19th Century Ipswich Suffolk Wet Dock – Original Family, Art & Maritime Archive. For Sale

EXTENSIVE 19TH CENTURY IPSWICH, SUFFOLK WET DOCK FAMILY ARCHIVE – ORIGINAL ARTWORK, MARITIME DOCUMENTS & HISTORICAL EPHEMERA An extensive and fascinating original family archive associated with Ipswich Wet Dock, Suffolk, preserving a remarkable range of historical material relating to local family and business history, art, maritime activity, social organisations and life around the waterfront during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. At the centre of this archive is the life and work of Herbert Charles Westgate (1866–1945), an Ipswich-born artist and designer associated with the historic Lock Tavern and Hotel at Ipswich Docks. This is far more than a conventional scrapbook or collection of newspaper cuttings. It contains a substantial body of original documents, artwork, educational records, correspondence, business papers and printed ephemera, bringing together several different aspects of one individual's life and working activities.ORIGINAL ARTWORK & ART COLLEGE DOCUMENTS One of the particularly interesting features of this collection is the material relating to Westgate's artistic training and achievements. Included are original drawings submitted in connection with his art college studies, including work relating to perspective, alongside his art college certificates, award-related documents and other artistic material. The collection also contains original drawings and artwork, together with correspondence and documents relating to commissions for his work. Westgate studied at the Ipswich School of Science & Art, receiving certificates in freehand drawing in 1880 and perspective in 1886. He exhibited at the Ipswich Fine Art Club from 1883 and at the Woodbridge Fine Art Exhibition in 1887. Three watercolours attributed to him are recorded in the Ipswich Borough Council collection, including views of Ipswich Dock and the Old Lock area. The surviving combination of original drawings, certificates and related paperwork makes this a particularly interesting archive for anyone researching Victorian art education, Suffolk artists and the development of an individual artist's career.IPSWICH WET DOCK & THE LOCK TAVERN The archive is closely connected with the historic Lock Tavern and Hotel at Ipswich Docks. Among the contents is a printed announcement concerning the succession of the tavern from Westgate's mother to him, together with a variety of menus, dinner programmes, invitations, notices and other material relating to the establishment and its activities. These items preserve a documentary record of the tavern, its functions and the social and commercial world associated with Ipswich's waterfront.MARITIME HISTORY – THE MERRIMAC Another notable component concerns the vessel Merrimac. Original documents within the archive identify Herbert Charles Westgate as steward of the vessel. The associated material includes passenger-licensing and insurance documents, along with menus and other printed ephemera connected with the boat. These papers provide a direct documentary link between Westgate and the vessel, adding an important maritime dimension to the wider family and business archive. The original documents are preserved as part of the collection, rather than being modern reproductions or later transcriptions.FAMILY, BUSINESS & SOCIAL HISTORY The archive contains a broad range of additional material, including: Letters and personal correspondence. Handwritten notes and family papers. Newspaper cuttings and historical references. Original printed announcements and notices. Dinner menus, banquet programmes and invitations. Material relating to artistic commissions. Business and tavern-related documentation. Ephemera associated with the Merrimac and its activities. Papers relating to organisations and institutions with which Westgate was involved, including the Oddfellows and the AOC. Further printed and handwritten material not yet individually catalogued. The visible contents include Victorian printed material relating to Ipswich and Oddfellows functions, including examples dated October 1895. The collection is therefore relevant to several overlapping areas of historical research: Ipswich local history, the Wet Dock and waterfront, Victorian social life, public-house history, maritime activity, original art and design, and family history.AN ORIGINAL ARCHIVE FOR FURTHER RESEARCH What makes this collection distinctive is the range of material preserved together. Original artwork and educational records sit alongside business documents, correspondence, maritime paperwork, menus and ephemera. Taken together, these materials offer the opportunity to investigate the life and activities of an Ipswich individual through surviving primary-source documents. The full contents have not been individually catalogued, and there may be further details of historical interest within the archive that have not yet been fully researched. There is a large amount of local newspaper clippings and scrapbook ephemera realed to yachts and maritime history around the dock etc, shown are some of the artifacts included but not limited to. This is offered as a substantial historical collection for a buyer interested in its contents as a whole.CONDITION The scrapbook and its contents show considerable age and wear. The binding is worn, and the pages exhibit distortion, deterioration and other age-related damage. Individual documents may have creases, tears, staining, brittleness and signs of prolonged storage and handling. The material is fragile and should be handled carefully. Condition varies across the collection, and not every individual item has been examined or separately assessed. Please study the photographs carefully and take the described condition into account when purchasing.SALE An extensive original family and business archive associated with 19th-century Ipswich Wet Dock, Suffolk, encompassing original artwork, art college drawings and certificates, maritime documents, tavern material, correspondence, family papers and historical ephemera. A substantial collection offered together, with considerable scope for further research into the people, places, artistic work and activities represented within it. Please refer to the listing photographs for examples of the material.

140 to 150 pages

Large size 14 inches high by 10.5 wide and 5.5 thick, packed full..