Landamores

[Springsong]

I have started this thread so as not to drift the thread that Sirdar started on the Banham yard.

Landamores was started in 1923 by Edward (Ted) Landamore somewhere near Wroxham Bridge moving to the Marsh road site in the thirties. The buildings on the right of the roads consisted of the wet Vesta shed on the right the building sheds and the offices which originally was Teds home. Across the road was the Vestella wet shed. He had a fleet of boats none of which I believe remain, as you can from the embroidery plaque the parents hired Cameo in 1940, regretably I have never seen any photos from this holiday.

The first Vestas were built at the Marsh Rd site in the late thirties, these were built in quite large numbers, it is difficult to know exactly how many as I believe some were built for private owners and some of the early ones were sold off and the remaining hire boats renumbered.The Vestellas came later and then the Velanders. By the mid fifties Lesley Landamore was working with his father at the yard.

I shall be back shortly.

[Springsong]

Back again

Right through their years as hire fleet operators they were also building for private owners Lesley was a naval architect among other accomplishments. He designed the lapstrake system for building dinghies just using glue, they built 40' otter offshore cruisers, he designed the Bittern dinghy, he was also a Broadsman being with Herbert Woods when they "opened up" Blackhorse Broad.

He always listened to his hirers, he seemed to get on with the father and when it came to naming the new cruiser father I seem to recall came up with Velander, the Ve continuity from the vestas etc and Lander from Landamores of course. Father would always complain of the lack of anywhere to put his morning tea whilst lying in his bunk. The next year a cunning little pull out shelf appeared built into the bunk. Talking of bunks, whilst on most boats one had to make up a bunk in the saloon every night on "Elanco craft" the back rest of the saloon seat swung down and that was your bunk, meaning that it could be left made up through the day very ingenious. Another design plus I though was whereas most designs of the era placed the galley in the forepeak or just aft of it Landamores placed theirs just forward of the cockpit thus enabling the helm to converse with the cook whilst going along. My mother used to sit on the cockpit steps and use the engine covers as a worktop for spud bashing and mashing etc.

It was somewhere around 1965 that fibre glass was first used at Landamores or more correctly at Aquafibre at Neatishead, many of the dinghies you see around today came from molds taken from 9' 6" and 11' 6" lapstrake dinghies.

I have of course forgotten in all this the Vestina, the little 2 berth cruisers with the engine under the fore deck.

They built far to many boats to record here but of course now are heavily involved with thev fitting out of the Oyster range of yachts which has necessitated a move from the old yard. I hope this does not cause problems in this current climate but they are a very resourceful family, last time the trade was in the doldrums they started making ironing boards and stepladders and the like. Tragically Lesley died at a relatively young age but third generation Anthony seems to be carrying on the traditions in fine fashion.

The pictures below show

a. An original Vestella circa 1960.

b. A vestella after the windows were enlarged to make them lighter and more modern looking in the early to mid sixties.

c. Vestella 6 after she came back from Ramsgate having been stolen. She was called Loupe de Mer when spotted by an eagle eyed fisherman. Early sixties I think.

d. Vesta at Horning Ferry in 1947 father at the helm.

e. An embroidery mother did over a period of years showing the Broads and our holidays on them.

[AdnamsGirl]

Some more great photos as usual Barry!!

There are a series of pictures of one of the early 30s 4-berth cruisers which Ted Landamore built, on which the later Vestas were modelled, in the 1900-1930s Gallery on Broadland Memories:

http://www.broadlandmemories.co.uk/page14.html

The boat this party hired was called Kaori .... sister ships also had the Japanese themed names of Myori, Ikari, Omori, Tama, Nikko and Delta, Wanda and Melba.

For anyone that is interested in reading more about landamores history, there was an excellent book witten by John Yaxley called "The Elanco Story" which was published in 1998. It is now out of print, I believe, but copies often turn up on Ebay. The Museum Of The Broads did have a few copies for sale, but I think they have now sold out!

