Tag Archives: 1970s

Andrew Johnson: Thorley Marshes 1960s – 2000

Thorley Brook was once a navigable creek leading off the Western Yar almost as far as Thorley Manor until it silted up and a causeway was built across its entrance where a tide mill was established in the mid 17^th century and the current one at the end of the 18^th century.

Mill and stream 2013

The Freshwater, Yarmouth and Newport railway was opened in1889 and ran across the marsh, under the Thorley Road and on the edge of the marsh, north of Thorley Manor before continuing on higher ground towards Newport.

The mill, the mill causeway and the railway line all had an effect on how Thorley brook and the marshes around it would operate in the future. The marshes act as a flood plain to the catchment area of the Thorley brook which in itself divides to the north of Thorley Manor, the main arm towards Thorley Street and the small watershed east of Broad lane, the lesser arm to Cranmore.

Old railway track 2013

The drainage of the flood plain back to the main watercourse was laid out in a series of ditches fed by shallow runnels back to a feeder ditch running parallel to the Brook. This ditch is in turn emptied back to the brook by a series of hinged flap sluices which open when the brook level is low enough. The brook level lowers when the tide goes out allowing the two sets of sluices one at the station and one by the mill connected by the mill race to open. This was the original means of driving the mill wheel.

Mill low tide :photo Robert Adams
1950s

My interest in the Marshes began in February 1969 when I arrived on the Island following a very wet autumn and winter, to manage the Thorley Manor Farm of which the marshes were an integral part.

At this point the marsh drainage system was in a poor state of repair and as the farm’s intention was to graze a single suckled beef herd on these marshes in the summer, housing them in the winter when the marshes were flooded, it was essential to have it returned to its original state. The main brook course was controlled and maintained by the River Authority and so they dredged the brook using a tracked drag line on mats, putting the spoil along the banks raising the level of the banks and increasing the capacity of the brook.

Mill gates 1950s : photo R. Adams

The sluice gates were repaired and the feeder ditches were dug out and fenced to prevent treading in by cattle. This in turn created a series of paddocks which allowed a rotational system of grazing for the livestock.

This made a great improvement to state of the ground at all times of the year, so that as it continued to act as a flood plain in winter, it dried out in a good condition in the Spring. Access for cattle and for footpath users was greatly improved.

Work on marshes 1950s :photo Robert Adams

In the Spring if heavy rainfall coincided with the neap tides the emptying time of the brook to the estuary was much reduced and increased during the time of the spring tides. This could result in delaying the cattle grazing in the Spring by up to 3 weeks, a critical factor in the management of the herd. A further improvement to the drainage was carried out to reduce this delay. The feeder ditch was dug deeper to increase its holding capacity from the station to the back of Thorley Manor. A series of three pumps controlled by level switches were installed near the station. This allowed water to be pumped from the marsh into the brook over the bank before the level of the brook had fallen to allow the minor sluices in the banks to open. (The difference in level between the pump site and the back of the Manor is only one foot. It is worth noting that if the main sluice gates at the mill and the station failed, the salt water would reach Hill Place lane and beyond, at high tide.) We had now gained in most years, 3weeks extra grazing in the Spring and two weeks in the autumn.

On the upper reaches of the brook the grazing was improved by re-seeding, and the major perennial weeds of dock, thistle and ragwort were controlled by topping before they seeded.

By this time the beef suckler herd had been increased to 100 cows, with half calving in the autumn and the other half in the spring, with two thirds of their grazing being on the marshes.

Marshes, track and stream

In the mid 1990’s a high percentage of the marshes were declared a site of special scientific interest (SSSI) and although the Thorley Brook remained as a main waterway under the River Authority the ultimate control passed to English nature. This affected the level and timing of the dredging and drainage. The amount of silt and plant growth which now accumulated in the brook meant that the banks of the brook now needed fencing to avoid cows and calves falling in and getting trapped there. This extra cost of erecting and maintaining these fences would eventually make the cattle an uneconomic venture. In 1999 all the cattle were sold following a change of the farm ownership, the pumps were switched off, and in time it is likely that the marshes will revert to its state of 30 years previously.

