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ALLCHORN
MARITIME LIMITED
MEMORIES -
Traditional wooden clinker built hull. The sound of a crackling analogue radio
made from bakelite and a black & white television.
If you can remember this, you may well have ridden on the
William Alchorn. Copyright photograph © 5 December 2016
Bluebird Marine System Ltd. All rights reserved. You will need
the permission of BMS Ltd to reproduce this photograph except
for private research, education and media reviews.
HISTORY
In 1861, Edward Allchorn established a pleasure boating business to operate from Eastbourne's beach, providing holiday makers with cruises along the seafront and out to sea. The demand grew steadily for this type of attraction, to the extent that many other operators entered the trade and Eastbourne's beaches became extremely busy with
boating activities in the years that followed.
As the opportunities for international travel grew after the war years, visitor numbers declined such that by the early 1960's only Allchorn Pleasure Boats and the Sayers Brothers remained as competitors in the trade.
In 1964 the Sayers Brothers decided to withdraw from the business, and the Allchorn family acquired their business and their vessel, the Southern Queen, which still delights visitors today sailing under the house flag of Allchorn Pleasure Boats. In the mid 1990's Brian Allchorn, great grandson of Edward Allchorn, decided to retire and placed the business up for sale. A third party family took the business on and operated it successfully until 2000 when they elected to pursue other interests. In May 2001 Allchorn Pleasure Boats was acquired by Maritima Limited, and who continued this unique service until 2006. Ownership passed to James Foster, owner of Eastbourne Marine, in May 2007, and
then to Allchorn Maritime Limited in 2016.
During the winter months, both the William Allchorn and the Southern Queen undergo maintenance and refits to not only ensure the vessels are ready for each new season, but also to preserve this unique piece of maritime heritage. Both craft are entered in the National Register of Historic Vessels at the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich. Additionally, the company
owned a
World War II
Amphibious DUKW which
ferried passengers from the shore to the pleasure boats at low tide.
DECEMBER
2016 - This is the carriage that wheeled into the sea as a
mobile platform for passengers to board and disembark the
Allchorn boats. Yes, it is rusty, but then look at how many
years of service this wagon has given. Copyright photograph ©
5 December 2016 Bluebird Marine System
Ltd. All rights
reserved. You will need the permission of BMS Ltd to reproduce
this photograph except for private research, education and
media reviews.
BBC NEWS 26 FEB 2014
A campaign to raise £500,000 has been launched to save the remains of the last two pleasure boats of a 200-year-old industry in Eastbourne.
The Southern Queen and William Allchorn have not run for a number of years because of vandalism and the recession.
The boats, which had taken tourists on trips to Beachy Head lighthouse since the 1950s, are rotting on the beach.
Now boat enthusiast Lloyd Stebbings wants to raise £15,000 to buy them with the rest needed for restoration.
'Last two'
Mr Stebbings, who runs Pevensey Bay marina, said in the industry's heyday there were 113 pleasure boat licences issued in Eastbourne.
He said: "At one point the pleasure boats were moored along the coast from the Redoubt Fortress to the Wish Tower."
"These are the last two remaining and they represent 200 years of pleasure boat history in Eastbourne."
He said the Southern Queen was completed in 1950 and used to take visitors around the lighthouse with her sister vessel, the Eastbourne Queen.
The William Allchorn was a purpose-built pleasure boat, commissioned by the Allchorn Brothers of Newhaven in 1950, and funded by the
Ministry of
Defence.
'Rare opportunity'
Both boats have many of the original fixtures and fittings including life rafts and masts and rigging.
Mr Stebbings intends to set up a charitable trust and is appealing for private donations as well as corporate sponsorship.
He said he has had almost a dozen people come forward offering to volunteer to help restore the boats.
"This is a very rare opportunity to help or become part of a restoration project to return the boats to the sea and restore some of Eastbourne's pride as a top UK holiday resort," he added.
EASTBOURNE
HERALD 26 FEB 2014
A campaign has been launched to save Eastbourne’s Allchorn pleasure boats.
The Southern Queen and William Allchorn were once a familiar sight sailing along the coast off Eastbourne to Beachy Head and back but in the last couple of years and due to the economic crisis, have fallen into a state of disrepair and are now moored on the beach near the lifeboat station.
The next plan is to obtain some form of charitable status so grants can be applied for and the long task of getting the boats back on the water can begin.
“Time is starting to run out for these wonderful old ladies of the sea and Eastbourne is all set to lose yet another piece of its fantastic history and something that has been part of it for the last 65 years. We live in a throwaway society and are in danger in losing our values, identity and our history.
“Both boats were built locally. It’s so important we save these beautiful craft for future generations.
The William Allchorn was a purpose built pleasure boat, commissioned by the Allchorn Brothers of Newhaven, in 1950 and funded by the Ministry of Defence Compensation Fund as recompense for Enchantress, which was lost during the Dunkirk evacuation.
“This is a very rare opportunity to help or become part of a restoration project to return the boats to the sea and restore some of Eastbourne’s pride as a top UK holiday resort.
“We understand this is a long term project but we need to be able to buy and store these boats soon before they get sold as projects and wind up rotting on that mud berth from hell.”
