The Friends of the Mary Gordon
The Friends of the Mary Gordon
Tony Johns received the following fascinating e mail from one of his Institute of Electrical Engineers. Firstly, in the Electrical Review 1900 - vol.47, no.1195, 19th October 1900, p.622
Electric Launch - The launch took place recently of the Mary Gordon, an electric launch built by the Thames Electric and Steam Launch Company, Chiswick, W., to the order of the Leeds Corporation, to run on the Waterloo Lake, Roundhay Park. The Mary Gordon is 56 feet long, 8 feet 6 inches beam, and has a draught of about 2 feet 6 inches, and a displacement of 7 3/4 tons. The accumulators run under the seats forward; the motor is aft under the flow in a lead-lined compartment, and is connected water-tight direct to the propeller shaft. The steering wheel is placed forward near the controlling switch with one lever, giving two speeds ahead and two speeds astern. The speed of the motor is considerably less than that employed on electrical launches, but the advantage gained is the absence of vibration. The whole of the electrical work was executed at the "Strand on the Green" Works, Chiswick. The Mary Gordon is a similar vessel to the Viscountess Bury, The first electric passenger boat on the Thames, designed and built by W.S. Sargeant for Messrs Immisch & Co. in 1888.
The other 2 little pieces come from the Electrical Engineer, vol.26, 1900, 14th September, p.391
Roundhay
The new electric launch for Roundhay Park Lake, which is being built to the order of the Leeds Corporation, is expected to be ready for launching on the Thames about Monday next. The vessel, which will hold 45 passengers, will be named the Mary Gordon as a compliment to the present lady mayoress.
The 2nd and final reference is 5 October 1900, p.485 which I send as an attachment. Again, the same basic copy is used, though here with some basic figures to illustrate the vessel.
hoping you find these of interest, Chris Jones
A copy of the article is on the website complete with drawings which will be of immense help in the rebuilding.
Producer Andrew Blow said: " We felt very proud of this achievement in the IOV awards especially as our documentary was self-funded and made in our spare time! The documentary winner was shot in Kenya and carried a voice-over by Joanna Lumley. "
See Andrew Blow receive the award from ITV weather girl Sean Lloyd.
See a clip from Lincoln and Typhoid.
So if anyone feels able to make a donation it will be very welcome at his particular time. With Gift Aid this will increase by 28%.
Finally have a great Christmas and a peaceful New Year; and thanks for your continued support.
Peter Harrold, Chairman
Most importantly it would provide us with a superb classroom environment to meet our educational aspirations. David has provided us with an exciting vision, however we are not getting carried away as there are many hurdles to overcome before the vision can become a reality, but this would have a major positive impact on Brayford Waterfront. Discussions are taking place with Brayford Trust and Lincoln City Council. The project will be separate from the MG restoration project, and will hopefully be able to access ‘green’ grants etc.
In the meantime our lottery bid will focus on the boat being moored at the Sea cadets Base. John East, David Brook, Andy Blow and I met last week with Amanda Turner, our case officer at HLF. Whilst the prospects remain positive, (i.e. we are hitting all the right buttons and there is money available), we are going to be swimming in a bigger pond as the Olympics approach. This will unfortunately suck a lot of HLF funding out of the system so we need to get our application in ASAP. Nearly all of the parts of the jig saw are now in place, it just needs putting together and we have set our selves a deadline of 30/9/07 for our full bid. The different aspects relating to this are up dated below.
Detailed discussions were held with the following:-
Andy has also had a very useful discussion with Alf Wilkinson who is the national Projects Officer for the Historical Association. Alf is a Partner Adviser with CfBT, The Lincolnshire School Improvement Service.
We hope to engage Alf to undertake the creation of the lesson plans/educational materials for both Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2; he has a vast experience in writing educational plans for lottery bids. Andy and I will be meeting with him to consider engaging him to input into our application, but there will be cost involved, funds are getting low and we will need to investigate grant availability for this specific job - National Historic Ships at Greenwich may be able to help if it hasn’t all gone to the Cutty Sark.
The Pyewipe Inn has been very good to us over the years, providing free storage. Bob and Sara Pickles sold the pub last year, and whilst the new owners have been very helpful in continuing this arrangement, they are planning to extend their facilities and the boat may have to be moved to another site – hopefully this will be to the selected boatyard for restoration!
