Boats at Withy Mead Nature Reserve

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The information in this page was taken from the archives of the Goring and Streatley Local History Society, with their kind permission.

The S.E.Saunders Boatyard, run by Samuel Saunders, was moved here to South Stoke from Goring in 1890. It is thought to have been founded by his father Cornelius in about 1870. The business was a thriving concern, producing many famous motorboats for Governments and for many eminent people. In 1906 Saunders was reported to be building a boat propelled by the reaction of air jets, and floating on a 'cushion' of air - the forerunner of the hovercraft. He eventually moved to Cowes and was joined by A.V.Roe, to form the Saunders Roe Company with Samuel as first president.

The Springfield works, at South Stoke, are now almost completely derelict. Traces of the slipway remain, and the boat shed, but the waterways are impassable and scarcely recognisable. It is difficult to imagine in today's quiet backwater the bustle and noise there must have been - but fortunately some photographs were taken at the time, mostly taken around 1902 and 1903.

This page last updated  April 26th, 2005 by emg