Tag: boating lake

Praams for hire at Dunorlan Park boating pond, Tunbridge Wells

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Praam dinghies on the boating lake at Dunorlan Park

The old wooden praams at Dunorlan Park, in Tunbridge Wells may all be gone now, but here are some photos I took with my mobile phone a couple of years ago.

It’s intriguing that a collection of classic little Norwegian-style dinghies like this should end up on a pleasure boating lake in South-Eastern England, but they did a good job for several generations – not least, I suppose, because they had the capacity to carry four adults in comfort an a short hull.

I have a hazy recollection that I was told they were built in the North-East by McNulty.

The Wikipedia doesn’t say much about praams, but there is this nice photo of a praam on the Wikimedia.

PS – There’s a comment below from the gentleman who hires them out. I’m pleased to be able to say that after 40 years, these boats are still available for hire at Dunorlan Park.

The old boating lake at Southwold – some pictures

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Southwold model boat and boating ponds in 1918

Southwold model boat and boating ponds in 1918. As usual, click on
the pictures for a larger picture

Southwold boating pond in the 1950s

Southwold boating pond in the 1950s

Bingo! I’m pleased and feel lucky that Nick Wood has sent me these two images of the boating lake at Southwold.

What intrigues me is that the earlier image includes some little sailing boats that are in some ways similar to the ones I remember from the sixties – small, heavy double-enders set up with a small balanced lug. However, these boats have much more sheer than I remember from my boyhood, and in any case it seems unlikely that the boats that were on the pond in in 1918 would still be on the water nearly 50 years later.

In the shallow water of the pond I remember there was no room for much of a keel, so the little boats could hardly beat at all – but I loved them anyway.

Thanks for the photos Nick – does anyone else have any images or recollections to share please?