Barges find new life on the Medway
Plus Festival of Chatham Reach returns, Reform school latest, farmers' market turns 25, we review Fish at 55, our weekly events guide, news in brief, and more
A Medway organisation is seeking to keep historic sailing barges alive at a time when so many are falling into disrepair. We find out more about the heritage work involved. Further down, we hear about the return of the Festival of Chatham Reach tomorrow, an update on our Reform school story from earlier in the week, a farmers’ market turns 25, we review Fish at 55, our weekly events guide, news in brief, and more.
Barges find new life on the Medway
We spoke to Sun Pier House’s Ed Gransden about developments with Tiller & Wheel and the launch of Intra Maritime Heritage, why so many barges are falling into disrepair, and why they are finding new life in Medway…
Tiller & Wheel were established in 2019 “to try and fend off the imminent destruction of the east coast maritime heritage.” Ed tells me how, having been in the heritage sailing community for a number of years, they were aware that there was a number of barges, and other working boats common to the east coast and there was “going to come a point where all these people were going to retire or die and there was going to be no one to take them over.” They wanted to try new ideas and rejuvenate the community.
Ed has a long tradition connected to the water. His grandfather built his own yacht and that “led to us going on sailing holidays when I was a kid and my dad's always been interested in the sailing barges.” He was involved in saving and restoring old boats, which ended up being Ed’s job as well, after he left university and was looking for what he would do next in life.
They started off with a Whitstable Oyster Smack, and then they acquired the barge Edith May, “which was a wreck. My father restored that. I was 14 then.” That was it for a long time until the founding of Tiller & Wheel. The success of Tiller & Wheel at restoring and maintaining these boats led to them being approached last year by a barge owner who asked if Ed would take it on. “I said no.”
“Then they said, ‘What if we sponsor you?’ And so, we got sponsorship from this architecture firm in London, who liked what we were trying to do.” They rescued the Ardwina last April. “Suddenly people looked at us as ‘Oh you'll be the one that takes on all these rotten old barges.’” Since then, they've been approached by several other owners asking them to take on barges. “We try not to commit to anything unless we have the capacity to do it.”
What changed for Tiller & Wheel was meeting with Intra Maritime Heritage further along at what may or may not be Chatham Intra. “They really liked what we were doing, we took them out for a sail, and they said, ‘Why don't we turn this area into a barge heritage place?’” Thus, a ten year vision to turn the area around Ship Pier into a heritage harbour. They tasked Ed with buying them a barge, “but don't spend too much money.”
Ed and his team went and rescued Lady Daphne from Cornwall. “I knew the owners were looking to rehome it, and we had a wild four and a half days sailing it back.” More people have since approached them, and there is the possibility that a further two barges will be joining them next year.
Why are there so many barges falling into disrepair around the UK? “The coast lost a lot of its maritime heritage years ago, because the rest of the UK coast is fairly unforgiving. When mechanisation came in, they broke up the old boats. But the Thames barges, the last survivor of the age of sail really, because the geography of the Thames estuary and the fact that barges could move a large amount of cargo, and they only needed two cre,w meant they were still just about economical to operate until the last one finished in the early 1970s as a cargo vessel. They were the last vessels in Europe to carry cargo under sail. But what that meant, because they were so tailor-made and useful until quite late in the 1970s, there were about 150 barges, which was a significant amount of historic craft of one particular type.”
Ed’s father’s generation would buy up these old barges and keep them going, but with that generation no longer able to maintain them, it means that a significant number of barges are reaching their end. “When they finished carrying cargo, some became corporate barges for corporate hospitality. Some became houseboats, some private yachts, and there’s a few charter barges.”
For Tiller & Wheel, “we think that the future of the barge is they need to be able to earn money, because the costs of maintenance, and our mission, is to create a business model that means that that can be applied to any of them, so they can keep going. Our thinking is that making them accessible to the public and as accessible as possible is the best way to make them sustainable.”
Festival of Chatham Reach returns
As I was with Ed Gransden, it would be foolish not to talk to him about the Festival of Chatham Reach, which takes place tomorrow (Saturday) on and around Sun Pier…
The festival is one thing we have covid to thank for. After the council stopped its events programme, in 2021, they invited independent producers to put on an event. Ed and Heather Burgess are passionate about the river and Sun Pier House, the venue they own and operate. “We were like, it's just a no-brainer. Let's do a river type festival, and we came up with the concept of Chatham Reach and a family-friendly event.”
Chatham Reach refers to a straight line of the length of the river, from Sun Pier to Upnor Castle. Ed and Heather used their contacts in the sailing world to get some more historic ships to come, and “it was a great success,” though he admits that they were very tired after the two-day event.
After a year off, whilst they focused on the development of Sun Pier House, the festival is back this year and “it's the same festival that everyone enjoys. We've got four barges on the end of the pier. Three of them are going to be running trips. One of them is going to be running ‘learning the ropes’ sessions, and we're hoping to run climbing the mast experiences.”
There will also be stalls, including the Mess Room’s blind coconut shire, and the opportunity to shuck oysters, live music, and good food. “It's a place to come down and bring the kids by the river for a few hours.”
In brief
🎙️ Thanks to the tens of people who told us this week that the Rest is Politics podcast did an episode about Chatham High Street.
⚽ Eight games into the season, Gillingham Football Club are the only unbeaten team in League 2, though that is only enough to give them second in the table.
🏢 Locate in Kent, the organisation working to encourage businesses to base themselves in the county, has entered liquidation. It comes just two weeks after Visit Kent, a similar body to encourage tourism in the county, also collapsed.
