b'Traditional Boatbuilding on the River ThamesPast, Present and Future The Thames boatbuilding tradition, though not hugely well1914, after which the petrol engine ruled supreme. The- the metaphoric light that the late Peter Freebody shone documented, has a fascinating history inextricably linkedunderlying element was elegance. The Victorians happilyfrom his boatyard in Hurley re-established the Thames as the with technological developments, fashion, and more thanaccepted anything if it was elegant, even if this compromisedhome of exceptional quality boatbuilding. anything else, craftsmanship. This history is exceptionalpracticality.The tradition continues today and, whereas the because it is a continuum; there is still a demand forWith the internal combustion engine boatyards evolved theircraftsmanship that developed on the Thames in the 1860s wonderful boats and there are still boatbuilders able toown designs of powered craft as well as interpreting successfulonwards was once largely taken for granted, it is now produce them. styles from other boatyards. In the 1930s and 1940s carsbecoming increasingly sought after. The style of the boats Pleasure boating on the Thames began in the 1860s whenbecame flamboyant and this was reflected in the variousthat we build today is not necessarily a copy of a past design the railways made it possible for the leisured classes to escapelaunch styles - the slipper stern launch in particular - whichbut a design within the Thames tradition that is elegant London for the newly fashionable outdoors. Visitors arrivedbecame very popular with its car-like steering position andand comfortable. This, I hope, represents in a small way the by train, to riverside towns such as Henley and Maidenhead,chrome fittings. The Thames environment is very tranquil, sotradition moving ahead and not stagnating by repeating the and were able to walk down to the boatyard to change intodelicate and fine boats could exist and not look out of place.past.their boating clothes and hire a punt or skiff for a day on theAll of this demanded very high standards of craftsmanship. Of course boatbuilding on the Thames will only continue river.After the Second World War, as Britain worked her wayif there is someone out there to pay for it and I have always The idea of the river being used for enjoyment rather thanout of the austerity years, the new materials and technologybelieved that I can only build wonderful boats if I have as just a commercial waterway really took hold by the 1880s,developed in wartime were adapted for peacetime use.wonderful clients! My best work is always with people who and it was around this time that the regattas establishedDuring the 1960s and 1970s wooden boatbuilding wasunderstand that they are commissioning something for the themselves as fashionable as well as sporting events. Thenearly lost to mass produced glass fibre boats. The woodenfuture, something that will easily last 100 years or more and range of different boat types that evolved on the Thames byboat survival is a testament to the material and quality ofgive great satisfaction to their owner. Every boat is made the late 1880s is the legacy that we see today. The skiffs, gigs,construction by the original boatbuilders. On the Thames,by hand from a natural product for that individual.The punts, dinghies and canoes are the basic stock of Thamesthe stock of extraordinary boats that made it through thistraditional wooden boatbuilding being carried out here will unpowered craft. period became part of the catalyst for a revival as peoplebe part of the rivers future for years to come.The background to the powered boats began with the steamrealised the aesthetic value of craftsmanship against a launch. Thames steam launches are incredibly elegant andbackdrop of the plastic conformity of the cars, homes, and refined craft, and the style was also suitable for electricboats marketed through the all-pervasive media. The other power which became popular between 1890 until aboutpart was the boatbuilders who did not abandon their skills 15'