The Round Pond Kensington, 1883


This is an image that first appeared in Boy's Own Paper in 1883 as an an oleo-lithograph illustration to an article rounding up the significant events of the 1883 model yachting season. The article was by Tyrrel E Biddle, the author in 1879 of the first 'how to do it' book on the sport. The original watercolour from which it is drawn is by his brother R F Biddle. Both had served as merchant navy officers in sail and had been model yachtsmen for most of their lives; in retirement T E wrote and R F painted. Both were members of MYSA at this date. R F died in 1884 or 1885

It is clear that R F could draw boats, even if his grasp of figure drawing was a bit shaky. He shows a wide range of types, all of which are known from other sources to have sailed on the pond at this period. We can, I think, assume that they are accurate representations of the boats he knew.


  A lug yawl, with the mizzen rigged with a lateen sail. A schooner with square headed yard topsails, typical of both model and full size practice of the time A conventionally rigged yawl a yawl or possibly a schooner with two lateen sails. A cutter heading out from the shore close hauled. A cutter running with a flat spinnaker set A cutter beating on the long tack of the lake

From left to right in the foreground they are:

  1. A lug yawl, with the mizzen rigged with a lateen sail. Yawls were favoured by the club as offering advantages if, as was frequently the case, guying techniques had to be used going to windward. The guy could be put on the mizzen, while the main was available to drive the boat efficiently on both tacks. The lateen can only have been a fad. This boat may have a solid forestay.
  2. A schooner with square headed yard topsails, typical of both model and full size practice of the time.
  3. A conventionally rigged yawl.
  4. (On the bank) a yawl or possibly a schooner with two lateen sails. It is possible that this is a true lateen rig and has no headsails, like the model in the middle distance on the left of the painting. Note the 'quiver' in which the owner carries his spare rigs.
  5. Immediately above the model on the bank, a cutter heading out from the shore close hauled. The relative positions of the main and head sails suggest that R F is representing a boat on a short guy.
  6. A cutter running with a flat spinnaker set, followed by a smaller sloop rigged boat, similar to that held by the boy on the bank, also with a spinnaker.
  7. A cutter beating on the long tack of the lake.

All the hulls appear to be conventional straight stemmed, short counter styles, as encouraged by the MYSA Rule of the time.
The representation of Kensington Church and Palace owes something to artistic license, and they have been moved into the picture to make the point that this is the Round Pond: there is no bandstand on the far side of the lake, but it may have been built later than 1883.

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