The National Maritime Museum Cornwall holds an archive of boat plans, documents and photographs relating to the maritime history of Cornwall and the development and use of boats. Some of the archives are small – barely a single photograph – others are very large. Below is a small sample of the main archives at fonds level with a brief description. You can view the archives by making an appointment with our curator via email to: enquiries@nmmc.co.uk.
Copies of documents or photographs for personal research can be supplied, subject to a small fee and normal copyright law.
| Fonds ID | Fonds | Summary |
|---|---|---|
| 0002 | Moon J | Lines plan on card Falmouth Working Boat KATRINA 1977 |
| 0003 | Angela Herbert Photos and cuttings | |
| 0004 | Towell Captain W C | Two documents relating to the career of Captain William Carson Towell: an Ordinary Apprentice’s Indenture dated 13/06/1889 and a Certificate of Competency as Extra Master dated 23/10/1899 |
| 0005 | Flying Enterprise | Letter Postcard and Scrapbook relating to the loss of the SS FLYING ENTERPRISE see also 0247, 0507, 0570 for similar material from different sources |
| 0006 | Harrison R F | Passport |
| 0007 | Glenfallock | Loading plan for SS GLEN FALLOCK |
| 0008 | Hammond F E | The period covers Frank Hammond’s service on various ships, SS Cambridge and RMS Rangitiki between February 1932 to September 1935. The collection includes his Continuous Certificate of Discharge, R107741, 8 separate Account of Wages and a fine brochure of RMS Rangitiki of The New Zealand Shipping Company Limited |
| 0009 | S G Brown & Co | Publication on companies products |
| 0010 | Burt plans | Collection of 120 plans of the Falmouth boatbuilder Burt R all listed and catalogued. Includes several Quay Punts from 21ft to 33ft and 1 design from Curtis and Pape, 2 from Prowse and 1 from Percy Mitchell |
| 0011 | Photo Album | 48 photos of Coastal steamers |
| 0012 | Packet service album | Packet service anniversary album |
| 0013 | Falmouth Packet Letter 01 | Original 1839 Packet letter (On display in the Packet Gallery) |
| 0014 | Cornall Lt RNVR | Lt Fred Maurice Cornall, RNVR WW2 service documents |
| 0015 | Coode photos | A collection of original photographs and copy negatives dating from 1860s – 1890s mainly HMS Sutlet in the Pacific |
| 0016 | Packet letter – Thorne | Letter from I.H. Thorne in Greece to his father James Thorne in Edinburgh, dated 20 Feb 1834. Request for money to help his farming project in Greece |
| 0018 | Worden Captain B | Merchant Service Engineers reference forms, certificates, accounts, vaccination certs P & O Rule book 1960 and list of officers 1952 |
| 0019 | Boat Lines | Frmd lines drawing 25ft Motor boat By R J Tregaskes dated 1946 |
| 0020 | Fal District Pilot Association | Framed hand written list of Fal District Pilot Association members with membership dates. Shows founder members and subsequent pilots following from 1887 to 1989 |
| 0021 | Bird R J | |
| 0022 | Picken W M M | |
| 0023 | Dredge Marine plans | Blueprints and drawings from Dredge & Marine, Penryn, awaiting cataloguing |
| 0025 | Collins archive | A collection of WW1 service documents and medal relating to Lt F Collins, later harbourmaster Fowey dating from 1909-1920 |
| 0026 | Falmouth & District Pilotage Association Records | |
| 0027 | Fox’s Ship Agent | A collection of 15 registers from Fox’s Ship Agents detailing ships coming into and leaving Falmouth during a period of 1880 – 1995 (missing some early years; continuous from 1909). These have been fully transcribed into a searchable database by the Bartlett Maritime Rearch team. Complimentary records held by Cornwall Record Office |
| 0028 | Falmouth Harbour Master’s archive | |
| 0029 | Fox Uffa drawings | Includes letter with Scale drawing of “Flying ” series signed by Uffa. Also National 12 GA plan for Yachting World Uffa-King signed Uffa Fox Feb 1936 |
