UK - Southwold - Sailor's Reading Room sign

A detail of the ornate sign hanging outside the Sailor's Reading Room on East Cliff, Southwold, Suffolk. Topless mermaids and a shell form part of the sign on a red brick wall of this Grade II listed Sailors' Reading Room, which still provides daily papers and a place to read them. Built in 1864 in memory of Captain Charles Rayley RN, a naval officer at the time of Trafalgar, the Reading Room was a refuge for fishermen and sailors. It provided a place to meet and receive religious instruction, away from the pubs, and somewhere to read things that were good for the soul. Displays of a seafaring nature line the walls and fill glass cabinets. Pictures and portraits of local fishermen and seascapes, model ships and maritime paraphernalia offer a fascinating history of Southwold’s connections with the sea.

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Filename: southwold_emblem-12-06-1992_1_1.jpg
Copyright: Richard Baker
Image Size: 5120x3448 / 1.5MB; british britain uk english england suffolk southwold sailors' reading room mermaids maritime resort coastal coast museum listed victorian seafront seaside heritage vintage past bygone era centuries preservation conservation
Contained in galleries: Richard Baker - All pics

A detail of the ornate sign hanging outside the Sailor's Reading Room on East Cliff, Southwold, Suffolk. Topless mermaids and a shell form part of the sign on a red brick wall of this Grade II listed Sailors' Reading Room, which still provides daily papers and a place to read them. Built in 1864 in memory of Captain Charles Rayley RN, a naval officer at the time of Trafalgar, the Reading Room was a refuge for fishermen and sailors. It provided a place to meet and receive religious instruction, away from the pubs, and somewhere to read things that were good for the soul. Displays of a seafaring nature line the walls and fill glass cabinets. Pictures and portraits of local fishermen and seascapes, model ships and maritime paraphernalia offer a fascinating history of Southwold’s connections with the sea.