Sponsors
National Historic Ships UK acknowledges the financial support of its sponsors
Built in 1926 by Short Brothers at Rochester for Bradleys of Rochester, LADY JEAN is a Thames Sailing Barge of wooden carvel construction. Her current engine is an inboard diesel made by Kelvin (GEC) in 1973. She made history on her first commercial voyage which was to Coruna in Northern Spain; this is believed to be the longest cargo carrying trip ever made by a Thames Sailing Barge. Subsequently she traded from the Medway to ports in Cornwall carrying cement and returning with cargoes of china clay or granite. In 1937 she was sold to the maltsters R & W Paul of Ipswich who operated her for 36 years on the East Coast. During this time she was given a larger engine and her sails were progressively removed. In 1973 she was bought by the East Coast Sail Trust, completely renovated and renamed SIR ALAN HERBERT; she then worked as a school ship for the Inner London Education Authority and the Trust, sometimes cruising to Belgium and Holland.
The Sustainability Grant awarded in September 2011 has been withdrawn
A Sustainability Grant of £1000 towards the cost of replacing the mast deck was made from the Strategic Development Fund of National Historic Ships
Brouwer, Norman J, International Register of Historic Ships, Anthony Nelson, Edition 2, 1993
Hugh Perks, Richard, Sprts'l: A Portrait of Sailing Barges and Sailormen, Conway Maritime Press, 1975
The Last Berth of the Sailorman, Society for Spritsail Barge Research, 1987
Wood, D G, Barges Sailing Today: Sailing Barge Information Pamplet No: 1, Society for Spritsail Barge Research, 1995
Walsh Richard, Classic Boat: Thames barging, September 1989
If you are the owner of this vessel and would like to provide more details or updated information, please contact info@nationalhistoricships.org.uk
National Historic Ships UK acknowledges the financial support of its sponsors