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One For Vaughan?

JennyMorgan

By JennyMorgan
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Vaughan

Vaughan

Posted
Posted
1 hour ago, JennyMorgan said:

If nothing else some memories for Vaughan:

Fabulous memories, actually. I have handled hundreds of boats in my time, but this one will always be the best. Not only a classic Broads cruiser but just about the last Hearts Cruiser left, to my knowledge. Apart from the Six of Hearts, which is still going strong, in the Thames Estuary, with almost all of her original planking, and built just after the War.

I don't know what condition she is in now, but it seems this is a serious re-build which didn't quite get to completion before the owner has decided to sell.

I will try and dig up some photos tomorrow, of what she used to look like.

 

1 hour ago, JennyMorgan said:

How could the local council refuse her a mooring at Thorpe Green?

Don't get me started, about Thorpe Green and the history of the Parish Council!

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Vaughan

Vaughan

Posted
Posted
2 hours ago, trambo said:

but she still had the carved King of Heats over the helm.

All of Hearts boats had a playing card, in cast aluminium alloy, screwed onto the stem head and painted in the appropriate colours. Each boat had the wooden mould for this plate screwed to the dashboard, so that the card on the stem could be re-moulded in case of damage.

When we ran out of the Hearts "suit" of cards, the Princess of Hearts, Heartbeat and Heartthrob had what looked like a card of "hearts" from a distance but was in fact a mermaid, with a coronet on her head.

Oh, how I wish we had kept some of those!

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Vaughan

Vaughan

Posted
Posted
9 hours ago, jillR said:

hi vaughan

with Thorpe in mind

have you spotted the thread on A. G. Wards ?..............

Thank you very much for that Jill, I hadn't seen it. The photo of Thorpe Old Hall is interesting as they seem to be pretty rare these days. The modern bungalow beside the hall in the photo was built for the Wards to retire to when they sold the yard, and the hall, to the Milbank brothers of Jenners. I guess that would have been in 1964. Notice also the great cedar tree, which David Millbank had cut down, to make the front lawn into a car park!

Did you realise that the three pretty girls sitting on the cabin top of one of the boats, are the Beverley Sisters? Apparently they were doing a show in Yarmouth, and the photo was for Blakes publicity.

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JennyMorgan

JennyMorgan

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The Beverley Sisters, that brings back memories! They used to have lunch at my father's restaurant. One of them was engaged to a footballer, can't remember which one, and dad had me take them for a trip up the river in his launch. The general consensus was that they were lovely people. Dad used to have a lot of the Yarmouth stars visit his restaurant back then. The one I liked least was a rather dour Yorkshireman called Wilfred Pickles, he told awful jokes too, whilst my favourite was Billy Fury. Good old days!

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Timbo

Timbo

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4 minutes ago, Vaughan said:

I shall have to have a good sniff around Rico's wet shed when we pick up our hire boat in May! Sounds better than the Broads Museum.

Oh it is Vaughan. You see some right old fossils...there's Griff, Doug, and Mike for starters! :naughty:

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Vaughan

Vaughan

Posted
Posted

Here she is in her former glory!

58a57bf05d897_KingofHearts3a.jpg.9f20d21a4d1a35c113075ee03a9c3534.jpg

58a57daa4eeea_KingofHearts2a.thumb.jpg.69a4bea04adb66d3bb696db496e29bcd.jpg

58a57dde0f736_KingofHeartsInt2a.thumb.jpg.d207862a403961c30e846f8a720cce8e.jpg

58a57dc5307ec_KiingofHeatsInta.thumb.jpg.c955dc5a5626bd1a47ee48ec5cbdc238.jpg

Built in 1952, she was probably the first hire boat to use Formica for panelling and work-tops. She was one of the first to have a fully opening sliding wheelhouse canopy (the first was the Knave) and almost the first to have a diesel engine - the first was also the Knave, in 1949. She was also, I believe, the first on the Broads to use cold-moulded plywood lamination for her fore-deck and cabin top.

So she was the state of the art, in her day! The boatbuilders at Hearts built the boats themselves but all cabin interiors were done by my father personally.

58a57e012884a_PrincessofHearts.thumb.jpg.b5da951754029133e8ca344b6ac8c7ad.jpg

Here is the Princess of Hearts, a six berth version of the King, when brand new in 1957. Perhaps you can just make out the mermaid, on the stem plate?

 

 

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ranworthbreeze

ranworthbreeze

Posted
Posted
2 hours ago, JennyMorgan said:

The Beverley Sisters, that brings back memories! They used to have lunch at my father's restaurant. One of them was engaged to a footballer, can't remember which one, and dad had me take them for a trip up the river in his launch. The general consensus was that they were lovely people. Dad used to have a lot of the Yarmouth stars visit his restaurant back then. The one I liked least was a rather dour Yorkshireman called Wilfred Pickles, he told awful jokes too, whilst my favourite was Billy Fury. Good old days!

Hi Peter, 

Didn't one of them marry Billie Wright?

Regards

Alan

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trambo

trambo

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What great photographs Vaughn which bring back loads of memories. I remember the gear lever alongside the steering stool which to a twelve year old seemed so over the top compared with the the small throttle control seen on the helm. Also the galley were I'm afraid I had blood all over the place when I somehow, (well I do now how but no one else ever will unless they get me really tipsy) sliced my hand between the thumb and finger and needed three stitches which were performed by the G.P. at Reedham. Probably a helicopter job  if it happened today! I remember in 62 I had the top bunk of the starboard side cabin but in 63/64 and on the Ace in 65 I managed to nab the fore cabin which to us kids became a sort of hideaway from the adults. Great fun and such beautiful boats.

Fred

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smellyloo

smellyloo

Posted
Posted
12 hours ago, vanessan said:

Babs Beverley married Billy Wright who played for Wolves.

Oh shucks .... when I was a lad I was convinced that she would fall hopelessly in love with me!

Then, when I grew up, I was convinced that Kate Bush would invite me round for tea!!

Life is soo litered with disapointment,

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Bound2Please

Bound2Please

Posted
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Julie Driscoll (wheels on fire fame) there's a name from the past I had a few drinks with her in late 60's with Brian Auger, minus their Trinity in the Green Gate (now sadly a mc Donalds) Ilford. They was there to see Annie Lawrence who i had a crush on. who was the singer with the resident band there at the time.

Charlie.

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