Bury Barges

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Unposted. Publisher probably Travers of Brighton. However, the photograph is the same one used on William Wareham’s postcard of Henly's barge dock. This version, with a wider view, shows more of the second barge afloat in the river, It dates from around 1900, but could have been photographed even earlier. The number on the card is a publisher’s code and not the date.

The floating barge has the mainsail brailed up against the sprit, much as the system used on Thames barges, and the sail appears dark, possibly tan in colour, which was a common feature of Thames barges. Further evidence of this can be seen on the Bury on the Arun card. The mast in sailing barges is generally left up when in commission, even when moored, to allow access to the hold, but it is in a tabernacle and is lowered to pass bridges being raised by the prominent hand winch on the foredeck once clear of the structure. There were bridges not far away in each direction on this stretch of the river. A careful examination of the card reveals, on the floating barge, the shadowy figure of one of the crew offloading the cargo, probably chalk from one of the local quarries. The figure must have moved during the long exposure used for the photograph.

The barge dock is featured in our Bury video.