THE author of a beautiful book featuring Maldon's maritime heritage will be on hand to sign copies at the Maeldune Centre tomorrow (Wednesday, 2 June).

David Patient has written the book on the life and times of Maldon shipwright John Howard, entitled 'One of Howard's': The life and times of John Howard, Maldon Shipwright 1849-1915'. He will be at the Maeldune Centre between 11am and 4pm on Wed 2nd June.

David's contact details for sales are: [email protected]

The book costs £35 including postage.

Book review

'One of Howard's' – the Life and Times of John Howard, Maldon Shipwright 1849-1915 & a History of Shipbuilding in Maldon, by David Patient, Jardine Press.

This is a book that isn't just for people wanting a detailed and authoritative life of John Howard, builder of some of the finest barges and yachts to grace our waters, but importantly it's also a goldmine for the general reader who wants to learn about Maldon's maritime heritage.

You would struggle to find someone as well qualified to tell this story as David Patient. He is a former barge mate, had his own bargeyard in Maldon, and is a member of the Institution of Naval Architects. He also taught Art at Maldon Grammar and The Plume, and he tells the tale of John Howard and the Maldon boats in a way that draws us in to the struggles of maintaining a business and also the sheer beauty of the products of Howard's craft.

The book itself is visually stunning: it is a large, finely-bound hardback with a captivating cover image. To say it's lavishly illustrated doesn't really do it justice: almost every page has a beautifully reproduced illustration of a barge, yacht, crew member, waterfront, plan or diagram. In particular, the author was able to access a huge archive of illustrations from the 'Maldon Express', first collected by David Hughes, author of 'The Maldonians'.

The first five chapters chart the history of shipbuilding in Maldon from the Domesday Book to the present day. These are fascinating, and really capture Maldon's importance (and fluctuating fortunes) for the coastal trade and shipbuilding. Contemporary plans of The Hythe for the 16th Century and 1818 really help the reader to peel back the layers of history and picture our waterfront as it was.

The bulk of the book follows the life of John Howard from his birth at Hullbridge in 1849, and his death in 1915 – leaving insufficient property to even justify probate being conducted. This illustrates the trials of ship-building in this age: the constant struggle to find skilled craftsmen, timber, and finance to sustain projects is evident. Among the illustrations is a poignant reproduction of a poster advertising the sale of the company's assets in a voluntary liquidation in 1898.

But it's the superb vessels he crafted that John Howard is remembered for, and the book fully explores these, along with copious illustrations of the barges, chiefly doing what they were designed for – carrying, loading and unloading cargo.

In the early 20th Century Howard pluckily picked himself up from bankruptcy and again used his much-prized talents to design and build boats, including a new generation of yachts.

This is a worthy tribute to a major contributor to Maldon's maritime heritage. Sadly, most of Howard's barges are gone or hulked in creeks, but 'Mirosa' still sails, as do a number of smacks and yachts. Much of his boatyard is visible in the modern Hythe.