justbuildit

Vaughan, thank you so much for taking the time to share such interesting knowledge, I'm truly honoured and privileged - I have watched the amazing Broadland Memories videos with your captivating narration so many times, it's such an honour to be in touch with you. I purchased the land in 2018 having absolutely no idea of it's history. The 'history' of the main boatyards under their current owner became very apparent (and hard to avoid with some people!) I've often said that I got my plot at a time when very few people wanted to touch Thorpe Island with a barge pole! You may remember the scandalous two storey 'houseboat' nicknamed 'the ark' by local press, that the last owner had built here!! Pictured is my land these days, I hope people feel I've improved it, I've just finished replacing the awful scaffolding 'quay heading' with a new one entirely from Ironwood,which will easily see me out!! Next job is to repair and insulate the boatshed - it's virtually impossible to achieve a decent fibreglass layup and paint finish in it's current condition. Please see the red propeller in the picture, the last owner claimed that it used to be from Morning Flight- what's your thoughts Vaughan?

Hello everyone, I'm hoping that someone here can help me to understand the history of my boatshed on Thorpe Island It is immediately opposite the Rushcutters pub and is called Fields Boatyard at the eastern end of the island, in between the eastern bridge and the former, yet still famous, Hearts yard. Since purchasing, I've become very enthusiastic about learning the history of the boatyards on the island and can't seem to find much about the Fields yard. I'd loved to have been alive during a more productive boat building era of The Island. As a (small) boat builder, I'm humbled by the scale and quality of builds that once took place here. The various boat yards of Thorpe Island would have had so many skilled trades employed amongst them, I can't help but feel a sad hankering for the good old days. Please help, and share your memories 🙏 Thanks in advance