Royal Barge of 1689 Will be Seaworthy Again: ***** Mr. Bert Smith of Blackheath (right) seen at work on the stern of the Queen's Shallop in the Charlton Barge Works. In this view some of the lavish decorations of the barge can be seen, still in an excellent state of preservation. At the Thames Slipway Company of Messrs, William Cori and Company, Ltd., at their riverside yard at Charlton, work is on progress on the restoration of the craft built on the orders of King William III as a Royal Barge for Queen Mary II in 1969. This barge, known as the Queen's Shallop, carried Kings and Queens for 230 years and was last used by King George V and Queen Mary, when manned by King's Watermen. resplendent in their scarlet uniforms, it sailed in triumph down the River Thames during the Victory Pageant of 1919. February 23, 1954. (Photo by Fox Photos).