The Deben

42 Spring 2011

The River Deben AssociationOfficers and Committee

March 2011

Chairman Leigh Belcham Speeding and Policing 45A Western Avenue, Felixstowe, IP11 9SL. 01394 285674 lbelcham1@aol.com

Vice Chairman Robert Simper HistoryPlum Tree Hall, Ramsholt, Woodbridge IP12 3AD. 01394 411273 robertsimper@hotmail.com

Treasurer Chris Brown Membership Data Base 4 June Avenue, Ipswich. IP1 4LT. 01473 259674 chriswendy@talktalk.net

Secretary Wendy Brown4 June Avenue, Ipswich. IP1 4LT. 01473 259674 chriswendy@talktalk.net

Magazine David BucknellEditor 6 Ferry Road, Bawdsey Quay, Woodbridge, IP12 3AX.

0780 3612 059 rasmusbuck@aol.com

Website Annie LeechAdministrator 75 Seckford Street, Woodbridge. IP12 4LZ. 01394 386262

annievleech@btinternet.com

Peter Clay Maritime Woodbridge 83 Ipswich Road, Woodbridge IP12 4B. 01394 384374 pete@peterhenryclay.co.uk

Adrian Judge Representative DEP, Wildfowlers29 Bredfield Street, Woodbridge IP12 4NH. 01394 38335 adrianjudge@keme.co.uk

Anne Moore Footpaths, Access, Woodbridge2 Grundisburgh Road, Woodbridge IP12 4HG. 01394 383559

Simon Read Representative DEP. Projects - Saltmarsh Recovery. EnvironmentBarge Jacoba Lime Kiln Quay, Woodbridge. IP12 1BD 01394 384060 jacoba@simonread.demon.co.uk

Ed Stanford Planning 21 Ipswich Road, Woodbridge IP12 4BS . 01394 386362 maryedstanford@btinternet.com

Neil Winship Waldringfield Sandcliff, School Road, Waldringfield IP12 4QR. 01473 736423 neil@alpheco.co.uk

The DEBENSpring 2011

i. RDA Officers and Committee

1. Contents

2. Editorial

3. News From the Hards - Peter Clay, Anne Moore, David Bucknell

7. Margins of the Land - Jenny James- The adaptation of plants and creatures where the land meets the sea.

10. The Cement Factory of Waldringfield 1872-1907 - Dr Gareth Thomas- A history of the factory.

14. Who Manages the Deben?Part Two – The Environment Agency - Mike Steen with David Bucknell- The role and policies of the Environment Agency - Part One

17. ‘Artists and Writers’ - David Green

18. Pictures of the Deben - David Green- The Deben as source of inspiration for an artist.

20. Everson’s Shed - David Green- The Artist’s Perspective

22. Two Sisters - David Bucknell- The story of the two sisters who lived in the shed.

25. Boats of the Deben - Amity - Tom Owles

26. Letters

27. RDA Accounts for the Year Ending 31 December 2010.

28. RDA Notice of AGM 2011

(Cover ‘The Blue Rudder’- David Green 2006)

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EDITORIAL

By the time thisedition of TheD e b e nr e a c h e syou we willbe days awayfrom the start of the financial year, withlarge scale cuts in the public sector, biggerthan anything we have seen in our life time.

We are already beginning to see theimpact of the cuts in relation to the Debenwith agencies such as the EnvironmentAgency tightening funding for projects.Suffolk County Council is ending itsinvolvement with amenity areas such asEast Lane - and having refurbished thejetty at Bawdsey is now ceasing itsinvolvement with the jetty at Bawdsey andat the Ferry. Suffolk Coastal is similarlylooking to local groups to take over somefacilities. Whatever ‘localism’ means, acover for cutbacks or a real commitment todevolve power to communities, it is clearthat bureaucracies, be they LocalGovernment or the Environment Agency,will look to local groups to take overresponsibility for many services which willnot be funded in future.

At the same time, changes in the planningprocess, may give developers theopportunity to push through schemesjustifying ‘whatever goes’ in terms ofcreating employment and growth. AdastralPark is an interesting test for ’localism’ asmany local people do not want it, and yet itseems to be going ahead in spite ofinformed and reasoned objections to thescale of the project. So the question is, will‘localism’ and the ‘Big Society’ reallydevolve power, or just be an excuse fortransferring responsibilities and costspreviously covered by public finances on tolocal communities.

These trends undoubtedly will have an

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impact on the Deben. While there may beless bureaucracy there will be a lesseningof planning controls and this may lead toareas like the Deben being more at risk ofa ‘free for all’, with those who have themoney and power to determine outcomesand get their way. It will also mean thatschemes will be suggested to raise fundsfor projects, such as sea defences, and thiscould have an impact on communities andthe environment we value. Partnership willbe the new mantra.

Come back Sir Cuthbert Quilter - all isforgiven! (he was a banker). Will peoplewith wealth take responsibility and be asconservation minded as Sir Cuthbert waswhen he systematically used the wealth ofhis estate to maintain its sea defences,plant trees and create employment.

While there may be threats and challengesthere will be opportunities to generateconstructive partnerships and communitybased projects. However, it will needpeople getting involved and demonstratingtheir commitment to the things they careabout. Their will be a significant role for theRDA in giving voice to your views.

We will have to adapt to newcircumstances and one of the themes thatpermeates this edition of The Deben is‘adaptation’. Jenny James looks at theway in which plants and animals adapt tothe challenges of the differentenvironments of the Deben, land and sea,salt and fresh water. We learn how thequay at Waldringfield has developed overthe years in response to changingcircumstances, from a cement factory to acentre for yachting on the Deben. In ‘WhoManages the Deben’ the excerpts from aninterview with Mike Steen of theEnvironment Agency illustrate how we mayhave to adapt to the forces of nature and tothe economic pressures facing anorganisation such as the EA which alreadyis giving rise to new partnerships to fundlocal sea and river defences.

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NEWS FROM THE HARDS WOODBRIDGEOur Labrador Jake doesn’t take boat-yardstoo seriously. If he is lying asleep on thewarm gravel opposite my boat theapproach of an 8-wheel crane doesn’tdisturb him. Fred Larkman patiently stops,climbs down and politely explains the needto get up and move. So it was that when Ichanged the pattern of my riverside walksto include lengthier than usualconversations with the boat-yard owners,Jake was equally unimpressed.

At Larkmans he was left outside in the coldwhile I, in the big work shed, heard fromSteve Larkman how they had laid up arecord number of boats for the winter lastyear- in excess of 250. Almost all of thesehad been covered over by the yard.

Upstairs in the big shed I admired a newDragonfly which James Palmer is building,the first since 1969. The 14 foot Dragonflywas the racing dinghy adopted in 1948 asa class for the Waldringfield Sailing Cluband originally built by Robertsons andNunns. There are 9 Dragonflies currentlyracing and several more undergoingrestoration, so James will have plenty ofcompetition.

Under a working cover, as opposed to awinter cover, stands Ted Evans’ RaggedRobin, Arthur Ransome’s penultimate boat.Ted is working on her decks.

Reunited with an excited Jake, I walkedover to the footpath by the river where therecently restored Cherub is standing. This

Local artist David Green is the featuredartist for the series ‘Artists and Writers’ andhis picture, The Blue Rudder is the cover ofthis edition; incidentally a yacht inEverson’s Yard.

We hear in this edition how Everson’s ischanging and at the same time wecelebrate the character of the ‘shed’ interms of its artistic appeal, with the help ofDavid Green and through the story of thetwo sisters who lived in the shed. Theirstory illustrates how people can adapt tochanging circumstances if they have theresilience and determination to endure.May be we can take something from theseexamples in how we respond to thechallenges we are going to face.

Spring is here, following a harsh winter -the first winter for years when the riverfroze. Whatever the issues, The Deben is awonderful river to explore and enjoy. Whilewe don’t have to raise funds to enjoy it weneed to be aware of the developmentswhich will affect it and make sure weprotect a beautiful, scarce and fragileasset.

