Monday 26 May 2014

Wivenhoe wandesign...

Refreshed from the bacchanalian excess of Essesx Scribler's 50th bash in deepest Devil Dog land I headed for the quay at Wivenhoe. A dormer town for the University and London Wivenhoe has always had a boho end and a well, everyday end.

This group is from the old Cooks shipyard area which has become part of a quayside loft living type of place.This is the wet dock of the shipyard, the finishing shed and slip for launching quite serious sized vessels is to the right.


A view from Cooks Jetty looking down to the Colne flood barrier and the Ballast Quay area of Fingringhoe. The tide is just starting to make on the flood


Across from the Rose and Crown.


These are from the Roman River/Rowhedge end:





The Colne was a major trading portal and this was once  a thriving port area. I remember it being mostly grain and timber and then infamously an entry for coal imported by Milk Snatcher to smash Scargill. It really was  a front line of the epic Miners Strike. Remember  riot police had not long grudgingly accepted wearing ID numbers and the pubs were full of Nottinghamshire, Durham and Kent accents amongst the Estuarine Essex. Donkey jacket meant no go sonny.


Now it is full on yuppiesville: this looks like it is from a faux English Disneyland and is the wet dock of Vosper Thorneycroft who did a neat line in motor torpedo boats


The old and boho enclaves remain along with  a multitude of tapas/deli chic:



Finally, a few more to add to my bottles on  a windowsill series.



And  a banana.





















11 comments:

  1. A banana straight from The Velvet Underground and Andy Warhol.

    John

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  2. Wivenhoe is still a great place, Yuppieville or not. The pubs are better now, a couple of decent cafes/restaurants, god mix. As the lengendary Martin Newell says of the place " Part suburbia, part bohemia, with a touch of academia". I'd live there if I could afford it. Still , we're only five miles away so it doesn't really matter.

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  3. Scribbler, it looks a lovely spot, there must be mullet and bass there, never mind the flat ties. NO1 son is looking for a place in Leigh-on-Sea but I think he's looking at Maldon too. although he travels up to the city everyday.

    The boss and I will gently suggest Wivenhoe to him, I'd even house sit for down there. He's on some bike ride in Bournemouth this weekend then the Dragon Ride and the Mountains of the Tour d'Etape. He's done that for the last two years. Still if you can do your first London Marathon in 3hrs 20min it shouldn't be a problem.

    Any more sea fishing outings?

    John

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  4. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  5. Wivenhoe is only an hour from London on the train and yes, plenty of bass and mullet.

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  6. Etape de Tour eh ? He must be a fit bloke.

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  7. God, this convoluted method of comments is doing my fecking head in. One more trip after roker , blanked, not a bite. If the weather is OK will be bassing at the end of the week. Quite a few schoolies about plus the odd better fish.

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    Replies
    1. I cannot get the comments to work on the two terriers. It reduced me to an IT hating tantrum ES so you have my sympathy. Nah, not fit just obsessive the boss and I reckon. sanity will soon prevail when the footie season starts.

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  8. John, first thing I thought of was that Velvet's cover when I saw the banana as I was poking round at about 7am. Left the old alma mater when I went up to Nursing school in1986. It really is a sublime mix of boho and other stuff and has spawned or been home to a wide range of talent including Taplin, Dodds et al.

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  9. Good luck with the bass fishing, you're right about the convoluted comments.

    All the best, John

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