The Thames and Docklands in Colour - 1935!

Habebty said:
Beautiful colour film from YouTube, Thames barges, steamers, tugs, hard to believe so long ago.
https://youtu.be/NObu5VXfTVI
Click to expand...

Ahoy there Habebty thank you for those Videos / Films just a great reminder of the skills needed in handling Tugs and Ships and Lighters in those confind waters; large diameter props, with reduction gears and slow reving main engines I assume, making it all look so easy and laid back, securing lighters and ships with a simple four round turns and an over, simples indeed; thank you
 
Awesome! It's amazing how much the London River has changed in relatively few years. The size of shipping, the fact that in all the "and so to sea" bits, the vessels are without VHF, and so lose together!
 
Great little film, thanks for finding it.
Some of those old ships had some real style.
I note it was shot in "Gaspar colour". Any relation Roger?
 
No. Just googled it. Dr Gaspar was Hungarian (Gaspar's are Spanish, Portuguese or Hungarian); my side of the family, Spanish. Haven't yet found the time to watch yet. Looking forward to it.
 
Thank you, Habebty for a most enjoyable piece of film. The content showed a river which didn't change much, apart from getting dirtier and losing most of the few remaining sailing barges, by the 1950's, wnich formed my first memories of it. I have to say, I had conveniently forgotten the dense black trails left by the funnels of most coal fired steam vessels.

The natural vibrant colours of the film led me to Google the Gaspar Color process and I was not surprised to learn that it was amongst the leading colour film processes of its era and also known for keeping very well.

Discussing this with my etymologist wife, I learned that Gaspar is the German (and Spanish) rendition of the common Slavonic name, Kaspar, which we English folk render as Caspar, so I assume Roger will be a bit busy on 12th night. I have to say that, having lived for some years in Spain, I didn't come across the name Gaspar except every 12th night when the 3 Kings arrived by fishing boat to parade through our home town, much to the excitement of the children.

Thanks again Habebty.

Peter.
 
Quite. I always assumed Caspar brought the Gold but other authorities think it was the myrrh! Which isn't the best birth day present! And then others say frankincense! You can see a statue of me here: https://www.thechinaman.co.uk/brand/nao/nao-christmas/nao-king-gaspar-with-cup/

But back to the film. It is great colour for 1935 and a very interesting film. The cameo of the laden sailing barge made me think that that might be quite challenging to sail. Well found H.
 
I enjoyed the film Habebty. I could spend hours watching things like that. Thanks for linking to it.

How much interesting activity there was on the River in those days; it's a sad shadow of its former self now.
 
What a fascinating film, good of you to share it. Is it wrong to find it melancholic? Aside from the harsh life, privations and, to us, shoddy working practices, it makes me think of all those lost skills, a certain pride in one's appearance and further proof (if it were needed) that the LDDC inflicted far greater damage than Goering's Luftwaffe ever did.

An excellent book worthy of space is 'London's Lost Riverscape'; a series of B&W photos of both banks from Greenwich to London Bridge. The images were commissioned by the PLA in 1938 and are bursting with life and activity of some sort.
 
Might say that its good to see the type of rope handling used by them on the Lighters and Tug Boats = no prissy Bowlines etc, just a couple or so of tight turns round a bollard and either held against itself or a turn over itself = Tugmans Hitch = will hold against the weight of a full lighter or barge plus can be released when under full load very easily = not much chance of loosing fingers or limbs etc

Still in use these days = works very well = so tried and tested
 
tillergirl said:
Quite. I always assumed Caspar brought the Gold but other authorities think it was the myrrh! Which isn't the best birth day present! And then others say frankincense! You can see a statue of me here: https://www.thechinaman.co.uk/brand/nao/nao-christmas/nao-king-gaspar-with-cup/

Must be your illustrious name that justifies the list price. Nao is the brand name used to sell the pieces made by the apprentices at the Lladro factory near Valencia.

But back to the film. It is great colour for 1935 and a very interesting film. The cameo of the laden sailing barge made me think that that might be quite challenging to sail. Well found H.
Click to expand...

Interesting. Vic Wadhams, a barge master I sailed with a fair bit in the 1970's, often lamented the essentially unladen condition of barges carrying people. He reckoned a laden barge had no need to use her leeboards as the side of the barge was enough to stop the leeway. "Saves all that p***ing about every time you wend!" was his considered view.

Peter.
 
PeterWright said:
Interesting. Vic Wadhams, a barge master I sailed with a fair bit in the 1970's, often lamented the essentially unladen condition of barges carrying people. He reckoned a laden barge had no need to use her leeboards as the side of the barge was enough to stop the leeway. "Saves all that p***ing about every time you wend!" was his considered view.

Peter.
Click to expand...

Thanks for that Peter. My parents were heavily into barge sailing in the 60's and 70's and I have vague but fond memories of Vic teaching my sister and I how to draw barges and make things with pipe cleaners in his masters cabin on either Pudge or Centaur.

A little while ago, my mum said that Vic had a reputation for being tough (as if bargemen were pussycats!) so it was quite a surprise to see how he took to us kids.
 
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