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Tower Bridge, London - Our County Badge.

Tower Bridge can be found on the River Thames near the Tower of London and is one of the city's principal landmarks. It was built between 1886 and 1894 at a cost of over £1 million. It has two Gothic towers and a central drawbridge. This design was to allow access to ships that passed below.

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The Great Harry

The cost seThe GREAT HARRY was the name given by the sailors to the greatest ship of her time. The name given to this ship when launched was "THE HENRY GRACE DE DLEU".

The Great Harry was built at WOOLWLCH and "Hallowed" (presumably a ceremony of blessing before being taken into service) at ERITH. Construction commenced on 4th December 1512, and the ship was required to replace the REGENT destroyed by the French on 10th August 1512. (The REGENT was "a great frigate of 1000 tons".)

The main mast was given by the Abbot of Saint Osyes, (near Clacton-on-sea). Most of timber came from Essex. The Greatest single item on the detailed cost list was nearly £1000 for Cabylles, Cabilettes, Halsers, Ropes, Ratelyn, Marlin, Calkinge, Hempe and Okeham.

After launching she seems to have usually moored at ERITH. According to Henry Machyn, a diarist of the day, The GREAT HARRY was destroyed by fire on 25th August 1553 at WOOLWICH, by negligence of the crew. The Calais Chronicle describes the ship thus:- "The HENRY GRACE DE DIEU, 1000 tons, Souldurs - 349; Marryners - 301; Gunners - 50; (making a compliment of 700!). She carried 102 iron guns (cannons) and 19 brass (bronze) pieces.

The confusion over her resting place may be due to there being more than one ship with the same name.

The rigging of the GREAT HARRY is described thus; (she) "had topsails and topgallant sails on her first three masts and a topsail to the bonaventure mizzen. The mizzen topsails were lanterns like the sails below them. She was built to a great height at each end, having eight decks one above the other in her stem, and she carried 184 guns, mostly small. (The usual practice was to count the smallarms in the total). Anderson states that the pictures of the GREAT HARRY that survive show her after a complete rebuild in 1536-39. Another inventory shows that she had 384 guns. After her rebuild she was listed as having 21 heavy brass guns, 130 iron guns and 100 hand-guns, giving a total of 251 guns.

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