THEN:
Looking down High Street towards the quayside at high water. A
peaceful scene, lacking the amount of road traffic that frequents the area
today.
A solitary omnibus stands beside the quay, whilst its driver and conductor
are elsewhere in Blakeney, maybe visiting the Guildhall Café on the
right advertising ‘teas’.
BLAKENEY, a pretty village popular with sailing folk, is to be discovered just off the main A149 coast road, between Sheringham and Wells-Next-The-Sea. The village lies at the end of a channel, which almost dries up at low water, and, to some extent, is always at the mercy of the sea. Many years ago, the original village, Snitterley, was swallowed up by its waters and today nothing remains.
The High Street, from where the above pictures were taken, runs down to the harbour, and is quite steep at times. Much in evidence are picturesque houses and cottages built of well-rounded flint with colourful doors and windows. Some of the stony whitewashed houses give it an almost unique charm, as if trying to emulate the character of some Cornish fishing village.
Quayside
Fair
‘School
Treats’, says the sign on the roundabout, whilst behind that is a ‘Chip
Potato Saloon’!
There are tables of wares for sale, near the car NG 3421, and behind that
is a loudspeaker van, perhaps playing popular music of the day!
A memory of a day spent in Blakeney:
“Many years ago, I went with my mum and dad to Blakeney by Eastern Counties ’bus from Sheringham. It seemed quite a long journey at the time, but it was to take even longer on the return journey as we would later discover!”
“Those
were the bright-red single-deckers that used to ply the coast road before
the days of the Norfolk Hopper.”
“When we got there my dad said we’d walk to the Point, but soon
found out we were the wrong side of the channel, so we all went to a hotel
and had a brisket of beef salad.
Then we caught the ’bus home. When it got to Lower Kelling and Muckleburgh Hill, we all had to get off as the ’bus couldn’t make it up the hill! What a day out it had been!”
The village of Blakeney, like so many other seaside towns and villages along the Norfolk coast, suffered badly during the North Sea floods of February 1953. On the corner of High Street is a plaque that marks the height of floodwaters during the disastrous night of 31 January/1 February 1953.
The sea is not all bad though, as it provides a healthy income for local folk taking boatloads of day trippers to view the seals colonies off Blakeney Point or going fishing for crabs and lobsters.
The seafaring
folk’s thirsts were well catered-for, it seems, if looking closely at
this photograph from the past is anything to go by!
Looking at the signs on the whitewashed buildings reveals, on the left, The
Ship Inn, proprietor C A Dickinson is already catering for the motorist advertising
garaging facilities; whilst next door is The White Horse Hotel selling
Bullard’s ales, wines and spirits. Then, across the road, is The Anchor
selling Trunch ales, wines and spirits.
Just how many other pubs were there?
A
Regatta
Sailing has
always been popular at Blakeney, and here we see a
regatta under way, or is the young lad holding the vertical oar indicating
that it is about to start, I wonder.
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Copyright © Ashley Gray 2008
The Webmaster would like to thank the Author of www.landofnurseryrhymes.co.uk and www.ukmagic.co.uk for kindly allowing music to be used from his sites.
Forlorn
remains
A wrecked whelk boat, high and dry
of the main channel at Blakeney, its fishing days well and truly put to an
end!
A colourful
sign
This sign, with its back to the
salt marshes, welcomes the visitor to the village of Blakeney.
Awaiting
the tide
The sailing barge Juno, moored in Blakeney harbour, awaiting the incoming
tide to put to sea.