If you follow Broadland Memories on either Twitter of Facebook, then you’ll have spotted a photograph taken on board the motor cruiser “Glitter of Light” in the late 1950s which I posted recently as a sneak preview to the next collection I was working on for the website. It is one of a large batch of photographs which were taken during holidays on the Norfolk Broads over a span of eight years between 1950 and 1957.
The collection is taken from two photograph albums which were purchased for the archive a couple of years ago, interesting because they show the photographer visiting the Broads as part of a group of friends for the first part of the decade, then returning in the later 1950s as a family with two young children. In 1950, the group hired one of the “Spangle” class from George Smith and Sons of Wroxham, thereafter, the boats hired were exclusively from Herbert Woods fleet at Potter Heigham, beginning with “Gleam of Light” and following on with “Gleam“, “Glow” and “Ring of Light“. As a family, they hired “Shaft of Light” and “Glitter of Light” in 1956 and 1957 respectively. I’m going to work on and upload the photographs in batches as there are so many of them, but the first set which span 1950 to 1953 have been uploaded to the main Broadland Memories website today. The rest will follow over the coming weeks.
It’s lovely to have such a comprehensive collection featuring the Woods fleet during that era and the photographs from 1957 are rather special because they include a number of interior shots of “Glitter of Light“, which is something that I don’t find very often amongst holiday photos . These days we don’t hesitate to snap away and anything and everything with phones and digital cameras, but back when film was king, photographic subjects were often very considered because of the limited number of frames on a roll and the costs involved in both buying the film and having it developed, although there were many amateur darkrooms. The “Glitter” set will come later, but I thought I’d preview a few of them on here as an introduction to the collection. “Glitter of Light” was one of a class of four vessels which were originally built as five berth cruisers during the second half of the 1930s – these included “Glimmer“, “Flicker” and Shimmer“. The class were 36ft in length with a galley and single berth to the fore, a bathroom (fitted with a 5ft bath), with locker and pantry space opposite came next, followed by the saloon which contained another two berths. Beyond the wheelhouse was a further, two berth cabin with a second toilet and washbasin. It has been well documented that most of the Woods fleet spent the years of the Second World War, moored on Hickling Broad to prevent enemy sea planes landing. Over time, most of the fleet sunk and were in need of major restoration and refurbishment when they were eventually towed back to Potter Heigham once hostilities had ceased. In the biography written about her father, “Herbert Woods – a Famous Broadland Pioneer“, Jennifer Woods noted that compensation was available to assist with rebuilding the fleet and part of these renovations included the conversion of the wheelhouse roof to the new, patented “Broads-Haven Retractable Wheelhouse” which was designed to make passing beneath bridges both quicker and easier. The initial post war brochures showed the class with it’s bathroom still intact, but by 1952 the bath had disappeared as can be seen from the entry in that years Blake’s brochure, above left. The fifth berth in the fore cabin had also been removed and the galley had been refitted and enlarged to take its its place.
By the early 1950s, the Broads-Haven empire had become a self contained, one-stop shop catering for all of its clients needs. Not only had the fleet expanded with the purchase of both Applegate’s yard next door and Southgates at Horning, but Herbert Woods had also taken on the Broads Haven hotel on the opposite side of the road and the Bridge Stores. He also established a market garden in Potter Heigham which provided fresh fruit and vegetables for the shop and the hotel. Beehives ensured a plentiful bounty of honey and a large flock of chickens supplied eggs, the hens being housed in old, single decker buses which had been stripped out and fitted with laying boxes.
The early years of the 1950s had been a period of continued recovery following the war, the Broadland hire fleets had all suffered from the ravages of neglect and, once refurbishment had been completed, many yards began a programme of building new additions. Post war, cruising distances had initially been limited due to petrol shortages and the rationing of some foodstuffs also continued until 1954. The “Anchor’s Aweigh” hints and tips booklet which was sent out to all clients by Blake’s a few weeks ahead of your holiday advised that emergency ration cards should be obtained from your local Food Office prior the your holiday. Sadly, Herbert Woods passed away in April 1954 following a major heart attack. There was a combined fleet of 139 motor cruisers, sailing vessels and day boats at this time.
By the second half of the 1950s, rationing had ended and Broadland was regaining it pre-war popularity as visitors flocked to the region. The advancements in motor cruiser design, fitted out with all the creature comforts of home, broadened the appeal of boating as a family holiday and our family of mum, dad, and two young girls, enjoyed trips aboard “Shaft of Light” and, pictured above in 1957, “Glitter of Light“.
In his 1952 guide, “The Norfolk Broads Holiday Book and Pocket Pilot“, author John May set the scene and painted an evocative picture: “You arrive by mysterious backways at the boatyard. You glimpse the inside of sheds that smell aromatically of wood shavings, and see half-built boats tied by wooden battens to the roof beams. You walk through to a neat boarded quay, and there before you is the gently flowing river. The sun shines, the sky is blue and there are Broads craft everywhere. People are wearing carefree summer clothes, the waterside grass is very green, and pervading the peace of it all is your own feeling of happy expectancy. ‘This is your boat sir,’ the man says. You are shown a glistening vessel riding demurely at her moorings. This lovely craft, worth literally a small fortune, is yours entirely to eat, sleep and adventure in, through all the coming holiday. You step aboard – and what comes next?”
On board “Glitter” in 1957, looking towards the fore cabin which housed the galley. “Cooking is a new pleasure in your craft’s neat miniature kitchen,” enthused Blake’s guide to motor cruising on the Broads in 1956. “Everything is complete and ready to hand, gas stove (with cylinder gas), electric light and running water at sinks.”
Teatime in the saloon with the ubiquitous bobble hats – perfect for boating as they wouldn’t get blown off in a sudden gust of wind!
Ready for bed in a rather fetching set of pyjamas. “It’s a luxury cruise!” Blake’s brochure continued: “You’re in your own private suite with no responsibilities, nothing to heed but the orders of your own sweet fancy.”
Where do I sign up?
The collection are not all of the highest quality, but they are cleaning up quite nicely with digital restoration and remastering, and are another valuable record of the history of boating on the Broads. The remaining photographs will follow soon but I hope you enjoy the first installment in the meantime.
