A wooden relic from the Norfolk Broads' past has returned home to Potter Heigham.
Herbert Woods welcomed back one of its original luxury wooden motor cruisers on Thursday, where it will be moored beside its oldest sister.
The Queen of Light made her return to the boat hire company for the first time in 30 years following an extensive restoration by Abbey Boat Builders in Dilham near North Walsham.
The vessel was originally built by the crew from Herbert Woods in 1932. The luxury hire was designed to be quiet and manoeuvrable, and was kitted out with all the latest mod cons including hot water and exquisite wooden furnishings.
Over the winter, the Queen of Light was brought back to its 1930s heyday by the great-great-granddaughter of the one of the original builders.
The interiors have been lovingly repaired and coaxed to a dazzling shine with 10 coats of varnish. The exterior planking gleams with coat after coat of paint, portholes are polished, intricate wood and metal mechanisms glide and slide once again.
Now that she is shipshape, the Queen of Light will be taking her place beside sister-vessel Spark of Light at the Herbert Woods marina.
Spark of Light, which was made by Herbert Woods himself in 1927, was repurchased by the boat hire company in 2011 and, following restorations, returned to the waters in 2017.
A spokesperson for Herbert Woods said Spark of Light is believed to be its oldest cruiser still active on the Broads, with the Queen of Light not being far behind.
The Herbert Woods boatyard began in 1929, when as a young man, Herbert took over the family boat building firm Walter Woods & Sons.
He then began expanding the small fleet of Broads hire cruisers and creating the boat building and mooring facilities of ‘Broads Haven’ that make up the marina today.
The spokesperson added: "We are proud of the legacy left to us by this pioneering man and continue to expand our fleet of cruisers and picnic boats in true Herbert Woods spirit.
"The word ‘Light’ features in all our boat names following in the tradition of the first fleet of Herbert Woods Light cruisers."
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