Some old wood with a lot of history.........

[The History Man]

Was cruising gumtree for garden furniture when I came across this old table for very little locally so snapped it up, popped round, had a chat and was shown a small plaque on the underside...…..

The hand made brass hinges and casters, brass screws and level of craftsmanship started to make sense.

 

[The History Man]

I did a little research and was very pleased to find a great deal of information on the history of the yacht and the shipyard that bought it and broke it up in 1935.

The 1903 vessel was undoubtedly my table

"HMS Enchantress was built by Harland & Wolff, a British heavy industrial company specializing in shipbuilding and offshore construction, located in Belfast, Northern Ireland. This famous company would later build the three White Star giants, Olympic, Titanic and Britannic. The cost of the Enchantress was £131,000 (£13 million in today’s money) and the ship was launched at Belfast on 7 November 1903. Purchased by the Royal Navy for members of the Admiralty Board and the First Lord, she was the fourth of five Royal Navy ships named HMS Enchantress. Of the other four, the only vessel that became an Admiralty yacht was a dispatch vessel launched in 1862."

And to further increase interest.....

"Winston Churchill was appointed First Lord of the Admiralty effective 25 October 1911. His new office, the most exalted to date, came with two excellent benefits. First was his official residence, Admiralty House. Second was the Admiralty yacht HMS Enchantress, a superbly built vessel of 4000 tons, aboard which he would visit hundreds of naval establishments and ships in the British Isles and the Mediterranean."

And here it is.






“Under His Master’s Eye”: Enchantress, on the Mediterranean. Mr. Churchill: “Any home news?” Prime Minister Asquith: “How can there be with you here?” Leonard Ravenhill in Punch, 21 May 1913.

 

[The History Man]

Another pleasing coincidence: The Hughes Bolckow Shipbreaking Company bought an airfileld and associated buildings to store their purchases and manufacture goods for retail around the country at Marske-by-the-Sea. This was in the period this table would have been produced and sold.

Some of you may be aware that I am in the process of buying a house in North Yorkshire for which this table will be needed. Marske is about 300 miles north of Swindon, the place I bought the table, BUT six miles along the coast from my new house! :shock:

 

[xxnick1975]

Re:

Wow. Great story and from what I can see a very attractive table

 

[Retro Spud]

My god - you must still be salivating over your find

What’s your plans for it ? Perhaps add an extra two legs, have each of the slats stained a different colours of the rainbow or bore small holes in it and fit countersunk LED lights ?

 

[The History Man]

Teak oil. And love.

Nothing else.

 

[dyna-ti]

A great find and ro have the history with it just makes it super special, especially that history.

With you on oil alone though maybe gently using FINEST grade steel wool(The type we use for french polishing, not the cheapo stuff, and some meths to kind of 'wash' the surface without taking off any colour. Like if you meths and a cloth soaks up the colour and you lose it, but fine steel wool you wash it about the place and it makes it more uniform.

A labour of love you have there bud

 

[The History Man]

I’m quite liking the patina of perhaps the steps of Winston rather than probably the burns of barbecue. So just a gentle brush and a few coats of oil.

 

[The History Man]

Spent a very pleasant afternoon applying oil to Winston.

 

[legrandefromage]

Teak oil. And love.

Nothing else.

ok but what about the table?