Many people have been surprised that the Castle name still exists.  Furthermore the claim that the family was descended from the Castle family of shipbuilders based on the Thames in the 17^th century has also created a great deal of interest among many people.

The activities and lives of the Castle family were adventurous and offer a rich insight into the important, but little understood industry of shipbreaking during the 19th century.  The era spanning the lives of Henry Castle and his son Sidney Castle and grandsons  is of particular relevance to this fascinating period about the history of The Thames and of the Royal Navy.

This web site therefore concentrates, in the main, on the commercial activities of Henry Castle and his family, However an important and parallel study has been undertaken into the Castle family tree dating back to the seventeenth century in an endeavour to prove the link with William Castle and his brother Robert Castle, shipbuilders in Rotherhithe & Deptford in the 1660s and 1670s.  The former is mentioned several times in Pepys's Diaries.

Investigations and research have shown that records were destroyed over the years.  Limitations in the scope of the research have  also occurred because of the destruction of records by Companies House as well as a result of Second World War bombings.  In addition much of the written material available is anecdotal and has never been properly authenticated. 

Historians of The Thames find that story about the Castle Yards at Baltic Wharf and Longs Wharf are of special interest. 

The researches to date have however unearthed a vast quantity of material, but special care is being taken to examine the validity of all the information available. Inevitably this has proved to be a time consuming process and is ongoing.  There is a very interesting story to tell about the last of the wooden sailing ships and their figureheads, a tale of Two Castles, which is summarised within the pages of this web site.  We hope you enjoy the visit and look forward to receiving your feedback.