Shipwreck with a happy ending... There have been many shipwrecks in Seaford Bay over the years and 140 years ago, in1882, a 301 ft long ‘iron screw steamer’ called The Gannet which had been built on the Clyde by Barclay Curle & Co in 1878 was returning from Calcutta, destined for London. On Valentine’s Day morning it ran aground in thick fog near the Martello Tower in Seaford. Captain Hardinge and his crew were all brought ashore safely and taken to The Bay Hotel to recover from their ordeal. He was helped to dry the ship’s paper by a young lady who worked at the hotel. The ship had been very heavily laden with a large cargo of wheat, linseed, cotton, indigo, hides, tea and coffee and miraculously, most of the cargo was reported as having been salvaged. This was made possible thanks to the newly constructed sea wall from which
a form of doubletracked bridge out to the wreck was constructed, enabling wagons to go back and forth. The goods were then carted to the railway station for onward transmission or taken to be stored in the barn at Pigeon House Farm. It is interesting to note that a number of sources reported that there was no demand for tea and coffee from local grocers for a long time! The ship was still stuck on the beach when, two weeks later, a strong gale broke it in two. Apparently, for many years afterwards it was possible to see parts of the iron keel at low tide and her propeller shaft was recovered in 1913. There was a lovely postscript to this tale, many years later. Shortly after the opening of Seaford Museum, an exhibition on Shipwrecks was held. On the opening day of the exhibition, Pat Berry, chronicler of the museum for many years, was approached by descendants of the young lady of The Bay Hotel story who brought the story up to date . . . Captain Hardinge married her and took her back to the East with him – a happy-ever-after tale! The thrice-yearly Martello Magazine is out now and contains articles about Micklefield School and a possible medieval lighthouse on Seaford Head. The magazine is on sale at the Martello Tower and at Seaford Tourist Information Centre in Church Street.
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