Thames Barges Talk

A HISTORY event in Leigh this September will feature a talk about Thames Sailing Barges.
This fascinating talk presented by Leigh Heritage Centre will shed light on the history of this crucial maritime vessel that has been a familiar sight on the water for centuries.
John Rayment is an author from the Thames Sailing Barge Trust, who restored the Thames Sailing Barge ‘Pudge’ which was built in 1922.
With his experience, he is ideally suited to detail the history of the iconic flat-bottomed vessels.
The commercial sailing boats, with shallow draught with leeboards, were perfectly adapted to the Thames Estuary with its shallow waters and narrow tributary rivers.
Designed to carry goods along the shallow rivers, creeks and estuaries of south-east England, they became particularly important from the 17th and 18th centuries, with their use continuing into the 20th century.
Their flat bottoms allowed them to navigate shallow waters and, importantly, to take the ground on mudflats at low tide, which made them ideal for reaching small riverside wharves that larger ships could not access.
By the early 20th century, hundreds of these barges were working around the Thames and east coast. Today, a number of historic barges have survived and are preserved as heritage vessels, used for sailing, education, tourism and events.
The talk will take place at Leigh Community Centre in Elm Road on September 16th, and will commence at 7 pm.
Admission cost is £2 for Members of The Leigh society, and £3 for non-members.
Leigh Conservation and Heritage regularly organise a programme of talks throughout the year
For more information visit: leighsociety.com/
Picture: Pudge, restored by Thames Sailing Barge Trust. Pic: TSBT
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