It's no secret that the west Cumbrian coast has seen a long, and occasionally turbulent, history of sea-faring folk.
While much of west Cumbria's past on land still stands around us in our towns' historic buildings, a sense of our predecessors' lives on the water can seem a little murkier.
But stories of the sea and our country's maritime heritage are starting to entrance audiences across Cumbria, brought to life by Whitehaven's very own Solway Shanty Crew.
David Bainbridge, lifelong sea shanty enthusiast, started the group in October 2024, and it has since grown rapidly in numbers and popularity.
"Our first performance was in November 2024, and it was on King Street for TEGretail who do the pop-up markets, "says David.
"That was our very first public performance and we got lots of really good feedback from the stallholders who said they enjoyed it, lots of passers-by stopped and joined in the choruses with us."
David, 72, retired from Sellafield in 2020, just before the COVID-19 pandemic, which saw a burgeoning workplace choir collapse.
"There were 60-70 people from Sellafield singing, and then covid hit and it all fell apart," says David.
"But that really inspired me - I’d sung in folk clubs, mostly on my own, mostly unaccompanied, but it was just great to be part of a big group of singers.
"The beauty of singing in a big group, is if you get it wrong, or forget a word, or sing offkey, everybody else covers you up, so it gives you confidence.
"When you’re in a big group and all of a sudden a harmony comes and you’re part of that harmony, and the voices are resonating, it raises the hairs on the back of your neck to be part of that."
The group perform well-known sea shanties, including Drunken Sailor, Blow the Man Down, and The Fire Ship, songs of the sea which previously saw a huge resurgence in popularity in 2010 when the Fishermen's Friends, a group of fishermen from Port Isaac, memorably entered the charts official top ten.
But it was in 2024 when the RNLI were celebrating their 200th year in operation that David saw an opportunity to start the shanty group.
"A shanty group had to come from Penrith, because there wasn’t a local shanty group.
"That really made me determined for Whitehaven to have its own group of shanty singers, and with encouragement from the Harbour Commissioners, Rosehill Theatre, the Beacon Museum, we managed to get it off the ground.
"Carlisle Community Choir spread the word for us and that attracted members from as far north as the south of Scotland."
Since then, Solway Shanty Crew have been in high demand, singing all over Cumbria, from Keswick to Cockermouth and Maryport, with plans to travel to the east coast to perform at Saltburn Sea Festival taking place from June 18-21 later this month.
"We were busy last summer, but this summer has become crazy," David says.
"We’re not quite at the stage of Fishermen’s Friends, but never say never!
"Our reputation is steadying and it’s nice to think that we have a number of followers."
Solway Shanty Crew has attracted members from all walks of life, but has particularly offered a healthy social outlet for those in retirement.
"We did a recording session in the Beacon a few weeks ago, helped by Soundwave, the music charity, and we had a good turnout, there were 14 of us.
"I did a quick estimate, and across the 14 members that were there, the cumulative age was well over 1,000 years."
For David, he says the group has given him a new "purpose in life."
"I sometimes think I’ve bitten off more than I can chew," he says.
"Who doesn’t like a good sing song? There’s nothing like a shanty."
Much of David's passion for the songs has been fed by the work of Stan Hugill, known as the "Last Working Shantyman" who was born in Hoylake on Merseyside in 1906 and died in 1992.
"I saw him perform in Liverpool and during the Garden Festival held there many years ago and I’ve got several of his books.
"We're very much inspired by the real tradition of working shanties, although we do sing some modern stuff written by Fishermen’s Friends and the Longest Johns."
Sea shanties were songs passed on from generation to generation of sea-farers singing as they worked, and largely developed during the 18th century as the UK's maritime industry surged with international trade.
The songs' rhythms helped sailors and fishermen to coordinate efforts while hauling on ropes, pushing round a capstan, or pumping the bilges.
"A lot of the songs we do at public performances are ones where there’s a good chorus that’s easily picked," says David.
"So, even if people don’t know it well, by the end of the song, thy know the chorus at least."
David encourages anyone interested in helping the group revive these historic harmonies to give it a go.
"You don’t need to be able to read music, a sense of rhythm helps because that’s what shanties are all about.
"You don’t have to be a good singer to join – if you can talk, you can sing – it’s depressing the number of people, particularly men, who say they can’t sing - but if you’re talking to me, you can sing.
Are the group about to rival the Fishermen's Friends' album success?
"We’re not quite at the stage of Fishermen’s Friends, but we’ll see, we won’t rule it out.
"An ambition, rather than an album, might be to get a Solway Shanty Festival at some point, because we’ve got the whole of the Solway coast, both sides of it with a terrific history, and there’s not that much happens up North.
"The Saltburn Sea Festival is an exception for that – that’s on the east coast, so why can’t the west coast have a shanty festival?
"We’ve got lots of nice venues in Whitehaven and Maryport."
The group have plenty of plans for how their music might help in the community, having performed in Whitehaven and Keswick during Dementia Awareness week, and care home performances already taking place.
"That’s been inspiring to see the way the residents and the staff enjoy it.
"It would be lovely to get into schools too, and music, history, and geography are all involved in the history of shanties.
"Singing is so good for your mental health and physical wellbeing."
Solway Shanty Crew have performances lined up across Cumbria throughout the summer.
The group rehearse every Thursday at 7pm at The Beacon Museum.
For more information about the group, visit their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61564218477334.
Anyone interested in joining Solway Shanty Crew is encouraged to get in touch at
solway.shantycrew@gmail.com.
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