CHAIRMAN’S REPORTWe have decided to print this as an insert.Amongst a number of topics it includesupdates on the policing initiative, thesuccessful RDA Forum held atWaldringfield (For a full report see thewebsite.) and the river and sea wallImprovements.

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back. At the Melton Boat Club besideDeben Mill I met Steve Sinclair. Steve runsthis little Club and has a converted Scottishfishing vessel lying there beside a numberof interesting house-boats.

Steve is a man of interesting facts: did Iknow that that the sun rises behind theSutton Hoo burial mound on the wintersolstice? Well, no I didn’t. Did I know that ifI take a beeline from St. Johns church spireto the flood-gate at the Melton Boat Clubon a bright clear morning you willexperience a magic moment? Well, no Ididn’t but I’ll try it as soon as we get a brightclear morning! (Nothing seemed sounlikely on that particular day).

Steve pointed out a notice board called“THE TOWPATH TELEGRAPH” that he putup a few years ago for passers-by to comeup with interesting things to say about theriver (drawing pins provided). “It needs tobe used more” says Steve “you can accessit from the back.” Good idea; a blog thatgets you out of the house! Jake wasgetting the idea of the amateur journalist.Short discussion- and off back down theriver wall.

Robertsons was the next yard and MikeIllingworth complained too about the awfulwinter weather. “Bitter December weathermade work inside difficult and work outsideimpossible”. With the refit of "Lothian", a1954 Camper and Nicholson sloopcomplete and a host of smaller (but equallyinteresting) jobs well advanced, Mike waskeen to start on the preparation of OllyHicks' new boat. Olly is a remarkableyoung adventurer with quite a list ofachievements under his belt already.These are:-

• Cycling 1609 kilometers-Lands End to John O’Groats.

• The Marathon Des Sables. (Running sixmarathons back to back across the Sahara)

• The Yukon Canoe race. (Canoeing 700kilometres: the longest canoe race in theworld)

is the first of the little pre-war cutters built atEversons (see “Rohaise II” in the Eversonnotes) and a real piece of Deben history.

The next yard down-river is Mel Skeet’s.Mel is a self-confessed raconteur andJake’s body language spoke clearly “Ohno!” as I spotted Mel in the yard andengaged him in conversation. Mel told mehe’d seen ice flows on the river for the firsttime in 23 years- ice flows big enough tomove the marker buoys out of position!He’d already put these back into theirproper location and was hoping that thebad wintry conditions were not going toreturn.

Lying on a pontoon I saw "2605", a 68ftWW2 Air Sea Rescue Launch. Lastsummer, they lifted her out of the water andfitted new frames and planking to her portside. Evidently this had generated a lot ofinterest from some WW2 veterans, whovisited the boatyard and were treated to aguided tour of this historical vessel.

During the winter they also lifted out Dinah,(half sized Thames Barge) belonging toRichard Johnson, she has had an early re-fit and has been re-launched ready for thiscoming season. Dinah has been a regularvisitor to Maritime Woodbridge contributingto the historic atmosphere of the event.

A third historic vessel to be lifted out, andanother Maritime Woodbridge visitor, wasPaul Webster’s “Quiz”, a traditional sailingsmack. She was out for a small re-fit.

Mel was looking forward to the forthcomingspring and summer season and wanted towish all his customers and friends a goodseason.

“ Whew”, said Jake as he finally wasallowed to bound off down the river wall inthe direction of the Town Quay. Poor dog.That was enough for one day.

A day or two later found me walking up-river with a keen southwesterly against my

Olly will be making a second attempt torow, single-handed around Antarctica. Thedesign problems which hindered himpreviously have been corrected, so withthe summer to do the work he should beready to ship the boat to New Zealandready for an October start to his nextadventure! Watch this space........

Next came Jake’s favourite stretch of river,from “Frank Knights” boatyard to Eversons.Charter Marine Engineering in Frank’s oldpremises is run by Gordon Wise whom Ifound amongst the machinery at the backof the workshop. He told me that he iskeeping very busy with reconditioning,repairing and servicing outboard andinboard marine engines and other marineengineering work.

Meantime the “Oude Reijn”, an elegantDutch barge, lies alongside the dock andGordon told me she is in the middle of anextensive refit. Over the past 6 months herbare shell has been fitted with fullaccommodation, including galley andheads- all in teak. There is fair way still togo before they start on the outside and hull.

In September the dock was host to anumber of fine classic yachts during theMaritime Woodbridge festival. ArthurRansome’s penultimate boat “RaggedRobin” was there and a number of fineAlbert Strange designs.

Sensing the end of this discussion Jakebolted off down-river towards Eversonswhere John in the office always has a largebag of dog biscuits under his desk. Thisgenerates much excitement in passingdogs.

Unfortunately Geoff Sinton, who runsEversons, was in Australia at the time butan email when I got back home producedan immediate response. The first news wasthat Everson’s has been renamed “TheWoodbridge Boat Yard Ltd.” With anincreasing number of customers nowcoming to the yard through internet anddirectory searches they felt that someone

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looking for a boatyard in Woodbridge wouldstart with the name of the town. TheEverson name is being kept alive howeverin the new postal address, so that the yardsite is now called “Everson’s Wharf”.

Improvements in the yard include thereplacement of all the pontoons with new,more dinghy-friendly units in 2010. All newdecking ready for fitting on the Jetty, withhandrail to follow. Plans for a newworkshop and associated buildings aretaking shape and will be announced soon.

In the yard stands the 1931 teak HongKong built “Teal”, undergoing a fullrestoration. The Hastings beach boat“Arwen” with her interesting “lute” stern ishaving a new engine. “Rohaise II” is one ofthe Cherubs built at Eversons in the 30sand sister to the first Cherub up atLarkmans. She is in the shed having one ofher topside planks replaced, and freshpaint and varnish. The yard is looking foran example of the original engine- a 4hpStuart Turner- to install.

In common with all the yards Geoff islooking forward to better weather andstarting to re-launch boats for the summerseason, along with all the commissioningwork that entails.

My journey had been fascinating and clearproof that even in February, when theDeben riverside seems to be hibernating, abrisk walk with a dog reveals the bustle ofspring.

Pete Clay

The Woodbridge Riverside Trustees arelooking for an enthusiastic volunteer to jointhe Whisstocks Project team with a view toheading up our Working Group looking atsources of funding.

Please contact John Gibbins 07787 537314 johng@gibbins.co.uk

WALDRINGFIELDThe main items of news buzzing inWaldringfield at the moment are theproposed New Town Development atAdastral Park and its impact on the villageand the Deben estuary and the proposedsiting of the pontoon at the downriver endof the foreshore.

Adastral Park - The approval of the LocalDevelopment Framework, which includesthe Adastral Park proposal for 2000houses, has been postponed so thatSCDC can respond, as they are required todo under the European Habits Directive, tothe report received by Suffolk Wildlife Trust(SWT). This report, based on aprofessional survey, has highlighted thedangers of increased visitor numbers tointernationally protected wildlife sites.

If the project goes ahead in its present formit will have a significant impact on theDeben and so far there seems to havebeen little recognition of the impact of theproposal on the immediate hinterland.

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There is an aerial picture on the NANTwebsite which highlights the implicationsfor Waldringfield and the Deben.

To keep in touch with the NANT campaign,donate to the fighting fund or offer helpcontact the organisers via the websitewww.noadastralnewtown.com

The submission from Suffolk Wildlife Trustbegins to develop an overarching strategyand this is something the RDA and theDeben Estuary Partnership will need toaddress in the future.

The proposed Sailing Club pontooncontinues to be a contentious issue. TheSailing Club have referred the proposal tothe Fairways Committee and haveconsulted the Crown Estate. While theCrown Estate does not have an’ opinion’they will need to see that the various‘consents’ have been obtained. Given thestatus of the Deben in terms of wildlife andlandscape this could be lengthy process

Waldringfield in winter - 1993

and at some point is likely to involve aformal planning application. Following onfrom the last edition of the Deben this is arelevant case study in relation to the role ofthe Fairways Committee and howdevelopments on the Deben areprocessed.

