Harwich - Treadwheel Crane II
by Richard Reeve
Title
Harwich - Treadwheel Crane II
Artist
Richard Reeve
Medium
Photograph - Photograph
Description
Built in 1667 at the cost of £392 on the site of the Naval Yard, now Navyard Wharf, it was moved in about 1932 to its present site on a a slight eminence where once stood "Queens Mount" a battery for the defence of Harwich.
The crane is worked on the tread wheel principle, and is operated by two men walking in the interior of the wheels. There are two wheels producing balanced action, each wheel being 16ft in diameter and 3ft 10ins wide. The wheels are spaced 4ft apart on a common axle. the jib has a projection of 17ft 10ins
The earliest known reference to this type of crane was by the Romans in 25BC. By the Middle Ages such cranes were common in the UK. However, by the end of the 17th century these cranes had only one drum and the power was supplied by a donkey.
The Harwich treadwheel Crane is believed to be the only British example of a two-wheel man-operated treadwheel crane.
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All Nostalgia - 05/19/2014
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May 16th, 2014
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