Reform school
Our story earlier this week about Rochester Math planning to give away a Nigel Farage football shirt as the prize in a GCSE Citizenship essay competition quickly became one of the most-read stories we have ever run.
The school said the contest, based around an essay on whether Reform UK had ‘obliterated the two-party system,’ was part of its impartial approach to politics. The winning pupil was to be presented with a ‘Farage 10’ football shirt by Kent County Council leader Linden Kemkaran during her visit on 1 October. Students and parents told us they had never seen anything like it when other politicians had visited.
Since then, the story has travelled. It was picked up in Politico twice, the New World, and by yesterday, had reached the Daily Mail, at which point, the school rapidly changed their position.
In a new statement, the school said:
“Following the response to this particular competition, the school will no longer be awarding the original prize. We recognise our responsibility to be impartial, but recognise too that we need to be seen to be impartial. As a result of this we will no longer award any party political items as part of politics competitions or events. The visit and essay competition will go ahead.”
The essay will be written, the visit will go ahead, but the shirt will not be presented. Instead the whole episode has left the school defending its definition of impartiality while national papers pore over its politics homework.
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Rochester Farmers’ Market turns 25
Rochester Farmers’ Market is marking 25 years at the heart of the town. Since June 2000, the market has taken over various locations before finally settling in the Blue Boar Lane car park on the third Sunday of each month, offering everything from seasonal fruit and vegetables to fresh meat, fish, bread, cheese and preserves. We spoke to some of the traders about it’s longevity…
Among those who have become part of the market fabric is Joanne’s Preserves, a stall selling jams, marmalades, chutneys and pickles for 12 years. Joanne first set up the business when her son was young and she wanted to work from home. “I have lots of regular customers here at Rochester, and it’s nice to see them all each month.”
For Sue Byrne, who runs SimplyTrue Jewellery, the market has been central for two decades. She makes all of her pieces by hand and says the people make Rochester special. “It’s nice to be with like-minded people. Everyone’s made the thing, they’ve grown it, they’ve made it, and it’s a great atmosphere.”
Mark Henderson’s Kent Cider Company is well known across the country, but Rochester holds a special place. “This is the only farmers’ market I do. It’s a nice mix of traders and we have a client base in this area,” he said. For the past seven years, his stall has offered popular mango, rhubarb and lemon ciders. “A lot of the traders are friends now because we’ve been seeing them for so many years. It doesn’t ever feel like too much of a chore coming to do this market.”
Newer faces have also found their audience here. Jo Bedwell launched The Vegan Habit after closing her restaurant during lockdown and joined the market last April. Her vegan arancini balls have quickly built a following. “The market has got a nice vibe. We’ve got a following that come to us every month. It just works for us.”
Sally and Dan of Hops and Hampers also started during lockdown and have been regulars ever since. Based in Rochester, they sell flavoured rums made in Tonbridge. “We’re local, we live in Rochester. It’s our closest market. It’s a lovely market. It’s getting better and better as it goes on,” they said. Their Bakewell tart and popcorn rums have proved especially popular. “Rum now outsells gin massively.”
Rochester Farmers’ Market takes place this Sunday, 9am-1pm, in the Blue Boar Lane car park.
Out to Lunch: Fish at 55 in Rochester
This wasn’t the first lunch review I have done of Fish at 55. I ate there last year, but the review wasn’t published for reasons we no longer remember. So not only did I go there for lunch again, but I ordered something completely different just to be sure.
Fish at 55 is on the crossroads that lead to Rochester Castle and is a classy-looking establishment with a spiral staircase through the centre. This also leads to the toilets, and if this is a bit much, there are public toilets at street level across the road. But I digress.
For a starter, I ordered tempura-battered king prawns with chilli sauce. For the main, I had seared scallops in a garlic cream sauce with broccoli, fennel and mash. Fish at 55 is at the higher price end of the market, but thankfully, they offer a two-course option for lunch.
The crisp, delicate batter beautifully accompanies the delicious king prawns, delivering a nice chilli sauce. The seared scallops were meaty and full flavoured, excellently accompanied by the creamy garlic sauce and a wonderful mash. There was also fennel on the plate.
If you like fish or seafood and are in Rochester, then Fish at 55 is a great option offering excellent food.
Events this week
📷 Until 1 Oct - Medway ‘77 // Exhibition of photos in and around Rochester and Chatham from 1977. Halpern Gallery, Chatham. Free.
⚓ Sat 20 Sep - Festival of Chatham Reach // Activities and river-based excitement in the centre of Chatham. Sun Pier House, Chatham. Free.
🥕 Sun 21 Sep - Rochester Farmers’ Market // Wide range of traders selling food and gifts. Blue Boar Lane car park, Rochester. Free.
🎤 Fri 26 Sep - Jack Dee: Small World // Comedian brings a new show featuring the culture wars, the environment, and British foreign policy. Central Theatre, Chatham. Tickets £30.
More Authority
Earlier this week, we posted our latest Voice column, hearing from one of Medway’s elected representatives. This month, Chatham and Aylesford MP Tristan Osborne wrote about the issue of graffiti across his constituency.
Footnotes
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Ed and his family put on some excellent events aboard Edith May - my son did the "little skippers" experience a few years back and had a great day learning about sails, navigation (and the cheaty diesel engine to get back!); and we also had a fascinating cruise up and down the Medway. Some of them are even free - a £10 refundable deposit to secure the place which we were more than happy to donate.
'what may or may not be Chatham Intra' LOL. Here's a cribsheet:
Postcodes in Chatham Intra
ME1 1BU
ME1 1BY
ME1 1DA
ME1 1DP 3 & 4 Gundulph Road only
ME1 1EE
ME1 1HH
ME1 1JR
ME1 1TH