AT THE FERRYIn December Felixstowe sailor AlanRutherford was presented with a RoyalYachting Association Lifetime Achievementaward by HRH the Princess Royal for overtwenty years work developing a small localscout group into one of the largest youthsailing charities on the east coast.Felixstowe Ferry Youth Sailing (FFYS)regularly attract 70 members and get outon the water in all weathers including thewinter months. Woodbridge sailor SimonShaw was presented with a CommunityOutstanding Contribution Award for hiswork fundraising and overseeing thedevelopment of the Deben Yacht Club. Hehas replaced piling and pontoons anddeveloped disabled-friendly access.Congratulations to them both!

Mark Johnson and Phil Usher of theEnvironment Agency gave a helpfulpresentation to the Felixstowe Forum,including the history of the defences at theFerry. The agency has completed much ofthe current work at the Ferry includinginfilling and the development of a clay bankbehind the existing rock armour defence.More rocks have been placed in front of thewave wall apron which has beenuncovered recently.

So, as more beach is lost, both through theforces of nature and through theintervention itself, it does seem as if rocksbring with them their own negativedynamics. One also wonders if the northand south wave walls had been linked in1968 whether any of this would have beennecessary. What is certain is how little weseem to understand about the dynamics ofnature and of our own interventions.

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BAWDSEY QUAYA group of local stakeholders has metduring the winter led by DEP ChairChristine Block to consider the impact ofincreasing visitor numbers on the Quayand its surrounds including parking andenvironmental impacts. Seasonal andweekend pressures generate particulardifficulties and it is not easy to find a way ofdealing with the pressures and conservinga relatively unmanaged and unspoiltenvironment.

Suffolk County Council are withdrawingfrom the maintenance and funding of thejetties on either side of the river and theimplications of this are not yet clear,however, the DEP is facilitating meetings toconsider the impacts and possible waysforward.

MARGINS OF THE LANDThe constantly flowing tide of water whichmoves daily up and down at the junctionbetween the sea and the land has createda unique environment for living things - anenvironment of daily contrasts; wet and dry,hot and cold, salty or freshwater.

Each plant or animal which is able tosurvive these rigorous conditions has doneso by a tough process of adaptation; everybodily function has been challenged by theneed to survive these extremeexperiences, all within a period of 24 hours,as the influence of the moon’s gravity pullsat the water in the oceans and creates theebb and flow of the tides.

The nature of the sea shore is determinedby its geology. On the west coast of Britainwhere the ancient granite rocks areresistant to erosion, many of the shores aresteep and rocky whereas in East Anglia therocks are more recent and therefore softer.Our coast is series of low-lying estuariesformed from river valleys, submerged atthe end of the last ice age, when the sandsand gravels of the Sandlings were alsodeposited.

The Deben estuary is fringed with mud flatsand salt marsh with occasional sandybeaches where low cliffs of coralline crag,a soft limey sandstone, have been eroded.

The plants and animals found between thehigh and low tide marks of this estuary aretypical of those found in similar regionsthroughout Britain. Mud is the keyingredient with firmer substrates providedby occasional areas of soft rock on theforeshore.

The question is, are these living things landdwellers or sea dwellers? Are they landplants and animals which have adapted tosurviving in sea water for part of the day, orare they sea plants and animals which cancope with terrestrial conditions?

The sea provides a much steadierenvironment, consistently wet, a smalltemperature range, and on open seacoasts a steady 3.5% salinity. But, the lifeof an estuary has a range of salinities tocontend with, ranging from pure freshwater at low tide to almost full salinity athigh tide, depending on the size of theriver. In the River Deben, with such a smallinflow of fresh water, the salinity is onlyslightly less than that of the open sea.(Woodbridge 2.9%)

A brief survey tells us that in the DebenEstuary we have something of everything.Sea weeds such as the wracks, bladderwrack and serrated wrack, are waterplants, from the most primitive group, theAlgae. They are functioning fully only whenfloating, supported by water, where theirfronds can catch the light which they needfor growth. Their attachments to rocks andstones on the foreshore do not function asroots do in land plants, in that they onlyserve to anchor the plants and do not takeup water and nutrients. These are gainedby absorption from the surrounding waterat high tide. Seaweeds are not waterproofed as land plants are, they would dryout rapidly without the daily immersion in

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sea water. All aspects of their life cyclefrom growth to reproduction can only takeplace in water.

The seaweeds which are found nearer tothe high tide mark are more tolerant ofdrying out than those further down, thehuge fronds of kelp, for instance. which wesee on exposed rocky shores bobbing inthe waves at low water are only rarelyexposed at spring tides, they cannotsurvive for long in the drying air.

On the other hand, salt marsh plants suchas sea lavender, samphire, thrift and thesalt marsh grasses are fully fledged landplants, self supporting and functioning bestwhen surrounded by air. Salt water wouldsuck water out of the tissues and desiccateordinary land plants. Salt marsh plantssurvive because they have developedways of preventing this. There is a patternto the distribution of these plants as in thesea weeds, the least tolerant of salinitysuch as sea lavender being found near thehigh tide mark and those with mostadaptations to cope with it, such assamphire, at lower levels.

Most of the animals which we find on theshore are basically aquatic so are onlyactive at high tide. In the Deben Estuary, assoon as the tide covers the mud, then theaction starts. Ragworms swim and feed onthe mud, lugworms burrow seeking foodand leave their ‘tell-tale’ worm casts andburied cockles siphon water over their gillssieving out the food. Crabs emerge from

hiding to scuttle along the sea bedattracted by passing scraps of debris,sometimes getting hauled up into anet in the process. On more rockyshores mussel shells open as they beginto filter microscopic organisms out of thesea water, periwinkles and limpets startgliding over sea weed and rock surfacesgrazing the algae with their rough tongues,barnacles lie back inside their shells andkick their legs in the air to create watercurrents from which they can extract food.

All these animals have ways of coping withthe exposure to air at low tide. Some havea waterproof outer covering which protectsthese inter-tidal animals from drying out.There are a variety of designs, bivalveshells, coiled shells, conical shells in onepiece or many small pieces and completeexternal skeletons with jointed limbs. Wecan see how efficient this waterproofing iswhen we try to open an oyster, in which thetwo shells are tightly clamped together witha very strong muscle which only experthands can locate and sever. The seal is airand water-tight, inserting the oyster knife isa difficult task for the beginner. Otherorganisms such as the worms hide in seawater filled burrows

Only a relatively small number of marineanimals have made the leap from a deepwater existence to an inter-tidal one and,like the plants, they are found in a certainpattern on the shore according to how longthey can survive without drying out.

Barnacles, mussels and limpets are amongthe most waterproof and they are usuallyfound in huge beds along the middle shore.Soft bodied animals such as seaanemones, whose tentacles emerge frominanimate looking blobs of jelly, as the tidecovers them, to fire poisoned barbs atpassing plankton, are confined to shadedcrevasses, rock pools or to places lowerdown the shore.

Just a few of the animals we find on theshore have moved in from the land, one of

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these is the sandhopper, related to thewoodlouse. The sand hopper prefersshady damp places, burrowing in the sandor under piles of seaweed during the dayand emerging at night to feed, when thereis less danger of drying out.

Estuary mud is an incredibly rich source offood for these inter-tidal animals. These inturn provide food for the birds for which theDeben is famous - the over-winteringwaders. These birds are superbly adaptedto feeding in the mud with their long legsand beaks which probe the mud. Eachbeak length or shape is adapted to aparticular source of food. The short bills ofthe turnstones, feed on the surface andunder stones on small molluscs andcrustaceans, the longer bills of the godwitsprobe deeper for worms. Oyster catchershave sturdy bills with strength to prise openthe shells of bivalves such as cockles. Anumber of birds, some gulls in particularhave learned to carry tightly closedbivalves from the shore and to smash themby dropping them from a height onto thehard surface of the riverside footpath.

The plants of the salt marsh also providefood for wintering ducks such as wigeonsand teals. The water channels between theblocks of salt marsh have been shown bySimon Read (see RDA Magazine 39 2009)to provide invaluable sheltered sites foregg laying and hatching of some importantcoastal fish.

