Jaywick memories
Here are memories of Jaywick and the local area. You can start now: Add your own Memory of Jaywick or a Jaywick photo.
Happiest Holidays of my Life
Year after year my family had our summer holidays in Jaywick Sands, we used to stay in the same small chalet in Meadow Way, Jaywick Sands. How we all used to fit in there I'll never know. It had tiny windows, an outside toilet, a small front garden with double gates at the front leading out to the long road, Meadow Way. Across the road about 300 yards away was the sea and the beach, and just about 100 yards from our chalet was the Las Vegas amusement arcade, directly across the road from the Las Vegas was The Mermaid pub. The very first time my family took me to Jaywick Sands was so very exciting for me. I will always remember my wonderful grandmother handing me a little bag full of pennies which she had put away for my brother and I to spend in the amusement arcade while she would sit and play bingo, she would always get there early so she could save seats for my mother... Read more
Happy Days at Jaywick!
My family had a holiday in Jaywick every summer, from when I was 5 up until I was about 15 years old. We would stay in bungalows on stilts!! My brothers and me thought this was wonderful,and would run and play under these bungalows.
The weather always seemed to be baking hot, and I remember the sand burning my feet!
At night, my family and all the other relations who were on holiday with us, would go to the Morocco Club, and stay there till closing time. I vaguely remember me and my brothers going upstairs where there were lots of slot machines.
My mum used to hire a bright orange pushchair for my younger brothers, and we would walk to Clacton Pier,and I went on Steel Stellar!!! I remember being so scared as I was only about 7 or 8 at the time!!
The only thing I didn't like about these holidays was the awful smell when the
lorries came round to empty the outside toilets!
We went back... Read more
Happy Memories
I came from a family that lived in Eltham, South East London, and we spent many a happy year at Jaywick. We did not have much money and my aunt used to treat us every year to a holiday. Me, my mum, my cousin Debbie and my aunt would pack up our case and off to Jaywick we would go. I remember getting so excited as we drove down the beach road, the journey at the time seemed so long. We would book in and then run to the caravan, which was sited right next to the grass mound the led over the top to the beach. We did not have running water or a loo but we loved it, our bucket and chuck it caravan :). The Sunday market was always a great hit as well and we would go down and get lots of new clothes and then feel very grown up when we would walk to the 3 Jays for a coke in the evening. I remember... Read more
A Tricycle Made For Two!
Gosh, this takes me back! Our family of six used to stay in one of these 'chalets on stilts' in the late 40's. We used to buzz around on hired 'side by side' twin tricycles.
Robertsons Cafe
This brings back memories of 1953-55. The large building in the foreground was Robertsons Cafe and both my parents worked there in the summertime, I also helped out by peeling potatoes in a shed at the back, I was 12. Next to the cafe was a children's theatre, does anybody remember Uncle Ken? Then Uncle Jack did a season (maybe it was Jack Douglas). The building behind it is the Palladium Amusements, run by Curly - my dad worked there at nights and in the school holidays I ran a kiddies' ride on the forecourt. I met Mario Fabrizi there one year and we got quite friendly until he went to London to do a show with Alfred Marks. Happy days.
Memories
I can remember as a child staying in Tower caravan park, and also in the little roads leading up to the park which were all named after cars. The big old carts coming round couple of times a week to empty the toilets as at the time there was no plumbing at all, hahahah, and the smell, omg, we used to gag, hahahaha. My children now have memories of it too as we took them there when they were small, they now have children and hopefully will take theirs as well. Remember the Ravens club, through the years, also remember they had an entertainments man there in the late 1980s and early 1990s called Jerry, coz I can remember my kids doing treasure hunts etc. So many memories dating from the early 1960s up until few years ago :) Good times.
Tower Caravan Park Jaywick Sands
I remember going to Tower Caravan Park, Jaywick Sands, every year with my mom, dad, two brothers and sister, from very young till about 15 or 16 years old. I have wonderful memories like going to the Raven Club every evening and not being allowed in the 'adults room' but being able to see them through the glass partition between us and them. The arcade next to the bingo and the cafe right on the end. I also remember mom still in her dressing gown going over to the toilets and showers in the mornings, with her toiletry bag and towel, and my older brother going to fill the water thing up at the outside tap. And on one of the days we would go to Clacton Pier. The week (cos we only went for a week but it felt like we were there for a month) was always scorching hot. I remember the little shop & reception area and the beach just up a small hill. My sister and... Read more
Tanker in The Mud
Around that time we had 3 or 4 holidays at Jaywick Sands and St.Osyth's. Although I think we nearly didn't go back after this adventure! 'The Sands' at Jaywick opened at low tide to miles of shifting mud! Well very waterlogged sandy silt. One year a huge tanker was caught on the bar around 2-3miles out. Waiting for high tide.
My cousin, 12yrs, and not nearly as good a swimmer as me at 10yrs of age, was persuaded that we could make it out to the tanker. We almost did. The sailors were close enough to make out clearly and wave. However, their waving had more to do with the fast rising channel, behind us. Once near enough to the tanker we saw how vast it was and how small were we.
We bogged and ploughed our way back, the water was a fast rising, rippling current of warm water. Very pleasant to feel but very scary to sense how fast it was rising.
Skating Rink
I worked for a season on the skating rink and had the pleasure of teaching many young ladies how to roller skate, but when it rained it was ahrd work because I had to squegee it dry. We called the cart that empties the Elsan toilets 'Nelson Eddy' (after the actor) and it was an ex-RAF fuel tanker.
