#dockyards

A so called noon gun, a sundial with compass and a small cannon, its maker is unknown, French, mid 19th century

Estaleiros de Vigo e contorna, 29-02-23

Noon gun sundial, c. 1780, by Chevalier, Paris

Large examples stood in dockyards and barracks to indicate noon, in which the heat of the sun's rays focused on the gun's touch hole and ignited the powder inside so that the gun fired. After the watches were changed and the clocks set.

The 17th and 18th century saw a huge expansion in the size and capabilities of the naval dockyards. Portsmouth had the first enclosed dock, begun by King John in 1212, the first dry graving dock, under Henry VII in 1495 and it was greatly enlarged by Henry VIII in 1527. Under the Commonwealth, Portsmouth had a new dry dock completed in 1658 and two ropewalks, build alongside each other, three storeys high and over 305 m long. By the reign of George III, Portsmouth Dockyard had grown into a considerable business enterprise. 1775 was it a town with dwelling houses, offices, storehouses lofts and other edifices for carrying out the various purposes of the Yard.

Portsmouth dockyard, by Thomas Milton 1754

Chatham was begun in 1547 and was the premier yard a century later. 1724 it was descriped as the chief arsenal of the Royal Navy. Much bigger then Portsmouth. A new dockyard, established in Plymouth in the 1690s expanded rapidly in the 18th century, with a site for a Gun wharf purchased in 1718, and further enlargement including a rope yard in the 1740s.

Plymouth dockyard, by Thomas Milton 1756

During the war of 1739-48 Plymouth had two dry docks and three building slips. Further enlargement was planned in 1761 and another dry dock was completed 1763. A powder magazine was completed 1784 and a fifth dry dock 1789. Deptford was a naval dockyard in the reign of Henry VII and its first naval dock was constructed 1542, when the yard was considerably improved and enlarged in the last years of Henry VIII. By the later Stuart period of the 1660s and 1680s, Deptford was a large and most important dockyard, which was linked with the Pett family, master shipwrights, who designed many well known warships of the period.

Plan of the Wollwich Dockyard,by Thomas Milton  mid 18th century

"Visit the Dockyards - Chatham, Portsmouth, Devonport" - poster for the Southern Railway by Leslie Carr, c1936

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