Some of us prefer to walk by the river athigh tide and others at low water. Whateverour preference, we can marvel at the richesin the mud and beneath the water.

Jenny James

Eurasian Curlew

THE CEMENT FACTORY OF WALDRINGFIELD 1872 -1907

Visitors to Waldringfield might be forgivenfor not knowing that it was once the site ofa large cement factory. All that nowremains of the industry is the quay, thefactory manager’s house, which may beseen behind the sea wall to the north of thevillage and, on Quay Lane, a three footthick wall, ending in a private garden whichwas part of a kiln.

In the 1860’s there was a small cementworks in Waldringfield– probably just onekiln. In 1871 the works were sold to GeorgeMason, a slate and timber merchant fromIpswich whose intention was tomanufacture Portland cement. Until thenhe had manufactured Roman cement inthe Ipswich area from cement-stonedredged from the River Orwell.

There had been no real advances incement making between the days of theRomans and the 1820s when ‘Portland’ or‘British’ cement was first patented. Themanufacture of Portland cement, which istwo parts chalk to one part clay, had startedin 1851 in the Medway area where therewere plentiful supplies of both chalk andclay. Demand had increased out of allproportion with the expansion of theLondon metropolis and the exportation of

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this ‘British’ cement abroad.

Although Waldringfield, a smallpredominantly agricultural village, mightseem an unlikely place for a cementfactory, the River Deben provided a goodsupply of clay and there already was anestablished barge route between theDeben and the Thames, with some of thebarges being owned by Mason himself.There was an active coprolite industry andthe village was used to the loading anunloading on the shore and the coming andgoings of horses and carts. The bargeswould be readily available to bring chalkand coal or coke from the Medway and totake cement back to the Thames either foruse in London or for export. There was asupply of labour as work in the area wasbecoming scarce; farming was not theemployer it once was and the large privateestates were beginning to feel the pinch

A family in Waldringfield has deeds whichshow that in 1871 George Mason boughtfrom Arthur Thomas Cobbold - one of theheirs to the Cobbold dynasty and thenowner of the Maltings - land adjoining theMaybush Inn together with ‘the Quay ordock lying next to the river Deben and alsoall the land with Maltings office and othererections, including six cottages, the twoparcels of land known as the office pieceand the Bush piece’, (probably either side

of the main road) ‘together with one acre& twenty three perches of land’ where,later, the Masons built cottages for theworkers. The purchased land lay to thenorth of the allotments on the left hand sideof Cliff Road looking south and behind MrCobbold’s land, Cliff House (now TheMaltings). It stretched to the edge of theWaller family’s fields to the north of thevillage and down to the water’s edge.

In addition there was some land to the rightof the Cliff Road where there is now a rowof twelve cottages. These were built forsome of the cement workers. Today theyare known collectively as ‘cementcottages’. A house was built for themanager to the north of the factory and itwas probably known as ‘factory cottage’. Itis now known as ‘Swans Nest’ and, with itscommanding view of the River Deben frombehind the sea wall, it attracts a marketvalue at least six times that of the averagehome. It is not certain what else wouldhave been seen before reaching, on theleft, the coach house to The Maltings and,on the right, the Maybush – known then asBush Inn.

The Portland Cement works inWaldringfield was set up in 1872.Photographs of the village, taken from theRiver Deben at the start of the twentiethcentury, show that there were three rows ofkilns, each row sporting four chimneys, onechimney for each kiln. They dominated theskyline and were built of special heatresistant bricks. The base of one, which isabout twenty feet across on the inside,remains at the bottom of a private gardenin Deben Lane. The back walls of theremaining three are also to be seen inanother private garden.

We are told that in the days of the cementworks, when the wind was from the north,clouds of dirty brown smoke would envelopthe beach, thus making it totally unusable.It is very difficult now to imagine such ascene, even without the smoke.

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George Mason died in 1893 and one of histhree sons, Frank continued the business.(Arrangements had been made in 1892 forthe land to be inherited by Frank Masonfrom his father, ‘subject to the payment bythe said FW Mason of rent to the successorof the late Colonel George Tomline’ – thePrettyman Estate.)

Apparently, Mr FW Mason lived on theNorth Cliff in Felixstowe where he was ableto watch his barges making home to theDeben on the London to Waldringfield run.He is said to have been a philanthropicgentleman who provided well for hisworkers. Cottages were rented for 2shillings and sixpence a week and coalwas to be had from the factory for a shilling(equivalent to 5p) a bag. There was areading room which cost one penny a week(There were 240 pennies in a pound).

There was even a staff health facility withone Dr Hollis who, apparently, attributedmost of the illnesses he encountered to anexcess of beer – or not enough of it,depending on the drinking habits of thepatient.

Making the cement.The required mud was extracted from thesaltings probably from shallow draft mudbarges in narrow channels. The picturegives a birds-eye view of the likely clayworkings on the southern side ofWaldringfield

First the marsh peat would be removed bymeans of a shovel. Then wooden ‘fly tools’would be used by skilled labourers knownas ‘muddies’ to flick blocks of clay into thebarge. It is said that a really good muddie,like Mr Stebbings, of the barge calledKingfisher, could have one block in the airwhilst the first block was landing in thebarge and the third block was being dug. Itis likely that Kingfisher Creek was namedafter Mr Stebbings’ barge. One has towonder what might have become of thesenarrow, shallow draft barges and whetherany of their hulls lie covered in mud in thesaltings.

As many as one hundred barge-loads amonth of chalk, coal or coke, would arrivefrom the Medway. According to MrKenneth Mason, a descendant of Frank,the mud and the chalk were off-loadedfrom the barges and tipped into a wash millon the quay. It was mixed with water intoslurry and then it flowed via woodentroughs to slurry reservoirs. The waterrose to the top of the slurry in the reservoir.It was then let off via sluice gates to returnto the river. The remaining mixture wasthen wheel-barrowed to an oven heatedfloor, spread about nine inches thick, andleft until dry enough for barrowing to thekilns.

The kilns were prepared for firing byplacing faggots of wood in an arched duct

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beneath the floor of the kiln. Then alternatelayers of coke and cement slurry wereplaced in the kiln. The kiln was bricked up,set alight and left to burn for five days.Once the process was finished and the kilnhad cooled down the cement clinker wouldbe removed, loaded into wheelbarrows andtaken to the grinding machine to be groundinto fine cement.

Initially clinker was ground in a Big Ball Mill,a German invention installed inWaldringfield by German engineers. Itseems there was considerable frictionbetween the Germans and the local work-

force, not helped by theGermans bragging that eachone of them was worth three ofthe locals both in strength andin work done. There is a story,courtesy of the late Walter Tye,that one day there was a largeslab of concrete to be moved.One of the wry locals stood atone of the four corners of thisgreat large slab and said to apassing German. ‘We’ll soonget this shifted. ‘oi’ll lift thiscorner and yew can take theother three’

The grindings from the Big Ball Mill weretransferred by conveyor belt to the GriffinMill for finer grinding and then barrowed orconveyed to storage sheds. Filling sacksand loading barges with the finishedproduct was said to be the dirtiest andhardest job of all – although the claydigging sounds pretty hard going.

A tramway was constructed across the site;although much of the fetching and carryingwas said to have been done withwheelbarrows. The tramway engine wasdriven by Charles Bloomfield who waslisted in the census 1891 as ‘Engine driver– portable’. Charles Bloomfield lived inWoodbridge Road, Waldringfield, now a‘by-road’ to Martlesham.

The machines and the 12.50 lunchtimesiren were all powered by a large steamengine brought from Leiston – it wasknown as the Wunnerful Wissel and couldbe heard all down the Deben. It seems

there were complaints from Ramsholt oneday when the Wunnerful Wissel was late,thus throwing working schedules intodisarray.

Decommissioning and demolitionThe Cement works functioned for thirty-fiveyears closing in 1907. Profoundtechnological changes in the 1890s andthe need to upgrade to new ball-and-roller

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grinding mechanism and to rotary kilns hadled to the decommissioning of theWaldringfield plant. The factory closed in1907. The pier was taken down and thekilns were either demolished or filled in byone Arthur Quantril and his Territorialsbetween 1907 and 1912. It is said thatone of the houses in School Road wasconstructed using 30,000 of the heatresistant bricks from the kilns. By 1912the factory was gone bar a few remnants.It had taken five years to dismantle.

