Flamborough Marine
Your source for authentic
hand-knitted Ganseys and
Gansey Knitting Kits
We pride ourselves on our personal
attention to detail. If you are at all
unsure about any aspect of our
products, telephone, write or e-mail
us with your query which will be
answered promptly and, we hope,
knowledgeably. We wish to ensure
that you are completely satisfied
before making a purchase, as well
as after.
Shipping Charges
For orders outside the
U.K. postage is charged
at actual cost using the
standard Air Mail tariff.
Postage charges for
orders sent to a U.K.
address vary depending
on the items ordered.
Please refer to the
"Ordering" page for
further details.
International Orders
We are happy to ship to any
destination. Please note,
however, that as the currency
exchange rates change on a
daily basis, it is impossible to
provide a conversion table for
other currencies.
Please note that payment
must be made in British
Pounds Sterling (GBP). Due to
high conversion charges, we
cannot accept payments in
other currencies.
Pricing Information
We are not part of the VAT (Value
Added Tax) scheme. All prices
shown on this web-site are NET
with postage only to be added to
mail orders. Details of postage
charges for UK and International
destinations are shown on the
"Ordering" page.
For authentic hand-knitted Ganseys and Gansey Knitting Kits
Flamborough Marine Limited : Traditional Knitwear : Hand-Knitted Ganseys
The Manor House, Flamborough, Bridlington, East Riding of Yorkshire. YO15 1PD
Telephone: 01262 850943 [International: +44 1262 850943]
E-mail: gm@flamboroughmarine.co.uk
Authentic hand-knitted Ganseys in 5-ply worsted wool, and Gansey Knitting Kits
Web-site design & content Copyright © 2026 Geoffrey Miller
Flamborough
Head
Flamborough Marine : The Manor House : Flamborough : Bridlington : East Riding of Yorkshire Telephone 01262 850943
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Contact Information
Flamborough Marine Limited
The Manor House
Flamborough
Bridlington
East Riding of Yorkshire
YO15 1PD
United Kingdom
Telephone:
01262 850943
International:
+44 1262 850943
E-mail:
gm@flamboroughmarine.co.uk
Photographic Gallery of Vintage Ganseys
Over the years we have been given a number of vintage Ganseys, the oldest
dating from 1920 and many with a story to tell. Shown below is a selection
with, where known, the history behind each remarkable garment.
Richard Cowling was the longest-serving coxswain in the
history of the Flamborough Lifeboat, with a record of service
extending from 1946 to 1965.
These three Ganseys were knitted in the 1950s by Clara
Cowling for Richard. Clara died in 1989 and the Ganseys were
kindly donated by Edna Cowling.
They are all variations of the classic Flamborough pattern and,
for want of a better name, we always referred to them as
“Cowling Small Diamond”, “Cowling Large Diamond” and
“Cowling Sunday Best”, the latter being knitted in aran wool.
It was quite common for fishermen to have a second, “Sunday
Best” Gansey, often not in the traditional dark navy, with grey
perhaps being the most popular choice (but never green
which is considerer unlucky at sea).
Note also that on the “Cowling Large Diamond” the plain
section of the sleeves (from the elbow to the cuff) has been
re-knitted, possibly due to a snagged cuff or elbow, to extend
the Gansey’s working life, but with the wool not being a
precise match. Designed with practicability in mind, as the
sleeves are knitted downstairs the final section was almost
always left plain to allow for easy re-knitting in just such an
eventuality. However, we were also given one example, dating
from 1920 (shown below on this page) where the pattern
continued all the way down the sleeve.
Although hard to gauge the size, this classic Flamborough pattern
Gansey measures just 26 inches and was knitted in the 1980s to
celebrate one of the Royal births. I’m sure Lesley sent it to London but
seem to recall it was returned with a very polite note and was then put
on display in Flamborough.
The exception to the rule! This beautiful Flamborough
Gansey was knitted in 1920 for a young girl the in her
teens. As she was almost certain to grow out of the
Gansey before it started to wear out, the sleeves were
patterned all the way down to the cuff as it was felt there
would never be a need to “re-sleeve” it. The young girl
eventually stored the Gansey away before gifting it to us in
the 1990s.
