Rusty but interesting stationary engines on Suffolk coast

John Webber reports on a trip to Aldeburgh, and the discovery of a number of rusty but interesting stationary engines.

Recently my wife and I took a short break in Aldeburgh, which is a charming town on the Suffolk coast. While walking along the stony beach, we came across a number of large sheds from which fishermen were selling fresh fish, shell fish, crabs and lobsters etc; a lovely sight to see these days.

In between these sheds I noticed some ‘rusty iron’ covered with planks and plywood which, to me, looked interesting and so warranted a closer look. What I found was the remains of several old engines, some complete with their winches in-situ. It was obvious that they had been used to pull small fishing vessels back up onto the stony beach on their return from fishing trips.

Many of the engines were too far-gone to photograph in any detail, although I did manage to get passable photos of a few of the better survivors, some complete with marine Lister twin-cylinder engines attached. The makers’ name plates were difficult to read; hopefully the details I took are correct. In addition to the engines, there were several old wooden-hulled fishing boats lain around, slowly decaying.

A little further along the beach we came across a completely enclosed wooden structure with an exhaust and silencer sticking out from one side; sadly I wasn’t able to see what lurked within!

This feature comes from the latest issue of Stationary Engine, and you can get a money-saving subscription to this magazine simply by clicking HERE