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Love a duck – on top of a houseboat alongside the old Bristol docks
On a sunny day a few weeks ago my brother kindly took me to Bristol to see one of his favourite places alongside the old dock. It was wonderful watching all the activity. Here are my photos – just snapshots, while my brother likes to be more “artistic” with his photography. I must try harder!
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The Matthew – a reconstruction of a 15th century ship that sailed across the Atlantic
The original Matthew was a medieval caravel that could carry 50 tons of Bordeaux wine below decks.
In the late 15th century Bristol sent out several expeditions to look for the New World and one of these was a successful voyage in 1497 by John Cabot to Newfoundland aboard the Matthew.
Cabot was a Venetian explorer, also known as Giovanni Caboto. He made another voyage in 1498 but it it not known whether he or his crew survived. He may have stayed in the Americas or perhaps returned and died of the Plague in London a few years later.
A modern reconstruction of the Matthew was built in Bristol between 1994 and 1996. The original was probably made of oak, larch and pine, while the modern Matthew is built from oak and Douglas fir.
In 1997 the ship travelled to Bonavista, Newfoundland, to celebrate the 500th anniversary of Cabot’s most famous journey. It is now settled in Bristol, where it takes visitors on trips and acts as a rich educational resource. Find out more here: https://matthew.co.uk/
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A colourful “ferry” boat
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A traditional British narrow boat – showing how small it is compared to some other boats along the river…
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…it was called the Odin
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The much bigger Nostra Vota, a former Dutch inland navigation barge
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The house boat De Jonge Iede, which sounds Dutch but not sure if it means the young egg or the young duck, or what? The owner likes rubber ducks, that’s for sure…
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Another cosy residence – it says Ferro over the door
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A rather more “flash” private superyacht, the Miss Conduct, built in Florida in the late 1980s…
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…it even has a private helicopter
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Canoeists
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Another view across to the city
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We had burgers in the fresh air at Brunel’s Buttery (I had an excellent “Bristol Blue” with melted blue Stilton cheese) and nearby were these old rail wagons…
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…including this unusual sulphuric acid container
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There were old dockside cranes – we were lucky enough to go inside this one, but I will blog about that separately…
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And finally, a distant tower caught my eye – I have just found out that it is the Cabot Tower on Brandon Hill, named after John Cabot, who sailed to the New World on the Matthew
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