The famous Sailing Barge CAMBRIA
Cambria on the move to Sheerness
inside her dry-dock
Welcome address from the deputy mayor
of Swale District
CAMBRIA is a wooden Thames sailing barge, built at Greenhithe, Kent in 1906. She is famed as the last British registered vessel to carry a commercial cargo under sail alone (until 1970) and as such forms a unique part of our industrial and maritime heritage. CAMBRIA is owned by a registered charity, the Cambria Trust, established with the specific objective of restoring, preserving and using the famous barge. She is in urgent need of a comprehensive rebuild at a cost of over £1.4 million.
What has been done to save CAMBRIA?
The CAMBRIA was transferred from the Maritime Trust to the care of the Cambria Trust towards the end of 1996 and the barge was in need of urgent care and attention. The hull of the CAMBRIA is now safely housed in the Trust's floating dry dock and the Friends of CAMBRIA have done their best to look after the barge with regular working parties - and limited funds
A £1.4 million project
The estimates for restoring and bringing sailing barge Cambria back into use are over £1.4 million. In March 2007, the future of the CAMBRIA looked much brighter, as the Cambria Trust was awarded major funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund. However we are still in need of sponsors to ensure a complete and full restoration.
What will she be used for?
Once fully restored, CAMBRIA will be used for sail training and educational purposes, thus preserving the vessel and introducing her to a new audience who will be taught how she traded under sail alone – a supreme example of environmental transport which will also promote an understanding of new alternative technologies.
Operating as a floating classroom, CAMBRIA will moor at a variety of locations throughout the Thames, Medway and Swale estuaries, offering environmental training and education in social and economic history for Junior school children, working closely with educational charities, port authorities, local authorities and the RSPB.
CAMBRIA will also operate as a floating interpretative centre explaining the past, present and future of London River and encouraging interest and support from the general public.
Young people and apprentices will undergo sail training aboard the barge, and the general public will also be able to charter CAMBRIA so that they can experience the joy of sailing aboard this magnificent vessel.
