The last ‘Brick’ Barge… I was in Kent to do a talk for the Queenborough Yacht Club … on my barging childhood and sailing life. It was silly not to pay a visit to old friends Geoff and Jane Gransden – we saw Ed too, which was nice, scraping and priming Edith May’s decks – and had a light lunch aboard their fine vessel.

Westmoreland in her dry dock as seen from Lower Halstow’s old brickworks dock last Saturday.

The spritsail barge Westmoreland recently moved to Edith May’s mooring buoy east of Lower Halstow Dock. She had been berthed for nearly two years round in Otterham Creek at an old cement works wharf.

‘A full campaign committee is now in place…’ Geoff Gransden told me when I was talking this last weekend. ‘We are not on the committee ourselves…’ he added, referring to himself and Jane. This is for a number of reasons, not least the time needed for their own barge Edith May.

It is expected that the barge will come into the dock towards the end of the year and be berthed aft of the Edith May when she will be back on her winter lay up blocks. A National Lottery application has been, or is being, prepared now that the cooperation of the Village’s Parish Council and parishioners has been given. The Parish actually held a referendum to ensure all had a say. You can search out the Parish web site for history of this and conversations.

What the team need is public support and, more importantly, perhaps some support from a brick manufacturer or two: it was barges like the Westmoreland that built up the brick empires, many of which were ultimately sucked into larger concerns of an international flavour too.

The Westmoreland leading the staysail class away on the Medway in 1961 – my sailing home is the barge to the fore to left hand side. Barge closest to camera was the Ardeer, then to right the Arrow. Picture: Ardley family collection.

Progress can be followed and support given, see: https://www.facebook.com/ThamesSailingBargeWestmoreland