Archive for the Tag 'dock'

Apr30

Port of London Authority archives to be catalogued and made available

Gavin Atkin

port of london, london, archive, pla, museum of london, london, museum, photographs, police, lifejacket, dock, diver, crane, warehouse, docker


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Access to the Port of London Authority archive – said to be one of the most significant in London – is set to be unlocked in a three-year cataloguing programme.

The archive covering 250 years of London’s water-borne history is to be catalogued by Museum of London Docklands staff. The work is expected to take at least three years and will give historians, river lovers and members of the public easy access to the archive.

The PLA was created through an Act of Parliament overseen by Lloyd George and Winston Churchill to bring order to the chaos of the busy and congested port of the early 1900s. It came into existence on 31 March 1909.

The archive includes 30 boxes of documents relating to the 19th century dock companies; 120 boxes of documents relating to the early years of the PLA; 140 boxes of documents relating to post-war PLA activities; 50 boxes of post-war PLA personnel documents; architectural drawings relating to all aspects of the docks; and a range of PLA river charts. It adds up to a lot of material.l

An entertaining historical presentation telling the story of the PLA is already available can be found on the organisation’s website at www.pla.co.uk.

4 Comments »Barges and wherries, Culture: songs, stories, photography and art, Events, Locations, Sailing ships, Small boats, Uncategorized, Working boats, history

Sep17

Thames Festival Classic Rally at St Katharine Docks, 2009

Gavin Atkin

Image034 380x285 Thames Festival Classic Rally at St Katharine Docks, 2009

Image032 150x112 Thames Festival Classic Rally at St Katharine Docks, 2009 Image036 150x112 Thames Festival Classic Rally at St Katharine Docks, 2009

Jim Vandenbos’s mobile phone photos of the 2009 inaugural Thames Festival Classic Rally. If anyone else has photos they’d like to share, please email me at gmatkin@gmail.com

The first Thames Festival Classic Rally at St Katharine Docks, London last weekend was a success and seems likely to be be repeated next year.

I couldn’t make it for reasons not unconnected with my broken ankle, but my pal Jim Vandenbos dropped by to see Lord Boris’s Thames’ Festival after the cricket at Lords finished early.

Among other things he was keen to see the rally at St Katharine’s Dock and beetled over to take a look. When pressed for numbers he guessed that there were something over 30 classic boats in the dock, including Arthur Ransomes’ Nancy Blackett as seen in the novel We didn’t mean to go to Sea, and a very nice Uffa Fox Fairey Marine yacht. He also says there were a good number of visitors strolling around the dock.

If Jim’s right, I’d say 30 boats was a good, healthy number.

Event organiser Ian Welsh told intheboatshed that the rally had been a success. ‘It went very well indeed, the entrants loved it and so it seems did the St Katharine’s people – so fingers crossed we’ll do it next year again. We already have lots of ideas for next year.’

More photos have been posted by the organisers on their website.

The rally also made The Times – see the story here.

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No Comments »Boatbuilders and restorers, Cruising yachts, Culture: songs, stories, photography and art, Events, Locations, Motor yachts and boats, Racing sailing craft, Restoration and repair, Traditional carvel, Traditional clinker, Uncategorized, Working boats