Teenage Days

My parents bought the little cottage, 1 Harbour View (end of Boringdon Rd) in Coronation year. The area at that time was, quite frankly, a slum and many of the surrounding houses were being condemned and pulled down. Our cottage was ear-marked for demolition, but it was saved by my parents' refurbishment. We bought it from a elderly couple who ran a taxi service. My parents created a very cosy interior, adding a Crittal window on Borringdon Road side, near the corner which still bears a hinge - the remnant of a large gate which used to hang across a long gone entrance - perhaps to the old boat yard. The sewage pipe, like all the others, still however ran straight into the Cattwater, where hoards of little boys swam and shrimped. I was just 14 when we moved from a modern bungalow on the outskirts of Birmingham. For me, at that time, Turnchapel was quite a culture shock. I had to cross the ferry which than ran to Phoenix Wharf in all weathers to go to Warrans School on North Hill. My first job was a shop assistant at the newly opened Boots (now moved from New George Street). After a while, however, I grew to like, if not love, the cottage and the area. The view from my parents' bedroom across the Cattwater was stunning and on New Year's Eve I remember all the ships sounding their sirens. We often walked up to Jennycliff and occasionally took the cliff path to Bovisand. Coming from the Midlands, the views took our breath away. It was possible to shop in Turnchapel in those days. There was a butcher in Borringdon Road (Mr Mutton) and Mr and Mrs Andrews ran a grocery shop near to the telephone box. Rationing was still in force in 1953 to the weekly delivery was very meagre by today's standards. My parents sadly separated after 5 years. I moved away with my Mum and my Dad stayed for a while, before he sold up. Despite my parents' unhappiness, those 5 years stand out very clear in my memory and I am pleased to see how Turnchapel has cleaned itself up and acquired the bohemian air, which my Mum had foreseen when she made the purchase.