P.S. Should this and Sirdar's Banhams thread be in the Historic Broads section rather than general Broads related chat?

Carol

[Brian]

Yes with Barrys Permmission i will move this to the Historic area.

Is that OK Barry ?

[AdnamsGirl]

Yes ... of course with Barry's permission ... sorry I should have said!

It would just be shame to see a thread which contains such interesting and valuable information and photographs about Broadland's history, such as Barry has provided here and also Sirdar in the Banham's "Cruiser" thread, just disappear amongst more topical and general Broads related chat. My thoughts were that if I was looking for information regarding aspects of Broadlands past ... boatyards included ... then the "Historic Broads" section would be my first port of call.

I'm not being bossy .... honest!

[Springsong]

Yes of course that is alright, thanks for asking.

Carol of course you are bossy that's why we love you.

[Springsong]

Hi Sirdar

You asked about the one that was stolen. We nearly always went on the Broads in the spring and sometimes in August as well. This particular year was May 1957 and I am fairly sure we had booked Vestella 6. I don't know the facts, but I think we were supposed to be on her but we had to be given another boat because she had only just come back from Ramsgate.

Vestella 6 had been hired by a young couple with a young child. The end of the hire period came and no boat returned. I think there was quite an amount of press coverage, so having searched the Broads they thought she must have slipped out of Yarmouth alongside a coaster.

A trifle risky at best I should have thought. Anyway a sharp eyed fisherman at Ramsgate spotted her moored alongside another ship and the police were called. Many jerry cans full of petrol were found along with nappies drying strung across the cockpit. The weather had caught them out, their intention being to nip across the Channel to France and one assumes either sell it or live the life.

If you look very closely at the bow below the porthole you can just see the number painted out, he should have removed them as that is what the fisherman found odd.

Thats me holding the life belt it must have been around my Birthday, a great Birthday present for an eight year old, pirates and all that. :

[Broadlander3]

Fabulous stuff Barry...and the photographs exellent...52yrs ago this year and what a story...Swallows and Amazons for real... : :

And you were part of it...Amazing who we bump into on this SPOT ON site

Keep it up...Loving it... for now...Terry

[AdnamsGirl]

Bossy? BOSSY !!! Hey ... I freely admit to be a terrible nag where getting old photos and memories of the Broads out of people is concerned ... but bossy?

Oh alright .... maybe just a little bit then ...

Carol

[jillR]

nice one carol

i love old piccies

jill

[Guest sirdar]

Hi Springsong

Fantastic thread and nice pics. Is that right there are no remaining Vesta/Vestella craft about? I have seen Velandra Snow Goose and even a Vestina ( River Lee near Ware) but am amazed no Vesta or Vestella. Tragic. Class craft

PS thanks for info re the " stolen " cruiser that is the story I had heard. Dont think Id fanct open sea/ thames estaury in one.

Regards Sirdar

[Springsong]

Hi Sirdar

Yes there are still some around although not many on the Broads I think. There is the one below even though this was taken in 2007 she was certainly around last year as well.

I believe there is an early Vesta down south somewhere possibly Beccles. Still not a bad looking boat, but I think I prefer the earlier windows.

[Morris Man]

Hi to follow on Snowgoose was called Eclan I think and was the only one they builr as it had twin engines but a single rudder she is nor on the southern rivers as a live aboard I think, there is a Vesta at the end of woods dyke, I have what I think was valanda 1 that we have been restoring for the last 5 years. There is a book that you can get from Landamores that tels you all about the boats and the company.

Robin

[Springsong]

Hi Robin

The Vesta you mentioned from Woods Dyke is the one in the picture above. I didn't realise you had a Velanda I would love to see some pictures, where do you have her if it's not a in a secret location ?

[Springsong]

Here is another Landamore boat a 19ft day boat. Based on the vestina hull shape wise at least.

The whole roof slid back so that the passengers were in the open, all in all a pretty little boat of which about 11 or 12 I think were built.