Update:
Given recent events, we hope you understand that to give our community space to grieve, we felt it inappropriate to hold our open day this weekend.
We welcome people who wish to leave flowers or a message for Jo – thank you, please place them by the gate.
We look forward to seeing you at the next open day in September.
Previous plan
The Thames Sailing Barge Trust (www.bargetrust.org) is bringing Thames Sailing Barge “Centaur” to Hermitage for the weekend. Centaur is a wooden sailing barge built by Cann Brothers in Harwich in 1895 – 121 years ago – and still sailing. Registered 65 tons with a cargo capacity of 125tons. Once a common sight around the East and South Coasts and in the Thames, they also sailed across the Channel to France and Belgium. With shallow draft, flat bottoms and masts that could be lowered, they were flexible craft able to take goods up shallow creeks and under bridges as well as in coastal waters, and could be sailed by just one man and a boy.
