Meeting at Lyme Regis Sailing Club, The Cobb, Lyme RegisSaturday 29th September 2001

Friday 28th September was dull and damp, and Sunday 30th was driving rain and a strong south west gale, but our Saturday was warm and sunny with blue skies and a calm sea, just like an ideal summer day in Lyme Regis. Sailing Club Commodore Sally Holman welcomed our 60+ members and colleagues, and gave a short history of the 80 year old club.

Frank Gollop in 1945 - still working aged 83

The first session was "Frank Gollop - the last of the Stoneboatmen" by his grandson Ken Gollop.

Frank was born in Charmouth in 1862 and was brought up in a fishing family on Charmouth Beach. His mother was a Hunter, whose family had already been fishing in the area for several generations. Her brother, Isaac Hunter, was well known from Cowes to Plymouth, both as a professional fisherman and a strong rower; after a few years he was banned from most regattas for winning every race he entered. During a gale in November 1872 Isaac had a recurring dream that his lobster pots were being washed ashore east of Charmouth. Unable to sleep, he went to the beach and found the French ship Courier ashore and breaking up. He climbed the cliffs, woke a farmer and together they managed to save the crew. This was just one of Isaac's many exploits.

The stone industry had two branches - cement making and stone exporting. From the early 1800's until 1914 the limestone cliffs and ledges on the beach were blasted and the stone loaded into boats about 26-28 foot long (the stoneboats). Some was exported as stone building material and some turned into cement with good characteristics for marine work. The Regent's Canal and Devonport Docks are among many built with Lyme Regis limestone and cement.

Loading Stone from the stoneboats onto Ship at the Cobb - 1890's

Stone for building was ferried out to the waiting ships, which had usually brought in coal, or was stockpiled in the outer harbour. To avoid harbour dues it was termed 'ballast'. Nineteenth century harbour dues can be seen on the Rates Board on the Cobb. Ken showed many slides of the old cement factory under the cliffs at the Cobb, its beach and harbour railway, and of the boats in the harbour.
Two men were needed to row the stoneboats and Frank Gollop worked with his father. They mixed fishing with stoneboating and were both members of the lifeboat crew. A further 4 generations of the family have served in the lifeboat, including the present crew. When the stone trade finished in 1914 Frank continued fishing and went into the pleasure boat trade with his son Tom. Tom's sons Ken and Roy continued in the same line until a few years ago. Ken's talk was illustrated with slides of Lyme Regis during Frank's life (1862-1960) covering shipping, lifeboats, fishing and pleasure boats.

The second illustrated talk was the History and Possible Development of West Bay - Bridport's Harbour, by David Joy, project engineer for West Dorset District Council. David's talk was illustrated with slides of charts and photos, and covered the harbour's continual fight against the ravages of the sea.

Situated at the western end of Chesil Beach the harbour piers have suffered from storm damage and silting from mediaeval times to now. David's work has meant a great deal of research into past damage and repairs, many of which worsened the problems of the harbour entrance. His talk reflected the past design's lack of foresight and the resulting chaotic conditions. Many of the storm photos showed the whole harbour area under water from flooding or storm waves.

Tests have been run on various models specially built at Hydraulics Research, Wallingford. However as the harbour itself and its secondary community are either 'listed', in a conservation area, or in a SSI there are additional difficult issues to resolve in selecting the final solution. Planning permission is being sought at the moment for a scheme involving building new breakwaters to form a deep-water harbour entrance and it is hoped work will start in 2002.
In the afternoon members gathered at the Lyme Regis Marine Centre at Monmouth Beach, home of the Lyme Regis International School of Boatbuilding. This is situated in the old RAF Marine Craft unit, built in 1938 to serve the seaplane tenders that patrolled the bombing ranges in Lyme Bay. The premises consist of a large hangar building, barrack accommodation, stores and workshops. The unit closed in 1964 and became a Dorset County Council Adventure Centre for schoolchildren for the next 25 years.

In an introductory talk Cdr Tim Gedge RN told how on retiring after 33 years in the Navy he had found the empty premises and set up the International School of Boatbuilding. Here students study a 38 week course in which students can take the City and Guilds course 2450 Yacht and Boatbuilding Part II exam if they wish. During their course students can build, or part-build, their own boat. Modules taught include traditional, modern and plastic boatbuilding, yacht joinery, spar and oar making, engine bed and stern tube installation, coatings and rigging, etc. Short courses of 2/5 days also run throughout the year. These include lofting, basic clinker and modern boatbuilding and repair, dinghy building, oar making, GRP and finishing, half-model making etc. Visiting tutors include Jack Chippendale, who is well known in the dinghy building world, while Dick Phillips oversees all tuition at the centre. The Marine Centre also run the Lyme Regis Marine School, recognised by the RYA for a number of boating activities using the centre's own boats. Students can be accommodated in self-catering accommodation on site.

Members then divided into 2 groups led by Dick Phillips and Roy Gollop (Ken's brother) to tour the building where they saw examples of the students' primary test pieces in workshops, and boats in various stages of build and repair in the hangar.

After the visit many members enjoyed a walk in the sunshine around the ancient Cobb harbour walls.

Editors note: We are indebted to Ken Gollop for organising this day and indeed for providing the above summary and pictures

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