Lithograph by Rear Admiral J.N. Tayler published by Standidge. The Goodwin Sands Floating Shipwreck Asylum

This lithograph is by Rear Admiral J. N. Tayler. It shows a proposal for a moored ship to save people from shipwrecks on the Goodwin Sands. This was a notoriously treacherous stretch of sea on the east coast of Kent. Shifting sands make building lighthouses impossible and the area was prone to shipwrecks. The word ‘asylum’ means a sanctuary and a shelter from danger or hardship. This possibly guided Rear Admiral Taylor when naming his design. However, he may also have been satirising the number of ‘mental asylums’ being built during this period.

This lithograph comprises a vignette of the moored asylum in use, plus a diagram of the vessel with explanatory captions. It was published by Standidge and Company in London and bought at auction.