River trip for 120-year-old barge shows old trade

A 120-year-old Dutch barge has travelled up a river to highlight the history of the River Colne.

The vessel travelled from Rowhedge in Essex to Colchester, which was part of a former trading route.

It was organised by the Rowhedge Heritage Trust, which works on preserving the maritime history of the area.

Nick Baker, from the trust, said the river "would have been crowded with barges" when it was used for transporting freight.

The barge used for the trip would not have normally travelled the river, but was similar to sailing vessels that were used to transport goods.

Mr Baker said he would "see the tops of barges [over] the tops of the warehouses" when growing up in the late 1950s.

"I always love that and always been interested in that," he said.

He said the route only stopped being used for goods in 2001 "and up until then it was still quite busy".

Mr Baker said the trust put on various events to "draw attention to the riverside".

He said people living in the area had "no idea that on their doorstep was ship building" and the maritime industry.

Along for the trip was Jim Lawrence, who started working on the Thames barges that sailed on the river in 1948.

"It was tough. I was 15 years old and my skipper was 72, so I did most of the manual work but he had the skill," he said.

The barges would travel with no engines and use their sails, with Mr Lawrence saying it could take from two days to a week to travel from Colchester to London, depending on the weather.

Sailing barges began to be used to transport cargo, primarily to and from London, in the 17th Century.

They would carry a wide variety of items including bricks, grain and gunpowder.

Along the River Colne the main port was Colchester Hythe, with Rowhedge's boat building going back to the 19th Century.

After World War One sailing barges began to decline, which accelerated in the 1950s with road and rail transporting the majority of freight.

Despite the end of the industry, the River Colne is still a popular route for boats and a regatta is held in Rowhedge annually.

Source: Thames Festival Trust/Visit Colchester

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