Frank Baines. We learnt with sadness that Frank passed away last December. He was active until he died, well into his nineties, and was of occurs the man who was instrumental, with Es Bates and Mark Woodcock, in bringing the Mary Gordon to Lincoln. Sail on Frank....
I have received the following emails which are of great interest as these contacts will hopefully help to fill in the gaps in the vessels history between the wars.
Dear Peter, I am the granddaughter of Stephen Askew and I have two photographs of the Mary Gordon when owned by my grandfather If you are interested please contact me. Could you please tell me when the work on the Mary Gordon will be completed I would love to see it as my father told me many stories of the Mary Gordon MANY THANKS MARGARET THORPE
Hi Peter,
My name is Graham Young, my Mother (nee) Sylvia Walker told me about the boat a while ago, as it once belonged to my great grandfather, Stephen Askew, who used to own the cinema in Belle Vue, Wakefield. My late Grandmother used to help out selling teas on the boat.
Graham Young
Would love to see the Mary Gordon on the lake again. At the moment I can not see it happening but you never know. Certainly getting more people aware that your project to restore her is going on a pace would encourage the hope. Did you ever have any information about the earlier boat called the Maid of Athens?
I gather that the Mary Gordon was commissioned to replace her. As you are aware both these boats were very popular. Leeds Council is at the moment very wary about having small boats on the lake. There is a rowing and sailing club that uses the lake at the week ends but of course they have their own insurance.
Perhaps if it were possible to have larger boats like the Mary Gordon and the Maid of Athens they would be more enthusiastic. I know that trips on the lake would be very popular. How do you go on in Lincoln with this problem? Look forward to hearing from you.
Kind Regards.
Hilary Dyson.
From a historic point of view extensive research has shown that the MG was actually built in 1900 by William S Sargent at his Strand on the Green works in Chiswick, and is the only one of 6 of her type built by Sargent, who was very well known as a builder of Thames pleasure launches. Following a further meeting with the HLF, they have confirmed that there is nothing in the report which would prevent us from qualifying for a grant towards the restoration of the boat, a visitor centre, moorings and initial running costs. The money is available and we are ‘pushing at an open door’! However there is much work today before we can submit a full application. This is summarised below.
Philip Dawson is a neighbour of mine who recently took early retirement from Lloyds TSB. Philip is an experienced sailor who is restoring his own 30’ yacht on the Humber. He is keen to get involved in the educational aspects and eventually would like to be considered for the position of project manage once the boat is restored, liaising with schools, taking bookings etc.
Henry Ruddock has very kindly printed 2 historic photographs featuring the Mary Gordon, one at Gainsborough c1943, and the other at Lincoln Water Carnival 1963. They have both been enhanced to show a wealth of detail and are available mounted, ready for framing, at £10 each. They would make excellent Christmas presents, ring me if you want one or send a cheque payable to the Friends of the MG (P & P free!)
Finally, one area we could do with some help with is running the Friends. Someone who could keep the membership list up to date, promote the friends and maybe organise the occasional social event – please let me know if you know anyone who might be willing to take this on.
A meeting was held in the afternoon, 5th May, 2006, at The Collection, to explain and discuss the Trust's plans and explain the support that the HLF will be looking when an application for full funding is submitted later this year.
Conservation, access and development plans will be undertaken by Wyn Davies of Frazer Nash Consultancy, who has been involved in projects such as the Cutty Sark, Trincolamee and Medway Queen. Frazer Nash will be instructing a team of experts shortly and their report should be available by the summer.
It is planned that the boat, fitted with an electric motor as it was when first built over a hundred years ago and remembered so fondly by many Lincoln people, will eventually be moored at the Sea Cadets Headquarters on Brayford Pool in the heart of Lincoln. It will be available for use by schools, groups and organisations for educational and recreational purposes and will show the importance of Lincoln’s waterways in its industrial development, the environmental benefits of electricity for propulsion and the wildlife of the waterways, as well as being an icon and a "flagship" for Lincoln.
BBC report on Mary Gordon lottery win. More on this in the Newsletter.