When the works closed Mr Mason gave theoccupants of the cottages the opportunityto purchase them, paying as and whenthey could. The manager of the works atthat time was one Arthur Stollery who wentwith the Masons to manage their newworks at Claydon.

With the close of the factory atWaldringfield the village was left in peaceto develop the pastimes it supports today

Dr Gareth Thomas Pictures copyright Waldringfield HistoryGroupwww.waldringfieldia.com

WHO MANAGES THEDEBEN?

PART TWO - THE ENVIRONMENTAGENCY

The Environment Agency is an importantorganisation in the life of the Deben. Whatfollows are excerpts from the first part of aninterview I recorded with Mike Steen -Coastal Advisor for the Suffolk Coast, inSeptember 2010. In the interview I wantedto explore some of the central policies andassumptions of the Environment Agencyfor the benefit of those, including me, whoare not familiar with them. This is prettymuch a verbatim transcript.

DB: Mike could you tell me what your roleis at the Environment Agency.

MS: I have worked round here for most ofmy working life, looking after the localrivers and the coast. I am an engineer bytraining…These days I am more of apolitician I think at times - sometimes evena sociologist. I am the Coastal Advisor forthe Suffolk Coast and for the tidal estuaryrivers.

DB: I have heard about Drainage Boards,you have mentioned river authorities.Could you explain the background?

MS: Back in the thirties we were known asRiver Boards, I think we became RiverAuthorities, then we became part ofAnglian Water. Then we became theNational Rivers Authority and after that webecame the Environment Agency; all withslightly different roles and differentbackgrounds, things they are interested in.We have been the Environment Agency forover ten years now, so I think we are welloverdue a name change.

DB: What are the Drainage Boards?

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MS: Think of it like a big tree. The maintrunk and the main branches we wouldterm ‘main river’. ‘ Main river’ is designatedby Act of Parliament. Tidal rivers are allmain rivers. If you go inland the Debenremains a ‘main river’ to way beyondBrandeston, probably into Debenham.Main rivers we have an interest in; afterthat...there are various ditches and water-courses that come in on the way. Otherpeople have a responsibility for those.There are Boards called Internal DrainageBoards, which tend to be in low lyingdrainage areas? So there is the riverDeben Internal Drainage Board or IDB as itis known and it facilitates the drainage ofthe land that is protected from flooding bysea defences in its area...

DB: Who runs the Board?

MS: Normally it is a consortium of localland owners who vote for a number of themto sit on the Board and administer it. Thereis a rule as to whether you pay rates into adrainage board which is to do with the levelof the land. If you are in a lower area andneed to provide drainage then you have aBoard.

DB: So they fund their own drainage andorganise it themselves…..they still exist?

MS: Yes. There are some consortiums, forexample, in the Broads area and furthernorth, that are beginning to take over someof the smaller Boards. There are some feesinvolved and farmers pay the Consortiumsto do the work.

DB: How does the Environment Agencydiffer from these boards?

MS: As well as the EA, Local Authoritieshave responsibilities for some watercourses, mainly those ones in urban areas.Some water companies have responsibilityfor some drainage channels because theyuse them for surface water drainage. Andthen you come to the riparian owner or the

land owner who has responsibility – theyhave some responsibilities all the waythrough the chain. Finding out who doeswhat is not always the easiest thing.

DB: So if the EA is not responsible forthose areas how would you explain thedifference?

MS: Well I have very carefully not used theword responsibility so far – the EA has veryfew responsibilities. We have powers thatwe can exercise. We exercise them interms of the national perspective or thenational good. So talking about theEstuary, if we think there is a problem withflood defences somewhere, we canexercise our powers in terms of thenational good and if we think it issomething that is worth doing we can goand do it - we have the power to go anddredge a river for example. If we don’tthink it is in the national good and we don’tthink it worth doing then you can’t compelus to do it. The basic law here is that youshould not impede your upstreamneighbour’s drainage. And that works allthe way through the system.

DB: So the EA has responsibility for flooddefence.

MS: Again we don’t have responsibility - wehave powers to carry out work. I supposeour broad remit is that we are empoweredto work on main rivers and coastal estuaryflood defences……The broad aim apartfrom our environmental responsibilities isto prevent flooding, where flood defencesare required. And on fresh water rivers it isto keep rivers flowing to prevent floodingand to allow land drainage to happen. Soyes, the simplest answer is to preventflooding…………

DB: How are you funded?

MS: We are funded mostly by centralgovernment with a bit of local funding.What we are required to do is to providedefences a) where the nation can afford to

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provide them and b) where the cost ofproviding those defences is less than thevalue of what is being protected. So thereis an economic element in there as well.

We also need to talk about theenvironment, because this river we arelooking at is a European Designated Site, itis a Special Protection Area or SPA and ifany of the land behind the flood bank is anSPA or a Special Conservation Area orSCA or ‘triple SSSI’, Special Site ofScientific Interest, and is protected by aflood bank, we are required either todefend it or replace it somewhere else orre-create it. In this situation we arerequired to do it; we have a duty to do it. Ifyou want to be defended you can’t make usdefend you. So you don’t have a right todefence. Whereas, if you are the right birdor the right plant in the right place you havethe right to be defended.

DB: Have I got this right - at East Lanethere was difference between the remit ofthe EA and the remit of Suffolk CoastalDistrict Council.

MS: The coast is divided up into twosections: where there is low land that couldflood and coastal defences are providedthen, flood defence, coastal defence, call itwhat you will, happens and we have aninterest in that. Where the land is high andflooding would not take place but erosionmight, then you have coastal protectionand that is looked after by the MaritimeDistrict Council and in this case that isSuffolk Coastal. Now at East Lane –Bawdsey, the line between the flooddefence and the coastal protection wasdetermined to be somewhere north of theMartello Tower at East Lane - which is whywe were both involved….

DB: How do you decide what projects youtake on?

MS: In terms of flood defence it is probablyeasier if we take an example. If we take theFalkenham Marshes, it is protected by a

wall. We are currently looking at the walland the process we will go through will beto survey the wall, which we have done - sowe know what sort of condition it is in andwhat height it is. We also know from thework we have done what sort of height wecan expect from various flood events.Therefore we know what sort of level ofprotection we get out of the existing wall.

Then we look at what it actually protects.Does it protect houses, farmland, factories,designated environmental land, reserves,whatever...? Then we start working outfrom that what we can actually do. Now ifthere is a protected environmental site weare required to protect it and the money willbe given to us by the government to dothat, or we have to find somewhere to re-create it elsewhere. We have to re-create itbefore we can stop defending the existingsite. Here there are no ‘environmentalissues’ on the other side of the wall. Thereare actually not very many houses and theTreasury guidelines on how we work these

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economics out, stipulate that firstly, it mustbe in the national interest. A simpleexample of that is that if you have acaravan down on the Falkenham Marshesand you know you are going to get flooded,you will probably hitch your car up to yourcaravan and go somewhere else whereyou won’t get flooded. So the net loss tothe nation is zero, so we can’t count yourcaravan as an asset to help us with theeconomics.

We also have to determine whether thecost of providing defences exceeds thevalue of what we are protecting.Successive governments decided thatfarmland is worth less and less money. Sofarmland doesn’t add up to very muchmoney in terms of when we are looking toadd up the value of what is beingprotected. It is quite a lot, but it is not asmuch as it used to be. Houses andbusinesses are where we get most of thevalue. Apart from Felixstowe Ferry, wherethere are probably about 40 properties that

Bawdsey - The Groynes 2004

are at risk, there are very few properties inthe Falkenham Marshes. So we add allthose values and we come up with a figurethat says this is the value of what is beingprotected.

