Beverley Yates of the OGA writes: “Skippers hoisted their bunting and a party atmosphere began to grow. Tours of Spirit Yachts and guided tours of historic Ipswich were arranged for participants alongside socialising and sailing. A Civic Reception beside the Old Custom House was addressed by the Mayor of Ipswich, Councillor Lynne Mortimer, and was followed by an excellent supper at St Clement’s Church, surrounded by IMT’s archive photographic display.

On Friday afternoon, 4th August, 80 larger boats and the flotilla of 30 open boats prepared for the Parade of Sail. Dark clouds gathered, there was a rumble of thunder, lightning struck and visibility dropped to a few metres in driving rain. Skippers donned waterproofs, shut hatches, scandalised sails to brave the spectacular thunderstorm.

On Sunday morning force 6 winds were forecast.

Twenty-five skippers gathered at the start line with reefed sails for an inshore Jubilee Race.

Twenty finishers battled with the wild elements for three or four hours. Just two brave dinghy sailors took part in the open boat race.”

Legacy giving

ould you consider making provision for Ipswich Maritime Trust in your will?

When you look back over your life and your achievements, on or off the water, and the enjoyment you experienced, and what our maritime history has meant to you, how can you ensure that the next generation can benefit too?

Ipswich Maritime Trust is launching a series of initiatives for young people to get involved in maritime activities and careers. At the same time, we will continue to promote our maritime heritage, and run events for all ages.

Can you help us help them, by giving a legacy to Ipswich Maritime Trust?

For more information contact info@ipswichmaritimetrust.org.uk We can point you towards sources of advice in making your will if you need it. If you want to discuss a non-pecuniary gift, for example of old documents or artefacts potentially of interest to IMT, we would be pleased to talk to you as well. Many thanks.

Dragon boat racing at Ipswich Waterfront

News round up

Ben Good, IMT Chairman

t’s been a busy few months for your committee, as we seek to strengthen IMT’s ties with a whole range of parties in the town, with an eye to embedding maritime heritage firmly in the life and development of this community.

The Heritage Harbour award - announced in January and covered on page 3 – is a great accolade, but on its own it won’t change much. What it does do, though, is create a focus to galvanise multiple parties to work with us, in support of our goals: to promote maritime heritage, to engage the young, and to create value for our community.

So, in no particular order, we have:

With support from ABP, the Borough Council and Ipswich Central, commissioned an initial planning study for a Maritime Festival. We hope this will combine an exciting array of tall ships and traditional boats with other maritime entertainments and cultural events, as well as create an opportunity to celebrate the achievements of our youth programme, and offer insights about the future of maritime life in a changing climate.
Tried out (and re-tried) some types of events which are different to our normal winter talks, viz the coach trip to Greenwich, our sponsorship of SPILL’s Shefarers project, the Christmas quiz night and the upcoming Sunday morning workshop in partnership with Suffolk Archives, on researching your maritime forebears (4th February – places still available!)
Had a number of meetings with the Ipswich Museum staff, about featuring our materials in the redeveloped galleries, and about collaboration on education and outreach activities, both after and during the redevelopment (which is provisionally scheduled for completion in Autumn 2025)
Discussed with ABP the issues around the reorganisation of the Wet Dock following their acquisition of the Neptune marina business. We have pushed the case for ease of access of heritage boats up to the Common Quay, and for retaining some yacht berths on the nearside of the Waterfront. We understand the submission of ABP’s planning application for this is imminent
Explored with the Sea Cadets team how they could help us deliver Afternoons Afloat events as part of our Schools Outreach programme
Discussed with various parties the potential for more maritime displays or information boards around the Waterfront. Watch this space (pardon the pun)!
Made a presentation based on the new IMT Prospectus to the Borough Council’s Conservation and Design Panel
Met with the Suffolk New College team to find out how we can use their digital communications programmes to increase our profile with the next generation
Met with the Wolsey 550 team to learn from their experience, andto discuss how we can contribute to their upcoming programmes

This is by no means a comprehensive list – but it does serve to show that, if delivering on the promise of the Heritage Harbour depends on getting

things going with lots of local partners, then your committee certainly means business!

If you have any suggestions for others we should be talking to, or, better yet, are interested in helping out, please let us know!

Ipswich Maritime Matters is written and designed by Sea Shell Communications, published by Ipswich

Maritime Trust and printed by Tuddenham Press.

editor@ipswichmaritimetrust. org.uk

Come on board!

New members are always welcome: individual membership is £20pa, family £30pa, youth

(up to 25 years) £5 single/£7.50 joint. IMT is a charity: these are minimum suggested donations. If you’d like to give more to support IMT, please do!

Your subscription includes: free access to our talks, regular e-mail updates, twice-yearly IMT Matters newsletter, plus the opportunity to get involved in our projects and campaigns.

We are always looking for volunteers to help with our Window Museum (‘the Window Wizards’), front of house at talks and events, talking to the public on our stands at heritage and maritime events, tagging photos in the Image Archive, and assisting with our schools initiatives.

To join, please contact membership@

ipswichmaritimetrust.org.uk or write to us at Ipswich Maritime Trust, 32 Cowper Street, Ipswich IP4 5JB.

Diary dates 2024

Please check all dates and venues before setting out!

Sunday 4th February

IMT Sunday morning workshop, with Suffolk Archives, at The Hold: Researching your Maritime Family History, £15 - see page 13

Wednesday 7th February

IMT first Wednesday of the month talk: We Fought Them in Gunboats: film and talk by Julia Jones, Golden Duck Publishing - see page 13

Wednesday 6th March

IMT first Wednesday of the month talk: A Right Royal Wreck - the discovery of The Gloucester - see page 13

Wednesday 3rd April

IMT first Wednesday of the month talk: speaker tbc

Thursday 13th June

An Ipswich Society day out from Ipswich to Harwich on SB Victor. £70; includes full catering info@ipswichmaritimetrust.org.uk

Saturday 29th June

Pin Mill Barge Match

Thursday 15th August

An IMT day out sailing the Orwell and the Stour on SB Victor. £70; includes full catering info@ipswichmaritimetrust.org.uk

Thursday 12th September

An IMT day out on SB Victor. £48: bring your own refreshments info@ipswichmaritimetrust.org.uk

8th - 17th September

Heritage Open Days national fortnight: details to follow

About the Trust

Ipswich Maritime Trust (IMT) is a charity formed in 1983 with the objective of educating and informing the public of the long maritime history of Ipswich and the River Orwell which dates back to before the 7th century.

IMT undertakes a wide range of activities, including commenting on maritime issues, running a series of talks on maritime-related themes and outings on Sailing Barge Victor, curating our Window Museum on Albion Wharf, maintaining an Archive, and supporting young people in maritime projects.

We have over 300 members, and a dedicated committee. Volunteers are always welcome, to help with the Window Museum, assist with marketing, and generally furthering the aims of the Trust.