Blissful Days On The Amusements!

A Memory of Clacton-On-Sea.

This picture takes me back!
It was around 1962 and I was 11 years old. We travelled down to Clacton from South Harrow on a Valiant Cronshaw coach which we caught outside a pub in Northolt - The Plough, I think it was. A great journey to Clacton, and we stayed at 92 Rosemary Road. Gwen Hawkes and her mum ran the B&B - does anyone remember her? We met some nice people there, Mr O'Keefe was one.

Apart from a massive thunderstorm, the amusements and beach were the main attractions and memories for me. On the way to the pier there were many arcades. I recall having to throw wooden balls up a "bowling" alley with netting on each side. You were aiming for the middle hole, like a target, and if the ball went in there it was the highest score - registered by a black and white counter on top. If you got outer holes then you scored less points. The balls were noisily returned down a side chute.

There were many other machines such as the Ghost House where you put in a 1d and you saw spooky things happening in a glass case.

My dad taught me the shooting targets game. You put in 6d and if you shot all 20 targets (quite difficult!), then you got your 6d back.

The pier had fast dodgems with no bumping allowed - the forerunner of go carts. And there were the ordinary boring ones too that went slowly.

The Steel Stella big dipper towered above on the pier and I wasn't brave enough to go on it. The noise of the chains and cars running down the tracks could be heard all over Clacton front. Happy days!