Meet the Eastbourne volunteers restoring historic pleasure boats

A group of volunteers in Eastbourne is working to restore two big pleasure boats that used to operate during the summer months.
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The pleasure boat business was established in 1861 by Edward Allchorn offering rides along the Eastbourne coast. Pleasure boats first took off when fishermen had less fish to catch in the summer months so started taking tourists out.

The pleasure boat business grew and grew until the Marchioness disaster resulted in rules getting tighter. The disaster happened in 1989 when a pleasure boat was hit by a dredger and resulted in 51 people losing their lives. That incident, teamed with the growing popularity of cheap holidays abroad, meant the pleasure ride business came to an end.

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Many others set up rival companies but by the early 1960s only two remained - Allchorn and Sayers Brothers. In 1964, Sayers Brothers gave up and sold the Southern Queen to the Allchorns. In 1990, Brian Allchorn, the great grandson of the founder, decided to retire and the business was sold to a third party – the Keyte family.

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Now years on, Allchorn Maritime Ltd is working to restore the two big pleasure boats, the ‘Southern Queen’ and the ‘William Allchorn’, and the 1980s ‘Duke of Kent’ lifeboat.

The group moved into a yard off Fisherman’s Green in 2017 and now it’s a hive of activity with volunteers wanting to breathe new life into the boats.

Graham Castell, group member, said: “We’re just a group of people who get together for the benefit of the boats. There’s lots of history here which we don’t want to be forgotten.”

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The site isn’t just a workshop for the boats though, it’s also home to a museum of memorabilia and photos showing the history of the boats. Graham said they also get school groups coming too.

Looking back at the pleasure boats in Eastbourne: Southern Queen - 1959Looking back at the pleasure boats in Eastbourne: Southern Queen - 1959
Looking back at the pleasure boats in Eastbourne: Southern Queen - 1959

Graham said the aim is to get the Southern Queen and Duke of Kent back on the water, and the William Allchorn converted into a cafe. He said: “They were left here to rot but we put our time into it because we love it. Everyone I speak to says they remember going on the pleasure rides. There’s a sense of community about it and people want to see them restored. Lots of people have lots of fond memories of them.”

The group has seen support from local companies too. In one case they had a donation of two elm trees that had to be cut back due to Dutch elm disease. Graham said: “Eastbourne elm being used in an Eastbourne boat!”

John Buckland used to work on the lifeboats. He said: “The pleasure rides were such a big part of the seafront in Eastbourne - there was nothing else. I can’t do much physically to help now, but I love to come down a couple of times a week to chat to the others.”

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Keith Bebb and Pete Woodcock both joined the group four years ago. Keith said: “It’s important these boats get attention because it’s part of Eastbourne’s history.”

Meet the Eastbourne volunteers restoring historic pleasure boatsMeet the Eastbourne volunteers restoring historic pleasure boats
Meet the Eastbourne volunteers restoring historic pleasure boats

Keith joined through an open day and now the group is holding another one on March 25 from 10am. Visitors can see the work, find out more, and hear about volunteering options. There will also be live music, a boat jumble sale, and refreshments.

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