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More on
Emeline...
Recently, we added a permanent article to the web
site describing the remarkable story of local oyster yawl Emeline
(click here to
view). Built in 1904 at the local Collars boatyard,
she served local fishermen for many decades before being converted
to a motor vessel and disappearing from the local maritime scene.
Then, in 1992, she was rediscovered by Ray & Olive Harman and
Leonard & Jessie Cole while they were holidaying in
Benalmadena on the Costa del Sol. As a result of that encounter,
she was brought home by a consortium and restored as a traditional
yawl.
How did she get to the southern tip of Spain.
Well, it is believed that a young British couple attempted to sail
her to Marseille in Southern France but, when the engine
failed, they were forced to put into the yacht marina at
Benalmadena. Repairs were delayed and harbour fees mounted.
Emeline was impounded by the local authorities when she attempted
to leave port (presumably under sail). She was later auctioned.
In our article, we mapped the distances involved
in that attempt to reach Marseilles....
Was it a one off journey and a spur of the moment
adventure? Well, it may not have been.... because we now have some
extra information to add to an already fascinating tale....
and it is thanks to an email sent to us by Derek Weatherall.
Back in 1987, (five years before Emeline was
discovered in Spain), Derek captured this scene at Whitstable
harbour....
Photo kindly supplied by Derek
Weatherall © Derek Weatherall
It shows Emeline in her converted stated -
ie with the wheelhouse in place. Derek relates the story....
| I am able to add a little bit to the Emeline story. She
called in to Whitstable in May 1987 with four young
lads aboard.
Their aim was to get to the Mediterranean through the
French canals. They left for Ramsgate on the 17th, two
days after the photo was taken.
Derek Weatherall
Whitstable |
Interestingly, Derek's photo shows that Emeline
had been adapted for canal use as John Harman explains....
| The picture shows the extent of the vessel's
"degradation" as a result of revisions
made to suit other purposes! These included that
large box like wheelhouse, two large ventilators and a
change to the mast.
This was obviously done for inland water ways. In
the picture the mast has been cut off at deck level
and hinged in a 'tabernacle' mounted on deck.
Originally the mast was octagonal in section at the
base and went down through the deck where it would be
stepped between the frames above the keel.
The hole in the deck was also octagonal in shape, but
larger to accommodate carefully fitted wedges for
alignment of the mast.
John Harman |
It is not clear if the mast alteration was
undertaken by the four lads. If it was, they may have planned the
trip for some while. Of course, a mast needed to be hinged to cope with any
low bridges and/or tunnels on a canal system.
French canals link the rivers on the country's northern and western coastlines to the Rhone which flows
southward into the
Mediterranean. A waterway journey could probably be achieved via a number of different
routes. However, it is clearly NOT the expedition that left the
Emeline in a sorry state on the Costa del Sol. It was 5 years too
early and the geography is all wrong!
Were plans for the canal trip scrapped?
Possibly.... but, if it did go ahead, the ageing Emeline may have made two lengthy trips to the waters of the Med by
totally different routes.
Is there a link between the four lads who put into
Whitstable in 1987 and the young couple who were forced to hand
the Emeline over to the Spanish authorities in 1992? One would
tend to think that there was.... but, again, we don't know. I have
a feeling that Emeline still has a lot of secrets to reveal
and that we will discover more on the subject in the future. If
only a yawl could talk!
We will be incorporating, Derek' fascinating photo
into our Emeline article in due course. It will be
accompanied by some extra shots kindly supplied by Jessie
Cole. These were taken at Whitstable in July 2001... after Emeline
had been restored. The first shows the vessel alongside the quay) at
the harbour.
Photo kindly supplied by Jessie Cole
© Jessie Cole
By then, she had a typical yawl appearance after a
lot of loving care lavished on her by her new owners.... and she
was making ready to put to sea. It was a scene witnessed by the
four friends who had spotted her in Spain and who had sparked the
flame that brought her home.
Leonard Cole and Ray Harman in 2001
- Photo by Jessie Cole
Could they possibly have imagined that they would
be paving the way for a picture such as that below when they first
sighted the boat in such a distressed state at Benalmadena,...
Photo by Jessie Cole © Jessie Cole
Yes, it shows Emeline heading into Whitstable
Bay just a few hundred yards east of her birth place at Collars
Yard. A Thames barge lies to port, the Isle of Sheppey ahead...
and she's home where she belongs.... amongst friends.
Riding at Long Beach
Over the years, the Beach Walk area of Whitstable has featured
in our Chat Column on a number of occasions. Along the way we have
built up a fascinating collection of material that will be used for a permanent
feature article.
One of the points that we have made about the area was that it
became quite a little resort in the late 19th century
when it served day trippers arriving at the nearby railway station
on the now defunct Canterbury-Whitstable line. Although the line
closed to passengers in1930, Beach Walk continued to entertain us
well into the 1950s and early 1960s.
Thanks to Jock Harnett, we have now collected another piece of
photographic evidence that will generate a few memories.....
Photo kindly supplied by Jock Harnett
It was taken close to the bend in Beach Walk and it features Jock
on one of the Pony Ride steeds in the early 1950s. The horses
carried passengers along the raised section of land bordering Long
Beach.
The background is also of interest because it shows the hut of
a fortune teller called Madam Hibah. The hut lies adjacent to the old
Jacques Amusment Arcade and Jock tells me that there was another
fortune teller's hut at the other end of the arcade.
In the distance, you can see a cafe. This still exists under
the name "Beach Cafe".... but, in the fifties, it traded
as The Sisters. I seem to recall that it was
actually run by two sisters.
Now, can anyone add to our collection. In particular, does
anyone have family photos of the swingboats on the beach... or the
boat trip vessels that operated from a mobile ramp? In the meantime, I would like to thank Jock for the steady
stream of photos that he supplies to Simply Whitstable.
