HARBOUR SCENE WITH SMALL CRAFT

Looking north c1970.

By John Hills

The "Cock Robin"  and "Viking" seen here moored just north of fuel barge & stage 5, looking back up river towards Marine Shops and old swing bridge.

Both of these clinker constructed boats where hand built by local boat builders R. Lower & Son in late 1950's

The "Viking" was built for Harold Hills,  the wireless operator on the Newhaven Lifeboat at the time and a short time later the "Cock Robin" was commissioned and built for local baker Ben Funnell.

Two of many small craft hand built by local boat builders and this time, before the onset of fibre glass boat building trade industry that started up locally, a few years later.

 

 

Photo:Old postcard

Old postcard

Click to Enlarge

This page was added by John Hills on 10/04/2020.
Comments about this page

Interesting that there's no number on the RAF pinnace, we often had 1380, 1389, 1390 or 1392 around that time.

I think 1389 might have been the last, but this is earlier.

By Andy Gilbert
On 10/04/2020

The clinker vessel on left of this picture is indeed Cock Robin, which was owned by Funnells the Bakers, who had a shop in the High Street for many years, before moving the bakery to Eastside, Railway Road. I worked on this boat during my boatbuilding apprenticeship at R Lower &  Sons, in Robinson Road, from 1967 to 1973, where she had been built.

Hi Chris, many thanks for your input. Think you might be a bit confused about Funnells Bakery.

Ben and son Michael Funnell actually moved the bakery business to Peacehaven on the South Coast Road. As I had the job of carrying out the Electrical installationwork in the bakery at the time, working mainly through the night, so as to keep the business trading while the work was carried out.

John  --  Editor

By Chris Young
On 21/04/2020
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