RECENT & HISTORICAL HERITAGE NARRATIVE

ON BOARD THE HISTORIC CRAFT OF THE COUPER COLLECTION

The Couper Collection was selected as a Focus Site of both of the official London String of Pearls Festivals on the River Thames in 2000 & 2002.

  It was launched as a public charitable site, in the Chelsea Reach location, in 1998, and was symbolically registered in 1999 by the Home Secretary at the opening ceremony of the then new Charity Commission building in London.

In 2006, Time Out described the Couper Collection as; “London’s last remaining fleet of historic Thames barges on their ancient moorings”.

“Most of the converted historic barges and tugboat, are in fact entire artworks as art installations, and are thus indivisible from the barges themselves, many of which have been modified way beyond their original intended function as cargo lighters.”; Max Couper, 3 December 2014.

All the art on board the Collection, created by Max Couper, and by local children, in one way or another, comments upon, or reflects, the Thames. “The Couper Collection, assembled over the past 15 years, and including one of the finest and largest collections of children’s art in England”; Dame Judi Dench, expert culture witness and supporter of the Collection, 15 May 2014.

“The Couper Collection holds, in many ways, the collective memory of the (Chelsea) community” The Rector of Chelsea, Rev Leathard, 3 December 14.

“It is highly desirable that the collection be returned to the public domain” Dr Chris Stephens, Head of Displays & Lead Curator (Modern British Art) Tate Britain, 9 November 2015.

On 22 November 2015, The Chelsea Society, expressed that; “we, like Tate Britain, wish to see the preservation of this interesting and unique collection of artefacts”.

A CHELSEA RIVER ARTS CENTRE

(A term coined in early 2016, by the Chelsea Society)

In June 2016, the Couper family visited the Weald and Downland Museum near Chichester in Sussex - where historic buildings, working farmsteads, outbuildings and memorabilia, have been reassembled from all over Sussex.

It reminded the Couper’s of their own Collection of historic Thames barges, reassembled from across the River Thames in a single location, on the beach at Chelsea Reach.

Both these public museum collections, are of a somewhat similar size – of roughly some 10,000 square feet, of internal public-heritage space? And both represent the economic heritage upon which the London and Sussex communities were built. (So many London Thames-side villages grew up, precisely where they now are, because of an adjacent hard beach for lighters to be unloaded from. Lighters existed, literally, to ‘lighten’ the load of largerships anchored below Tower Bridge.)

Later in June 2016, whilst visiting Sussex’s West Wittering beach at low tide, with their 8 year old daughter, the Couper’s realized, that of all public spaces, where people of every walk of life, and ages, are happy to intermingle - the beach and its foreshore, is foremost among the most convivial, and traditional.

THE HISTORIC CRAFT OF THE COUPER COLLECTION

The Couper Collection consists of a fleet of 9 traditional Thames barges (also known as lighters), and a Thames ‘Tosher’ tug - converted as art installations, and as a floating arts/Thames heritage centre. They are a comprehensive collection of various typical types of converted Thames former cargo lighters, built in Thames boatyards in the era from 1900 to 1970 - from 50 ton, up to 1000 ton capacity.

From 1979 to 2013. they were then converted to various artistic uses by Thames artist Max Couper and his wife Magdalena.

Like the former turbine hall of Tate Britain, Couper’s barges are remnants of London’s industrial past, that have been cannibalized, and re-invented, for a modern use.

The lighters’ previous open-cargo-holds, have been converted and roofed-over, by Big Lottery, Heritage Lottery Fund, City Bridge Trust, Tata Steel, and various City guild's charitable funds - to convert them into public exhibition barges. Complete with on-board public access, washroom & refreshment facilities, central-heating, exhibition & educational facilities, maintenance facilities, and river-view windows.

THE COLLECTION’S TUGBOAT PABLO

The tug 'Pablo' is a former London Dock Tug (of a type known then as a ‘tosher tug’). She was built in Wivenhoe Essex in the 1930’s, and was known originally as The Showery. She was re-engined in the 1960’s with a six cylinder 180hp Gardiner diesel engine, and swings a 4ft 6in, 4-bladed, towing propeller. Her dimensions are 36ft x 10ft, x 4.6" draft, airdraft 7ft, and weighing 20 ton deadweight. She was exhibited as part of Max Couper’s solo exhibitions and performances at the Museum of Contemporary Art Antwerp in 1996, and at the Sprengel Museum Hanover in 1997 - when, from a crane, an imprint of her hull was cast out of clay and sand, within the Sprengel Museum itself.

THE COLLECTION’S MATCHING PAIR OF ‘OPERA BARGES’

The Collection’s 60 ft long, 50 ton capacity 'opera-barge' lighters, are traditionally known as ‘punts’, which since 1910 were normally ‘driven’ by one or two men with the tide, with 30 ft oars known as ‘sweeps’.

