Transforming a 120-year-old boat into Barking’s newest community space

Paul Powlesland and Dani Loader on the Vriendschap Pictures: Ken Mears Archant

How can you turn a 120-year-old boat into a community space and cheap accommdation?

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The large Dutch boat moored on the River Roding in Barking which the owners are hoping to transform into a community centre and creative space The large Dutch boat moored on the River Roding in Barking which the owners are hoping to transform into a community centre and creative space

That’s the challenge faced by Paul Powlesland, who is attempting to renovate the Vriendschap barge, currently moored on the River Roding in Barking.

He and his team are working to transform the 50m long Dutch cargo boat, which dates back to at least 1889, into an environmentally low impact community and events space for the people of Barking with co-housing space through seven bedrooms.

Many people would say the job is too big but the team have taken a piece by piece approach to getting the job done.

Paul said: “If you’d tried to have a grand opening with everything done then you’d never get it finished.”

The large Dutch boat moored on the River Roding in Barking which the owners are hoping to transform into a community centre and creative space The large Dutch boat moored on the River Roding in Barking which the owners are hoping to transform into a community centre and creative space

The 32-year-old has spent much of his life around boats, currently living on a narrow boat on the River Roding and working as a barrister.

He’s put practising law on hold now, though, as he brings the Vriendschap back to life.

Paul paid £15,000 to save the barge from being scrapped last year and, through the help of a 644-strong Facebook community, things are starting to fit into place.

Funding for the project is coming from Paul and the team’s personal savings with no government funding.

Paul Powlesland and Dani Loader Paul Powlesland and Dani Loader

Future financial security will come from the housing space which will offer seven bedrooms at 50 per cent of market value. The housing will cover the costs of running the community area and ensure it remains free for public use.

When completed, the barge will be one of the largest completely off-grid self sustainable structures in London and a floating events area for the people of Barking.

Dani Loader, 30, has used her decade of experience as an electrical engineer to help bring the Vriendschap into the 21st century.

She’s helped fit 48 solar panels on the roof which will combine with a collection of lithium batteries to match the energy and heating demands of three family houses.

The large Dutch boat moored on the River Roding in Barking which the owners are hoping to transform into a community centre and creative space The large Dutch boat moored on the River Roding in Barking which the owners are hoping to transform into a community centre and creative space

Rain water collection and purification will take place on the barge and composting toilets will leave no waste.

But for Paul and Dani, the biggest stress hasn’t been the work itself - not even the recent snowy weather stopped the team from fixing the roof without any central heating.

The biggest ship sinker has been abiding by maritime law and the Port of London Authority.

“The most emotionally challenging part hasn’t been the physical side,” Dani said.

“It gets to 9pm and you’ve spent all day on your hands and knees working and you’re exhausted but remember you have to reply to a legal email. It feels like so much more work.”

After months of looking for different mooring spots, the team are hoping to make a permanent move next to Town Quay open up in the coming months.

And the boat’s secrets are still coming forward such as ration cards from 1939 and the ‘Dutch locker’, a cupboard so-named because when the team opened it they found a bike, a pair of clogs and Dutch pottery.

Paul hopes to expand community outreach in the future using the boat as a site to help clean up the river and surrounding area.

The team hopes the Vriendschap message will resonate with locals: “We want to make this a base for people doing good in the world. Come and use this space.

“The creek really belongs to the people of Barking. Let’s create more community down here and make Barking a more wonderful place to live.”

Anyone looking to get involved in the project or find out more can contact the team on crew@vriendschap.org or on the Vriendschap Community page on Facebook.