The Jaywick Buebottle
Not sure of the year, but I went there as a child. I remember the roller skating rink, which was I believe opposite my family's chalet, and every now and then this vehicle came round which was named by locals as the 'The Jaywick Bluebottle'. as the toilets were outside, and this contrapsion used to come round and empty the Nelson toilets, wow! the smell was unbelievable. Does anybody else remember it? Also I remember Lonnie Donigan being always played at the roller rink, God those were the days, I am 64 now and remember it as if it was yesterday.
Summer Holiday 1972
Hi, I remember falling in love for the very first time while holidaying at Tower caravan park at Jaywick in 1972. I thought the girl looked like Brigit Bardot at the time. Her name was Elaine from Battersea. It was the first time I ever kissed a girl! I was heartbroken when the holiday was over. I imagine she went on to great things, being so pretty.
The Happiest Memories in my Sad Life
I went on holiday with my nan and grandad and auntie and it was the most beautiful exciting place I had ever been to in my life. The amusement arcade was just across the road from our tiny chalet in Meadow Way, Nan gave me lots of pennies she had saved for me to have on holiday. She would walk up to the Las Vegas amusment arcade and get her seat to play bingo, my mum and aunt would join her and wonderful prizes were all displayed for the bingo winners to pick, my nan always let me pick a prize for myself. I remember the midnight walk home with all my family, and my wonderful grandad would be waiting for us all across the road in the pub, then we all walked back to our tiny chalet to get ready for bed and have a good laugh at somthing or other, it was my nan who would make us laugh. We had an outside toilet which had a most... Read more
Love
I fell in love for the first time at Jaywick sands. I thought the girl looked like Brigitte Bardot. She was the first girl I ever kissed. If I remember correctly she came from Battersea and her name was Elaine. I must admit it seems like a million years ago.
Don't go Back
From 1985 to 1982 I went with my Nan and Grandad to their chalet in Essex Avenue for 2 weeks in August. I remember a tiny kitchen, cosy front room and 2 bedrooms. Outside toilet which didn't seem to bother my sister and I. Woke every morning by the sounds of the Elsan man coming to empty the toilet, and falling asleep to the sounds of the bingo caller from the caravan park.
Long hot days swimming in the sea and walks along the beach. Always had one day at Butlins, a day on Clacton Pier, a swimming pool somewhere and a 'posh' day at Holland on Sea. Fantastic times.
I was in the area recently and thought I would have a trip back down memory lane - what a shock. Empty falling down chalets, roads that are disintegrating. People staring at me as I drove past. I remember my grandparents knowing so many of the people who stayed in these chalets and it was so sad to... Read more
Tower Caravan Park
My family had a caravan on Tower Caravan site during the 1970's my name is Paul Green, although my family name then was Turvey, Does any one out there have any happy memories of that period that they would like to share, do you remember Terry the compere in the Ravens Club, or Tony Jolley who ran the club ?, I know that Brian Mathews the site owner died a couple of years ago, and Les Ratcliff that owned the amusements seems to have dissapeared , do you remember the Hawkins or Parrish families ?, we all grew up together down there at weekends & school holidays, shame things arent so jolley nowadays, we all seemed to appreciate things a lot more back then than the people of today seem to, we as kids used to be out all day long, no need for money, well we would have liked a bit more, but never the less enjoyed just being out & about til it was time to come home... Read more
Our Holidays
As a young girl I spent many a happy holiday in a bungalow on Jaywick sea front. I used to go with my grandparents, my mum and dad, my younger sister and a family friend. Pocket money and holiday money was used to buy all sorts of goodies from 'Silvers' which I remember as being a typical seaside gift shop. Most evenings we would go to a family friendly club but I can't remember the name of it. I can remember my nan and mum spending hours making dressing up outfits for my sister and I to wear to the fancy dress competition. I remember one year we went as Jack and Jill! I can also remember my nan making us long pink dresses to wear to the club too. If we weren't going to the club we would turn left out of our bungalow and walk along the prom to Butlins. I say walk but my sister and I never had to walk. If we turned left out of... Read more
Dots And The Hot Bread Shop. 3 Jays Never Say Die Pub
As a young person we went to Jaywick every year for a holiday with my mum and dad. We had great times, walked along the sea front and went to Clacton and always went to the Three Jays. We stopped in Meadow Way. I went back with a friend who also had holidays in Jaywick as a kid and it seemed very run down. We are going back again this year to see how it is being refurbished. Terry Webb.
Memories of Essex
The Royal
The Royal Hotel was built in about 1872 and was still a hotel right up to about 1994 when the building became disused and went into a bad and poor building!!! But in 2007 the building has now been started work on to restore it to how it used to be back in the 1960s and 70s and is going to cost around the £10,000,000 mark.
The Geisha Hotel
The Marine Parade East is where the Geisha Hotel is on the corner of Orwell Road. This photo is of the road in about 1955 and the hotel can just been seen along the road on the left.
A Waitress at The Royal
My mother was a waitress at the Royal Hotel from c1945-1952
Does anyone remember her?
Her name was Rachel Jacobs k/a Ray
Blissful Days on The Amusements!
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... Read more
Bedfont Hotel
My husband and I have great memories of Clacton when we worked at the Bedfont Hotel for disabled. We worked as house parents for about 3 years and had a wonderful time looking after many adults and children, it was a very humbling job and very worth it. We returned to Scotland but will never forget our time there. We returned recently but sadly the Bedfont is no longer there, but it was a very nolstalgic visit and rather sad.
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