Andrew Johnson 28-5-2013

Brian Pomroy, Michael Lewis: Funfair 1950s – 1970s

The fair used to come every year until their lorries got so big that they couldn’t come up by the vet’s where Mr Lewis used to be. When the Harbour Commissioners built the bit down by the new car park they went down there, on that bit of green down there, but everyone remembers it up the Rec.

I remember an old chap, Sid Butler, who lived in the house next to the Rec., Kezzie Butler’s brother. He used to ride these chairplanes all evening, from the time it started at 6 o’clock until 10 when it finished. He used to sit there with his old pipe, and he would sit there for hours. Brian Pomroy b 1937

Westport,home of Michael Lewis, vet. and family; photo M. Scott

The lorries and trailers for the fair were so big, they couldn’t turn the corner into the lane by Westport. They had a long heavy crowbar with a hook on the end which they would put under the rear axle and lever the wheels round.

On the last evening they used to say to the children, ‘If you come back tomorrow, we’ll give some money for helping us.’ Of course, they were gone the next morning.
After the fair had left, the children used to go over the field picking up the loose change that had been dropped in the grass. Michael Lewis b 1923 Yarmouth Vet. from 1956

Funfair: Carnival Week, 1930s – 1980s

Funfair on Yarmouth Rec.

When the Funfair set up in Yarmouth, it was on the Recreation Ground which was given for the children of Yarmouth. There would be gallopers, chairplanes, dodgems and swing boats; proper coconut shies and all kinds of stalls. It cost 1d in the afternoon, 3d in the evening. Eileen Smith nee Lansdowne b 1921 photo

I used to go love to go to the fair with my Gran. I’d save up my pennies for Shove Ha’penny and all the different stalls. Effie Pitman b 1921

Ryall family watching Carnival, funfair behind, with dodgems tent : photo Di Broomfield

Sylvia Sharp: Yarmouth School 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s

Yarmouth C. of E. Primary School : Mrs Sylvia Sharp Head teacher Christmas 1968 – 1994

At Christmas 1968 I took over the headship of Yarmouth School from Mrs V.A.Barton, who had been head for 32 years. It was then an infant/junior school of 104 pupils , with 3 classrooms created by dividing one long hall into 3 by sliding ½ glass screens.

Mrs D. Vanson and Miss J. Bull were established as assistant teachers – both 12 years older than me! Mrs J Hall was part time assistant for the reception class of 34 pupils.

In June 1969 after I’d been at the school for 6 months, an electrical fire broke out in the southernmost classroom, luckily overnight so the classroom was devoid of humans. Mr. Holloway the then caretaker wakened me in the adjoining schoolhouse at 7.15a.m. and the fire brigade were on the scene within 20 minutes. School was closed for 2 days whilst all the staff sifted through the smoke and soot–blackened equipment to see what could be salvaged.

In September ’71 the ten and eleven year olds were transferred to West Wight Middle School – the start of the 3 tier system being introduced on the Island – leaving Yarmouth with the age range 5 – 9 years.

As Yarmouth is surrounded on 3 sides by sea, and we were no longer allowed to teach children to swim in the sea, we decided to build a swimming pool. A very active and supportive PTA helped to organise several extraordinary events to raise money .
One of the most ludicrous was a Dads versus Mums football match at the Recreation ground, where the men dressed as women and women as men, with feigned injuries to raise the laughs. Stretcher bearers carried off the ‘injured’ to howls of laughter and indignation. It wasn’t till after the match that we discovered that one of the dads had sustained a genuine injury and had to be taken off to A. and E.
* John Golding remembers being delegated to play in goal, for the mums – the only man on the team, wearing a wig of long blond curls and not allowed in the mums ‘changing room!

Our ‘It’s a Knockout ‘ competition delighted participants and spectators, especially when the Head Teacher was deluged with an entire dustbin of water by Mr. Roger Giles of Harwoods.
During our barbecue at Compton Beach the dads were beachcombing for firewood and gratefully received a huge pile of wood donated by a complete stranger. His donation had been burnt before our benefactor discovered his mistake – his party was half a mile away along the beach!

