Thames Barge Stories: Exploring the design and material culture of the Thames Sailing Barge c1800-present

Overview Barge Stories explores the design and material culture of Thames sail barges – commercial vessels unique to the Thames estuary – from their 19th-century heyday to the present. This practice-led doctoral project combines lens-based art practice and design history methodology to generate fresh perspectives on Thames barges, revealing object-centred microhistories of local, national and global trade networks and bringing new visibility to the diverse working-class communities who sustained them. In doing so, this project aims to enrich knowledge about RMG collections and reconnect contemporary audiences with the rich cultural heritage of the river. Context Thousands of Thames sail barges, perfectly adapted for local environmental conditions and trade infrastructures, once plied the waterways from the Upper Thames through the heart of industrial London to the Kent and Essex coastline and beyond. Originating in the Dutch Republic, sailing barges first appeared in Britain in the 1660s as elite forms of transport. They were rapidly appropriated for trade, thanks to a unique combination of design features which enabled them to navigate varied waterways, from the Channel and inland creeks of Southeast England to London’s inner-city. By the 1800s, barges transported bulk cargoes of food and other essentials like hay, coal and bricks into the capital and carried the city’s waste outwards. In the early 20th century, over 2000 Thames sail barges were registered in Britain. Despite a fall in demand after WWI, the barges played a key role on the home front in WWII, requisitioned as supply boats for the Royal Navy and taking part in the Dunkirk evacuation. By the 1960s, however, when diesel had largely replaced wind power and the container ship became dominant, the number of commercial sailing barges on the Thames dwindled sharply. Today, knowledge about their unique design, construction and operation is held by a small group of (predominantly male) professional shipwrights, skilled restorers and dedicated barge enthusiasts, many of whom are in or nearing retirement. A small but growing community of historic sail barge owners is emerging in the UK, many motivated by climate change to develop zero-carbon food networks, raise awareness about the threat to the planet’s water systems, and preserve traditional barge-building and sailing practices for the future. Beyond these groups, there is little awareness of the barges' key role in the cultural, economic and maritime history of the Thames. Aims & Objectives This practice-led research will employ RMG collections and archival research as the basis for developing a substantial body of original film and/or photographic work, supported by a thesis. Potential Applications & Benefits This lens-based project will generate transdisciplinary knowledge about the lived experiences of merchant seafarers and their families, and about histories of propulsion and vessel design which will feed directly into future research. Museum and heritage professionals at RMG will benefit directly from art-led research that engages in completely new ways with under-used and lesser-known parts of its collections, providing a valuable model for exploring other marginalised histories and communities. Lastly, there is the huge potential for public engagement around the collections and the body of work produced by the studentship, via public talks, screenings or displays and outreach projects. Longer term, this project will support heritage and sustainability initiatives around sail cargo and zero-carbon food distribution by creating knowledge and support for alternatives to fossil-fuelled global shipping.