The Oldest Surviving Essex Thames Sailing Barge Gets a New Life
On a cold February day, muffled chatter and the sounds of swinging hammers fill the St. Osyth Boatyard in Clacton-on-Sea, UK. Midway down the dock, a 132-year-old piece of history sits bobbing beneath the sheen of a clear plastic tarp. Inside its hold, women are hard at work.
Wielding crowbars and drills, they pry free worn planks, strip back greasy screws, and expose the bones of this hulking ship—all in preparation for the vessel’s new life as The Bread and Roses Barge, an onboard community space built for women, by women.
The Bread and Roses Barge, a female-led English Community Interest Company (CIC), is dedicated to restoring S.B. May, the oldest surviving Essex Thames sailing barge. Its goal is not only to breathe new life into May but to transform her into a resource hub and eventually a floating bakery that uplifts vulnerable women across East Anglia.
The founding members of The Bread and Roses Barge, left to right, Connie Gadd, Helen Swift, and Jane Harman.
Photo by Anna Halford
“We want to give women a voice and a space to be supported and nurtured,” says Jane Harman, co-founder of The Bread and Roses Barge.
Many boats of May’s age qualify as heritage vessels, making them eligible for funding from historical trusts. Often, with the assistance of grants, these boats are converted into training ships or transformed into restaurants. But this is the first time a renovation like this has specifically catered to the needs of present-day women—a group that has traditionally been unwelcome and overlooked in the male-dominated history of English canals.
“This has historically been a man’s world, a man’s vessel despite the many women who have been connected to her over the last 132 years,” says Harman. “We aim to address that.”
The three women behind the project couldn’t be more suited for the job. Helen Swift, Jane Harman, and Connie Gadd are no strangers to boat restorations. Swift and Harman have restored numerous English sailing barges and have been deeply involved in the maritime community for several decades. Harman, in addition to leading May’s restoration, also serves as the first and only female chairperson of England’s Sailing Barge Association. She co-owns and manages the St. Osyth Boatyard with her husband. And, having spent her formative years in Maldon, England, surrounded by fishing smacks, barges, and traditional boats, she has long been aware of the absence of women on the water.
Built by John & Herbert Cann of Harwich, Essex, and launched in 1891, the Thames Sailing Barge May shows her classic lines.
Photo: Paula Palmer/ NHS-UK
That’s exactly why, when The Bread and Roses Project was first proposed, Harman was immediately interested: “Too many barges have been lost, and those that remain need protection. This project is vitally important as it involves women in what has traditionally been very much a man’s world.”
Connie Gadd, a Bread and Roses co-founder and former owner of S.B. May, was onboard the vessel whenever possible. Her husband, Gerald, worked as a skipper for the Tate & Lyle company, which used May to transport goods under sail. Gerald’s work frequently took him and Connie on journeys along the River Thames and the coastlines of the UK and Europe. Eventually, when Tate & Lyle had no further use for May, the barge came into the couple’s hands. When Gerald passed away in 2020, the question of what to do with the rapidly aging barge became paramount. Gadd, Harman, and Swift recognized that they would need a sizable amount of cash to restore May to her former glory.
“The idea came from Helen. Her experience with the rebuild of Sailing Barge Dawn gave her the insight to understand that in order to secure significant funding, May needed a clear purpose,” Harman says.
And that purpose—to support vulnerable women onboard May—quickly gained traction. With backing from a variety of donations, The Bread and Roses Barge has already begun fulfilling its mission. The organization now hosts intimate workshops and teach-ins below deck, all tailored to the needs of local women.
Onboard the May, participants smile with the artwork they created during a Carers First art session, one of many such workshops held by The Bread and Roses Barge.
Photo: Karen.Arty. Isobel. Ralph
From menopause support sessions to career training, splicing workshops, and breast cancer fundraisers, The Bread and Roses Barge has been rather busy these past few years. May’s design can be partly credited for the repeated success of these events. Built to transport large quantities of cargo through shallow estuaries and rivers, English sailing barges typically feature spacious interior holds and flat-bottomed hulls, providing ample space for people to gather comfortably inside.
“Many find it a safe, cozy, and homely space. Conversations flow about lives and experiences,” Harman says.
Accomplishing the larger vision for their organization and the future of the May also includes creating an onboard bakery. Here again, May’s history plays a role. Launched in 1891 by J&H Cann, S.B. May carried grain between Ipswich and London for the next 75 years. The watertight necessity of her cargo—dry grain—helped keep the boat in tip-top shape, enabling her to still be usable some 132 years later.
For The Bread and Roses Barge, the value of a bakery is twofold: first, as a community-building resource for women who want to come on board and bake, and second, as a means to financially support the project. The act of making bread, Harman notes, is therapeutic and community-oriented.
“It’s an unusual but very basic means of communities coming together,” Harman says. “Breadmaking, especially sourdough baking, requires care, love, and nurturing to be at its best.”
The sailing barge's restored interior, which was built large to carry a lot of cargo, is perfect as a warm, cozy space.
By Annie Means
These principles also serve as the pillars of Harman’s and her co-founders’ philosophy when engaging with women onboard May.
As a CIC, The Bread and Roses Barge can accept donations and grants while also offering services to further its mission, in this case baked goods. The bakery renovation is one plank in the larger scaffold of The Bread and Roses Barge’s plan. As Harman points out, “The goal is to save her; to get her rebuilt so she can sail again.”
The final objective is to revive S.B. May’s historical trading route along the Thames. While the barge is still delivering grain—albeit in a different, baked form—it is also delivering perhaps a more important message: that the future of sailing barges not only includes women but actively seeks to support them.
The long table in the May is the focal point of the belowdecks workspace.
By Annie Means
“We want a full crew onboard, including women, to sail her regularly to her visiting ports; six ports over six weeks then back again and again for 11 months of the year,” says Harman. “To bring bread to each harbor for people to collect. To invite groups and organizations that support vulnerable women to regularly come aboard to bake bread, build friendships, and gain support.”
As aging ships disappear or find themselves enshrined in museums as relics of the past, we must consider what is lost. In a world where community spaces dwindle, we must ask ourselves what opportunities we forfeit when we don’t use our pre-existing resources in a more imaginative way—in this instance, a historic ship.
Through the preservation of vessels like May, we have the opportunity not only to safeguard maritime heritage but also to nurture and expand communities, particularly those that have long been marginalized. This endeavor is not just about salvaging relics; it’s about cultivating thriving, inclusive spaces that honor the past while forging a brighter future.
By establishing an onboard space for women, Harman, Gadd, and Swift are leading a new chapter in maritime history—one that is more inclusive and caring, one that, much like the bread they bake, demands careful attention, respect, and a touch of creativity.
November/December 2024
