Norfolk’s Addison’s Uncle Concert on The Götheborg – Great Yarmouth Maritime Festival

Addison's Uncle

Swedish Tall Ship The Götheborg, the world’s largest wooden sailing ship, which is making its UK Maritime Festival debut in Great Yarmouth, is hosting a concert with Norfolk folk band, Addison’s Uncle, on the evening of Saturday, September 5.

The concert, staged on The Götheborg’s sun deck, is from 8pm to 9.30pm. Tickets cost £10 and are on sale at Great Yarmouth Tourist Information Centre, Marine Parade, t. 01493 846346, or at the Maritime Festival during the day on September 5 and in the evening ‘on the door’. Fish and chips, beer and soft drinks will be on sale on the quayside.

Addison's Uncle is a 'stampy' English Folk band. Since finding out about becoming an uncle, singer-songwriter Philip Pearson has been writing his 21st century folk story, telling honest, personal stories of family, friends, childhood, home and his native Norfolk coastline. Last year the band released their homage to the Norfolk road network – ‘B1159’.

The band comprises Philip Pearson, guitar and vocals, Georgia Shackleton, fiddle and vocals, Aaren Bennett, guitar and vocals, Nic Zuppardi, mandolin, James Maas, ukulele, Joe Hartley, bass and Tom Hartley, drums.

Aileen Mobbs, Maritime Festival Chairman said: “Addison’s Uncle’s concert will round off day one of the Maritime Festival on a fantastic musical high. What better way to spend an evening than listen to Norfolk inspired folk music on board The Götheborg, the largest wooden sailing vessel in the world? It is going to be a truly memorable occasion.”

The Götheborg will be moored near the main stage between middle gate and south gate and will be open during the day throughout the festival on Saturday, September 5 and Sunday, September 6.

Daytime entrance fees are £6.50 for adults and £5 for children. Discounted family tickets for 1 adult and 3 children or 2 adults and 2 children will cost £20. Unfortunately disabled access is not available on The Götheborg.

The Götheborg

The Götheborg, which completed its maiden voyage in 2005-07, is a replica of the original Götheborg, which was built in 1738 at Terra Nova ship yard, in Stockholm, for the Swedish East India Company (Svenska Ostindiska Companiet), and was used for three lucrative voyages between Sweden and China.

The ship dramatically sank on 12 September 1745, in Gothenburg harbour, returning from her third China voyage. She ran aground on a notorious submerged rock, the Hunnebådan (known as the Knipla Börö in the 18th century), right in front of merchants and family members, waiting to welcome the crew and its cargo home.

In 1984 a number of exploratory dives to the shipwreck took place, and an ambitious dream was born to reconstruct The Götheborg to 100% scale, using traditional 18th century ship building skills, methods and materials, but complying with the very latest technological advances for navigation, cooking, heating and hygiene.

Nineteen years after the first dive, including the reconstruction of the original shipyard to carry out much of the work, the new Götheborg was launched in 2003, and finally set sail in October 2005 on a two-year expedition to China, commemorating the maiden voyage of the original Götheborg.

The Maritime Festival sponsors are Seajacks UK Ltd, 3Sun Group, Bateman Groundworks, Birketts LLP, Bunn Fertiliser Ltd, ELM Contracts, e.on Climate & Renwables, HKB Wiltshire, Gardline, MDF Transport, Perenco, Persimmon Homes Anglia, Petrofac, Stevenson Smart and Wellington Construction. The festival is also supported by EastPort UK, Great Yarmouth Tourism and Business Improvement Area (GYTABIA) and Great Yarmouth Borough Council.

For more information about Great Yarmouth Maritime Festival see www.maritime-festival.co.uk.