John has lived in Maldon all his life. For 50 years he worked as a Sailmaker, mostly in the Sail Lofts on the Quay. He describes his work in fascinating detail. He is the last Sailmaker in Maldon. A stained-glass window in All Saints Church was commissioned showing John and his colleague Roy. John also describes other work that the sailmakers were asked to do: making body bags for the police, making clothes, mending deckchairs and the Town Hall flag and making leather sails for the adventurer Tim Severin.

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Raven, John

(Born 1942) Interviewed April & May 2018.

John has lived in Maldon all his life. For 50 years he worked as a Sailmaker, mostly in the Sail Lofts on the Quay. He describes his work in fascinating detail. He is the last Sailmaker in Maldon. A stained-glass window in All Saints Church was commissioned showing John and his colleague Roy. John also describes other work that the sailmakers were asked to do: making body bags for the police, making clothes, mending deckchairs and the Town Hall flag and making leather sails for the adventurer Tim Severin.

Themes:

Barges & Sailing