The procession and installation of the commemorative anchor in Netherton, home of RMS Titanic's anchor.

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Originally built by Hingley's in Netherton, 1911. Transported by twenty shire horses to Dudley Port freight yard, it was craned onto a train and taken to Fleetwood in Lancashire, then on to a ship across the Irish Sea to Harland & Wolff Shipyards in Belfast, where RMS Titanic was being assembled.
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Sunday August 15th 2010.

Despite original plans to recreate the procession of the anchor pulled by twenty shire horses, a number of problems resulted in a tractor being used for the journey, with the horses following ahead of it. The event was recorded for Channel 4 series Titanic: The Mission, profiling the Edwardian companies that constructed various parts of the ship. The anchor was episode 2, broadcast on October 4th 2010. You can order the accompanying book from Amazon now. See the Netherton segment on Youtube here.

Luke Perry from Industrial Heritage Stronghold (with the ponytail in the pics below) hosted a short ceremony when the 16-ton anchor had been craned into place.
Dudley's Deputy Mayor Michael Evans made a speech to welcome the anchor to the town, followed by much applause. A proud moment for us Netherton folk!
Pre-event press: Sheffield Star - Stourbridge News - BBC News - Express & Star - Videos of the event on Youtube.

Photos (c) Paul Fisher - Email: p.f@blueyonder.co.uk
My web sites: One, Two