Penny ferry from One Quay Island

It seems that in the very early days before the quay was commenced in 1879, this had been a very swampy area where a wharf had been established but was frequently surrounded by water '“ hence the One Quay Island.

In the picture the cargo vessel is one of the 'Dieppe Screws', so named when freight was carried separately from the passenger steamers. The latter were paddle driven in the early days, but the cargo boats were always propeller operated.

The odd car or two may have been carried on the after deck of the ferries but until the advent of the car ferry proper in 1964, most would have been transported in the holds of a screw. This would have departed about an hour or so earlier than the passenger boat so that car and owner arrived at about the same time.

The ship in the picture is either the Nantes or the Rennes, which were post war diesels of 1946 and 1948 operating until 1965.

The dock area behind the screw was a very busy part of the harbour and was greatly extended during the First World War when Newhaven was allocated the responsibility of supplying so much of the means of war to the French ports near the Western Front.

There were many rail tacks for shunting lines and near the ship's wheelhouse can be seen the static 15-ton electric crane, with others of lesser lift, but which were mobile.

To the rear of the dockside can be seen a large lake, sometimes known as the Oyster Pond. Maybe some of the shell fish were kept there for freshness, but the proper beds were in the Tidemill creek near to the present footbridge over the railway.

In the 1897 plans, the area beyond the quay was to contain docks almost up to Tidemills. This did not materialise, as we know, but it is quite possible that the excavation of land, such as to create this lake, could have been used to raise and deepen the land of the quayside, which would have required a large quantity of water.

Notice in the corner of the quay with the East Pier, the concrete steps which were part destroyed in the last war as a defence precaution. Before 1939 one could have crossed the harbour in a rowing ferry and alighted at the wooden steps to the left of the green light hut, on railway wheels at the bottom centre of the picture, 'at a charge of one penny'.

The speed boats are probably some of many which would have followed the 11am mail boat out of the harbour to take part in the many events laid on by Cresta Marine who operated the yachting events of the 1960s onwards.

The nearest boat at the left is about where a little wooden hut was situated on the grassy slope up to the Fort, and here was controlled Newhaven's sewer outfall into the English Channel!

PETER BAILEY

Peter Bailey is curator of the Newhaven Local and Maritime Museum based in its own fascinating premises in the grounds of Paradise Park in Avis Road, Newhaven.

Summer opening hours are daily, 2-4pm or by arrangement. Admission 1 (accompanied children free). Contact the curator on 01273 514760. Log on to the website at www.newhaven

museum.co.uk