| 0030 | HMS Cornwall | Mainly concerned with the County Class Cruiser which was sunk in 1942. The archive contains various photographs and paper documents, including letters and postcards relating to the history of HMS Cornwall. Most notable are the two photo albums, particuarly the 1932 China Station album which contains 300 captioned photographs of the locations visited by the HMS Cornwall in 1932-33 |
| 0032 | Torrey Canyon | A scrap book on the loss of the Torrey Canyon on the seven Stones reef off Land’s End |
| 0033 | Annuity certificate | Navy Five per cent Annuities certificate dated 1813 |
| 0035 | Mortgage certificate | |
| 0036 | Certificate of competency | Certificate of Competency As Second Hand of a fishing vessel 1885 |
| 0038 | Discharge Certificate | Discharge Certificate John Johnsen of MOUNT STEWART 1916 |
| 0039 | Bickford papers | Documents relating to the Falmouth Pilot Service |
| 0040 | Pascoe archive | A collection of documents and photographs relating to the Pascoe family. William Pascoe was appointed as a 2nd Class Pilot to Cutter No 11 from Custom House Falmouth in 1873. The family lived in the Falmouth and St Mawes areas |
| 0045 | Series of Log books from HC of MM 2002 | These Log Books are held by the Cornwall Record Office on our behalf. Ships include, Amulree 99057, Routenbeck 69717, Alexandra 89615, Cumberland 79125, Edinburgh 90059, Falkirk 105895, Galgorm Castle 99125, Glenlee 102574, Jordanhill 98700, Kilmallie 10261, Milverton 39367, Monkbarns 105321, Terpischore 138996, William Mitchell 94220, Wiscombe Park 99361, Wynford 108192, |
| 0046 | Falmouth Harbour Commisioners | Log books from the Falmouth Harbour Commissioners |
| 0047 | Money Captain L J | This small collection contains a manuscript notebook of Chinese Ports by Captain Leslie J Money written in the 1930s and two Continental Depression charts for 1936 |
| 0048 | Shapcott archive | A collection of 3 typed manuscripts bound in brown card with red ribbon. One is a typed family history of the Shapcott family of Looe and a marriage certificate of Frederick Jaffery and Louisa Shapcott |
| 0049 | Gorran Haven | Print dated Feb 1820 Rd Thomas Surveyor single sheet |
| 0050 | Penrose | Two Sailmakers work books |
| 0051 | Whitsand Bay | Plan of Harbour dated 1702 |
| 0052 | Falmouth Boat Construction Ltd | Information on boats built by type |
| 0053 | Bickford archive | A collection comprising 12 plans of local Falmouth craft including St Denys, Danube II, Rockpigeon, Fairnilee, John Hamilton and Castle class trawlers. A plan of Falmouth Docks (1942) and 4 photographs of the Victoria and Albert Royal Yacht, British Sailor, City of Marseilles and ship’s crew |
| 0054 | Warrant Lists for yachts | Permission to fly defaced ensigns 4 vols of Warrants Issued from 1939 to 1969 |
| 0055 | Silley Cox | A collection of documents referring to repairs and sale of the Steam Tug John Hamilton and Crane Titania. The correspondence dates from 1959-1965 |
| 0056 | Mitchell P | Plans for a 20ft Tosher (1929) and a 30ft Motor Boat (1959) |
| 0058 | Falmouth Docks Company | Collection includes the dividend book 1861-1865 showing names of shareholders and number of shares. Proposed construction plan Falmouth docks, 1863. Report on Conference in London between Directors of Ship Repairs and Falmouth Docks Co., dated Nov 12 1917. A sheet of paper handwritten headed notes and initialled RGB |
| 0063 | Ships from the West Country of the Nineteenth-century | A selection of photographs and negatives including six sepia photographs of Falmouth, published by Judges Ltd, Hastings and copy negatives of pictures of nineteenth-century ships built or registered in the West Country including Ada, Alert, Amy, Ant, Bluebell, Brothers, Ceres, Louise, Mary Waters, Perseverance,Undine, Waterwitch, William & John. Shown in various South West locations including Falmouth, Fowey, Padstow, St Ives. |
| 0064 | BOT Surveyor’s Office Falmouth 1986 | Plans safety valves tbc |
| 0065 | Hart TG | Cox & Co Indenture as engineer |