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The Wivenhoe Encyclopedia

 Sea-Change:  Wivenhoe Remembered

Paul Thompson  
with
Teresa Crompton  
Brenda Corti    Don Smith    Janet Turner
   

 

A fuller set of extracts
from the Wivenhoe interviews
see subjects below

edited by

Teresa Crompton and Paul Thompson

These interview extracts are a greatly expanded version of the material which was used for our book Sea-change: Wivenhoe Remembered. 

This web selection, the book and the accompanying DVD are the outcome of `Remembering Wivenhoe�, a community oral history project which has been based on voluntary contributions of many kinds. 

The material has been arranged into subjects. Use the hotlinks below to explore this material and gain a feeling for what made Wivenhoe the place it is today by reading the transcribed interviews.

If you would like to offer any comments on any of the memories, corrections and further memories please do get in touch with us by e-mail: 

The grant by the Heritage Lottery Fund is gratefully acknowledged and without which this project would not have taken place. 

Paul Thompson

Click on the links below for information about the research and who participated in it. Also see below the individual subject categories you can click on, or use the Search facility on the right hand side of this page by searching for a word:

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The book Sea-Change: Wivenhoe Remembered is available from the Wivenhoe Bookshop and the publishers, Tempus Publishing. 160 pages. 

Click here for a page about the launch of the book in October 2006 and here for Peter Kennedy’s article which appeared in the Winter 2006 edition of Wivenhoe News.

The Project was launched in June 2004. Click here for details and later project updates:  

Search for:

nter the name or item you are searching for and click “Start Search”.  The results will be displayed then select the link to the item you require.

Click on the headings below to find people’s memories about these various subjects: 

1.  Farming and Social Hierarchy

  • Farming– Contributions by Betty Govan, Alan Gren, Glendower jackson, Ivy Knappett, John Bowes, Shirley Bowes, Rodney Bowes, Jimmy Dutton, David Craze, Annabel Gooch, Brian Buckle
  • Rabbiting, Children’s Fun and Food– Contributions by Brian Green, Phil Faucheux, Alan Green, Charles tayler, Don Smith and Dennis Sparling
  • Social AttitudesContributions by Freda Annis, Hilda Barrell, Janita Lefevre, Ann Quarrie, Ken Plummer
  • Social Hierarchy– Contributions by Walter Wix, Ralph Moss, Annie Skilton, Dave Weatherall, Halcyon Palmer, Joyce Blackwood, Bill Ellis, Marjorie Goldstraw, Ivy Knappett, Tony Forsgate and John Barton
  • Unemployment– Contributions by Minnie Scott, Don Smith, Marjorie Goldstraw, Ivy Knappett and Charles Tayler
  • Up-streeters and Down-streeters– Contributions by Don Smith, Freda Annis, Ivy Knappett, Glendower Jackson, Peter Sainty, Ellen Primm, Philip Faucheux and Dennis Sparling
  • Wivenhoe Hall– Contributions by Hilda Barrell and Freda Annis
  • Wivenhoe Park and the Gooch Family Contributions by Mrs Annabel Gooch, Brian and Agnes Buckle, Betty Govan, Freda Annis, Alan Green, Dr Ted Palmer, Charles Scofield, Charles Tayler, Glendower Jackson, Sylvia Weatherall and Muriel Ryder

2.   Riverside

  • Barges and the Port Barges on the river and the demise of the Port 
  • Ernie Vince’s story about various boats he worked on, their owners, wartime years, life as a fisherman and much more. 
  • Ferries Stories about the early ferries through to the present summer ferry
  • Fishing Changes in the lives of local fishermen 
  • Flood Barrier on the Colne – From 1988 rumours to its construction 
  • Floods Memories of the 1953 flood
  • The Nottage Maritime Institute – The founding of the ‘Nottage’ through to present day activities as place to learn traditional boat-building and sailing skills as well as a nautical museum. 
  • River Colne and Ecology Sailing, seals and birds – views of various people
  • Sailing Boats – Boats with stories
  • Sailing on the Colne – People’s memories of the river
  • Shipyards – The Wivenhoe shipyards and people’s lives working in them
  • Wivenhoe Sailing Club Early days in 1925 to current times
  • Wivenhoe Regatta – Pull Devil, Pull Baker and other memories of the Wivenhoe Regatta
  • WODs About the Wivenhoe One Design

3.   The Pit, the Factories and the Pubs

  • The Sand and Gravel PitAbout ‘WG’ and the men who worked at the Pit. 
  • Factories– North See Canners, Alma Street Clothing Factory and others.
  • Pubs– In Wivenhoe there were over 20 pubs in 1900. Read memories of landlords and other people.  

4.   Tradesmen and Shops

  • Tradesmen Memories of different people in trades here
  • Shops Once upon a time Wivenhoe’s small shops could satisfy the needs of residents 
 
image This Wivenhoe Oral History Project has been majority-funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund