Garlands Gallery

Completed August 1889; Yard No. 368: Official No. 97363: Code Letters LGNQ: Code Letters HTLF: Code Letters HPLR.

Owners: 1889 Hardy, Wilson & Co, West Hartlepool: 1894 Robert Hardy & Co, West Hartlepool: 1907 Cia Vasco Cantabrica de Nav Izarra (F Pereda) Bilbao, Spain-renamed Izaro: 1917 Cia Vasco Cantabrica de Nav (U dela Torre) Bilbao: 1918 Cia Vasco Cantabrica de Nav Izarra (L Asteinza) San Sebastian, Spain; 1920 Zugadi & Cia S en C. Bilbao.

Masters: 1890-92 JR Holman: 1895 S Symonds: 1896 J Hodgson: 1897-99 H Rhode: 1902 EJ Doherty: 1906 J Leisk: 1907 JJ Carter: 1908-09 G Diez: 1911 EG Torre: 1913 R Lanz: 1915-18 A Coloma: 1919 M Zaldumbiidie.

Thomas Morgan of the steamer Jersey of Cardiff & Pierce Egan master of the steamer Garlands were awarded medal of the Royal Humane Society for saving the lives of 16 people at Braila in the Danube, Roumania when a stage gave way throwing 80 people into the water on 30 April 1894.

Robert Hardy and Joseph Forster Wilson founded Hardy, Wilson & Co., owning 20 ships from 1879 to 1894. The company was dissolved on 30 June 1894 and Robert Hardy continued trading as R. Hardy & Co., owning 11 ships until the company ceased trading in 1913. Joseph Forster Wilson continued trading as J.F. Wilson (Wilson Shipping Co. Ltd.) owning 15 ships between 1894 and 1919.

R. Hardy & Co., also owned the steamer Uplands built by Ropner in 1890. she was sold in 1912 to Stettin owners and renamed Belgravia. In May 1918 she struck a mine and sank.

Family History:

Robert Hardy was born 1853 at Trimdon to parents Robert and Elizabeth (nee Appleby). In 1871 he was boarding at Stranton. By 1881 he was listed on the census as married and boarding at Roath, Glamorgan and by 1901 he was living at St Martin in the Fields. In 1911 he was a widower staying at Earls Court Hotel, Tunbridge Wells.

Robert died aged 81 on 6 September 1934 at Northbrook, West Hartlepool leaving effects of £129,979.