While we’re on old documents, I was emailed today by frequent contributor David Rye, a copy of this old photograph of the Thames from Erith taken in 1880 supplied to him by barge enthusiast Ken Chamberlain. David has entitled his email “How many sailing barges”. I can count at least about 32 on the original 13 meg picture (I love the detail on these old pre-digital photo’s where silver nitrate molecules were basically the ‘pixcel’. Digital is getting there but you still need to spend £££s on the camera body before you get one anything like as finely acute as old celluloid film!).
Erith at around 1880; Picture supplied by Ken Chamberlain (via David Rye)
Ken C. says the shot is “From the sale catalogue for Belvedere Tower which I think was c1880. Royal Corinthian Yacht Club and St John’s Parish Church to the left, and the Ballast Wharf to the right. The Erith Gas Works is carefully hidden behind the tall trees (which I strongly suspect have been inserted) in the centre. After all we can’t overlook a gas works can we?” (Is he talking to you there, Tricia Gurnett?)
Thanks for that David and Thanks too to Ken C.