There are other things we can add to that.We can add in tourism, we can add socialdeprivation and things like this. Theyrequire a huge amount of work to do andactually only provide a very smallpercentage of the final figure. So what wetend to do is to look at the maincontenders- the land and the property andsee if we are in the right sort of sphere. Ifwe are close, then we will start looking atsome of the other factors if they exist, andthat might just nudge us into the positionthat allows us to do some work. If we findthat we have a value of X, and the cost ofdoing whatever work is necessary toprotect that is going to be less than X, wehave got an economic situation. You divideone by the other. We are looking for ananswer above one. However, as I havesaid the country does not have a lot ofmoney any more so there isn’t that muchmoney in the pot and this is a national potwe are talking about. The governmentgives us money and it goes into a nationalpot and every scheme in the country thatwants money out of that pot has to rateitself against every other scheme.

We are currently going through thisprocess for the Deben.

DB: So you are suggesting that there is anunlikely to be a huge pot of money

MS: I’d prefer to say that I know there isn’ta huge pot of money but I don’t know whatthe results are, so I cannot predict theoutcome. But I can tell you that it is gettingmore and more difficult. What is likely tohappen on the Falkenham Wall is that Ithink we are likely to find we have aneconomic case; in other words theequation comes out to at least one. Tostand any chance in the priority systems,

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needed to get into the pot and to get ashare of it, you probably need an answerbetween five and seven; in other words thevalue of what is being protected has to bebetween five and seven times more thanthe cost of protecting it.

DB: Thank you Mike, that was helpful.

In the second part of this interview MikeSteen talks about the work at theFelixstowe Ferry and at East Lane, therelationship between the SMP and theEstuarine Strategy, ‘managed realignment’and the implications for the Deben, theassumptions the EA makes in terms of sealevel rise and opportunities for newpartnerships.

As Mike says:-

‘Change brings new opportunities it doesn’talways mean ‘the end’. The key will be howwe adapt to the way our world is adapting.’

David Bucknell

‘ARTISTS AND WRITERS’

DAVID GREENDavid Green’s work will be known to manyof you, particularly his pictures ofWoodbridge and the Tide Mill. He haspainted a series of pictures includingMartello Towers, wrecks, jetties, parts ofboats, together with landscapes - all ofwhich capture the spirit of the Deben.

He is a prolific writer and his books testifyto his career as a teacher of art. He is asculptor, particularly in ceramics and wood.He recalls that during the tragedy of DutchElm disease, when millions of trees werelost, he had an endless supply of wood tocreate memorable sculptures - salvagingobjects of beauty from the wreckage. Herehe talks about the subjects that inspire himaround the Deben.

Pictures of the DebenIn ‘An Artist’s View of the Tide Mill atWoodbridge’, published last year, I wrote insome depth about the geometry of picturemaking, the proportional division of surfaceareas and the mathematics of the GoldenMean, which were also explaineddiagrammatically. So there is no need to gothrough these basic patterns again justnow.

We can move straight to the river startingwith Bawdsey at the mouth which is afavourite area for artists of alltemperaments. Here the shingle beachslopes deeply into the water and sweepsmajestically around the bends where is it islittered with wooden posts standing upfrom the groynes like soldiers on parade.Each is a sculpture and would do well inthe Tate. (page 16)

So would some of the cubic concreteblocks, set in the shingle some quarter of amile up river to prevent tanks from landingin the 1940 rather than from sweeping

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away the beach today. This scene isinfinitely fascinating. I remember them fromboyhood being set up with frantic urgency,and can now see that it is the rhythmicrepetition of such basic forms in contrastwith the softness of the natural ones of thebeach and landscape, that intrigues. I hopethere will never be another attempt to tidythem up for Health and Safety reasons. Weneed these memorials to keep us mindfulof the reality of the past - they are morevivid than footnotes in history books! As amatter of fact two painted versions of thissubject still remain in the house here, onelong and narrow - 15“X 5” showing 37blocks and one brick pill box under astormy sky. The other is a verticalcomposition looking along the tops ofalmost as many blocks which is morecompact and more suitable for manycircumstances, though less dramatic.

Across the river at Felixstowe the ancientdefences are of a different order, almosthaving been put up as part of ourarchitectural heritage rather than forimmediate use as fortifications. WouldNapoleon have been sent a noterequesting that he should wait for a year orso, so that details of the Towers – thecornices etc. could be finished properly?Whatever, there is something grand and

positive about the Martello Towers. Theone I have been in, and had the chance toexamine thoroughly, (the one among thebuildings on the Ferry beach itself) is a

At Bawdsey - 1940Portrait of a Martello Tower - 2006

magnificent structure, beautifully thoughtout in every detail, from preventing dampfrom accumulating in the thick stonework to keeping dust under control in the magazine

and storing rifles in an orderly fashionaround the column. It is tragic to see theone on the golf course itself just left to rotand I have made it the subject of a specialpainting to preserve the memory. I wassurprised to find how readily it composedand how imposing it looks in a compositionon its own. In view of the many bullet holesleft in the tower this picture was originallycalled ‘After the Messerschmitts hadgone!”

Felixstowe Ferry itself yields endlesspainting material and as I start to write allsorts of subjects come to mind. There is afine wreck that I have always called ‘The

Whale’ and there are a number ofingenious landing stages which can onlysurvive on trust and hope - a pictorial virtueof the compositions they create!

Up river at Ramsholt order takes over fromthe delightful chaos of the Ferry and themoorings, presented by the huge sweep ofthe curve of the river here, are usedextensively and in a thoroughly orderedfashion. The short length of the Quay

makes a useful pictorial featurefrom several angles and anexcellent viewpoint.

Moving further up the river publicaccess is somewhat restricted,but over on the Woodbridge sidethere is an exquisite beach andinland area of Waldringfield.

One of the features that makesthis area so pictorial is I believecontrast of the mature treepopulation behind the beach itselfand the beach huts among them.There is also the benefit of thecliff which allows for higher view

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The Slipway at Felixstowe Ferry - 1997

The Whale - 2006

points and back grounds. There is too thelittle boatyard with its crane which alwaysseems to be pointing in the right directionto complete any composition – as indeedEverson’s crane does at Woodbridge!(page 26)

Oh, at Waldringfield there is too that lovelyminiature wreck set deep in the mud andonly visible at low tide. It is quite perfectand needs a carefully timed visit to be seenbefore the tide sweeps in again. No otherwreck that I know has this perfection ofshape with the snapped off ribs showingsuch regular formation just above the mud

at water level.

The brief riverside walk northwards fromthe boatyard and Waldringfield is attractivetoo, especially where it turns inland and isset out with planks on the sweeping curveswhich requite perfect balance andconcentration to complete the course.Failure is unthinkable!

The last length of the Deben River walkcan only be approached from the northfrom Kyson Point where a practicallyhidden path leads inland to secret delightsof Martlesham Creek a magical formationthat only reveals itself when the tide is at itslowest.

At the head of Martlesham Creek there is atiny marina, safely tucked away from thestorms and pirates, a haven of peace andquiet.

EVERSON’S SHED

Albert Alfred Everson (A. A. Everson)b.1862 was a joiner carpenter who camefrom Diss and moved to Melton. Hemarried Alice Robertson whose father wasEbenezer Robertson. Ebenezer and his

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The Wreck

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building, down the Avenue, for many yearsbecause she is suspicious of the fixtures ofthe windows down this side of the building.Any how many others feel the same?

So something needs to be done. There arethoroughly capable architects about andthe Council takes its planning duties veryseriously; which leaves it to me to explainwhy I felt it worthwhile to spend so muchtime and energy on painting a picture of aso derelict a shed!

Well Everson’s shed lies more or less halfway down to the river walk between ourhome and the town centre which meansthat we walk past it pretty frequently, or onaverage say four times a week. As wehave lived here since 1990, this yields atotal of somewhere in the region ofbetween four or five thousand times; surelyenough to have made a decision aboutwhether or not is worth looking at from thepoint of view of making a picture, though Ihave to confess that for about half of thesejourneys I took very little notice of it;certainly I never saw it as a painting.

