West Road 1958, Shoeburyness
West Road 1958, Shoeburyness Ref: S275020
Memories of West Road 1958, Shoeburyness
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Shoeburyness & local memories
Read and share memories of Shoeburyness and Essex inspired by Frith photos.
Jellicoe Square
Shoebury Hall Farm was owned by Capt H R Townsend RN and his wife Margaret I think. There was also a daughter Pamela. They were like the country squire and his family. Their house was between the church and the camp site. I recall going inside the house once with Dad. He was one of the oldest campers on the site after all. Captain Townsend could often be seen riding round the camp on his bike making sure that all was well and the campers were not getting up to any mischief. The Townsends were treated with great reverance and they reciprocated.
I remember one occasion on a hot summers day Dad and Uncle Steve were larking about. They were chasing each other about dressed in womens coats and scarves on their heads chucking buckets of water over each other. Capt Townsend nearly received the contents of one bucket when he came cycling round the corner of one caravan.
This I am certain was Jellicoe Square looking north. I... Read more
My Effort.
Here is my photographic effort of the Clock Tower at Shoebury Garrison in 2011:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/andrewareoff/5640187735/in/photostream
Great Times
1955 - onwards
My Aunt and Uncle had a caravan on the site which was adjacent to the main road and my family used to stay there during the summer holidays.
My favourite memory was being allowed to go to the wooden hut to hire a bicycle (I didn't have one at home) for an hour. Just wonderful.
The worst memory was having to walk to the toilets (come rain or shine) and filling a very large metal jug with water and lugging it back to the caravan and then emptying the 'slops' bucket from under the caravan that caught the washing up water!!
Good times...
Happy Days
My father bought a horse and gypsy caravan in the summer of 1946.He borrowed another horse from his brother and was able to take the caravan to Shoebury Hall camp site. He painted 'Happy Days' on the caravan door. We had the caravan there for about six to eight years - 1946-1945? We had a bell tent beside the caravan for adults and the caravan was for me, my brother and my sister. We let the caravan and tent for 4 per week when we were not using it ourselves. Does anybody remember seeing the caravan or even the horse, 'Old Bill', which we had at the camp only in 1946? We tethered it on Shoebury Common adjacent to the boating lake 63 years ago. I would happily pay 25 for a photograph of our horse 'Bill' taken in 1946.
The Name of The Pleasure Boats
There were two pleasure boats operating from the west beach, 'The Prince of Wales' and another, whose name eludes me at the moment. I think it may have been 'The Queen Mary', but will have to confirm this later. Up until recently, when they were deemed to be a risk, the manual winches were rusting on the top of the beach near the Uncle Tom's Cabin entrance from between the beach huts. I moved to the area, in 1953 at age 3, and have recall of many pleasant days spent on the mud, often walking as far as the Mulberry harbour, the beach, and in the caravan site, including many visits to the shop. At the time, my part of Shoebury then called Thorpe Dene, was mostly unmade roads and lanes, then the closest developement to the sea, barring Percy Garons 'Sea View Homes' for the orphans of Southend. I have seen the developement of Shoeburyness for the worse, and miss the places where I played as a child, now... Read more
Good Old Days
I was so pleased to see this photo, as the caravan by the brick building was my grandparents'. We had another one right opposite this one. I had many a happy time on the site. I was born in 1949 & used to be down there every summer until it closed in 1972. My grandparents had them well before I was born. I can remember all the men getting the chairs all in a line, this was the people with tents who didn't know the light shone the through. Us kids used to have water fights, one used to watch for Capt. Townsend to come along. I can remember one year my friend & I were on the site & I never booked us in, the Townsends gave me a right sound off. We never had electric on the site, or showers, no entertainment but we all enjoyed ourselves. When we used to come along on the bus it used to stop outside the gates, it wasn't supposed to as... Read more
West Beach 1948 - 1966
This beach was the one we used to make our way to on a regular basis when we were staying at Shoebury Hall Farm campsite. We used to take the boat trip out to the Mulberry Harbour. Cannot for the life of me remember the name of the boat now. Seem to recall there were two operating at the same time.
The Pub
When Mum & Dad went to the pub, which was not very often, I would stand outside with a bag of crisps and a lemonade and patiently wait. They were never in there long anyway. I think there was a family bar there as well which sometimes we would use. Opposite the pub was Dolls cafe where we would usually go and have dinner when we arrived at Shoebury and also on Sundays if we were there for the week. It was owned by husband and wife Frank and Doll. I remember once I did not eat all my dinner and Frank chased me all over the bit of green opposite with the leftovers in a paper bag. Always a warm welcome though.
Uncle Toms Cabin
Behind these beach huts was, and as far as I know still is, Uncle Tom's Cabin. Here you could get cups of tea and so on. The original was constructed mainly of wood, an old brown colour. It was replaced I think in the 60's by the glass and brick one that was still there on my last visit a few years ago. How it got its name I know not.
Me and my mate Johny Horne often walked along this prom especially in the early to mid sixties looking for girls. That shelter could tell some stories.
The Boating Pool
The boating pool at Shoebury Common was a must visit every weekend I was there. In later years they had canoes and we used to sit up on the top of the canoe at the back and not in the cockpit. Never fell in though. Would not be allowed nowadays in this health and safety culture. Just at the back of the pool was the putting green. You can see the hut where you used to pay and get your clubs and balls from on the right hand side of the photo. Think it had 9 holes but we neve got round without racking up a huge score. I think this area has now been landscaped.
Ring Road
This looks like the road that ran round the camp. The building to the left was the toilet block on the east side of the camp.
The Rows
This is a view of one of the rows that ran east to west. This is looking east towards the army camp
Ring Road
This is the ring road on the west side of the camp with the camp shop just visible in the background
Ring Road
This photo is on the ring road on the west side looking north. The sand shingle road leading to the east side of camp was right next to the caravan on the right
Shoebury Hall Farm And Capt. Townsend
I was very interested to read Alan Perry's account of Shoebury Hall Farm and Jellicoe Square. My father used to camp there during the school holidays and spoke very fondly of Captain Townsend and the general set up. I believe his first wife died and he remarried (?Ann). Dad's tent was in Drake Square. I think that all the squares/plots were names of Royal Navy boats. Dad married my mum in 1947 and a few years later when he took her back to show her the site, the chalk lines of the plots were still visible. Dad told mum that Capt.Townsend (being a navy man) rather regretted the army taking over the site during the war. Mum is still alive and was able to give me the names of some other families who used the site: Charlie & Freddie Brown from Walthamstow and Violet Dutton from Tottenham. I know dad had very fond memories of Shoeburyness and loved to go... Read more
