Mary Anne
This is the Mary Anne, the last remaining rowed ferry that was used on Windermere. It would have been built and in use before 1870, when the powered ferries were introduced. Ferries had been in use on Windermere since at least the 1450s.
This was rowed with huge oars, called sweeps. The ferry is 40 feet long and 11 feet at the beam, and had a movable ramp, to allow cattle to be loaded and unloaded easily.
Mary Anne sank off Belle Isle sometime after WW2 and was recovered in 1978. It is now under preservation at the Windermere Jetty Museum, which is a world leader in the preservation, restoration and maintenance of boats.
(If you are in the area, do go and support this charity; it's interesting, and has a great cafe that has tables right by the waterside!)
Mary Anne
This is the Mary Anne, the last remaining rowed ferry that was used on Windermere. It would have been built and in use before 1870, when the powered ferries were introduced. Ferries had been in use on Windermere since at least the 1450s.
This was rowed with huge oars, called sweeps. The ferry is 40 feet long and 11 feet at the beam, and had a movable ramp, to allow cattle to be loaded and unloaded easily.
Mary Anne sank off Belle Isle sometime after WW2 and was recovered in 1978. It is now under preservation at the Windermere Jetty Museum, which is a world leader in the preservation, restoration and maintenance of boats.
(If you are in the area, do go and support this charity; it's interesting, and has a great cafe that has tables right by the waterside!)