Lady Alice Kenlis

A steel-hulled steamship named Lady Alice Kenlis was launched in 1867 and later scuttled on the east bank of the River Deben opposite Woodbridge in Suffolk. Designed by Hercules Linton and built by J&R Swan in Glasgow, the ship had a heavier hull than contemporaries, allowing it to be beached for loading and unloading. It carried a two-cylinder 40-horsepower engine fed by Greenock Foundry boilers and was rigged as a three-masted schooner. The vessel began life as a coaster registered in Belfast in 1868, moving cattle, goods and passengers between Northern Ireland, Scotland and England. After brief service as a ferry between Dundrum and Whitehaven, it passed through several owners including John Paley, John Jackson and Edward R Jones. In 1908 it was renamed Holman Sutcliffe and converted into a suction dredger before working in the Bristol Channel until 1929. The remains now lie partly submerged in the Deben, having been scuttled in the late 1930s or early 1940s. Historic England recognised the hulk as a scheduled monument in 2023, noting its importance in understanding early iron ships and its link to the Cutty Sark. Visitors can view the remains from the riverbank, where the hull is gradually being reclaimed by the water.