R & W Paul - Ipswich Waterfront, Suffolk

[Cariboo5]

A painting of the R & W Paul waterfront building. I have found that this building was closed some time in the 1980's. From the date on this painting
what looks like 1983 to me it would have to have closed after that date. Artist name looks like Fred Firth which appears to be an unlisted artist as the only
Fred Firth I have found is: Jeremy Webster "Fred" Frith is an English multi-instrumentalist, composer, and improvisor. I have not been able to find the name on the boat either.

Any information on the artist, name of boat would be appreciated. Thanks to all ......

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[Chadeaux]

A painting of the R & W Paul waterfront building. I have found that this building was closed some time in the 1980's. From the date on this painting
what looks like 1983 to me it would have to have closed after that date. Artist name looks like Fred Firth which appears to be an unlisted artist as the only
Fred Firth I have found is: Jeremy Webster "Fred" Frith is an English multi-instrumentalist, composer, and improvisor. I have not been able to find the name on the boat either.

Any information on the artist, name of boat would be appreciated. Thanks to all ......

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Definitely says 1953.

Hope this helps. Certainly puts it in the time period for the Fred Firth you found and not the painter who died in 1871.

 

[Red-Coat]

The ship is what’s colloquially known over here as a “Thames barge” with a wooden flat-bottomed hull of essentially rectangular construction. They were designed to be able to negotiate the creeks and backwaters of Suffolk, Essex, the Thames estuary and the north Kent coast. They could also just sit on the mud when the tide went out and wait for it to come in again to refloat. Ipswich is a port, but about 10km inland, on the River Orwell.

Well over 100 Thames barges were built at Ipswich and, among the last, was the “Jock”, constructed for R & W Paul, and launched in 1908 from the Dock End Yard. At their peak of operation, Pauls were operating 45 similar barges in a variety of sizes. The Royal Maritimes Museum in Greenwich holds a number of photographs of her in operation but unfortunately not on display, nor available on their website.

Jock was built as an 86t mulie spritsail sailing barge and fitted in 1948 with an auxiliary 100hp motor. Around 1973 she was re-rigged for use by Taylor Woodrow who operated her for corporate entertainment, and then in 1994 converted to a restaurant, permanently moored in Gravesend Canal Basin. Here she is on 16th September 1999, but she sank a few months later and was broken up as ‘beyond repair’.



So, that confirms the date must be ‘1953’ and the other confirmation comes from the fact that in July 1960 W & R Paul was converted into a public company. Shortly thereafter, they began adding “Ltd” or “Ld” to the signage on their buildings (including the one on Ipswich Quay), often squeezing it in as small letters at the end of existing signs.

To me the painting looks very distinctly to be amateur work and I suspect this may be a local artist who you may never trace unless his name turns up in a contemporary newspaper relating to an art show or society exhibition. I had a quick look but didn’t find anything promising.

 

[Cariboo5]

Red-Coat, appreciate the history and the confirmation of the date. The painting does look more folk-art and nice to see some one captured that history back in 1953.
Again ... appreciate your time & knowledge.... have a good one ....