A River In Winter

[Hylander]

https://youtu.be/pd0xCF6_rKY

 

[Vaughan]

I think this was posted on a different thread a few days ago but nonetheless interesting for that!  The first shot is of a train passing right past where I grew up on Thorpe Island.  You may also notice Jim Cole's riverside stores at Brundall, then part of Tidecraft but now part of the Brooms site.  Also the MTB 102, moored in what became Hobro's dyke when it was later dug out.

Also of great interest to me, at the end of the film and next on the youtube list, is a film about Halvergate marshes, and all the politics which revolved around "deep dyke drainage" at the time.  They don't name all the speakers but half-way through, is Andrew Lees of Friends of The Earth, who I knew quite well at the time and who was considered by many as the saviour of the Halvergate marshes as we still know and love them today.

[Hylander]

I am sorry I did not realise it had been posted before.   I found it extremely interesting,   see the Coaster coming through Reedham, the bridge has not altered one jot.    

[Hylander]

Can I just ask.   These Coasters ,  where did they go to.   They could not get to Norwich because of the bridges?

[Regulo]

They went to Norwich, I think they moored before the rail bridge? 

[Vaughan]

The main part of the port of Norwich was on the Wensum between Carrow road bridge and Foundry Bridge, beside the railway station, although Colmans had extensive quays between Carrow bridge and Trowse railway swing bridge.  Half way up the port, the outside of the bend was widened out to form a turning basin for the smaller coasters.  The much bigger colliers which supplied the power station were too long for the port and they turned in Trowse Eye, at the junction of the Yare and Wensum.

Companies supplied by the port included Reads flour mills, Moy's domestic coal yard, Jewsons timber, Archie King's scrapyard, three large breweries and the big manufacturing factories of Boulton & Paul and Lawrence, Scott & Electromotors.

All now gone and never to re-open, since they built the Postwick flyover on the Norwich southern bypass.

[Vaughan]

I forgot Stevenson's steel yard!

[Hylander]

25 minutes ago, Vaughan said:

The main part of the port of Norwich was on the Wensum between Carrow road bridge and Foundry Bridge, beside the railway station, although Colmans had extensive quays between Carrow bridge and Trowse railway swing bridge.  Half way up the port, the outside of the bend was widened out to form a turning basin for the smaller coasters.  The much bigger colliers which supplied the power station were too long for the port and they turned in Trowse Eye, at the junction of the Yare and Wensum.

Companies supplied by the port included Reads flour mills, Moy's domestic coal yard, Jewsons timber, Archie King's scrapyard, three large breweries and the big manufacturing factories of Boulton & Paul and Lawrence, Scott & Electromotors.

All now gone and never to re-open, since they built the Postwick flyover on the Norwich southern bypass.

How interesting.    The only names I recognise are Colmans and Jewsons.      I am surprised the breweries closed down though.     

I cannot begin to imagine how you would turn round a huge Coaster.

 

[Vaughan]

2 hours ago, Hylander said:

I cannot begin to imagine how you would turn round a huge Coaster.

On steel warps and capstans, stationed on the quay.

[FlyingFortress]

I'm sure someone will correct me if I am wrong but the last coasters to run were the likes of The Blackheath that took fuel to Cantley.

The Blackheath got stuck in the ice at Reedham in the late 90's and caused a bit of embarrassment for the Captain. 

Nothing to do with his navigational skills 🤔

[webntweb]

I think that the turning point that Vaughan referred to is immediately upstream of Lady Julian Bridge on the bend just before the yacht station.

[Vaughan]

5 hours ago, Vaughan said:

Archie King's scrapyard,

Incidentally, Archie's son Keith was the owner of the Ferry Boatyard in Horning and was chairman of Blakes for many years in the late 70s.

There was an old folks' tale in Norwich, that when Archie King died, he lined up in the queue at the Stairway to Heaven but when his turn came, St Peter couldn't find him on the list of entrants, so he had to go and check in the office.

He was only gone a couple of minutes but when he got back, Archie King was gone and so were the Pearly Gates!

[Vaughan]

2 hours ago, FlyingFortress said:

the likes of The Blackheath that took fuel to Cantley.

Which in fact, we can see moored there in the film.

For quite a few years there was a business in Reedham that re-fitted offshore supply ships, as well as at May Gurneys on Griffin Lane, which is now the site of the BA's "temporary" tented encampment.

[FlyingFortress]

1 hour ago, Vaughan said:

Which in fact, we can see moored there in the film.

For quite a few years there was a business in Reedham that re-fitted offshore supply ships, as well as at May Gurneys on Griffin Lane, which is now the site of the BA's "temporary" tented encampment.

Although it was before my time offshore there were tales of Offshore Supply Vessels being laid up somewhere on The Broads.

They had great fun using their PA system to ask passing holiday boats either " Anyone seen an Oil Rig?" or "Which way is the North Sea?"

[FlyingFortress]

3 minutes ago, FlyingFortress said:

Although it was before my time offshore there were tales of Offshore Supply Vessels being laid up somewhere on The Broads.

