The Collection

Dover Museum has long had a modest collection of photos, engravings, ephemera and objects relating to Channel Swimming, mostly to Webb, Burgess and a handful of other swimmers

In 1997 the museum purchased a large and unique collection of photographs relating to swims in the ‘golden age’ period 1900 to 1910. From this point on the museum began to actively collect Channel Swimming material

The donation of the Sam Rockett collection by his daughter Janet Johnson and her family quickly followed, along with Sunny Lowry’s collection from Sunny herself shortly after

Further additions have included the Pop Burwill (pilot) collection from his grandson and our much-missed colleague Rob Whitewood; the Hollingsbee collection from ex-reporter Bob Hollingsbee and his wife, local historian Kath Hollingsbee; the Garnet-Martin collection from daughter Niomi Garnet Martin; the Ray and Audrey Scott collection from Audrey Scott

In addition numerous other people, including many swimmers and pilots, have donated photographs, varying from single items to multiples