As at the time of writing, it is the coronation weekend of Charles III, it makes sense to write up something a bit royal, and what could be more royal than street names? Oh. Well, anyway. Harwich's own regal streets - King's Head, King's Quay, those in Bathside - have been covered in the past, … Continue reading Kingsway: A Brief Sketch
150 Mayflowers
In a previous life, when compiling my research on the Mayflower, I created a spreadsheet containing as many ships bearing the name "Mayflower" (or variants) as possible; between 1456, which was the earliest example I found, and my cut-off date of 1640 (two decades after the famous voyage), I recorded just over 150 Mayflowers in … Continue reading 150 Mayflowers
My Thoughts on the Harwich Hollywood Sign
Earlier this month, it was announced that there are plans to erect a 6ft tall sign on the green spelling out HARWICH, with the intention of bringing in more tourists, as well as the potential of it being "Instagrammable", or photo-notable. Before I start, I should point out that a lucky thirteen months ago, I … Continue reading My Thoughts on the Harwich Hollywood Sign
58 Ships
I figure I ought to plug a project I am loosely connected with, called 58 Ships - https://58ships.org.uk The goal of the project is to research the 58 ships listed on a sign at Navyard Wharf, formerly the Royal Naval Yard, and find out as much information about them as possible - their vital statistics, … Continue reading 58 Ships
My Thoughts on the Navyard Development Plans
In a somewhat misguided attempt to inject some controversy into the blog, since many of my recent posts have focused on the far corner of Harwich, covering the wharf and its environs, now seems as good a time as any to discuss the ongoing proposition of redeveloping the entire site, by removing the current industrial … Continue reading My Thoughts on the Navyard Development Plans
Football Beyond the Oak
While we all know that Harwich & Parkeston have been the leading light in local football since their inception in 1875/1877/1884/1889, there have been dozens of teams bearing the name of local environs, some of which were more long-lived than others. This post will be looking at some of the football clubs which flourished, or … Continue reading Football Beyond the Oak
My Brain Hurts
Apologies for the lack of content recently, it is half because I've come down with a classic case of Newyearitis, which likes to grind you down both physically and mentally, and half because it's been hard to find a subject to write about that doesn't take hours of in-depth research. What I thought I'd do … Continue reading My Brain Hurts
2022 Review
Let's end the year by looking at what has been posted to the blog in the last twelve months. There has been a surprising amount of variety in the past year, and perhaps some future classics as well, if it's possible to define a classic within the confines of a niche history blog. The best … Continue reading 2022 Review
On This Day: December 3
1616 (OS): The will of Joan Man, widow of Harwich, was written. Joan was the sister of Thomas Thompson, making her the aunt of Christopher Jones by marriage. 1661 (OS): Martha Narburrow, the daughter of Edmund & Mary Narburrow, was baptised at St Nicholas. This is likely to be an early record of the Nalborough … Continue reading On This Day: December 3
The Vaux Family of Naval House
When writing about the Genesis of Naval House, I concluded the piece by saying of the Vaux arrival, "the history of the house & yard become a lot clearer from this point, and more material is available to read about the Vauxs", which is true, but I'm never a fan of letting something hang like … Continue reading The Vaux Family of Naval House
Harwicensis 