Lot 82: John Russell Chancellor (British, 1925-1984) Heading for London with a full load

Heading for London with a full load
signed 'John Chancellor' (lower right)
watercolour
36.2 x 54.5cm (14 1/4 x 21 7/16in).

LITERATURE :
John Chancellor, The Maritime Paintings of John Chancellor, David & Charles, Newton Abbot, 1st ed., 1984, pp. 62-65.

Given the height of the stack when the barges were loaded to capacity, a ladder was often rigged at either end to enable the mate to clamber over the hull if required. However, the difficulties in handling a deep-laden vessel under these conditions were considerable, not least when the barges were beating up the crowded Thames or approaching their berths in the city in order to unload. A good passage from an Essex [hay] farm into London usually took twenty-four hours although there was often much time wasted at anchor waiting for the tide.