(Note: Comments on this item
have
been received from Keith Stroud (on the subject of The Sisters
Cafe) and Phil Neame (on the subject of Madam Hibah, the Palmist) - see the
Comment section at the bottom of the page).
Jan and a Regal
Carnival Entry!
There aren't too many people who can claim their
entry into a Carnival was regal.... but, back in the 1950s, Jan
Hutton (now Smith) could. Take a look at Jan's delightful email
and enclosure.....
Hi Dave,
After reading about the Whitstable carnivals, I remembered that I had a photo of
the 1950 s when I was
in a carnival for the Regal Cinema - advertising a film
" The Seven Little Foys".
I am sure a friend of my mother's was a lady taking the
ticket money at the cinema and I think that's why I may
have been asked to be in it.
Photo supplied by Jan Smith
I know who a few of the people are...
2nd from left: Richard Jordan
4th from left: Me
5th from left: Bobby Townsend
6th from left: Brian Rigden
7th from left: April Graham |
Maybe someone can name the others.
Many Thanks
Jan Smith (
Hutton )
|
So, can you provide the missing names?
The background is also interesting. The Regal
Cinema (now Somerfield Supermarket) is to the left and the
old International Stores shop (now Rooks) is straight ahead...... but what is
that striped awning all about. Was it just an ice cream kiosk
belonging to the Regal.... or was it a separate shop. I ought to
know.... but by mind has gone blank!!!!
Many thanks for sending the photo, Jan.
Autumn... for Natives Abroad
As a "summer/beach" person I always
regard a British Autumn with mixed feelings.... BUT I do enjoy
other people's Autumns.... particularly when they look as
brilliant as this....
As far as the location is concerned, that canoe is
a bit of a giveaway. It is, of course, Canada and the photo was
kindly emailed by Glennis Harwig from her home in Almonte. Almonte
lies North East of Lake Ontario and it is one of the most
attractive parts of Mountie country.
The scene will be added to Glennis' existing "Home
from Home" article on Simply Whitstable.
Unfortunately, the article cannot be viewed at the moment as I am
in the process of revamping the whole Home from Home
section and metamorphosing it into a more extensive "Natives
Abroad" feature. However, I thought the Autumn scene
would brighten up our Chat Column as we head towards winter.
And just to let you know what Glennis is heading
towards in the next few weeks, take a look at the scene below.
This shows her lovely 150-year-old log house.
The photo was taken in 2006 which was not the
coldest of winters and did not give rise to the deepest of snow!
Many thanks, Glennis.
Comments
Section...
Comments received on the above article are as
follows...
|
The
Sisters Cafe, Beach Walk
With reference to the Sisters Cafe in Beach Walk, it
was indeed run by two sisters - Joan and Sylvia Dadd,
daughters of William (Billy) and Gladys Dadd who owned the
Bazazar next door.
Billy Dadd also owned and worked in a shoe shop in
Harbour Street, opposite the black and white fish shop.
Joan married Alf Stroud who worked in the Fields Furniture
shop also in Harbour Street.
Alf was also involved with the Sea Cadets for quite
awhile, being the comanding officer for many years and
could be seen marching in front of the band during the
carnival and the Remberence Sunday parades.
My mother, Joan, still lives in Tankerton. Sadly my
father, Alf, passed away a fair few years away.
Regards,
Keith Stroud
Banchory
Aberdeenshire |
| Our Reply:
Thanks, Keith. Dadd's fancy goods shop was one of
the sights and smalls of summer in Whitstable. I say
'smells' because all those establishment stocked sun tan
lotions and polythene beach toys. |
|
Beach
Walk Palmist
In connection with the picture of Jock Harnett on the
pony, you mention the booth of Madame Hibah, palmist, in
the background.
Madame Hibah was a true Whitstable "character"
and could often be seen around the town, with her
distictive mop of white hair, accompanied by her husband
who needed two sticks to get about. They lived in a
cottage on Borstal Hill, set back from the road with a
wild garden.
She was best known, however, for giving palm
readings at the aforementioned booth, for which she donned
an exotic costume of bright blouse, skirt and
turban. I believe she also did "readings" in her
home.
Her real name was Mrs Wyatt (obviously too everyday for a
soothsayer). The Wyatts had a daughter Joyce who later
married another "character", Mr Horatio Hopkins.
By day Mr Hopkins was a mild mannered greengrocer, and
Joyce served in his shop in Oxford Street.
But he also had a mission to save the world from nuclear
destruction (this was the time of the Cold War) by writing
letters, with copies to The Whitstable Times, to the
leaders of the USSR asking that they cease threatening the
West. This went on for several years but I'm not sure he
ever received a reply or that the letters were even read.
There must be many more such "originals" in
Whitstable, as in any town, and perhaps they could be the
subject of a future Chat Column.
Phil Neame
Vancouver
British Columbia
Canada |
| Our Reply:
Thanks, Phil. I think we will try to create
something on local characters in the Chat Column and then
transfer the material to permanent articles. At the
moment, our "characters" item is part of our
"People and Old Haunts" menu. If we get enough
material, we could create a separate menu.
I am not surprised that Mr Hopkins was worried about
a nuclear war!!! I think we all grew up with such a thing
hanging over us. I remember that, during the 1950s,
there was a feeling of inevitability about it. After all,
my grandfather fought in WWI and my parents had come from
WWII. As a kid, I just assumed that my generation would
also suffer a World War... because it was simply part of
life and every generation did! It culminated in the Cuba
crisis when we were all ready for the missiles to start
arriving.
Incidentally, wasn't there a Councillor Hopkins on
the old WUDC? |
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