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Heybridge Basin (Cannibal
Island) |
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Click
on underlined blue names for link to more details |
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The
Village tour |
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Page
Six |
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Heading along the 'Two
Ways' Lane after passing 'EAO's' workshop and garage, it passed
a green where it was common to wash and proof large sails on,
until it reached what looked like a couple of cottages by the
edge of the canal Basin. |
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(above) 'Dilbury' Clark
(middle) and two mates are scrubbing a barge sail on the green
next to his cottage. |
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The end one of the cottages
by the canal was for some years the first 'Old Ship' public house,
before becoming a private residence and the licence being transferred
to it's present location. In later years Stewart Tolfrey the
boatbuilder lived in the cottage which had been renamed 'Myrtle
Cottage', and 'Dilbury' Clark lived in the other. |
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(above) the original 'Old Ship' public house with it's
prop Bill Stone standing at the gate. |
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A wooden shed has stood
on the canal side of 'Myrtle Cottage', which has often been used
by boatbuilders, the last being Stewart Tolfrey. Running alongside
'Myrtle Cottage' a little further up the slope is the canal tow-path,
and beside it the watering place alowing walking in access for
the working horses. It was this side of the canal that had the
towpath and was kept clear of moored craft when horses pulled
the barges. It was alongside the watering place in later years
that a large 'Red Shed' was erected, and used both by 'Arthur
Holt' and then 'Stewart Tolfrey' as part of their boatbuilding
businesses. Heading along 'Lock Hill' towards the sea front there
once stood a large building known as the 'Granary'. |
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(above) the walk in watering
hole for the working horses. The large black building was known
as the 'Granary'. A chandlery and the Blackwater Sailing Club
were operated from the Old Granary for a period. |
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The 'Granary' was one
of the easrliest buildings to be erected in the village, presumably
as a storehouse for perishable goods being transported on the
canal. At various times in it's history it has housed workshops,
a chandlery, general stores and was at one time the first home
of the 'Blackwater Sailing Club', until eventually being demolished
in the 1950's. |
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(above) The old 'Granary', being demolished. |
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After the 'Granary' was
demolished a group of garages and another workshop was built
plus an open yard later used by 'Hartley & Brookes', in the
area up to the lane by the first group of four cottages. The
line of garage's originally intended for the use of residents
of Lock Hill, ended up as mainly rented stores. The large brick
workshop to the right of the garages was used by 'Dilbury' Clark
who spent much of his time in the 50's to 80's working on craft
alongside the quay. |
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(above) behind the barge 'George Smeed'. can be seen the
line of garages, on the left of them the 'Red Shed' at that time
being used by 'Arthur Holt' and later by Stewart Tolfrey, to
the right of them after a gap is the brick built workshop of
'Dilbury Clark'. Then extreme right the grey gates of the top
yard and offices and bottom yard in the distance behind. |
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Using the picture below for
reference. The two blocks of 4 and 3 cottages after the
entrance to the 'Two Ways' lane have for the most part been residential,
except for the left hand corner one of the right hand block of
3 which at one time was a small shop with the right hand end
one being the beer house 'Chelmer Brig. For a very short time
Cecil and Jill Stebbens operated a sweet shop from the front
room of the right hand one of the block of 4.. |
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(above) a great early picture clearly showing the activities
lockside. From right to left .... Mrs Webb's 'Home For Motherless
Children' (HMC), on the corner (that later became the 'Old Ship'),
the little cottage with the black sign above the door was the
'Chelmer Brig' beerhouse, then the shop run for may years by
'Turk Clark' and then the 'Boorer' family. The chandlery in the
'Old Barn', and just visible on the very far left the light coloured
front of the first 'Old Ship' pub. |
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The last block of three
wooden cottages and the large building on the corner have however
had many commercial changes of use. The first of the bay-window
ones on the left often referred to in later years as 'Boorers'
has seen many generations of owners, of both the Clark and Boorer
family's. |
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(above) The little shop
at No2 Lock Hill when run by Mrs Boorer in the 1960's. |
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The last of the three
wooden cottages with the black notice above the door (No1 Lock
Hill), was used for many years as a beer-house called 'The Chelmer
Brig'. However apart from a private residence it was a tea room
and even a Lock Keeper's cottage for a period when times were
slack for the Canal Company. And finally on the corner of Lock
Hill is the building that is now 'The The Old Ship'. This later
addition was first a private residence, then Mrs Webb's 'Home
For Motherless Children', then the Lock Keepers residence, then
a tea-room and finally 'The Old Ship' public house. |
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(above) 'The Old Ship'
in earlier times before the frontal alterations. |
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