They typically transporting coal from Silvertown in East London, to the power station at Chelsea Creek. The punt’s lighterman, it is said, often returned home to East London overnight, with his 30ft barge-pole stored on the roof of the trams, that then used to run from Chelsea to Silvertown. And returned only when the tide was beginning to ebb at high tide in daylight.

Alternately, such ‘punt-lighter-men’, would take the tide out with a cargo of coal, to ships anchored out in the Thames Estuary. Part of the skill was the use of the barge-pole to ‘fix quickly’ to a moored ship or wharf. Couper was told many stories of how, occasionally, if they failed to get a fix, the punt full of coal would drift out to sea with the ebb tide, having missed the ship - resulting in the ‘punt-man’ having to wait to come back in again with the punt many hours later, when the tide had finally turned, ‘from ebb to flood’.

The ‘sweeps’ were simply used to navigate the ‘punt’ between the bridges, or to alongside a berth or ship - not to actually propel the ‘punt’. That was the work of the incoming ‘spring tide’ or the outgoing ‘ebb tide’.

The ‘puntsmen’ always used to come up river on what is known as the ‘young flood’ - which is the period when the tide has just started to flood in – or indeed shortly after the ‘fleeting moment’ (which is the moment when a Thames lighter comes afloat from the foreshore, with the incoming tide).

'Barge to Pablo', is a riveted swim-ended lighter/punt, 60ft x 14ft x 2ft draft, & 30 ton deadweight, circa 1910. (Similar to punts used in the annual Thames barge race). She was converted in 2000 (financed by the then Government Office for London) with a retractable 80ft mast, as a focus for the 2000 London Millennium Night Celebration on the Thames.

Later she was used in Couper’s Fleeting Opera, for Close of Parliament 2000, performed by the Royal Opera, Royal Ballet and Judi Dench. Airdraft of the mast retracted is 8ft. Plus a generator onboard.

She was widely exhibited in 1996/7 in Germany, Belgium, Holland and France, after being towed by Couper across the Channel by his Tug Pablo.

The 30 Ton 'Barge to Pablo', was then craned-out, and balanced, on a steel fulcrum, as part of Couper’s 1997 Steel Fulcrum installation in the City of Dusseldorf. Two of the largest springs ever forged, that take four men to lift, that originally supported the main turbine of London’s former Fulham Power Station, were then positioned under each end of the barge, finely balanced on a specially constructed steel fulcrum, at the exact point of balance amidship.

The movement of the public inside the barge’s hold, then animated the entire installation. Once moving - the springs cushioned and perpetuated the pivot movement. Surprisingly, the entire 30 ton weight of the barge, could also be animated from below by the force of a single person’s arm. As in water, 30 tons of weight becomes easily manageable, once finely balanced in air.

The  ‘Angelica',  ‘opera  barge’,  is  a  unique  galvanised  riveted swim-  ended lighter/punt, 60ft x 14ft x 3ft draft. (Also similar to barges used in the annual Thames barge race). 40 ton deadweight, Retractable 80ft mast. Airdraft with mast retracted; 8ft. Circa 1910. As used also by Couper, for the 2000 London Millennium Night Celebration on the Thames, and in Couper’s Fleeting Opera 2000.

THE PERMANENT COLLECTION ‘EX-HARRY BARRY BARGES’

This matching pair of 86 ft 250 ton capacity lighters, heavily built for high value cargos such as butter, 1960s Charlton built, were last used commercially by the infamous Harry Barry of Thames Marine - for the construction of the Thames Flood Barrier, for Thames Water. They were towed up to six at a time, in two lines, of 3 abreast, by the Tosher tug Pablo. After purchase from Harry Barry, Couper roofed them over in the late 1980’s and converted them to dedicated art installation barges.

'Arctic Sun' is a welded swim-ended lighter of 86ft x 25ft X 2ft 6in draft, 100 ton dead weight. Circa mid 1960's. Airdraft 7ft. Roofed over by Couper with opening top skylight hatches and staircase forward. Dedicated as a ‘Chart Room Barge’ installation, a ‘Permanent Thames Art Collection Barge’ and ‘Thames Artifact Installation’.

'Bay Berg' is a welded swim-ended lighter of 86ft x 25ft X 3ft draft, 150 ton dead weight. Circa mid 1960's. Airdraft 6ft. Roofed over by Couper with opening top skylight hatches and staircase forward. Dedicated as a ‘Studio Barge’, a ‘Permanent Thames Art Collection Barge’ and ‘Thames Artifact Installation’, including the costumes and set of the Collection’s Fleeting Opera 2000.

THAMES MEMORABILIA IN THE PERMANENT COLLECTION BARGES

Among the Thames memorabilia onboard the Collection, Couper’s Permanent Collection Barges contain the colossal main turbine lifting hook from Battersea Power Station; one of the last existing examples of Britain’s pioneer air-to-air missiles, The Firestreak; and a range of historic lightermens’ tools & artefacts. Also, the mysterious ‘lost’ book, that describes nuclear fission, discovered by Couper washed-up on an East Coast beach – plus some extraordinary & strange creatures discovered and documented by Couper in the Thames.

