This slice of timber was collected by Eric Benham of Littlehampton some years ago when it was presented as being from the timbers of the Old Ferry. It’s not known if it came from the first ferry of 1824 or the second of 1874, which although a steel hull also had timber components.

The rectangular slice is 31cm by 33cm and varies between 7cm to 9cm deep, so was possibly cut from a foot square beam. One corner is rounded which suggests a bottom edge timber, and it could have been from either vessel. There remains some marine fouling on one side with evidence of barnacles and a possible water line. This indicates a floating craft of some description, adding support for the ferry claim.

The cross section (probably pine from the Baltic) clearly shows the annual growth rings and at least 170 years are identifiable. If the section is from the first ferry, the rings give a planting date of around 1650, if from the second it would have been around 1700. In any event, this is clearly a piece of wood with history.

A different copy of this postcard had pencilled text and a date on the back, possibly applied recently, that suggested the picture was taken on 1st February 1901 by Frank Spry on the occasion of Queen Victoria's funeral, hence the flags at half mast. However, as Spry moved to Littlehampton in 1904, this date seems unlikely. He was known to publish pictures from earlier dates which may have been obtained from other photographers, but this one has characteristics typical of his skills, showing wonderful detail such as the chain features, and metal stands presumably for daily timetables or tariffs.

The scene clearly tells a story. Although very close to low water, it is clear from the flow of the river, that the tide is still ebbing. The people shown are ferry manager Mr. (Capt.) Alfred Perkes Scarpe for the Ferry Trustee, holding the Union Jack, and the ferryman on the left, Mr. Dick Latter. The most likely explanation for the lowered flag is the imminent demise of the ferry itself!

Other Cards of the Old Ferry (1874-1908)

FERRY 02 shows A.P. Scarpe (described as ‘the collector’) outside the toll office on the east bank (FERRY 02). A Frank Spry card unposted. Note the glimpse of a low thatched roof in the centre behind the buildings For more on this see the entry for the “Smuggler’s Hut”.

FERRY 03 shows it alongside the almost completed bridge in early 1908, at low tide with ferryman Dick Latter in the foreground. A White card posted May 29th 1908 to Miss Parsons in Crawley from Alice who describes the grand affair of the opening of the new Swing bridge, a day out for the sender.

FERRY 04 shows the ferry crossing with traffic on a higher tide, beside the almost complete Swing bridge. A modern reproduction postcard.

FERRY 05 shows the departure of the ferry under tow on 28th November 1908, destined for retirement as a houseboat on the Hamble. Another modern reproduction of an original.

FERRY AGROUND: This J. White postcard, posted to Maurice Ockenden Jnr. Esq, Croydon, Surrey on December 8th 1905, shows the ferry aground on the West Bank. The text is headed "In memoriam", and notes "the poor Bridge high and dry, but not so dry as it was later on". This reflects the alternative name for the Old Ferry which was the Floating Bridge, and also seems to predict the fate of the craft when the Swing Bridge opened in 1908.

Maurice A. Ockenden Jnr. (1874-1954) was the son of Maurice Ockenden Snr. (1846-1937), and one of the joint founders with R.F. Duke of the firm Duke and Ockenden (or DANDO) Water and Drilling Engineers, well known in Littlehampton and beyond.

The sender of the postcard was probably Philip Bjorling (1843-1906), born in Stockholm, who worked for DANDO and was a renowned and much published authority on water engineering.

DANDO still has its local offices in the Old Customs building, by the site of the Railway Wharf, shown in this photograph from 2006.