#wherryman

[writinginnorthnorfolk]

Breath of the Norfolk Broads

Breath of the Norfolk Broads

I was standing by water, dreaming of the summer, when she appeared, a wherryman’s daughter on a black-sailed trader among the whispering reeds. A grebe on her shoulder, a spring breeze in her hair, she brought it with her on the breath of the Broads: the tinkle of laughter, swans swimming in sunshine, and the ghosts of wherrymen lost in the mists of the fens. Kim M. Russell, 25th April…

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[londiniumlundene]

The Ferryman’s Seat

Squeezed between the modern brickwork of the wall of a Greek restaurant in the Bankside area there is a slab of very worn looking flint. This is the only remaining ferryman’s seat in London, one of many that once lined the banks of the river. The exact age of the seat is unknown, though the information sign proclaims it to have “ancient origins” (whatever that means).

The seat probably dates back to at least some time before 1750; prior to this date, the only bridge across the Thames was London Bridge. People not wishing to use this route to cross the water could hire the services of a ferryman (more correctly known as a wherryman), who could be found waiting for such passengers whilst perched on such a seat.

[londiniumlundene]

The Ferryman’s Seat

Squeezed between the modern brickwork of the wall of a Greek restaurant on the Southbank there is a slab of very worn looking flint. This is the only remaining ferryman’s seat in London, one of many that once lined the banks of the river. The exact age of the seat is unknown, though the information sign proclaims it to have “ancient origins” (whatever that means).

The seat must date back to at least some time before 1750; prior to this date, the only bridge across the Thames was London Bridge. People not wishing to use this route to cross the water could hire the services of a ferryman (more correctly known as a wherryman), who could be found waiting for such passengers whilst perched on such a seat.