Name

May

In her early years, MAY worked for the Cranfield Brothers, flour millers of Ipswich, and traded principally in grain between the London Docks and the owners' mills in Ipswich.

Between the end of the Second World War and January 1964, she carried general cargoes before being bought by Silvertown Services Lighterage Ltd (now a subsidiary of Tate & Lyle).  She regularly carried sugar to the Isle of Wight and was also used for training apprentices and for company hospitality; a passenger certificate and loadline exemption allows the barge to be underway with up to 40 passengers within the smooth water limits around the UK and the continent.

In 1972 she carried 50 tonnes of Portland stone for the restoration of St Paul's Cathedral and a few years later, in 1976, she was transported to the Canadian lakes for the Olympic Games.

Now in private hands, MAY is available for private charter and is regularly seen on the River Thames.

Update, May 2021: The Bread And Roses - SB May team launched its 'May Day' restoration appeal, with the aim of raising £4,000 to begin the restoration of MAY.  She will be moved to St Osyth Boatyard to rest for a year while an enthusiastic team of women set about finding funds and putting a plan in action to secure her future.  These initial funds will enable the team to approach a Heritage Specialist to work with them to ensure the best chance of success.  Once seaworthy, they plan to regularly visit local ports around north Essex and Suffolk as a floating bakery, welcoming women from all backgrounds in to a safe, secure and cosy environment. www.thebreadandrosesbarge.com

Although this vessel is on the National Historic Fleet, we are currently lacking information on this particular vessel. If you have any information on this vessel past or present, please contact us.