Philip had many jobs through his life. His passion has been restoring a 1897 wooden steamboat, Banjo, which he runs on the Broads. Banjo has connections with the Colman family. I was born in Norwich in 1939. Shortly afterwards we moved from Poringland to Ruskington in Lincolnshire as my father was at RAF Cranwell; strangely […]
Boats & Wherries
A life on the waves: barges and coasters (1960-2019)
Robin worked on cargo-carrying coastal barges in the 1960s and 70s. Later he became a River Inspector for the Broads Authority. Early life I was born in Chingford but grew up in Walthamstow. Every summer my two aunts took me on holiday to Gorleston, for two weeks. That’s when I first got interested in the […]
A life’s trickle with the water (1953-2019)
Kim was born in Potter Heigham and has grown up on the Broads. Many generations of his family going back to the 1700s have lived and worked on the Broads. He has worked on wherries with his father, picked fruit with his grandmother and transported the Caen stone on the wherry Albion into Norwich during […]
From wherries to pleasure boats: The Royall family story. (1909-2019)
Nigel’s family has a long history of working with wherries and pleasure boats. One of his ancestors worked on the keels in the 1770s. I was born in North Walsham Hospital in November 1964, to my parents Alan and Janet Royall of Hoveton. I went to Wroxham First School to start with and then secondary […]
How to ‘Turn’ a Wherry Mast: A Trainee’s Tale (1971-2020)
After a teaching career, John took the plunge and completed a course at the International Boatbuilding Training College (IBTC) at Oulton Broad. A highlight was working on the new mast for the Wherry Maud and the paintwork for Spray of White. He works on boats at home and says he would have got into boats […]
My life with Wherry Maud (1981-2017)
Linda and Vincent took on the raising and restoration of the trading wherry Maud in 1981 and since then Maud has been restored to health. The Wherry Maud Trust and many volunteers help to keep her sailing on the Norfolk rivers and Broads. I was born in Faversham in Kent and when I was four […]
Quest for answers: A little wooden sailing boat returns to her Norfolk roots (2020)
This summer Sue Lewis and Howard Wheelton saw the opportunity, between Covid lockdowns, to explore the Broads in their 23ft wooden gaff cutter “My Quest” and to take her back to her birthplace of Horning. Having sailed up the coast from Harwich (39 nautical miles, 8 hours) they took the mast down in Lowestoft and […]
Sailing into Education. Hunter’s Yard. (1950s-2019)
Les worked in education for much of his life, and for some years was very involved in establishing the Norfolk Schools Sailing Association, and the purchase of Hunter’s Yard for Norfolk Education Committee. I was born in Derby in 1930 and I’m told I cried for my first boat when I was about two. Of […]
Sailing is what I do (1960s-2019)
Jamie has always sailed and had an interest in sailing. Over the years he has become more interested in maritime heritage. I was born in South London, but my parents moved to Suffolk and then to Norwich. In 1956 we had a new house on Eaton Rise, most of which was just open land then, […]
Teaching sailing in the 1960s. Hunter’s Yard. (1964 – 2019)
Jean combined her skills as a school teacher and sailing instructor, at Filby and Hunter’s Yard, for some years in the 1960’s I learnt to sail with the Sea Rangers in Norwich and at Whitlingham, at Norwich Amateur Rowing Club, in dinghies, mainly, various types of dinghies. In 1964 I was at Keswick Hall training […]