View from above Harold Hayles’ Boatyard of gasometer, old bridge, and Sandhouse

One day I saw the Thames Barge moored up to the bank over Gas Works. I thought, I must have a look at that, so I went over there, stood on the quay looking at it. The old Admiral popped up, ‘Hello.  Can I help you?’
‘Just interested. Having a look,’
‘Come aboard!’  so on I went. We were talking and I told him I was a boatbuilder.
He said, ‘Just the chap I’m looking for!  There’s lot of work needs to be done on this barge.’
I thought, I’m not a barge builder. This is different; great spikes and dumps. He said would I go and work for him, so I was shared between him and Stan Smith for a bit.

I never did go to sea with Admiral Larkin on the barge. He was asking me but we never got round to it. When the barge was under way it seemed to me it was,‘ Full ahead and trust in the Lord,’ sort of thing.  In the winter of ‘63 she was froze in solid up there for weeks. The ice was thick enough to walk down the creek to the river.

Some friends of the Admiral’s came down from London with their Atlanta which they wanted painting up, so I said,
‘I can build a little dock over there,’ which I did, and that was the first job in what became River Yar Boatyard. Yes, it all went well, until the old Admiral shot himself.
The new management and me did not get on, until one day I demanded my cards and walked off, went back next day and collected my toolbox.

I saw Barry McDonald that day and he told me they wanted someone down here (the Harbour).
‘Go and see Major Sheppard,’  which I did, got the job in 1966 and was there for 30 odd years. Nick Chandler

Harbour staff photographed by Malcolm Mallett c1990