CD about the Mary Gordon available from Peter Harrold.
Film of the Mary Gordon on the Fossdyke in the 1960s. (Taken by Steve Baxter's father and digitized by Andy Blow).
Mary Gordon on National Register of Historic VesselsCertificate no. 1836.
Find out more about the Friends of the Mary Gordon
>Extract from Newsletter from Peter Harrold:
The Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) has awarded a lifeline to the Mary Gordon Trust it was announced today.
The award of £23,600 will enable the Trust to embark on a series of planning and consultation programmes which are vital if they are to achieve their aim of restoring the Mary Gordon.
The Mary Gordon is the oldest surviving Victorian electronically powered pleasure launch in the UK. Such is her importance that she is listed on the National Register of Historic Vessels.
Peter Harrold, Chairman of the Trustees said: "This is great news and has made all the work that has gone into the project so far worthwhile. It is a major step towards securing funding for the restoration of the boat to full working order, and I would like to thank everyone who has given their support, in time and money to the project so far. I am confident that the Mary Gordon will once again be sailing on Brayford Pool. However there remains much work to do before that vision is achieved, and we will be organising a public meeting in the near future to outline our plans to achieve this."
HLF’s Amanda Turner, said "Mary Gordon is an important part of our heritage. Detailed planning is vital for any successful restoration project and we are delighted to be able to support them at this important time."
-Progress continues to be made with the project (I know, I wrote the same thing this time last year!). There’s also the opportunity to purchase a superb new DVD which makes a great present and helps raise money for the project – but you’ll have to stay with me to the end for details.
Towards the end of 2005 we approached the Heritage Lottery Fund with an outline proposition. The response was positive – as far as it could be at the time. I spent a good deal of last Christmas reading the information received - particularly a tome headed ‘conservation report’, which would be required as part of the application. It soon became clear that this would be beyond the scope of any members of our team here in Lincoln, and I made contact with Wynn Davies of Frazer Nash Consultancy. Mr Davies has successfully aided applications to the Heritage Lottery Fund on behalf of several restoration projects for vessels within the National Core Collection, including the SS Great Britain and the Cutty Sark. Frazer-Nash will be able to provide an enhanced service to the application and any continuing work in the future.
Wyn supplied a very impressive proposal, which I have, précised below:-
‘The scope of the Conservation Plan is based on work done by the consultants on several ships, including RRS DISCOVERY, ML 1387 WWII (convoy escort HMS Medusa) and HMS TRINCOMALEE, where HLF guidance has been suitably tailored to meet the needs of a single waterborne asset. It will also include:-
The access plan will also draw heavily on the work carried out previously by the consultants to inform the Trust of the potential problems of access likely to arise in the peculiar confined spaces of a ship and its quay side location.
For the draft Audience Development Plan Frazer-Nash will provide the services of Cathy Pack, a FNC associate, well versed in the educational side of this work. Again, the contents of this plan will be derived from group sessions with the Trust and will be lead by the Frazer-Nash project manager.
Frazer-Nash will give such support as is necessary to complete the Heritage Lottery Fund bid. Timescales are very open at this stage, the Conservation Plan could take up to 10-12 weeks to complete depending on the state of the Trust’s archive. All complete documents produced under this task will be provided to the Trust as two hard copies plus one electronic copy.
The cost of the report? About
Now I know this sounds a great deal of money, but it will enable the HLF to make a much more informed decision about supporting the main restoration project, and the good news is we have applied for a project planning grant from the HLF which hopefully will cover the costs. A detailed application was submitted in October and we await a decision – no news is good news!
It became clear from the information sent by the HLF that we needed to demonstrate that we had the support of the community and that the project would appeal to a wide range of local citizens. I made contact with the Usher primary school, on Skellingthopre Road in Lincoln. I arranged to give an illustrated talk on the MG and the Brayford/Fossdyke, and the enthusiasm shown by the children (many who are from disadvantaged backgrounds) was very humbling. A few weeks later, on Trafalgar day, I was invited to present half term pries at the school assembly and was myself presented with a sheaf of hand written letters from the children. These have accompanied the bid. We have also made contact with the Youth Offending Team and hope that some of their ‘customers’ can help with the preparation for the move to the boat yard for restoration; a new cradle will be needed.’
