The Bessie Gould was a ketch built in 1872 by William Westacott,in Barnstaple for Mr George Chugg. For several decades the Chugg family owned many of the vessels built and/or operating out of Barnstaple. He worked the boat for Mr William Gould, a local builder and timber merchant. I believe the boat was named after Mr Goulds chilean born wife, Elizabeth.
She would sail out to the Crow, Middle Ridges, Klondike and Zula sand/gravel banks where they would beach her at low tide and fill her hold with the sand/gravel. The crew would only have 2 or 3 hours between tides to load the gravel, which was loaded using a shovel carrying about 25lbs, which was thrown over the loader's shoulder into the hold.
The photograph shows her loading gravel on Crow Gravel Ridge in 1920 with l-r: George John Irwin, George Coates, Herbie Hartnoll, Shada Mullen, Tom Phillips, Geoprge Parkin and Harry Riddal. Seated: Frank Bowhill and Bertie Irwin. The dog was called Shep.
Floating off at high tide, she would return to Brunswick Wharf, which belonged to Mr Gould, and discharge the sand and gravel dredged from the nearby Taw Estuary.
Brunswick quay and Goulds warehouse on the River Yeo, are still preserved in Barnstaple. Mr Gould's residence, "Northgate House", stood between the warehouse in the picture and North Walk/Rolle St.
Until it closed in 1935, the Lynton and Barnstaple Railway track ran between the warehouse and Northgate House and crossed Rolle St by a gate controlled crossing.
This model was made with help from others and I would like to thank them for their contribution, in particular Captain Bazza.
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