A forest of masts

In the first half of the 20th century the upper reaches of the River Bure in Hoveton and Wroxham were strikingly different. Discreet timber and tin boat sheds lined the quays and sailing yachts dominated the waterways, as they had done since the feverish pioneer days of boat letting in Broadland of the 1870s. A good deal of skill was required to handle the earlier sail boats. The wood, canvas cloth and metal of their construction was also often heavy and cumbersome.

This atmospheric 1930s photograph ~ when the houseboat was relatively new, shows Jack Powles Wroxham quays looking upstream from atop a yacht mast. The black granary building can be seen top left. During the 1930s, the author of Swallows and Amazons Arthur Ransome and his wife Evgenia, made regular visits to the area and hired boats from Jack Powles.

Thanks to Rita Massingham, whose father, Cecil Chamberlin ran the well known Chamberlin's newsagents and gift shop located on the side of Granary Staithe, by Wroxham Bridge for much of the 20th century.

Andrew