But one day I passed the shed, somewhatlater than usual, probably about one pm,when the sun begins to leave the building.The fencing on the left with the two whitenotices was brilliantly lit, creating apowerful contrast with the rich texture ofthe panelling. The fencing creates apowerful ‘interlock’ between the two largestshapes of the composion - the shed itselfand the concrete walk; and providing too,at the tip of its shadow, the perfect locationfor the position of the aestheticallyimportant bent iron post set in the concretepavement.

The situations of the figures, their poses,the mysterious light inside the building andmany other features across the wholescene would doubtless only be revealed tosomeone involved in making a drawing orrecording verbally what they perceive. Thesubtle lines in the concrete pathway,revealed by the bright sun make a splendid

son Robbie set up the business on LimeKiln Quay which is Robertson’s. Albertmoved down river to what was then acoaling quay and started Everson’s in1889. The yard burned down in 1911 andwas rebuilt on the foundations hence thename - Phoenix Works.

I have long been an admirer of Everson’sShed. I love its irregularity, its texture andwhat it evokes in terms of boat buildinghistory. The shed is unique and howeverwe define ‘character’, Everson’s shed, inmy opinion, has it in abundance.

When I mentioned Everson’s to peoplethey often said ‘Have you heard about thesisters who lived in the shed with theircats.’ I was intrigued and began toresearch their history; at the same time Icame across David Green’s evocativepicture of the shed.

Here are David’s perceptions as an artistof the shed and how he came to paint thepicture.

“So there are rumours that a decision isabout to be made concerning the future ofEverson’s shed on the waterfront inWoodbridge. Should it be restored orreplaced; patched up or knocked down?Well last year I hinted in a booklet on theTide Mill and waterfront that at all costs itshould protected with a preservation order.It has so much character and as I noted Ithought it provided the perfect counter tothe neat formality of the Quay complex- theMill and the Granary- to which I added thatit is by far the wackiest building we shallever see on this site because it isimpossible to imagine it ever havingevolved from the drawing of an architect’sboard! All of which I still believe to beperfectly true.

But there is clearly another side to thisissue. Soon after I had written thosecomments I learned that my eldestdaughter had not walked alongside this

feature in the lower half of thepicture which only reallybecome apparent when thelines are strengthened with inkon a photocopy, or better still ina drawing of your own making.

David Green

TWO SISTERS

Everson’s Yard is well knownfor its long tradition of boatbuilding and repair. What isless well known is that for morethan twenty years two sisters Molly andEthel, together with their numerous cats,lived in what was then the chandlery andstore for the yard. Who were they and howdid they come to be there? How did theymanage in such spartan surroundings,surviving harsh winters and floods?

Alfred Albert Everson the founder ofEverson’s Yard and his wife Alice had twosons and four daughters. Their two sonsCyril and Bert and two of their daughters,Molly and Ethel ran the yard. Cyril did theriver work, maintaining the moorings andmoving the boats around the river. He wasa rigger and did the painting and fitting out.Bert was a skilled boat builder. They hadvery different personalities, Cyril was calmand approachable while Bert could beshort tempered, which at times led themnot to speak to each other for long periods.Ethel was the tea lady for the yard and thecleaner. Molly helped to take orders andmoney for the chandlery, did the accounts,repaired sails and generally worked aroundthe yard including antifouling boats.

Molly and Ethel lived with their parents in acottage in Crown Place Woodbridge.When Alfred died in 1936 Molly lookedafter her mother until she died in 1944,after which the house was sold and Mollymoved into a shed behind the yard with hersister Ethel; presumably because they hadno money and nowhere else to live. Molly

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had given up a relationship with a longstanding boyfriend and became a spinsterfor life to look after her mother; a’ price’ notuncommon for women to pay in thosedays. Meanwhile, Bert and Cyril were livingin their own accommodation elsewhere in Woodbridge.

Launching of a Cherub with the ‘Shed’ in the background

Molly with Ron and Eric at Crown Place

Molly was a great lover and rescuer of catsand has been referred to as the ‘pied piper’of cats. People, even if they don’tremember much about them remember‘the sisters and their cats’; there were morethan ten cats, some of which were wild,living with them at any one time.

The shed they were living in was washedaway in a flood prior to the1953 flood.Richard Clark (‘Will Laud’), remembers, asa child, watching as the shed wasdestroyed by a torrent of water. Molly andEthel, together with their cats, moved into a‘tin hut’ on the higher ground by the river.This was the shed beside the mainworkshop which was the chandlery andstore for the yard.

The second home, the tin hut’, (Shown inthe picture of the launch) was on the site ofwhat is now the rowing club. It was awooden shed with a corrugated iron roofpainted in red oxide paint. Theaccommodation was sparse. Its mainpurpose was as a chandlery for the yardand the sisters made a new and modest

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home at one end of the chandlery wherethey could just fit in two bunk beds. Therest of the shed was used for storing ropes,chains, anchors, pulleys and blocks.

The shed was insulated with cardboardstapled to the walls. There was a free-

standing paraffin stove in the middle of theshed with a cast iron hob on which thesisters cooked. Paraffin bottles were storedon the walls. Louise Everson, the sister’sgreat niece, can remember sitting on an oldsofa but cannot remember much elsebeing there. There was no water in theshed and the sisters used the stand pipe atthe back of the workshop. Although theyard had an earth closet, Molly and Ethel atsome point were able to use the publictoilets close by. Molly grew flowers andvegetables behind the shed.

In spite of living in suchcircumstances,Molly was always well presented andlooked young for her age. Her nephew RonEverson said ‘it was a tough old life butMolly was a tough old bird’.

Molly with Bert in the Yard

Both her and her sister survived coldwinters and two floods and seeminglynever complained. Their main passion wascats who they continued to rescue andshare the shed with. Philip Hawes, whosefather was a fishmonger in Woodbridge,remembers taking fish heads to the shed tofeed the cats. Passers by remembered the‘awful’ smell of the fish heads cooking -One person interestingly referred to this asa ‘cauldron’.

‘Molly was a ‘fighter’ for what she believedin. She would have been well known toCouncil officials as she fought numerousbattles with the Council including a fight tosave some near-by trees. Shemeticulously kept hand written copies ofthe letters she wrote in a small book. Ethelwas ‘easier’ going despite being deaf. Sheis remembered as a person who wouldlaugh more than her sister who didn’t havemuch of a sense of humour.

Molly’s last big fight was in 1969 when theyard was sold to Peter Darby. Peter wantedto demolish the shed, which he describedas a health hazard; it was dilapidated anddirty, had no windows and was infestedwith rats - even with Molly’s many cats. Inspite of an agreement with Bert that Mollywould move out, Ethel had already moved,so Peter could develop the yard, Mollyresisted all attempts to persuade her toleave.

Eventually, Peter told her he was going toput her belongings in a pram and push it tothe level crossing gates - and this is exactlywhat he did. The shed was demolishedwith a tractor, pushed over the wall andburned on the beach.

After leaving the shed Molly joined Ethelagain and they both lived in a flat at the topend of the Thoroughfare.

Molly had a ‘Mind of her own, a certainamount of stubbornness; she would notaccept what you had to say unless it could

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be proved. You would have great difficultychanging her mind if she was set onsomething - she could be dogmatic‘,remembers Ron. However, combined withthis independent spirit Molly proved shewas a carer, first for her mother and thenfor her brother Bert. After Lillian, his wife’sdeath, Molly moved to live with Bert in 26Cumberland Street where she looked afterhim until he died in a car accident atShingle Street. Ron believes that whenBert died he left Molly and Ethel the house,together with a house in Shingle Street.(This was designed by John Penn thehusband of the water colourist AudreyPenn.)

Although, Molly has been described as atough character, she was well liked by thelocal community. As Betty Everson says‘When you visited her in CumberlandStreet you invariably met people visitingher. She knew everything and lots ofpeople called on her, both when she was inthe shed and when she was at CumberlandStreet. When you visited she wouldn’t giveyou tea but she would give you a drink atChristmas’.

Molly was a great knitter and knittedbeautiful toys which she would give to thelocal hospital – ‘stuffed toys like teddies’.They crocheted their own blankets. Shelent Louise a pattern for teddy bears butmade sure it was returned. Tim Eversonremembers ‘Even when she was in theshed, local people would come and placetheir orders for Fairisle sweaters’.

