Over the Water : Sepia Saturday

This week's Sepia Saturday prompt picture is of a girl on a dingy.  Cue for me to  look  at different ways of crossing rivers, lakes, seas and oceans.

Ironbridge over the River Severn in Shropshire.

This was fhe world's first iron bridge, built 1779-1781 across the River Severn gorge - often cited as he birthplace of England's Industrial Revolution.   The Ironbridge Gorge was granted the status of a World Heritage site in the 1980's and is now a major tourist attraction. 

However in the past, many local people  objected to paying the tolls to use  the bridge   and looked for alternative ways to cross the river.

My father John Weston grew up the other side of the river at Broseley  and had very fond memories of this childhood there.  Among the family photograph collection was this picture below of Tommy Rogers, a coracle maker.

 You might be wondering, where is the boat ? Well, it is on Tommy's back, for Tommy Rogers was a coracle maker a loosely woven frame traditionally covered in animal hide, but in more recent times calico, canvas,  and coated with a substance such as bitumen.    

Tommy was a well known local character,  known as a poacher and the local newspaper regularly reported his appearance in court on poaching charges. He also helped to build the new police cells and court room in Ironbridge  - only to be one of the first people to appear there on the wrong side of the law! 

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It  is amazing what diverse directions family history can take you.  To me "snow" was the white stuff falling in winter and a "smack" was a slap to a recalcitrant child. But that all changed as I began researching the maritime history of  my husband;s ancestors. For I  learnt about the different names for ships in the 19th century - barque or bark or barc, brig, sloop. smack and snow.  No photographs unfortunately but members of the the Donaldson, White and Moffat families  were master mariners sailing out of the River Tyne in North East England.  

  The River Tyne, with the Norwegian ferry  in the background at North Shields.

 

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To Scotland 

"Discovery" was the last 3 masted ship to be built in Britain in Dundee in 1901.   it was taken on two expeditions to the Antarctic by Captain Robert Falcon Scott. The second expedition saw a party of five reaching the South Pole in 1912 only to find that Norwegian explorer had preceded them. Scott and his four comrades all perished on the return journey.  Such a sad end toan ambitious adventure. 

To more modern times:  

The Cal Mac ferry sailing between Oban and the Isle of Mull in the Western Highlands

Oban, meaning "little bay" in Gaelic, lies on the Firth of Lorne on the west coast of Scotland. and is often regarded as the unofficial capital of the West Highlands. and "Gateway to the Isles", with the  Cal Mac  (Caledonian McBrayne) ferries sailing from there  to the islands of Mull, Iona, Coll, Tiree, Colonsay, Barra and South Uist.  

 

During World War Two, Oban was an important place  in the Battle of the Atlantic, with a Royal Navy signal station, and RAF flying boat base.   In the Cold War, the first Transatlantic Telephone Cable, carrying the hot line between the USA and USSR Presidents came ashore at Oban.

 

Not the Greek Islands, not the Caribbean, but a beautiful scene on the  island of Iona off the west coast of Scotland, (often portrayed as "it always rains"),   looking across to the hills on the Isle of Mull.  

  

To memories of our holidays in Bavaria and Austria

An electric boat on the Konigsee in Bavaria, Germany.  Situated close to the Austrian Border,  the Konigsee is a natural lake within the Berchtesgarten National Park.  The lake, Germany's third largest,  is noted for its clear water and is advertised as the cleanest lake in the country. It is  surrounded by the steeply rising  mountains, up to 8,900 feet high. 

Swan boats on the Hallstatter See, near Salzburg  in Austria.

 

The ferry on Wolfgangsee, near Salzburg,  where we celebrated our ruby wedding anniversary.

 

 

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Sepia Saturday gives bloggers an opportunity

to share their family history through photographs.

 

 

 

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