Caravan Holiday At Cliffsend

A Memory of Little Cliffsend.

My Aunt owned a caravan on Danes Nursery site Cliffsend. It was called "Endevour". It was built by may Uncle, then when completed towed to Danes Field. It was sited in the far right hand corner of the field. The Train track was close by. In those days steam trains came along that line, they made a thunderous noise. At night you could see the sparks fly from the wheels and the funnel at the top of the engine.

The caravans consisted of old converted buses, home made ones like ours, with just a very small minority of factory builds. The field seemed huge, and as I remember was part of a nursery. Plants and rose bushes were tended by workers at the end near the house.

We spent most of the six weeks holidays there through the 1950's. We had to collect the water from a tap way down the field, jugs and buckets were the order of the day. The grass as I can remember was always long, we had a great time when the tractor came to cut the grass, making camps etc.

On the sea front near the Sportsman, we went cockling in the mud, the proceeds of the find were cooked by our Nan and with a lettuce bought from a man who lived in the end house by the now "Marjory Chapman Meadow" and with a slice of bread and butter we ate them for our tea.

Most evenings we went for a walk along past the big house if we were lucky we would see the St Bernard Dogs up at the gates as we made our way round to the Lavender Fields and cherry orchards.

Mrs Bacon was the site warden, she ran a little shop from her caravan, (an original Romany type) and gave the post out. We went every morning, just in case, Mum had sent a postal order to buy some sweets.

This for me was most memorable, a glorious time. I visited Cliffsend recently and found houses have been built on the site. Foads Lane still the same as I remembered it. The level crossing, little bungalows, chapel and Sportsman still there, Oh what memories.