Name Llanthony

Built in 1934 by Camper & Nicholson, LLANTHONY was built for  Lionel Beaumont-Thomas, a well-to-do -Welsh businessman, British Army officer, and politician. Named LLANTHONY after a small Welsh town and priory in the south of Wales where they lived.   After many years moored in London while Lionel Beaumont-Thomas was a member of parliament, she was acquired by Lord Astor.  It is rumored Lord Astor helped the romance of Lady Simpson and King Edward onboard.   

She was requisitioned in 1939 by the Admiralty, and after transfer to Ramsgate was placed under the command of Sub Lieutenant Robert Timbrell, only aged 20, of the Royal Canadian Navy. With a crew of six Newfoundland woodsmen, two London bus mechanics, and an RN petty officer whose equipment consisted of a First World War pistol, an uncorrected magnetic compass, and minefield charts. The beach at Dunkirk is very shallow at low tide, she anchored offshore and began ferrying 16 soldiers at a time from the beaches aboard using her two tenders, She could carry around 120 soldiers per trip but was subject to intense fire by the Germans when at anchorage and finally on day four an explosion near the bows, caused a loss of five crew members and both anchors snapped. 

The fuel tanks were forward of the engine room and the fuel pipes were severed so that both engines died. Timbrell dug her into the sand and continued to load soldiers whilst the crew used what was at hand to re secure her and fix her engines. Timbrell returned to Portsmouth with a sorry-looking Llanthony - her bows were smashed, her funnels riddled with bullet holes, however, LLANTHONY rescued 280 troops from Dunkirk and Lieut. Timbrell was awarded the Navy's Distinguished Service Cross. 1985 and 1993, known as the Golden Era, she cruised between Greece and Turkey as an elegant charter yacht. Unfortunately, eventually, the years caught up on her and despite many a caring owner she became too much and ended up on the Henley reach of the river Thames in desperate need of restoration. 

In 2019 she caught the eye of a local man, new to the area, after some investigation he heard she was potentially for sale to the right person.  Her new prospective owner had fallen in love with her iconic style and beauty, and so after some negotiations, he purchased her and thus began the restoration of her life. The work started in Autumn of 2019 when she was delivered to Gillingham in Kent. Where 1/3 of her steel was replaced above the water line. The project incurred heavy delays to the schedule due to the Covid Pandemic which hit in February 2020.   The rest of the restoration was undertaken by Dennetts in Chertsey and she arrived as an empty steel hull void of any superstructure or interior. She was delivered with a makeshift steering position on her mid-deck. During this journey, it became apparent that her two Caterpillar engines would need to be replaced and all of her electrical systems. 

She arrived March 22nd 2022  and work started in pulling out her old engineering and replacing her systems before the restoration of her interior and exterior.    As with many of these old ships after multiple owners and lives, they can lose their original identity with cabin extensions and alterations. The main goal of her exterior renovations was to regain her original beautiful lines and replace her iconic Camper and Nicholson superstructure. Her wheelhouse and cuddy were newly built with 2” thick teak and each detail is taken from her original design, down to the beadings and radius of her iconic windows. Inside, she is an elegant and sophisticated gentleman’s yacht from the era. The interior brief was to transform the somewhat random and claustrophobic interior into a spacious open, family-friendly yacht. Her interior was inspired by the elegant art deco steamships of the era and is lined with American black walnut with brass inlay. Combined with her completely new engines, electronics, plumbing, air conditioning, and kitchen, LLANTHONY is future-proofed. Arguably one of the most decedent restorations of a Camper & Nicholson traditional motor yacht. LLANTHONY is a sensational design masterpiece: The iconic elegance of the 1930s will never go out of style combined with a contemporary narrative has given this historic Dunkirk Little Ship a timeless luxurious elegance that will ensure she survives for another 100 years.