As Lesley’s interest in the history of the Gansey
developed and became more widely known, people
would often bring in Gansey for her to preserve,
rather than leave them lingering in a drawer and at
risk of moth damage. This beautiful example in pale
grey probably dates from the middle of last century
and is yet another Flamborough variation, when the
central diamond has been replaced by an anchor.
This is another example of a Gansey where we
know the precise date (1940) it was knitted. It
was for a Naval Officer who served throughout
the Second World War. The “feel” of this Filey
Gansey is slightly different and Lesley always
suspected it was done in 4-ply rather than the
traditional 5-ply wool, possibly due to Wartime
shortages?
When we first started in 1981, without pattern
books to refer to, Lesley approached Nora
Woodhouse in the Village who knitted a
Flamborough Gansey from memory and, for many
years, this was considered THE Flamborough
pattern; until, that is, we had other Flamborough
examples donated. At last count, we know of ten
variations, though some quite minor. In this Gansey,
for example, the outer column of diamonds have
been filled in throughout whereas, usually, they
would alternate between open and filled.
Adult short sleeve 100% Jersey cotton
£37.95 NOW £17.95
French Size
1
2
3
4
5
6
Approx actual size, inches:
35
38
40
42
45
48
Approx actual size, cm.:
89
94
100
106
114 121
Adult long sleeve 100% Interlock cotton
£49.95
French Size
1
2
3
4
5
6
Approx actual size, inches:
33
36
38
41
44
47
Approx actual size, cm.:
84
90
96
103
110 117
Marine/Russet long sleeve
Marine/New Stone long sleeve
Marie Galante/Milk Long sleeve
Russet/Marie Galante long sleeve
Milk/Blue long sleeve Interlock
Blanc/Cassis long sleeve Interlock
Polynesie/Blanc long sleeve Interlock
Garance/Marine long sleeve Interlock
Blue/Marie Galante long sleeve
Style 4277 is slightly fitted at the waist and has a
narrower shoulder than style 1525
The colours are shown as accurately as possible. However, due to the
limitations of the scanning process, the actual colours may vary slightly
from those shown.
Flamborough Marine
The Manor House
Flamborough
Bridlington
East Riding of Yorkshire
Telephone 01262 850943
This is the mobile variant of our web-site, specially designed for
viewing on smartphones, but lacking some of the more
detailed information available on our full-size site.
Contact Information
Flamborough Marine Limited
The Manor House
Flamborough
Bridlington
East Riding of Yorkshire
YO15 1PD
United Kingdom
Telephone:
01262 850943
International:
+44 1262 850943
E-mail:
gm@flamboroughmarine.co.uk
Flamborough Marine
Your source for authentic
hand-knitted Ganseys, Gansey
Knitting Kits, plus a range of
quality, traditional knitwear
and Armor Lux pure cotton
Breton shirts
We pride ourselves on our personal
attention to detail. If you are at all
unsure about any aspect of our
products, telephone, write or e-mail
us with your query which will be
answered promptly and, we hope,
knowledgeably. We wish to ensure
that you are completely satisfied
before making a purchase, as well
as after.
Shipping Charges
For orders outside the
U.K. postage is charged
at actual cost using the
standard Air Mail tariff.
Postage charges for
orders sent to a U.K.
address vary depending
on the items ordered.
Please refer to the
"Ordering" page for
further details.
We have a limited
range of other
colour combinations
in stock, shown
below.
Not all
combinations are
available in each
size, so please
contact us for
further information.
Marine/Russet short sleeve Jersey
Marie Galante/Rich Navy short sleeve Jersey
Russet/Marie Galante short sleeve Jersey
Aviso/Pacific short sleeve Jersey
Aviso/Kaki short sleeve Jersey
Pacific/Aviso short sleeve Jersey
Style 73023, with a slightly narrower shoulder than style 1527
The colours are shown as accurately as possible. However, due to the limitations of the scanning
process, the actual colours may vary slightly from those shown.
Aviso/Kaki long sleeve Interlock
Beetle/Zand Long sleeve Interlock
Metal/Pacific long sleeve Interlock
Aviso/Pacific long sleeve Interlock
Blanc/Bleuet long sleeve Interlock
Colour
Swatches
style 4277
