As 2020 nears, citizens must surely be concerned about the image of Harwich that is being sold to tourists.
‘Home of the Mayflower’ reads a sign on the approach to The Quay.
Fair enough, she has been described as “of Harwich”.
We should note that there is no record of the ship being built in Harwich.
The Harwich tourism board states in these pages that Mayflower carried the pilgrim fathers to America from Harwich.
The ship master, Christopher Jones, was chartered in Rotherhithe, London.
Its eventual port of departure for America with the pilgrim fathers was Plymouth.
It’s too late to rebrand now, of course, but surely, our seafaring town would have been proud to be called the home of captain Christopher Jones - the Master of the Mayflower of Harwich.
Prevarication as a marketing tool will inevitably be found out.
The Joneses from Plymouth, Massachusetts, may have some awkward questions.
Robert Maughan
Quayside Court, Harwich
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