The boathouse several years before Mark Edwards began operations there. At this time, both boathouses were full of much boat clutter. In this photograph skiff sails can be seen against the upstream wall of the boathouse, while at the back, beneath the windows, was much camping gear. It is most likely that some of this would have found its place on board the 'Carpe Diem'. The skiff in the foreground is an interesting and very elderly boat known to have been refered to as 'old' at the turn of the century. At this time her exterior was tarred - many layers - while the inside was painted green. She had been used as the yards workboat for as long as anyone could remember. A workbench on the far side of the boathouse, which Mark Edwards later converted into a floodboard, had the graffiti 'Joseph Tribe' cut into one edge - the Tribe family being well known in Hampton in the 1880's. The yard between the boathouse and the road was more or less filled with an open-air parts store for the motorbike shop on the main road. This in turn had evolved from the turn of the century bicycle shop, operating from perhaps the oldest building on the site, now vanished. It lay to the left of the surviving 15 Thames Street. The yard was opened up when Number 13 was demolished having threatened to fall into the road, later the ex-candle factory and sometime soapworks next door burnt down, two mischances that let the twentieth century into Constables boathouse and eventually sank boating as an activity from this site. Use back button to return or link to the log of the Carpe Diem.
All before you, in this world, is smoke and shadows.