Scale: 1:48. A copper model of an aluminium alloy barge (1950). The hold capacity of 5210 cubic feet and a 150-ton load capacity is inscribed on the model, together with the name and address of the company that designed and built it, Fairmile Construction Company. The starboard bow has been cut away to reveal the interior framing, which we can see has great strength and rigidity for coping with huge loads and stresses. A large number of these utilitarian dumb barges were built for various owners and they were – and indeed variants still are – a common sight on Britain’s rivers and estuaries.