We finally raised the £780 to buy the pool, and the PTA dads, led by Michael Persse, constructed it.
It was a worthwhile effort as only 2 children left the school as non swimmers in ensuing years ( both of them had excuse notes to prevent them from swimming more often than was necessary!)

Building work to improve accommodation, designed by Mr. Biggs
( Architect), was started in the early 1970’s. Once again, the P.T.A. raised most of the money with funds topped up by the D.E.S.
( Department of Education and Science – what happened to them?)
Teaching and building work continued in parallel. At one time a class was in session with only a tarpaulin between builders and students ( Health and Safety eat your heart out!)

When work was completed we had windows that children could see out of, and spacious rooms with carpets and new furniture more suitable for small children – luxury indeed.

Yarmouth School 2013 showing new windows

We also had our own kitchen and cook. Prior to that, meals were prepared at Shalfleet or West Wight and sent to us in containers , by van. We had had to use the reception room for dining with monitors, elected weekly, to set up tables and benches for lunch.
* Mrs Mary Lord, reception teacher from 1974, wondered at the time of her interview whether her ability to move furniture about, had contributed in part to her appointment!

In the second ’87 Great Storm, conditions were so worrying that we gathered all the children into the hall, which is large and with relatively few windows. Ten minutes later something crashed into the west- facing windows of the reception class and glass shattered everywhere. The suspended ceiling was dislodged and tiles scattered. As I was phoning County Hall from the office, a dinghy blew past the window and over the wall into Mill Road. We all survived to tell the tale, but it was hair raising at the time.

One afternoon in ’89 a man entered my classroom. Obviously not in full possession of his faculties, he told me he was a member of the S.A.S., rambling fairly incoherently for several minutes whilst I was gently manoeuvring him towards the exit. As it was nearly time for the children to leave schooI phoned the police for protection for the children and shouted to the men repairing the school roof to keep watch!

Drama was much more enjoyable when we were all involved in pantomimes!

Yarmouth School pantomime 1970s

Mrs. Edna Crosbie proposed that we should have a pantomime at the school, involving all the children and parent volunteers, to raise money for school funds. We readily agreed and a good time was had by all who took part, and more importantly by the town’s community as audience. What a fun way to rally support!

We repeated this venture every second year until my retirement in 1994. Our last pantomime was entitled ‘In at the Sharp End’!

All requests for building work at Yarmouth School, although written on official request forms, were written in doggerel verse (* Alu can letter) by the ‘Poet Looreate’ ,

Mrs. Sharp’s Alu cans letter

as indeed was my retirement note and a poem for our OFSTED inspectors, when we were chosen for a pre OFSTED trial, from which we emerged triumphant. The County Hall Architects Department (AKA Ivor Trowell) often replied in rhyme. The OFSTED inspectors sent their report in rhyme, set to music, and requested us to sing it to the School Governors at our WRAP party.

Yarmouth was only a little school, but we did have fun. I had lovely pupils, a dedicated staff and supportive parents. What more could you ask?

Mrs Sharp at her leaving party July 1994

The only thing that the children will remember of their Head Teacher is her idiocyncratic kaftans and painted toenails – both deliberately adopted after noting the children’s enthusiastic reaction to the Afton Festival crowds!

* Not true, Mrs Sharp, you are remembered with much affection for your exuberant, encouraging and positive approach to learning. Miss Bull remembers you starting every day with a jolly comment.

Kitty Pearce: Thorley, St Swithin’s Church, 1920s -1990s

Kitty Pearce with her choir used to and put on nativity plays every year which packed the church out. She played the organ in Thorley for 50 years, right from when my mum was at school. I think she was one of the oldest organists ever; over 90.
Mary Henderson b 1954

Miss Kitty Pearce BEM was organist at St Swithin’s for 50 years. She retired in 1994 at 91, and died in 1998

Les Turner: Harbour, 1970s

I shall never forget the day we had to deal with a fifty foot sort of Edwardian steam yacht. Apparently they’d gone out the harbour and something had fallen off – I think it was a clock or the barometer. The husband and wife were having a bloody good old argument about it and they hit the Admiralty buoy out there, and so they comes in screaming and shouting.
We managed to get a line. They got the bow to about here, and of course the tide was going out and I managed to put a line on there on to the quay. People with pumps came from everywhere. They even got the Fire Brigade down here. Poor old Bob Woodford went and got this pump off Vic. He went running down this little slip. Course he forgot the bloody thing ended, and the people on the boat just managed to grab hold the pump before Bob disappeared off the end.

