Norfolk wherry

Trading wherry Albion near Ludham

Hathor on the River Bure near Horning

The Norfolk wherry is a type of boat on The Broads in Norfolk, England. Three main types were developed over its life, all featuring the distinctive gaff rig with a single, high-peaked sail and the mast stepped well forward.

Development of the wherry

Before wherries, there was the Norfolk Keel, a square rigged, transom sterned clinker-built boat, around 54 feet by 14 feet, and able to carry 30 tons of goods. The keel had been built since the Middle Ages and the design probably went back to the Viking invasion. After 1800, the Norfolk Keel (or 'keel wherry') disappeared, partly because a wherry could be sailed with fewer crew, and it had limited manoeuvrability and lacked speed.

Types of wherry

The Trading Wherry developed from the Keel. It is double-ended, its hull painted black with a white nose to aid visibility after dusk. Most trading wherries were clinker-built, but Albion, surviving today, was the sole example to be carvel-built. They carry a gaff rig, the sail historically also black from being treated with a mixture of tar and fish oil to protect it from the elements. The mast tops and wind vanes were often painted or shaped (respectively) to identify the wherry's owner - a traditional design is a Jenny Morgan, after a folk song character. Sizes varied, but many of these vessels would carry around 25 tons of goods. Wherries were able to reach larger boats just off the coast at Great Yarmouth or Lowestoft and take their cargoes off to be transported inland through the broads and rivers. The last trading wherry, Ella, was built in 1912.

The Pleasure Wherry evolved as railways took on the cargo business that had supported the traders.^[1] Enterprising owners realised that conversion to carry passengers was a way to replace the lost income, especially as the Broads were at the same time being discovered as a destination for tourism and recreation. Early examples simply featured hammocks and a stove in the hold of a trader, but boatbuilders soon began to make craft specifically for pleasure sailing and holidays, using the same hull and rig design but incorporating living quarters instead of a cargo hold. Some were fitted out to a very high standard indeed; for example, Hathor, built for the Colman family (of mustard fame), features highly detailed marquetry in Egyptian designs below decks.^[2]

For some holidaymakers, the distinction between the working boats and pleasure wherries was not strong enough, and the sleeker and more genteel Wherry Yacht was developed. The main distinguishing features are a smooth, white yacht-like hull and a large counter-stern providing a quiet seating area away from the sail winch and any quanting activity.^[3]

Wherries came in different sizes, according to the river they used. The North Walsham & Dilham Canal Wherry was maximum 50 ft (15 m) x 12 ft (3.7 m) x 3' 6". The River Ant Wherry was 50' x 12' max. The River Bure Wherry was 54' x 12' 8", but for the Aylsham Navigation, i.e. the upper reaches of the Bure, the boats had to be 12' 6" x 3' 6" maximum.

On the southern Broads, steam wherries were used. The River Waveney Wherry was 70' x 16' max.

The mast is pivoted with a large counterbalance weight at the bottom.^[4] This enables the wherry to lower the mast for passing under bridges. The mast can be dropped, the wherry continues forward under its momentum and the mast is raised again on the far side by the crew of two. If there is no wind, or the wherry must be turned or otherwise manoeuvred, quant poles are used to provide the required force.^[5]

A special wherry wheelbarrow was used to unload cargo, e.g. stone, from the wherries. It was made from wood and strengthened with iron bands. It had no legs, therefore it could be rested on the 11-inch-wide (280 mm) planks on the side of the wherry.

Survivors

All types of wherry eventually became uneconomic to run, but a small number have been saved either by private individuals or charities. Most of the survivors can be seen sailing up and down the rivers and broads today, although some are awaiting full restoration. Of the eight surviving examples of recreational and commercial sailing wherries, seven are on the National Register of Historic Ships. An eighth wherry listed on the Register is Jester a motorized ice wherry of 1923.

In April 2011, a base was opened in Wroxham where work on the restoration and maintenance of the Edwardian pleasure wherries; Hathor, Norada and Olive can be undertaken in all weathers. The site located in Hartwell Road was part of a £1.5 million project.^[6]

