Tag Archives: Quay

Doctor Drummond, Yarmouth Doctor

How medical things have changed!
I remember as a child we sat in Doctor Drummond’s surgery, near the Quay. It was a small room and you took your turn to go in. The door between the waiting room and his consulting room was so thin if the person seeing the doctor had a loud voice you could hear what they were saying. Many a bit of gossip was picked up while you were waiting.

Some of his treatments were mixed in a room behind his consulting room. Those in my age group will remember that awful gritty chalky stuff you mixed with water for tummy complaints. It used to stick round your teeth and when you did manage to swallow it, it made you cough. There was some awful stuff you gargled with for sore throats. It smelt like disinfectant and burnt your throat.

He would always come out on house calls in the afternoon, when he used to call on us at the Toll Gate. There was always the apple polishing that had to be done. This may sound funny but Great Uncle George always kept the apples from one of his many apple trees for the Doctor. No one else was allowed to eat them. I remember they were big and went bright red in the autumn and would last for a very long time and looked lovely polished. The Doctor was well thought of in Yarmouth, and I believe greatly missed when he was gone.
Delia Whitehead nee Hunt b 1934

Jean Maitland: Harbour breakwater construction, 1930s

Piling crew who rebuilt the pier and harbour in 1930s: photo Jean Maitland

Bob Cook’s grandfather, Bob Buckett, and Jack Payne, Fred Wadham and my Dad, Bill Levey, they put in all the piles for the harbour breakwater by hand. You wouldn’t have had a pier or breakwater if it wasn’t for them. You can see their piling rig in the photo, the crab winch in the background was part of it. See the length of pipe in his hand?
They would push it on the winch brake handle so you could hold the brake on – the handles on them were never long enough. Winching that weight up time and time again, to knock the piles in, that was hard work wasn’t it eh? The times they went in the tide under the pier when they were rebuilding it! Look at the clothes they wore in those days, didn’t have overalls and if it rained they got wet. My Dad fell in, sea boots and all. Good job he was a good swimmer.

I can always remember how the old men used to get down the Spit and Lean on the Quay, spinning yarns. You know how these old boys like to yarn.
Jean Maitland nee Levey

Pauline Harwood: Harbour, old quay 1930s

old bullnosed quay with crane 1930s

I was left on the Quay with my Grandmother from London, – I wasn’t very old,- in a pram under the Spit and Lean. That was taken down when the coalyard was knocked into the Quay. Blakes Coalyard was handy for the blacksmith’s shop across the road.

Round the corner where the pigsties were and the steps used to go down to the sea my sister Audrey who was 7 years older than me used to take me and John down the steps and anybody dinghy that was there, we used to get in it and row somewhere. We used to do that then.

Pauline Harwood nee Hatch b1930

Eileen Smith: Harbour, Quay

Yarmouth Bull nose Quay,postcard :Steve Holden

On the Quay itself, the original Bullnose, before the alterations, there was a carpenter’s workshop, Harwoods stables where they kept the horse and cart for deliveries and a blacksmith’s forge. There was Blakes Coalyard and office, and Mr. Saunders charabanc garage that burnt down. At the end was the ‘Spit and Lean Club’, a 3 sided shelter from the weather where all the local chaps gathered to watch the goings on, and pass comments. Eileen Smith b 1921

Alec Cokes: Free Time at the Dump 1950s

The Dump was quite a big thing in our little lives and the dump was always alight.
Do you remember those Kiora bottles with the big clamp? We used to get those and half fill them with water then put them in the fire and stand around watching – eventually they would just blow to bits because the top wouldn’t come off, and that was another chicken game. If you were close enough to see it properly you could see it boil and you’d have steam and water but immediately the water disappeared and it became steam, you were out of there, and this glass used to go everywhere!

Yarmouth Quay with the Dump seen burning in background

Alec Cokes b 1945

Sue Russell: Free Time

As there were no holiday homes, the houses were all full of local people so we all knew each other, and you knew you could knock at any door if in trouble.

We used to run along the back of the houses in Mill Road to the Dump, which was where the car park is, by the school, then along by the old wall to the Quay trying not to get our feet wet.

Squeak and I spent a lot of time making camps in Mill Copse but regularly the boys used to find them and wreck them. Sue Russell nee Hayles b 1940

Yarmouth and Thorley Voices

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