The boats’ owner Jason Foster together with mariners Lloyd Stebbings and Daniel Goldsmith are trying to save the boats and the campaign is gathering momentum with support from Eastbourne Borough Council, other local authorities and marine and historic organisations.
Lloyd, who lives in Pevensey Bay and runs Pevensey Bay Marine, said, “One big mistake that we are about to make is to let the Southern Queen and the William Allchorn pleasure boats decay and die on the beach in
Eastbourne.
The Southern Queen was built in a barn at Westham Village not far from Pevensey Castle and taken almost two miles by road to her launching site in Norman’s Bay.
Lloyd said, “Time is getting short now and a year or so down the road they will become so much fire wood and yet more local history will go up in smoke and be lost for ever.
Nearly all of the fixtures and fittings including life
rafts, some of which are handmade and are dated 1921, all the masts and rigging are still in existence, in good condition undercover and in one place near the boats but maybe not for much longer.
“Long term these boats would need to earn the own keep and pay their own way for their survival so, the initial thought is to run day shopping trips’ from Eastbourne to Brighton weather permitting and day cruises to the Isle of Wight and back through the summer months.
ALL
ABOARD - This is how the holiday makers got from the beach
to the Allchorn boats. Check out their Facebook
page.
ALLCHORN
MARITIME LIMITED - Net Shop 5 is where all the action is
taking place. Copyright photograph © 5 December 2016 Bluebird
Marine System Ltd. All rights reserved. You will need the
permission of BMS Ltd to reproduce this photograph except for
private research, education and media reviews.
2005
The William Allchorn is 54 feet in length, weighs 36 tons, is constructed of wood using double-diagonal planking, and is almost certainly the largest beach-launched pleasure boat in service today. She was purpose built as a pleasure boat in 1950, in Newhaven, East Sussex, by E. Cantell & Son. William Allchorn is licensed to carry 100 passengers.
2006
Eastbourne residents and visitors have been surprised by this year's new look for the company's largest vessel, the William Allchorn. The usual colours of the vessel, a white hull and yellow funnel, have been replaced with a lavender (French Grey) hull and red funnel, and this has met with some mixed reactions.
Christopher Laycock, Co-Director of Allchorn Pleasure Boats, explained that 2006 marks the 50th anniversary of the merger between the Union-Castle Mail Steamship Company Limited and Clan Line Steamers to form British & Commonwealth Shipping Limited. As with Allchorn Pleasure Boats founded in 1861, the origins of both these famous shipping companies go back to 1857 for Union-Castle Line and 1877 for Clan Line Steamers.
The annual reunion for seagoing and shore staff of these companies will be held this year in Eastbourne during early August. Having served as a navigating officer aboard vessels of both these companies during his seafaring career, Christopher Laycock and Allchorn Pleasure Boats are contributing to this year's event by providing an exclusive cruise to Beachy Head for those attending the reunion in William Allchorn carrying the replica colours of the Union-Castle mail ships and flying the British and Commonwealth Shipping house flag. 'William Allchorn will revert though to the usual livery for the 2007 season.
WELDING
- These boats will need a lot of parts fabricated in steel to
get them shipshape again. Copyright photograph © 5 December
2016 Bluebird Marine System Ltd. All rights reserved. You will
need the permission of BMS Ltd to reproduce this photograph
except for private research, education and media reviews.
CONTRIBUTIONS
& DONATIONS
You
can help us to make this project successful by giving what you
can. Please visit the official project website to make a
contribution.
HELM
- The helm of the William Allchorn has seen better days. With
the expert attentions of Lloyd Stebbings and the team at
Allchorn Maritime, this boat could once again ride the waves.
Copyright photograph © 5 December 2016 Bluebird Marine System
Ltd. All rights reserved. You will need the permission of BMS
Ltd to reproduce this photograph except for private research,
education and media reviews.
MONDAY
5 DECEMBER - The deck of the William Allchorn with Eastbourne
Pier in the background.. Copyright photograph © 5 December
2016 Bluebird Marine System Ltd. All rights reserved. You will
need the permission of BMS Ltd to reproduce this photograph
except for private research, education and media reviews.
LIGHTHOUSE
CRUISE - Here is the William Allchorn on one of the trips
that made her famous and gave so much pleasure to those who
were lucky enough to go to sea.
SOUTHERN
QUEEN - The ravages of time have taken their toll. It is
going to take the valiant volunteers and a lot of money to get
these boats back into working order. You can help them to buy
materials such as wood preservers, paints and varnishes by
making a small donation. Copyright photograph © 5 December
2016 Bluebird Marine System Ltd. All rights reserved. You will
need the permission of BMS Ltd to reproduce this photograph
except for private research, education and media reviews.
LINKS
Heritage
Lottery Fund
Historic
England
Eastbourne
Borough Council
Big
Lottery Fund Coastal Communities Fund
http://www.allchornpleasureboattrust.org.uk/
https://www.facebook.com/williamallchorn
https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-defence
https://www.biglotteryfund.org.uk/ccf
http://www.hlf.org.uk/
http://www.historicengland.org.uk/
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