THE COLLECTION’S 2 1000 TON-CAPACITY FORMER WHEAT BARGES

These two huge lighters, 120ft long & 1000 ton in capacity, and among the largest ever built alongside the Thames, were also built in Charlton in the 1970's. They were used for transporting grain, for a decade, until containerisation finished the Thames Tideway lighterage trade in the 1980's.

'Wendy' is a welded swim-ended lighter of 120ft x 30ft X 3ft draft, 250 ton dead weight. Airdraft 14ft. Circa 1973. Open-top unroofed garden-barge, four 3m x 2m windows cut into the starboard side. 1 crate of glass inside. Steel plates and beams stored on decks and forward cabin, 3/4 ton. Dedicated as the ‘Sky Garden Barge’.

'Lin' is a welded swim-ended lighter of 120ft x 30ft X 3ft draft, 250 ton dead weight. Airdraft 14ft. Circa 1973.

Roofed & dedicated Water Tractor Installation barge, created and assembled by Couper between 2003 and 2013.It contains the 6 ton river-tested Water Tractor. This is designed by Couper, whilst underway and driven by tug Pablo, to gouge great swirling holes in the water. It was tested successfully underway on the Thames during 2010.

The Lin has two 2m x 1m doors cut into the hull sides, at the aft end of the hold. It currently also contains the Fulcrum former Fulham Power Station turbine springs.

THE 300 TON CAPACITY FORMER COAL BARGE ‘ANGELICA’

'Angelica', is a unique design of riveted swim-ended lighter 86ft x 28ft X 3ft draft, 250 ton dead weight - which had specially modified stand-alone ‘steel pencil tubes’ at each end, which proved a spectacular engineering failure.

She now has extensive riverview studios and workshops. Airdraft 14ft. Circa 1920. Roofed with 1m sq windows cut all the way down and into the starboard side of the hull, with 3ft walkway alongside. Presently there is a 30ft brow stored on the roof and 4 crates of glass, 1 ton each.

HM BRITTANNIA’S FORMER THAMES DOCKING PONTOON – THE ‘Z6’

The 'Z6' is the former docking pontoon that used to be used exclusively by HM Britannia on her visits to London, when she was moored on the Thames - which was eventually donated to the Collection. She is a converted former 86ft welded lighter, with both swim ends removed. She is now 60ft x 25ft x 4ft draft. Airdraft 8ft. Circa 1965.

She is dedicated as a ‘Children's Thames-inspired Art Exhibition Barge and Workshop’. Windows were installed by Couper, both fore and aft, through the former collision bulkheads.

THE SWIM-END SHAKESPEARE DESIGN LIGHTERS

The Couper Collection barges, as London heritage, collectively represent the C20th history and development of the Shakespeare Design Swim-ended Thames Lighter. The two in the Collection, from the 1970's, are among the very last and largest lighters ever built on the Thames - after a history of evolving over 400 years. All barges since the 1970's are not Thames built, but square box shaped lighters from Eastern Europe, or of Dutch design - unlike the beautiful Thames Shakespeare design lighter, with its curved, rolling, & running three-dimensional formwork, built just by eye.

All tideway barges in England, Germany and Holland are historically known as lighters, or Lichters - which literally means 'to lighten a big ship'. Fleets of lighters, for example in the Pool of London, used to surround a ship recently arrived in the Port of London.

The advent of containerisation made lighterage redundant on tidal rivers throughout Europe. The trade was transferred to deeper-draft ships, which can only dock at deep-water coastal ports such as Felixstowe. From where the cargo is ‘lightened’ by containers and then taken by road.

Almost all the villages in London grew up wherever there was a hard beach, so that carts could be driven down to waiting lighters. Such as at Chelsea. Chelsea literally derives from, and means ‘Chalk-Eye or island’, with its chalky beach, very visible at low tide alongside Chelsea Old Church.

Battersea as a name, derives simply from Batters’ Eye, or island. (In both names the ending ‘eye’ later evolved to the ending ‘ea’.)

THE COLLECTION’S DIAMOND JUBILEE BRIDGE

'The Couper Collection Diamond Jubilee Bridge' - inclusive design by Couper, with engineering calculations by his old colleague engineer Jane Wernick.

10 ton deadweight 15m x 2m, tested, pivoting land to pontoon brow. Launch in the presence of HM The Queen & The Prince of Wales in 2012.

THE COLLECTION’S SHERMAN TANK US-NAVY PONTOONS

THE 45 floats and pontoons, that support the Couper Collection access works, were last used in Operation Plunder, the Anglo-American-Canadian assault under Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery to cross the northern Rhine River in