The Harwich Treadwheel Crane (EHER 52)

Old Naval Yard Crane or The Harwich Treadwheel Crane; 17th to early 18th century crane, moved to present site in 1930. It is situated near the eastern shore of the Harwich peninsula. The crane, which is Listed Grade II*, is housed in a rectangular structure, with the boom or jib protruding from the eastern (seaward) end. The timber framed housing has four bays (some parts indicating the reuse of ships' timbers), the two eastern bays strengthened with angled supports (inverted kneelers) to carry the weight of the loaded jib, and the two end frames cross braced. Shiplapped weatherboards cover the lower two-thirds of the structure, with open frames for light beneath the hipped roof. The roof is clad in pantiles over the main section and felt over the jib, replacing wooden boards recorded prior to its relocation. The crane is thought to have been erected in 1667 on the orders of the Duke of York, as a part of a renewed phase of activity in the naval dockyard established at Harwich in 1657. It originally stood some 200 metres to the north, near the modern pilots' station and the former site of the Napoleonic 'Bathside Bay' battery.

Original HER entry merged with NRHE data import. `House crane' erected at a cost of 392 pounds in 1666-1667 at the Naval Yard by order of the Duke of York. It was operated on the tread wheel principle, men walking inside two wheels of 16' diameter. <1> <2> Three photos in SMR. <3> It was moved to present site in 1932. The crane is worked by two wheels and a projecting jib. The building is weatherboarded. Roof originally boarded, now has pantile. All enclosed in stout iron fence. <4> An Old Navy Yard bell, inscribed John Darby 1666 with stamp CR, is hung in the crane house. <5> Treadwheel crane on Harwich Green. <6> <7> Site Management: The crane originally stood in the Naval Yard. In around 1928 this yard passed into the hands of the Harwich Conservancy Board who, wishing to develop the yard for commercial purposes, offered the crane as a gift to Harwich Town Council, and it was dismantled and re-erected on the northern edge of Harwich Green in 1932. <2> It was scheduled as SAM 72 in 1948. <1> The date of construction of the crane has been a subject of speculation for many years, some believing that it was made in the seventeenth century. more recent studies have suggested that it was contemporaneous with the wheelhouse. Tree ring analysis revealed that both crane and wheelhouse used very fast-grown oaks with few annual rings. Only two samples were able to be dated, one from the crane jib and the other from the wheelhouse. The wheelhouse timber was most likely felled in the period 1739-69 AD and the jib timber most likely felled between 1792-1824 AD. There is no evidence to support either the contemporaneity of the wheelhouse and crane, nor their possible 17th century origin. <9> The scheduled monument includes a 17th century harbour crane, relocated in 1932, (when the dockyard area was redeveloped), and now situated near the eastern shore of the Harwich Peninsula. The crane is housed in a rectangular structure, measuring 8m by 4.5m with the boom or jib protruding from the eastern (seaward) end. The timber framed housing has four bays (some parts indicating the reuse of ships timbers).Ship lapped weatherboards cover the lower two thirds of the structure with open frames beneath the hipped roof. The roof is now tiled although before it was relocated the roof was of timber. The pair of 5m diameter spoked wooden treadwheels are carried on a central north-south axle. The man-powered wheels would have wound an iron chain. The crane is thought to have been erected in 1667 on the orders of the Duke of York. It originally stood some 200m to the north. <10> According to source <2> it is thought to be 17th century rather than 18th as in 1774 'capstan' technology was in use. Site Assessment = Probably the only remaining example of the application of treadwheels to a crane. <5> General description and background information <11> Drawings and photos by Cecil Hewett <12> Recording of the crane and repairs were carried out in 1999. <13> 7 b/w photos of crane taken in 1999<14> 20 photos (most with duplicates) taken by BJC on 22/6/99 of crane and timbers during repair.<15> 7 colour slides taken 1999. <16> Historic building assessment, 2021 The external structure of the crane was completely renewed in 1999 and the previous jib dendro-dated to 1792-1824 now lies rotting on the ground. A detail of the remarkable hollow timber which guides the jib chain and secures a horizontal pulley in its forked end. The lower section has been renewed, as indicated by the diagonal scarf joint in the centre, leaving only its left-hand section intact where it enjoys the protection of the distinctive semi-circular roof. A detail of the carving to the new jib of 1999, which is already showing signs of decay. This was intended to reflect the decoration of its early-19th century predecessor which appears to have been less elaborate but is now too badly decayed to be certain. <20> Aerial photographs were taken of the site as part of ongoing SM monitoring <21> Some of the crane's timberwork has been replaced, but the structure is largely original and in good condition. <26> No Change <27> Additional references <25> - <31>