Sailing barge Westmoreland returns to Lower Halstow – and needs funds

Westmoreland returns to Lower Halstow

This may not look like much to most folks – but it shows the brickie barge Westmoreland returning to Lower Halstow a few days ago.

The next step in bringing her back to life is to put in a bid for a Heritage Lottery grant – but in the meantime the trust looking after her could do with some donations to help pay for towing her to her new berth, and the insurance the job required.

Built in 1900 in Conyer (just a few creeks away off the Swale), the sailing barge worked from Lower Halstow for 60 years, taking bricks up to London. She’s also Kent’s last brickie barge – generally small barges these were built specifically for the job.

The aim of the Westmoreland Trust Community Interest Company is to restore the barge and to use her to tell the story of the brickfields and barges that carried the bricks used to build London.

Read more about the SB Westmoreland here and here.