Last summer, we spent a lovely afternoon in Maldon looking at the Thames sailing barges moored there in regal splendor. They are sculptural and historic, and were used to transport supplies up and down the coast. Now you can charter them for the day, but some still work.
The Thames sailing barges line the seawall of Maldon in Essex. Photo by me.
Each had its own style, colors and beautiful woodwork. The patterns of the masts against the sky were graphic and strong.
Masts. Photo by me
I love that England is an island, and so much of the country centers on boats and especially sailing. The great naval power and all that. I grew up on Long Island in New York, so maybe I just feel at home surrounded by water.
Photo by me
But what is so interesting in Great Britain, is that each section of the country seems to have its own design of boat and navigational style. Being married to My Beloved Brit, an avid sailor, I have my own personal tour guide when we visit these ports. And he is always willing to spend the time walking along the docks and explaining the idiosyncrasies of each boat to me.
photo by me
The Barge Trust has lovingly labelled all these historic barges with details of their history. MBB could have spent hours here just looking.
Photo by me.
But my favorite sign had to be this one…
photo by me
You have been warned.
They really are lovely, aren’t they? And I bet they look exactly the same as they did “back in the old days”. Great to have your BB around to explain it all to you, Like art, makes it so much more interesting when you actually know the background and what’s going on, lol. Great sign at the end, btw. Sadly there are probably people that need it, lol.
So much of England feels like a window on the past. I love that about it.