Flamborough Marine Limited, The Manor House, Flamborough, Bridlington, East Riding of Yorkshire. YO15 1PD

We specialize in authentic hand-knitted Ganseys, traditional knitwear (including machine-knitted Guersneys), and Armor Lux Breton shirts

A Unique Garment  Old sepia photographs evoke the romance of far- off times. Yet there was little romantic in the life of a North Sea fisherman at the turn of the century when most days involved a struggle against the elements. Life could be just as hard for the womenfolk. Days were long but, in addition to such essential tasks as baiting the lines, time would be set aside for gansey knitting, either for members of the immediate family or else for sale to raise a few extra shillings. Great pride was taken in this knitting, especially for the ‘Sunday best’ gansey (often not in the traditional navy) to be worn at such occasions as the Flamborough sword- dancing or Filey fishermen’s choir, both of which still thrive today.

The GANSEY ? A Gansey is a distinctive woollen sweater, originally designed to provide protection for fishermen from wind and water but which is ideal for all outdoor activity. Using a tightly spun 5-ply worsted wool (popularly known as "Seamen's Iron") the intricately patterned Gansey is knitted in one piece on five steel needles.   The patterning to back and front and, in some cases, the upper part of the sleeve provides an extra layer of protection, while the combination of seamless construction, fine wool and tight knitting produced a garment that is both wind and waterproof. Indeed, every part of the garment is designed with practicality in mind. The wool is knitted tightly so as to "turn water"; the lack of seams ensures greater strength and impermeability; the underarm gusset allows freedom of movement; the lower sleeves where most wear is sustained, are left plain so the worn part can be unravelled and re- knitted, while the patterning across the chest provides extra insulation.

Flamborough Marine  : Flamborough Marine commenced trading in 1981. Initially the stock consisted of readily available machine-knitted sweaters of a traditional design (for example, Guernseys, Alderneys and Bretons). As an antique shop was also run from the same premises we began to receive inquiries for ‘antique sweaters’, that is, the hand-knitted ganseys which were once so much a feature of the fishing communities, but which had become generally unavailable. We contacted a long- time resident of Flamborough, Nora Woodhouse, who knitted our first ganseys (from memory) in several different North-East Coast patterns. She had originally been taught to knit ganseys before the war by her fisherman father after her mother had been drowned at Robin Hood’s Bay. From Nora’s ganseys we were able to make charts of the patterns which, beforehand, had never normally been written down but, rather, were passed on by word of mouth. Our idea was two-fold. First to offer an outlet for the sale of ganseys once we had recruited knitters; and second, to package a kit containing the wool, needles, and our own charts so that the art of gansey knitting could be spread even more widely and not limited to those within our immediate vicinity. As the first step in this plan we advertised for experienced knitters who might be interested in knitting with five steel needles and showed them what we wanted. Of the hundred initial replies only ten decided to persevere. We supplied these first ten with needles, wool, charts and instructions and began to build up a stock of ganseys. During the succeeding years some knitters have dropped out and others have taken their places. One thing however has remained constant and that is the premises in Flamborough where the various ganseys are displayed. We believe that we offer the only outlet for the authentic finished product. Without this outlet the knitters would have nowhere to sell their wares and the art of gansey knitting (for, although a craft, the work itself is so intricate as to be rightly called an art form) would again be in danger of disappearing.

Web-site Design & Content © 2013 Geoffrey Miller

Flamborough Marine Ltd The Manor House Flamborough Bridlington East Riding of Yorkshire YO15 1PD telephone: 01262 850943 fax: 01262 850943 mobile: 07718 415234 Email: gm@flamboroughmarine.co.uk

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