Harwich, Church Street 1954

I Know that car

Born in Harwich in 1940, I have many fond memories of Church Street both as a schoolchild and as a teenager.   The car parked on the left of the picture is an Alvis estate car which had the exceptionally nice wooden side panelling.  It is parked outside David Wills, the baker, and did in fact belong to Mr Thomas Wills, who I always called "Mr Tom".  It was used for the daily bread and cake run to his sister's shop, who was always known as Miss Florrie, at Tollgate, opposite Ernie Gant's farm. Mind you this was in the day's when bread really tasted like bread...

Little Oakley (The Dolly Houses)

Just before I left school in July 1948 I with my mother, cousin Isabel, and aunt Hannah travelled down from Gateshead to visit my aunt Susie and uncle Don who lived in the dolly houses in Little Oakley. I recall there were a number of prefab houses nearby. I haven't been back since however several years ago I wrote about this visit to the Harwich local newspaper (Harwich and Manningtree) and I received  replies from several residents. My uncle Don worked as a blacksmith's striker and in his spare time was an excellent painter. He and his workmate partner the blacksmith, who was a very good photographer  their photo appeared in the local paper in 1964. I had two cousins I never met. Peggy and Teddy. Teddy was in the Merchant Navy and Peggy married and lived in Stone in Staffordshire. My cousin Isabel is now living in Molesey in Surrey.
Les May -  lsmy59@aol.com

My Family

My father's family moved to Harwich in the early 1900's to cottages below Upper Dovercourt Church and lived there for many years. I was born in 1950 when my parents lived in Ramsey then we moved to Valley Road. I still have family in the Harwich/Dovercourt area. I come down to the area for holidays and stay at one of the caravan sites. Since I moved I have come back on holiday and seen some big changes: the road from Parkestone roundabout to Harwich and the shopping area off Barthside mud/the building onto the low road to Tollgate.

More Growing up in Dovercourt

I was born in Dovercourt in 1946, and lived there until 1957. My father, too, worked on Parkeston Quay, but moved to New England depot in Peterborough in 1956 - mother and I followed once I had taken my 11-Plus exam. My mother was from Waddesdon Road, opposite the old school which had by then become the library. My father met my mother during the war when he was posted to Dovercourt. Although we moved away, and I now live in Shropshire, I still have two aunts who live in Dovercourt, so I return from time to time.

One of my best friends was Phillip Cone, who lived a few doors away on Main Road. I see that he has now written at least one book about the town.

We used to go to the Regent cinema on Friday evenings, as it was just over the road. I seem to remember that nearly all the films were Westerns!

New vicar for Dovercourt

My father was inducted as the new vicar on 31st December 1949 at All Saints Church. I was just nine at the time but I retain some dim memories of a packed church! My dad stayed at Dovercourt until his retirement in 1976. I have many memories of Dovercourt for that period. I loved the West beach where I often used to take the dog on long muddy walks. Often as kids we would walk 'down town' to Woolworths or Candy Corner, usually in search of roughly the same things. Beach Stores though was the place where you could get something 'off coupons': a sort of Crunchy Bar without the chocolate. We were away at school and I was terrified of girls, but used to gaze soulfully at Jennifer in the choir in the hope she would notice me. She never did.
We had three cinemas in those days. I remember my dad taking us to The Quatermass Experiment, rated X, at the Regent, and telling them I was 16 when I was actually 15. Well done Dad!
Dovercourt was a lovely place to grow up in but, like many young people, I didn't really appreciate this at the time. Later when I took my own kids there years later I appreciated it more. Both my mum and my dad died in 1992 and are buried in All Saints churchyard.