The Deal Porters by Phillip Bews and Diane Gorvin
Canada Water
London, January 2005
“The deal porters were a specialist group of workers in London's docks. They handled baulks of softwood or "deal", stacking them up to 60 feet (18 m) high in quayside warehouses. This was a demanding and dangerous job. It required physical strength, dexterity and a head for heights, to such an extent that they were nicknamed ‘Blondins’ after the famous acrobat, Charles Blondin. Deal porters wore special leather headgear (backing hats) with long ‘aprons’ over their shoulders in order to protect their heads and necks from wooden splinters.” (Deal porter, Wikipedia)
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