Lot Essay
Even after their seagoing days were over, the lives of many of "the wooden walls of old England" were considerably extended thanks to their stout oak construction. Known generically as hulks, the majority served as training ships or dockyard auxiliaries although more colourful roles included those used as prisons, hospitals and even chapels. Rowlandson's rather more fanciful scheme to use hulks for civilian housing was not generally adopted despite its obvious charm!