Southgate Boats

[Broads01]

7 hours ago, Vaughan said:

To misquote a famous duo - all the right yards, but not necessarily in the right order!

Southgates Lower St is still there, just downstream of the New Inn. On the upstream side was Percivals, then Banhams, which was bought by Percivals sometime in the 60s. Arthur Ransome had Banhams in mind for his fictional yard known as Jonatts, in "Coot Club", and the scene where one of the boys has his tooth pulled out with a piece of string and a brick, "took place" in the sail loft over one of Banham's slipways.

When Tom Percival was tragically killed in a powerboat accident in 1984, his father had no spirit to keep the business going any more, so he sold the two main river yards and kept the marina moorings in Woods Dyke.

Chumley and Hawke were further down towards the Ferry and it was a very pleasant yard with lots of houseboats and later some holiday bungalows, which are still there today. Nearby was also Turners boatyard.

Thanks Vaughan. I'm always interested to learn where boatyards were and I had no idea there used to be Percivals and Banham upstream of the New Inn. 

[trambo]

Scanned from an old Agfa slide. The Elysian to the fore is from the Caister group. The curtains being the give away.