Barge built in Frindsbury now on River Thames could be home to movie mogul
06:00, 05 June 2021
An industrial barge which started life at a yard in Kent could be the new home for a Hollywood movie mogul.
The boat built in Frindsbury 60 years ago, which is now on the River Thames in the shadow of Tower Bridge, is up for sale for £875,000.
The floating home, which is called Rock and is permanently moored at trendy Wapping in east London, is among the few fully operational and surviving Medway Coasters in the UK.
And, according to estate agents, it has attracted a lot of interest since coming on the market including a potential buyer, "a big name" based in Los Angeles who is involved in the film industry.
The former wheat cargo vessel was built by the London and Rochester Company at its Medway Quarry Yard in 1961.
It was taken out of service on the east coast route in 1990 and converted for charter and residential use.
Although she has undergone some external changes, she still retains a rare and well-preserved KelvinK4 engine.
She was bought by artist Anne Lydiat Wainwright and her late husband Chris in 2002 who has described Rock as a "piece of British maritime history" with "iconic views of London from the River Thames".
On top of the £875,00 price tag comes a £511 a month mooring fee.
It's on the market with the Unique Property Company, which specialises in selling unusual homes.
The boat has seven berths, four cabins, including one with an en-suite, a wheelhouse, upper studio office with wood burner, large saloon with open gallery, spacious dining area and fully-fitted kitchen galley.
Sitting opposite Chatham Dockyard, Frindsbury was an important centre of shipbuilding before 1820. In its latter years, the yards built more than 100 Thames barges until the industry ended in 2006.
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