Progress continues to be made with the project. Steve Mills, who we hope will be undertaking the restoration, has been over to have a more detailed look at the boat and has confirmed that he does not see any major problems although the quote has increased slightly with inflation to £161,000.
Lincoln Sea Cadets have agreed to look after the boat on a day to day basis. Their unit is based on Brayford Pool and there is a suitable mooring available, which could eventually be covered over to give all weather protection to the boat.
They propose to utilise a surplus parcel of land they own adjacent to their headquarters and build a two story extension. The ground floor could be used as a small visitor centre and allow public access to the Mary Gordon.
We have met with senior educationalists from the County Council. They suggest that as part of primary and secondary schools local studies curriculum, an hour’s cruise with audio visual commentary on board the boat would form an attractive proposition for organised school parties as part of a visit to other local history centres in Lincoln such as the new museum.
The project can dovetail into the National Curriculum, possibly at Key Stage 3 (General History, Technology and Transport, Local History).
There are three areas which we hope will be attractive to schools.
Now that our plans are complete, all the information has been submitted to the Heritage Lottery Fund and we have had a positive response from them. They do not see any reasons why we should not be successful with a bid and a full application will now be submitted hopefully during January.
A professional standard CD ROM has been made by Andy Blow of Blow by Blow productions. This includes the short piece of film discovered by Steve Baxter of the MG motoring on the FosseDyke in full colour! The clip is on the website, if anyone would like a copy of the CD Rom they are available from me for a suitable donation!
Several people who remembered the Mary Gordon have been interviewed on film, as part of a ‘living history’ project, and some of these reminiscences are included on the CD, which we will be using as a ‘prospectus’ to sponsors etc. The rebuilding and eventual re-Launch of the boat will complete the project.
If you haven’t done so already this year, a cheque for £10 payable to ‘Friends of the Mary Gordon ‘ would be much appreciated. Standing order authorities are available from Peter Harrold
Finally on behalf of the Trustees, I would like to welcome on board Mrs Brigitte Cracroft-Eley, Lord Lieutenant of Lincolnshire, who has kindly agreed to become President of the trustees."
I am very pleased to be able to report from a far more positive prospective, and in particular the contentious issue regarding ownership has been resolved. The project can now move forward at a rate of knots and is indeed gathering speed (fortunately we are not restricted by 3 mph limit we will be facing when eventually on the water!).<
Public support and media interest in the project remains strong. The heritage lottery fund have confirmed verbally that they remain interested in supporting the project as it meets all the necessary criteria for a successful grant application, but they could not look at an application until the ownership issue is resolved.
The trustee’s options were as follows:-
John Morgan, our solicitor trustee who has been providing a tremendous amount of assistance free of charge, estimated that our costs, including barrister’s fees would be a minimum of £7,000. This would use up the vast majority of the funds raised so far. Whilst John felt we had an 85% chance of winning our case (when costs may be warded against the defendant), if we lost we would have to pay his fees as well. Also once proceedings commence, if they are halted by us we would be liable for the other side’s costs.
It was resolved that we should write a final letter to DL telling him we are serious about this and making a final modest offer; pointing out that legal action will reduce the amount of money available and that our offer will reduce once legal costs are incurred.
To everyone’s surprise this was accepted and I immediately travelled up to North Yorkshire to conclude matter, ensuring of course that the proper form of discharge was signed and witnessed.
An article about this excellent news appeared in the Echo, this was picked up by the Heritage Lottery fund and they now await our formal application, which is being worked on with a view to submission in September.
During the lift out the crane jib broke and crashed down on to the Mary Gordon. Fortunately if hit the cabin, saving the life of a young lad standing underneath at the time. Derek and Ray partially re-ribbed the boat and took off the damaged cabin, which was later regrettably destroyed. Derek does however have a very good memory of the cabin, which he e says bowed inwards slightly and had removable railway carriage type windows. Derek is based right next door to Steve Mills who we hope will be undertaking the restoration, and has agreed to be our marine surveyor, ensuring that the work progresses to everyone’s satisfaction.
