PICTURES: Looking back at the pleasure boats in Eastbourne

The pleasure boat business was established in 1861 by Edward Allchorn offering rides along the Eastbourne coast. Pleasure boats first took off when fishermen had less fish to catch in the summer months so started taking tourists out.

The pleasure boat business grew and grew until the Marchioness disaster resulted in rules getting tighter. The disaster happened in 1989 when a pleasure boat was hit by a dredger and resulted in 51 people losing their lives. That incident, teamed with the growing popularity of cheap holidays abroad, meant the pleasure ride business came to an end.

Many others set up rival companies but by the early 1960s only two remained - Allchorn and Sayers Brothers. In 1964, Sayers Brothers gave up and sold the Southern Queen to the Allchorns. In 1990, Brian Allchorn, the great grandson of the founder, decided to retire and the business was sold to a third party.

Now years on, Allchorn Maritime Ltd is working to restore the two big pleasure boats, the ‘Southern Queen’ and the ‘William Allchorn’, and the 1980s ‘Duke of Kent’ lifeboat.

Meet the volunteers restoring the boats here

(All photos from Allchorn Maritime Ltd)