Norfolk Wherries^{[7][8][9][10]}

Vessel	Type	Built	Notes
Albion	trading wherry	1898, Oulton Broad	Owned by the Norfolk Wherry Trust.
Maud	trading wherry	1899 Halls of Reedham	Under private ownership. Restored after being sunk for several years on Ranworth Broad.
Paris as a houseboat; returned to Broads in 2005 and was restored to use.
village signs. There is also a mosaic of a wherry at North Walsham, part of a special monument commemorating the Millennium celebrations. Cultural references Arthur Ransome's children's novel Coot Club (1934) depicts life on board a Norfolk wherry; Albion was used for a BBC television adaptation of this book[11] References ^ http://www.wherryyachtcharter.org/wherrieshist.php ^ http://www.wherryyachtcharter.org/hathor.php ^ http://www.wherryyachtcharter.org/wherrieshist.php ^ http://www.wherryyachtcharter.org/wherryparts.php ^ http://www.wherryyachtcharter.org/sailingawherry.php ^ Wroxham base opened for wherries restoration, UK: EDP24, http://www.edp24.co.uk/news/wroxham_base_opened_for_wherries_restoration_1_870437, retrieved 23 April 2011  ^ Others, Wherry yacht charter, http://www.wherryyachtcharter.org/others.php . ^ Hathor, Wherry yacht charter, http://www.wherryyachtcharter.org/hathor.php . ^ Olive, Wherry yacht charter, http://www.wherryyachtcharter.org/olive.php . ^ Norada, Wherry yacht charter, http://www.wherryyachtcharter.org/norada.php . ^ Christina Hardyment Arthur Ransome and Capt. Flint's Trunk, 2006 Further reading Black Sailed Traders – Roy Clark. Wherries and Waterways – Robert Malster. Albion; the Story of the Norfolk Trading Wherry – Martin Kirby/Norfolk Wherry Trust. External links Wherry Yacht Charter Charitable Trust - sailing and caring for Hathor, Olive and Norada The Norfolk Wherry Trust - Home of the Albion Last wherry returns to new career (BBC News article on Ardea) National education Network gallery of Wherry pictures Boats of the Norfolk Broads Style Gallery - Wherries Wikimedia Foundation. 2010. Игры ⚽ Нужен реферат? Adage Jeannette Rankin Look at other dictionaries: Norfolk wherry — Eine Norfolk wherry Die Norfolk wherry (deutsch: Norfolk Jolle) ist ein kleiner Frachtsegelschiffstyp. Geschichte Der Schiffstyp wurde für den Betrieb in den Norfolk Broads zugeschnitten. Er löste dort gegen Ende des 18. Jahrhunderts die vorher… …   Deutsch Wikipedia Norfolk Wherry Trust — The Norfolk Wherry Trust is a waterway society and registered charity 1084156 in Norfolk, England, UK. based at Womack Water near Ludham, Norfolk Broads. The Trust keeps afloat Albion , an example of the Norfolk Trading Wherry, so that she can be …   Wikipedia Norfolk wherry — noun sailing barge used especially in East Anglia • Syn: ↑wherry • Regions: ↑United Kingdom, ↑UK, ↑U.K., ↑Britain, ↑United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, ↑Great Britain …   Useful english dictionary Wherry — A wherry (meaning boat ) is type of boat that was traditionally used for carrying cargo or passengers on rivers and canals in England, and is particularly associated with the River Thames. Passenger wherries evolved into the Thames skiff, a… …   Wikipedia Wherry Yacht Charter Charitable Trust — The Wherry Yacht Charter Charitable Trust (WYC) is a waterway society and registered charity number 1096073, on the Norfolk and Suffolk Broads in East Anglia, England, UK. The Trust was established in 2002 and aims to restore, protect and sail… …   Wikipedia Norfolk Heritage Fleet Trust — The Norfolk Heritage Fleet Trust is a waterway society and charitable trust based at Hunter s Yard, Ludham on the Norfolk Broads, England, UK. The Trust maintains and hires out a fleet of wooden sailing yachts from the 1930s. Hunter s Yard is… …   Wikipedia Norfolk punt — The Norfolk Punt was derived from the flat bottomed gun punts that roamed the Broadland waters in the mid to late 19th century. However, at the turn of the 20th Century, in order to get to and from the hunting grounds more efficiently, the… …   Wikipedia Wherry Lines — Overview Type Heavy rail Locale Norfolk Operation Owner Network Rail …   Wikipedia Norfolk and Suffolk Joint Railway — GER Coat of arms The Norfolk and Suffolk Joint Railway (NSJR) was a British joint railway company. The NSJR was owned by the Great Eastern Railway (GER) and the Midland and Great Northern Joint Railway (MGNJ) and consisted of two distinct… …   Wikipedia Wherry — This uncommon surname is a variant of the more familiar Werry , itself deriving from the Old German male given name Werric , cognate with the Old French Guerri , a compound of the elements werre, querre , war, and ric , ruler; hence ruler of the… …   Surnames reference 18+ © Academic, 2000-2024 Contact us: Technical Support, Advertising Dictionaries export, created on PHP, Joomla, Drupal, WordPress, MODx. Mark and share Search through all dictionaries Translate… Search Internet Share the article and excerpts Direct link … Do a right-click on the link above and select “Copy Link”