The Sail Lofts
Built 1906–08 · Grade II listed
The four weatherboarded stores along Woodrolfe Road were built by the Tollesbury Yacht Berthing Company between 1906 and 1908, financed by the earnings of successful local skippers. They stored the winter-berthed racing yachts of wealthy owners – including Sir Thomas Lipton, five-time challenger for the America’s Cup with his series of Shamrock yachts, and Edward, Prince of Wales.
Tollesbury men crewed every one of Lipton's Shamrock challenges, from 1901 to 1930. By the 1930s, they had sailed on all but one of the great J-class racing yachts in existence.
The stores were listed Grade II in the 1970s and restored in the 1980s. The first now houses a tearoom. The other three remain largely as built.