They had great fun using their PA system to ask passing holiday boats either " Anyone seen an Oil Rig?" or "Which way is the North Sea?"

Another tale that comes to mind.

To get where they were going they had to be at very light draft and therefore props and rudders were only partially submerged making them very difficult to manoeuvre.

One approached a bend with boats moored on the outside and they thought they were in danger of not making the bend and crushing the boats. They sounded their horn and used the PA to warn the occupants and one man in his PJ,'s came out and armed himself with a mop to fend off 😳

At least it wasn't a boathook 😁

[floydraser]

It is truly amazing how the planets sometimes line up:

I had a bit of a double take at 48 secnds when I thought I saw my boat under it's cover. Impossible of course. Then I did see one, a Santa Caterina undergoing repairs later on. 

There is reference to Keswick Watermill which prompted me to look to see if it was still in use. No, but I found this video which shows the mill in 2016 when it was up for sale.

At the end, the presenter introduces himself as Peter Hornor. This is the son of the first owner of my boat who I am currently emailing with a view to meeting up!

[floydraser]

5 hours ago, Vaughan said:

On steel warps and capstans, stationed on the quay.

How exciting was it for you as a youngster, when one of these coasters came by? Nick Eastwood told me of the surge which came before the boat.

[Chelsea14Ian]

I do remember  the coasters,when ee were on the river in the sixties. We saw them at Reedham,Cantley and Norwich. They seemed huge on the rivers.

[Vaughan]

1 hour ago, floydraser said:

I had a bit of a double take at 48 secnds when I thought I saw my boat under it's cover.

I noticed that too!

Sam Horner was a well known sailor on the Broads and one of the stalwarts of the NBYC on Wroxham Broad. 

2 hours ago, FlyingFortress said:

One approached a bend with boats moored on the outside and they thought they were in danger of not making the bend and crushing the boats. They sounded their horn and used the PA to warn the occupants and one man in his PJ,'s came out and armed himself with a mop to fend off

If, like my father, you had two of your hire boats crushed and sunk while on pub moorings on the Yare in those days, you would not have thought it quite so funny.  The nature of the journeys made by these ships meant that they always came either upstream or downstream with the tide under them.  So if a 1000 ton collier approached a bend too fast, its stern would simply wipe off any boats which were moored on the bend.  Not funny at all if you have seen it happen.  Holidaymakers were actually terrified and rightly so.

At Thorpe, the bank outside the eastern bridge is made up with steel campshedding and reinforced concrete.  It looks like a nice mooring these days but it was built to stop the coasters undermining the railway embankment when  they ploughed head first into the bank by going far too fast on the bend.

When a coaster (one of many) hit Reedham swing bridge in the 60s, they closed the bridge again afterwards and the railway lines had been forced out of true by 4 inches.

They were very badly handled - whether or not they had a pilot - and were actually a dangerous menace to the navigation.

[Wussername]

Carrow bridge is to all extent, in a bit of a state. Will it ever lift again. If so, for who?

Is it not time to weld it shut. The area surrounding is past its best. 

I do not think that it will ever lift again. 

[webntweb]

We met a coaster coming downstream towards us just above Carrow Bridge in 1963. I've told the story previously on here . . . suffice to say it was an interesting encounter!

[Regulo]

The signs on the Yare at Reedham stating "No Mooring - Danger of being hit by coasters" were still there until very recently. May stiil be?

[FlyingFortress]

If, like my father, you had two of your hire boats crushed and sunk while on pub moorings on the Yare in those days, you would not have thought it quite so funny.  The nature of the journeys made by these ships meant that they always came either upstream or downstream with the tide under them.  So if a 1000 ton collier approached a bend too fast, its stern would simply wipe off any boats which were moored on the bend.  Not funny at all if you have seen it happen.  Holidaymakers were actually terrified and rightly so.

At Thorpe, the bank outside the eastern bridge is made up with steel campshedding and reinforced concrete.  It looks like a nice mooring these days but it was built to stop the coasters undermining the railway embankment when  they ploughed head first into the bank by going far too fast on the bend.

When a coaster (one of many) hit Reedham swing bridge in the 60s, they closed the bridge again afterwards and the railway lines had been forced out of true by 4 inches.

They were very badly handled - whether or not they had a pilot - and were actually a dangerous menace to the navigation.

 

Maybe they should have used a boathook 😁

[FlyingFortress]

On 17/10/2022 at 18:51, Regulo said:

The signs on the Yare at Reedham stating "No Mooring - Danger of being hit by coasters" were still there until very recently. May stiil be?

I do remember them but I can't recall them being there for a while now.

I think it was before 2000 when the last one went up to Cantley.

So now the residents of the villages leading up to Cantley have to put up with multiple large tankers driving through their villages evey day. As opposed to one river tanker a month. 

Progress eh?

 

[FlyingFortress]

Nice in Nantes but a bit of a b####r in Beighton