The Four-masted Barque "Lawhill"

"Lawhill" was one of the last of the great four-masted barques to make a living in the 20th century, is closely associated in people's minds with the last grain races and the twilight period of the age of sail.

Between the middle of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century, sailing ships rose to their peak in design; the four-masted barques and the larger five-masted vessels were the ultimate sailing ships, and "Lawhill" was one of the giants. "Lawhill" was launched at Dundee in 1892 for the jute trade from India, but this was soon abandoned as steamships took over.

Owners of the big sailing ships had to look for new trades where slow passage was not a disadvantage.

For a time she was owned by the Anglo American Oil Company, but she is generally associated with the ownership of Gustaf Erikson of Marieham and the grain races from Australia.

These have captured the imagination of writers and readers for they represented the last stand of the steam ship, and were a glorious, though short, final flowering of the sailing ship era.

This collection contains a range of contemporary material - photographs, drawings and records. It should be a useful reference book for all those with an interest in the last days of the great sailing ships.