Yarmouth Harbour 1960s

That’s where Cecil Doe, George Weston and Jack Harwood used to keep their sailing dinghies, their Enterprises, GP14s and stuff. We used to go down there lots of times, find a dinghy with an oar, scull up to the top of the quay or up the top of the harbour if there was westerly wind blowing, and either Al or myself would stand up with our jackets wide open, and one of us would steer with the oar while the other one stood with their jacket and sail down the harbour. Les Turner b 1944

Colin Smith: Harbour, Theo Osborne Smith’s boatyard 1930s

Father had the boatyard that, at that time, came straight on to the water when the tide was up. There was a lot of sedge and so on, but there was a channel along the

Smith’s Boatshed 1970s

first of all, and up to the back of the Institute, the Liberal Club I believe they called it in those days. Just beyond, the stream ran along to what was the Dump, the beginning of where they used to bring the lorries in and dump off rubbish. Now they’ve covered the whole lot of course.

My grandfather started the yard there as I understand it. Grandfather’s name was Theo Osborne Smith. He used to have the name on the sign. His first shed was an old ex army canteen. He bought it and had it re-erected there, and there was another little arched type of building behind as well. He originally started up at Oxford on the Upper Thames and then moved down, first to Fawley, over at Ashlett Creek. He had a little business there, and then for some reason, I haven’t got a clue why, moved over to Yarmouth. He specialised in mostly little centre-board type of sailing boats, twenty foot or twenty two thereabouts and so on. He built one of them, the ‘Menomopote’ it was called, Child of the Ocean. I don’t know where they got that name from. A very unusual boat, very easy underwater shape and the top sides were paired off and came round into a kind of chine and at midship it came right up to the gunwale (or gunnel) . He was a very advanced designer. I don’t think my father took it to the same extent. Colin Smith b 1921

Blanche Kennard: Shops, High Street, and buses 1950s 1970s

Bus in High Street 1970s : photo John Golding

The buses used to pass so close to the shop door at Higginbothams. One day when I was just paying for something at the counter, I let go of Colin’s hand, – he was only about 3 – to get my money out, and he ran to the door. It was open and the bus was going past. I just grabbed him in time. Oh, it did give me a scare.
Blanche Kennard nee Dore b 1923

Eileen Smith: Yarmouth Carnival 1930s – 70s

The Yarmouth Carnivals were a highlight of the year, always held on a Thursday, early closing day. There were maybe 4 bands, proper bands. They were wonderful .

Jazz band 1930s with Curly Jupe on accordion and Megan Cook vocals

The fishing competition on the Pier used to draw over a hundred rods. My Grandfather, Robert May, supplied the Rod for first prize.My aunt was asked if she’d like to keep up the tradition after he died, but she said no, it was the end of an era, and Harwood’s took over giving the prize.

Robert May awards Carnival Fishing prize of rod

Robert May awards prize rod for Carnival Fishing competition off Pier

Robert May awards the prize rod for the fishing competition on the pier

During Carnival Week there were harbour sports, greasy pole and swimming races off the Common. All the families joined in and won prizes too. Yarmouth was a town of families, now it’s a town of holiday homes. Eileen Smith nee Lansdowne b 1921

Eileen Smith: Loveshore in summer

In the summer holidays there would be maybe 6 mums with families down at Loveshore. We’d pack up picnics and spend all day there.

Eileen Smith nee Lansdowne

swimming at Love Shore

Yarmouth and Thorley Voices

Learn about the history of Yarmouth and Thorley from the people who have lived it