Author: Published by Nelson

Top – two men digging aither side of a barge (1920’s Harbour Trustees photo). The aerial shot of similar period shows three barges together near the back of the Victory suggesting perhaps a permanent mooring and therefore a permanent function – e.g., the regular scouring of the mud flats by hand near that point.
The old dredgers were perhaps unable to operate away from the main channel even at high tide until they got through the locks. The photo shows the barge outside the round marker bouys of the main channel.
Even dredging by hand gradually between hightides (common in Victorian times) over a period of time may well have been effective “for shovelling away by navvies called muckshifters…..” until relatively recent times when dredgers had more efficient mechanisms and shallower draughts as the whole area there inside and outside of the old main channel seems now to be maintained at 1.9 metres.
Is that what is happening here …. or have they just grounded?

In 1904 Stow & Sons completed the building of two sister yachts, the Rosalind and the Sylvia and the details for these are included in the list of Stow built yachts on this website  https://www.shorehambysea.com/stow-suter-yachts/

Recently we acquired an old postcard of a yacht moored outside Stow’s yard and on the reverse is written the date 26th August 1906. The vessel is without much doubt virtually identical to the Rosalind and Sylvia but there is no trace of Stow’s launching a yacht that year added to which Lloyds Registers Foundation have been kind enough to thoroughly check their records on our behalf and are able to categorically state that the completion/launch dates of the two yachts is definitely 1904.

Both yachts are still sailing and, even allowing for possible alterations in the years since, a comparison of the 1906 photo with the modern images reveals a number of similarities, most obvious of which are 1) the close proximity of the mizzenmast to the stern; 2) the mainmast is made up of two sections;  3) the spacing of the 1906 mainmast rigging where it meets the hull is equally spaced – all of which closely match the Rosalind more than the Sylvia (later renamed Mohawk II)

If it is the Rosalind why record a 1906 date on the back? Was it a mistake? Was it another, unrecorded vessel (highly unlikely)? Was there a regatta or other event that year that the Rosalind attended?

A ‘ghost’ picture we put together for someone else but thought it could be shared here. Dyer & Son were using this shipyard during the 1870’s building ships of this size, the ‘Osman Pasha’ being the last, before it was taken over by Henry Stow and Sons then the Sussex Yacht Club

Top – two men digging aither side of a barge (1920’s Harbour Trustees photo). The aerial shot of similar period shows three barges together near the back of the Victory suggesting perhaps a permanent mooring and therefore a permanent function – e.g., the regular scouring of the mud flats by hand near that point.
The old dredgers were perhaps unable to operate away from the main channel even at high tide until they got through the locks. The photo shows the barge outside the round marker bouys of the main channel.
Even dredging by hand gradually between hightides (common in Victorian times) over a period of time may well have been effective “for shovelling away by navvies called muckshifters…..” until relatively recent times when dredgers had more efficient mechanisms and shallower draughts as the whole area there inside and outside of the old main channel seems now to be maintained at 1.9 metres.
Is that what is happening here …. or have they just grounded?

Just love the questions that old photos ask. The lower one is noted as circa 1903 – the top one is undated but despite it showing the building in a more dilapidated state it, and the lady’s style of dress, seems to indicate an older image perhaps and therefore a refurbished rendering in the lower image?
The cyclists advert suggests a landlord then (circa 1903) of Harry Jas (James) Burt (rather than what looks like Harry Jasbury) but with a small poster just above it appearing to include perhaps the words ‘New Management.’ The changing management theme is further indicated by the name ‘F.Smart’ appearing to have been recently added to the pub sign.
There is also a signpost pointing south indicating I guess the carriage works but why also Brigden at 187 Western Road when there were obviously others in that road? Someone with access to a Lancing directory of the period will have the answers

This well known photo of the veterans 1907 race at the Oxen Field (now Windlesham Gardens) was of particular interest to me as it provided a glimpse of the Mill Lane windmill that was owned at the time by a predecessor. More interestingly though was the fair there that included what looks like gypsy caravans and swing boats including one mad individual that  propelled his swing boat so high it was nearly vertical!

Photos to date of the ship Britannia in full classic side-on pose are in dirty condition and poor resolution – that is until one turned up that was included with the collection donated by Jean Tyler. The full length shot will be included when we have the galleries up and running (shouldn’t be long now) but, as usual, we couldn’t resist looking at the background detail. The Britannia was launched in 1877, the map is dated 1872.

Continue reading “Britannia”

The Parlett family name often appears in the Shoreham records around the  1930’s onwards, notably Frank, James and John Parlett who were largely involved with the building trade. John lived on the west side of the Old Shoreham Road, just below the viaduct where he had his workshop beneath one of the arches there. One of his advertisements in 1938 shows a neat looking bungalow he had built that Spinalman has since discovered still survives largely unaltered at number 357 Upper Shoreham Road.
The advertisement mentions  the houses, bungalows and shops that John was also building near the golf course and seems to be in competition with Braybons who were building at the nearby ‘Downside’ area. Building though came to a halt during the war years and the majority of both those areas did not become completely built upon until the 1960’s and after.

This painting looks (to me) a good many years older than the photo. But the painting is 1887 (artist Alfred Bennett) and the photo was taken in 1878.