The Pilot House - the Automatic Tide Signalling Apparatus (in preparation)
Glebe Primary School
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In the mid-19th century, there existed a Tide Telegraph, located on sand hills where the Blue Billie Bing is today. It is shown on the 1856 OS map, but was only a memory by the 1890s. It was a simple signal station where balls were hoisted to indicate the depth of water on the bar, in the charge (c. 1840) of an old man named Tom Tennant who also acted as ferryman across the river. In 1905 Harbour Master Martin Boyd invented up-to-date technology to restore this important service - his "Automatic Tide Signalling Apparatus", described below. Opened in 1906, it displayed round-the-clock information on the depth of water, allowing ship captains to know whether they could safely enter the harbour.
Photos etc to come
- in preparation
- in preparation
- in preparation
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