Ethel was a heavysmoker and diedbefore Molly in1977. Eventually,Molly had a strokeand moved intoresidential care.Surprisingly, shesettled well andenjoyed thecompany.

Molly died in her 90’s in 1997. As RonEverson says ‘She was a character.’

The sisters are buried together in the sameplot in Woodbridge Cemetery.

(My thanks to Ron and Betty Everson,Louise, Francis and Tim Everson and toPeter Darby for sharing their memories ofMolly and Ethel.)

David Bucknell

BOATS OF THE DEBEN

AMITYThe blue sails of the small schooner riggedyacht ‘Amity’, have been seen on the RiverDeben for more than 30 years. Based atRamsholt she has been sailed by threegenerations of my family around the rivers

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of the Thames Estuary, with occasionaladventures to Holland, Belgium andnorthern France. Amity was bought by myfather John Owles in 1973, from the familyof John Clappen, Amity’s designer andowner. He brought her to the east coastfrom Birdham Pool, where she had beenlaid up for a year or so after his death.

During the 1950’s John Clappen farmedland at Witnesham, Suffolk, sailing on theDeben, with friends when he could, anddrafting plans for the yacht of his dreams inspare moments. The drawings were notcompleted until he had retired from farmingand moved to Bosham, Hampshire, bywhich time his yacht to be had beenshortened to 32 feet from the originaloutlines for a 40 footer, to suit his budget.He had R & A Hampers of Fareham buildher, with the hull of pitch pine on bentrockelm frames and mahogany bright

work, at their Quay Streetyard. She was launched on11 June 1964.

Various rigs and sail planswere examined andassessed, for a mast headsloop, cutter, ketch andschooner. His reasoning forsettling on the Bermudanschooner rig was that itprovided a balanced sailplan, with the ability to setplenty of sail for gentlebreezes, yet easily handledas each sail is of quite smallarea, no large winches arerequired, and area is quicklyreduced by simply droppinga sail if caught by a squall.The aluminium masts andspars were supplied bySparlight, with the aft (main)mast a couple of feet higherthan the fore mast.

Sail combinations availableinclude mainsail, foresail,

and No.3 or No.1 genoa, also storm jib withtrysail, although we haven’t yet set these inearnest. When the breeze is abeam ormore a main staysail could be added, orcruising chutes to both masts, so plenty ofstring and sheet trimming for all on board.In practice of course, we do not have sucha comprehensive sail wardrobe, with littlespace to stow them all with their attendantgear, we have just the main staysail to playwith. The forestay has a roller furling foilwhich works well with either genoa, hoistedto suit conditions.

Amity is good fun to sail, being responsiveand handy, seeming easily driven. Shorttacking in the rivers is simple as the genoacan be sheeted home quickly without bigmuscles. Although not as close winded asmany yachts she is quite powerful,shouldering aside the short North Sea lop,keeping up a good pace without drenchingthe crew, and as the wind becomes freesheets are eased and she sets off with arushing bow wave.

Tom Owles

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LETTERS

Email from Ian Burn to Chris BrownSaturday 23 October 2010

“Chris. Many thanks for a brilliant bumpermagazine and about wartime on the River.Our hut was formerly on a site at the top ofthe steps before going into the Club carpark at Waldringfield, with fabulous viewsup and down the Deben. Then owned byCleer Cutting of the brewers Cobbold. Itwas seemingly used as a primeobservation post during the war.Unfortunately, we had to move the hutdown the field to the other site to let theRev. Waller take over the site - it is stillthere. Remember well Albert Hill of theMaybush and the men’s toilets with thebestest view of the river!! We will try to seeif we can dig up some history on all this.

Regards Ian Burn”

RIVER DEBEN ASSOCIATION ANNUAL ACCOUNTS FOR YEAR ENDING

DECEMBER 31 2010INCOME AND EXPENDITURE 2010 2009

Income £ £ £ £ £ £

Subscriptions inc arrears 3,046 2,777

Donations Inc BBC (0 in '10) 375 450

Bank interest 6 6

Refreshments 36 36

Sundries inc cash 6 15

Suffolk Coastal DC 2,500

3469 5,784

Expenditure

Postage 491 342

Secretary's Honorarium 200 300

Offices services/stationery 197 0

Newsletters 1128 768

Other printing 171 7

Hire of hall/meeting room 200 120

Meeting costs with Refreshments 148 80

Refreshments for meeting 8

Insurance 200 190

Civic Trust 0 200

Other 33 260

Maritime Woodbridge 391 0

Sutton Shore Project 0 1,615

Bank charges 0 0

Web Page 665

Total 3832 3,882

Excess of income -364 1,902

BALANCE SHEET AS AT 31 DECEMBER 2010

Assets

Bank 10969 11,342

Cash 134 130

11103 11,472

Less Liabilities

Creditors

Advance subscriptions 178 168

Civic Trust 0 200

U2R Designs Maritime W'bridge 185 363 368

Net Assets 10740 11,104

Representing

Balance brought forward 11104 9,202

Surplus -364 1,902

Balance carried forward 10740 11,104

C J L Brown (Hon Treasurer)

I have examined the papers and vouchers of the association for the year ended 31 December 2010 and

confirm that the above income and expenditure account and the balance sheet are in accordance

therewith.

T J Moorby, Chartered Accountant (Hon Independent Examiner)

Woodbridge

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RIVER DEBEN ASSOCIATION ANNUAL ACCOUNTS FOR YEAR ENDING

DECEMBER 31 2010

Notes to the accounts:

1. The year has seen some developments to the RDA that have resulted in unusual

costs. However it must be noted that the running costs have risen. Thus, for the first

time for some years, expenditure has exceeded income. A noteworthy expenditure,

however, is that the Association now has a web page that will enable those who do

have access to the web more frequent and rapid access to the Association news. An

email facility has also been developed.

2. There has been no project that has attracted any grants this year

3. The Membership now stands at 851. This is similar to the previous year but does

represent a number of new members who have replace those who have left.

4. Subscriptions: The subscription income in 2010 including arrears was £3046 which

was an increase on last year resulting from new members and an increase in the

proportion of members paying the correct subscription.

6. Some members who have consistently over a number of years failed to increase their

subscriptions were not provided with the Magazine. This was after a number of

suggestions that they should pay the required amount and a warning that this would

happen.

7. A statement or letter about underpayment was sent to members this year in April.

These showed how the last subscription was paid so that any action to ensure the

correct payment this year should be clear. There are some members who have changed

their standing order. This seems to have resulted in a new standing order for the new

amount being opened but the old standing order has remained in place. Any member

who notices that there is more than one standing order in favour of the Association are

advised to cancel that which is for the wrong amount. The Association cannot change

a Member’s standing order. Those that do pay twice are making a welcome but

possible inadvertent donation to the Association.

Chris Brown - Treasurer

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THE RIVER DEBEN ASSOCIATION

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

Wednesday 20th

April 2011 at 7.00pm

WOODBRIDGE COMMUNITY HALL

AGENDA

1. Apologies for Absence

2. Minutes of the last Annual General Meeting

(Now available on www.riverdeben.org and as paper copies at the AGM)

3. Matters Arising

4. Accounts for the Year Ended 31st December 2010 (Included in the magazine)

5. Appointment of Examiner for 2012 accounts

6. Chairman’s Report (See insert - will be taken as read)

7. Elections: Officers willing to stand for re-election are Chairman -L Belcham,

Vice-Chairman - R Simper, Secretary - W Brown, Treasurer - C Brown.

Following retirement by rotation after 3 years, Committee

members willing to stand for re-election are A Moore, S Read, N Winship.

Co-opted members standing for election are P Clay, A Leech.

8. Constitution: To approve revisions to the constitution

(The draft revised constitution has been mailed with this magazine.

The revisions have been highlighted.)

9. Other Business

----------------------------------

Refreshment break

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“The MMO -

what on earth’s that?”

A presentation by two speakers from the

MARINE MANAGEMENT ORGANISATION

will help us understand the impact that this

newly-constituted and important national body

will have on our time afloat. There will be time

for questions.

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