In her column in the Lincolnshire Echo January 21st 2004, headed "Losing the Mary Gordon would be a blow to Lincoln and those who work to restore her" local MP Gillian Merron states:
"This week I have publicly backed the the Friends of the Mary Gordon, the local group committed to the restoration of Britain's oldest surviving electric boat of which I have proudly been patron for a number of years.The Friends of the Mary Gordon have raised thousands of pounds to help restore this magnificent boat, but a legal wrangle, publicised in the Echo, over who owns the boat has put its future in doubt.
Losing this boat would be a great loss to Lincoln and to the people who have worked so tirelessly to restore the Mary Gordon to her former glory.
Many of my consituents, including my secretary and her mother, have happy memories of when the Mary Gordon was in good working order and remain loyal to plans for her restoration.
A trip on the Mary Gordon was a big day out for many families and while times have changed, the special regard the Mary Gordon commands has not."
The Lincolnshire Echo Saturday 17th January 2004 put as front page news the attempt by David Lawrence to claim that the Mary Gordon Trust should pay him £10,000 for the boat.
In the Echo's editorial column they state: "the only hope now is for the so far unreasonable Mr Lawrence to eventually see reason. History will not look kindly on his selfish attempt to scuttle such an important part of our local heritage."
Funding In 2003 The Mary Gordon Trust received over £7,000 in donations and grants, taking the total to over £10,000. I am pleased to say that expenses are very minimal and that this money is now earning interest and will of course count towards matched funding when the lottery grant is approved. We have had discussions with Andrew Wheeler, a local professional grant expert who has worked for Lincolnshire Chamber of Commerce. I have known Andrew since my banking days and he has generously agreed to prepare our application to the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) a t a fraction of the usual cost. The trustees all agree that this is the best way forward; we will only get one shot at the target, so it may as well be our best.
Andrew is studying the wealth of information we have collated prior to submitting the bid, and in the meantime the HLF await our application with interest. The template which Andrew produces will then be available for use when we apply to other funding sources such as WREN (environmental trust). Thank you to all those who have donated to the project so generously.
David Lawrence's company purchased the Mary Gordon in the early 1980's for £3,000 with the backing of Leeds City Council from Graham Mackereth, who in turn had purchased the boat from the last owners of the boat in commission, when it was lying on the bottom of the River Trent at Sawley in 1979. His objective was to restore the boat for use on Roundhay Park, Leeds, where it was first used. It would appear that this was to be a commercial transaction.
He arranged for the Mary Gordon to be restored through British Shipbuilding apprentices in Hartlepool. Labour was supplied free of charge and he spent over £15,000 on materials, including £9,000 on specially made nails. Some renovation work was carried out; including the renewal of planking below the waterline and replacement of oak frames, leaving the boat largely in the condition it is today. On this basis he is asking the Trust to pay £15,000 (later reduced to £10,000) for the boat which he considers he owns.
David Lawrence's company Hilltop Ltd went into liquidation; the liquidator has provided us with documentation showing that the company agreed to sell the boat to David Lawrence at a price of £15,000. It was later agreed that the consideration be reduced to £8,000.
The shipbuilding apprentice's scheme folded, and the boat was moved to Middlesbrough, where it was abandoned, effectively rotting away, with the distinct chance that it would be cut up and burned. Numerous attempts were made to contact David Lawrence by the scheme administrators without success. Graham Mackereth was contacted and asked to take back the boat from Middlesborough to his yard hence him coming into possession of it again in 1994. At this time a detailed document was given to Graham by the scheme administrators documenting all of the above.
The boat was acquired by me on behalf of the intended Trust on the 26th November 1999 from Graham Mackereth for the consideration of £1.00 which I paid in cash. Ownership was subsequently transferred to the Trust when it was formed.
The Mary Gordon has been in the possession of the Trust since May 1999. The Trust is of course a registered Charity. John Morgan of Langley's solicitors is a Trustee of the Mary Gordon Trust and has kindly given us detailed legal advice free of charge. We are advised plainly that as we acquired the boat from the Party in possession of it, namely Graham Mackereth, on a bona fide basis and without notice of any other claims or any possible defect in Title, that we have accordingly acquired a valid Title to the boat and on behalf of the Trust.
However, any title David Lawrence may have had has been over ridden by the transaction previously referred to when Graham Mackereth sold the boat to me on behalf of the Trust.
