AWARD WINNING

Celebrating Erith's industrial river heritage. This mural won an award at the annual 'Charles Burr Awards' 2006 presented by Bexley Civic Society.

JUNE 2005

Once a unique and typical feature of the working Thames. These barges with their distinctive sprit sails are fondly remembered by local people and have become a symbol of the working river.

The barges’ distinctive red sails form proscenium type curtains at either side of the mural, giving a theatre like illusion emphasising their unique character and reflecting on the theatre behind. This feature could also be interpreted as the end of the working sail era in Erith as it now looks forward to a new future turning again towards the river.

The mural portrays a tiller controlled Thames Spritsail Barge approaching the Erith shore at the end of the 19th century just as the first barges were changing from tiller control to wheel – the first wheel conversion was carried

out at Erith. Erith was a key centre for many of these barges due to it’s strategic location on the river and the local barge building and repair works here. Erith also became central to the story of the Thames Barge as the first starting point of the annual Thames Barge race, first held from Erith in 1863.

One of the many colourful characters of this barge community was Rob ‘The Devil’ Austen. An Erith barge owner and skipper Rob is still remembered today and his barge named ‘Chance’ is the name of the barge in the mural, perhaps also a nice link to Erith’s new chances ahead.