Amongst the many photographs held at Glamorgan Archives is a set of maritime images that were donated with the papers of J.J. Neale, co-owner of Neale and West, the Cardiff wholesale fish merchants. Many feature the company’s trawler fleet that operated out of Cardiff and Milford Haven. There is also a small collection of photographs of vessels that were seen, at the time, as ‘something special’ – and the Barque Favell certainly fitted that description.
The barque Favell entering Falmouth Bay, June 1930 (DX194/7/5)
Favell was the last deep sea sailing ship built in Bristol by Charles Hill and Sons, and was named after a great granddaughter of the founder of the company. Launched in 1895 the barque, with her three masts, steel hull and sleek lines, was well matched for the trade between Britain and Australia carrying grain. The three photographs are all from 1930 when the Favell with up to 20 other vessels, referred to as ‘windjammers’, took part in the annual race from Australia carrying grain. She was the second windjammer to arrive at Falmouth that year having completed the trip in 115 days. It might have been thought that taking a sailing ship around Cape Horn was more than enough for her crew of 26 but, on the outward journey, a cyclone off the Cape Verde Islands had stripped the Favell of every sail but one.
The barque Favell ‘off the horn’, 1930 (DX194/7/4)
It was quite an occasion when Favell arrived at Cardiff docks on 11 September 1934 carrying two thousand tons of grain for Spillers’ Mills. There were photographs of the Favell in the local papers, along with an interview with one of her crew who had worked for the Hain Steamship Company. The journey from Australia that year had taken 149 days and he described the ‘mountainous seas’ encountered after they had ‘flown’ around Cape Horn. At one point a member of the crew had been transferred to the liner Monowai by ship’s sling for medical treatment, yet he concluded that …sail life is grand and I would like to see it revived in our own country.
The truth of the matter was that it no longer made sound business sense to use sailing ships to import grain from Australia. The Favell had been sustained in its latter years by the opportunities that it provided for those who needed sailing experience as part of securing their mate’s certificates. From Cardiff she left for Helsingfors in Finland and the breakers yard. Passing Lands End on her final journey the local papers reported seeing the barque …with all her sails set providing a beautiful spectacle for those who were fortunate enough to see her.
The photograph of Favell entering Falmouth in 1930 is very similar to a photograph that was featured in the Pacific Steam Navigation Company magazine, Sea Breezes, in 1931. It was in an accompanying article that her captain, Sten Lille, described her as ‘My Little Bristol Beauty’. Favell is still fondly remembered by the seafaring community in Bristol and features on the emblem of the Bristol Shiplovers’ Society. There is also a painting and model of the Favell in the city’s museum. Another model can be seen in London at the National Maritime Museum. The three photographs of the Barque Favell are part of the collection held at Glamorgan Archives under reference DX194/7/3-5.
Tony Peters, Glamorgan Archives Volunteer
Glamorgan Archives 