The Trust is a registered Charity subject to the administration of the Charity Commissions and to Charity Law generally. Any transactions entered into by the Charity must be wholly valid and appropriate. Accordingly, in the circumstances as detailed above, there is no question that it would be lawful for the Trustees to seek to enter into a transaction with David Lawrence on whatever basis to pay him the sum of £10,000.00 in respect of the boat.
Any transaction would best have to be on an extremely modest basis reflecting so to speak 'nuisance value'. On this basis an offer of £2,000 was made but turned down flat, and has now been withdrawn.
I have had numerous meetings and exchanges of correspondence with David Lawrence and his son. I have offered him use of the boat when restored, a position as trustee and even to make the boat available for use on Roundhay Park when restored. All such offers have been turned down, his last comment being that if we do not pay him he will take the boat away and restore it himself. However, he has no knowledge of or interest in boats and it seems to me his interest is purely financial.
We have now asked him to state why he feels he has title to the boat, so that if necessary this can be decided by the courts. To do this will of course involve expense, and hopefully an agreement can be reached before things get this far. I have spoken to our contact at the Heritage Lottery Fund to apprise them of the dispute between ourselves regarding the ownership of the Mary Gordon.
The Heritage Lottery Fund has confirmed that there is no prospect of lottery money being used to buy the boat from Mr Lawrence as it is owned by the Mary Gordon Trust. Any doubts as to ownership must be resolved before an application can be considered. Individuals or companies cannot apply for HLF funding and as such the application must be via a trust or society.
Obviously this situation represents a major obstacle to the restoration plans which must, and will, be overcome. I am still hopeful that the HLF bid can be submitted in the early part of this year. I can assure members that the Trustees are working hard to this end and I will of course keep members apprised of developments. In the meantime, thank you for your continued support and rest assured that all donations are 'ring fenced' and will remain so until the dispute is settled.
The Mary Gordon received a cheque for £4,000 from the Lincolnshire County Council, also £100 from Witham Oil and Paint who are providing paint & varnish, and supplied the paraffin when the Mary Gordon was on the Brayford.
A lot of work has been going on behind the scenes towards restoring the boat to an even better condition than it was previously and this is summarized below.
Steve Mills of Sawley, an expert professional boat builder, has tendered to restore the boat for a cost of £148,000. This will be to a high standard to enable it to be sued for corporate hospitality, board meetings etc. We estimate that the boat will be valued at around £200k when fully restored.
Lincoln City Council and British Waterways have given the project their full support and recognise the boat as a potential icon for the Brayford Re-development, where it will be permanently moored.
We are presently considering how the boat will be used once restored, and whilst it will of course have to pay it's way, we envisage it being a floating museum, accessible to the public, and available for charter by any appropriate parties. We will be especially keen to ensure it is used for educational purposes relating to the history of Lincoln's Waterways. Lincoln Sea cadets have agreed to look after the boat on a day-to-day basis and use it for training.
We are presently putting together a bid for National Lottery Heritage Funding (HLF) are advised that we have a good chance of obtaining up to 75% (maybe 90%) of the restoration costs from this source. The remainder will come from other grants (the boat will qualify for Entrust awards being electrically powered), donations and sponsorship.
We are applying for further grants from WREN (Entrust) and the science museum (Prism trust).
A sponsorship programme has been launched ' Save the Mary Gordon' offering Bronze, Silver and Gold levels giving sponsors use of the boat on a 'time share' basis.
A 'buy a plank' scheme has been launched offering individuals a chance to buy a plank for £50 and have their names recorded.
Andy Blow of Blow by Blow productions is making a video of the MG story; two sessions have taken place recording memories of the MG and the restoration will also be filmed.
Finally, and most importantly, the Friends of the Mary Gordon need the money to make the dream come true and see the Mary Gordon once more giving pleasure to tourists, and party goers in Lincoln.
The project has created a tremendous amount of interest in the local press and this will increase as progress is made.
The Friends of the Mary Gordon have a sponsorship campaign with a range of benefits.
Benefits for sponsors will be:
For more information contact Peter Harrold
| This edition of the Mary Gordon Website designed and maintained by Heather Hobden | The Cosmic Elk  |