The historic wherry Albion sailed into Norwich this morning, bringing with her 114 years of history.

The historic wherry Albion sailed into Norwich this morning, bringing with her 114 years of history.

A crowd gathered to watch as the Albion raised her famous black sail when she moored at the Norwich Yacht Station on Riverside Road shortly before 10am.

She will be there until 4pm for an open day, allowing visitors to set foot on the boat and learn about her history.

Henry Gowman, one of the Albion's skippers and a trustee of the Norfolk Wherry Trust, which preserves the boat, said interest in the boat was high because of her past and that the fact she is completely 'hand-drolic' with everything about the boat relying on manpower for it to be maintained and operated.

Mr Gowman said: 'There used to be roughly 300 craft in her heyday, with families growing up on them.'

He said the Albion, which is one of only two of her kind remaining, was an important reminder of Norfolk's social heritage, adding: 'If she doesn't come up then people lose sight of their history and forget how people earned their living on the river.'

One of the trust and crew members, Jon Simpson, makes souvenirs from the craft's recycled oak, describing them as 'buying a piece of history', with the proceeds funding further restoration work.

- To see more photos of the wherry sailing down the River Wensum in Norwich, see the photo gallery at the top-right of this page.