Matthew Webb
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Captain Matthew Webb was an English seaman, swimmer and stuntman who became the first person to swim the English Channel without the use of artificial aids. Webb increased the popularity of swimming i
Webb in The Illustrated London News, 1883
HMS Conway training ship at Rock Ferry
Portrait of Paul Boyton in his survival suit, on the front of a cigarette packet
Admiralty Pier, Dover, pictured between 1890 and 1900
English Channel
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The English Channel, also known as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates Southern England from northern France. It links to the southern part of the North Sea by the Strait of Do
Osborne House, the summer retreat of Queen Victoria on the Isle of Wight. Starting from the late 18th century, settlements on and around the English Channel coastline in England grew rapidly into thriving seaside resorts, bolstered by their association with royalty and the middle and upper classes.
The Strait of Dover viewed from France, looking towards England. The white cliffs of Dover on the English coast are visible from France on a clear day.
Three French river mouths. Top to bottom: the Somme, the Authie and the Canche.