Saturday 3 July 2010

Walberswick Revisited (Part 1).

A copy of an engraving depicting WALBERSWICK FERRY has hung on the dining room wall for over 25 years so the opportunity to revisit during our recent holiday was a special treat and I was intrigued to see what if anything had changed.
Walberswick, a quaint Suffolk coastal village is just a stones throw across the River Blyth from the more developed town of Southwold. Its name is thought to have derived from the amalgamation of the Saxon 'Waldbert' or 'Walbert' (probably a landowner) and 'wyc' meaning shelter or harbour. From the 13th century up until World War 1 Walberswick was a thriving trading port but is now a popular tourist attraction, during the summer months, not least as it is famous for holding the annual British Open Crabbing Championships every August which attracts participants from all around the globe.
Well....some things haven't changed...the Ferry Hut 
The jetty....albeit refurbished...
...and the only way across the river at this point is by taking the ferry.....
...unless you are a Herring Gull, for whom it's only a few flaps to the other side.
So with the onset of another rain shower we left the holiday homes behind and headed upstream listening to the sounds of Meadow Pipits, Redshanks, Lapwing and Oystercatcher while soaking up the atmosphere of the old and new.
Laid up or of no further use?
Crofter heads out to sea.
Every fishing boat has its own 'named' shack...Bounty, Boy Butta and Caroline.
Even a seat to watch the world go by. More images to come in future posts.  FAB.  

13 comments:

  1. I thing there is a beautiful holiday at there.. Thanks for share.
    ramadhani-indonesia

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  2. Looks like a place I could call home.

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  3. Lovely post Frank it seems a real unique place where you can sink into the past.

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  4. Looks like a quaint but happening place, not unlike some of the small seaside villages along the coast here.

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  5. Lovely village! I especially like that it hasn't been "tarted" up.Would love to attend a crabby festival..er, crabbing I mean!

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  6. Nice posting Frank. I also have a copy of that etching!
    Robert.

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  7. A place of great character, I'm sure.
    Lovely pictures Frank.

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  8. What a wonderful place Frank. Reminds me of holidays I spent on the South coast as a child.


    Love that seat.....I've got the book, just got to find the place!!

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  9. Ramadhani. Quietly quaint except in the summer.

    Lois. Sure is.

    Steve. I thought you might like this place. A few more 'tasty' pics to follow in a while.

    Monty. Very unique. Ok if you could put up with the summer tourists.

    KaHolly. I guessed you would associate easily with this place Karen.

    Susan. Great to see that some places can retain their original character. Plenty of space on the harbour wall to dangle your line!

    Robert. Good choice -what number is yours?

    Keith. AND a few characters living there..lol.

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  10. Hi Frank - mine is unnumbered so I'm assuming an Artist's proof. As I'm sure you know, up to 10% of the edition are allowed to be issued as APs.
    Regards,
    Robert.

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  11. Hi there. Love the etching, but who is it by? I saw one recently at auction (in Diss) but it got away! The signature is very hard to decipher. Thanks, Chris

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  12. Chris. Artist is R.A. Le Bas. Hope you have more luck next time.

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I hope you enjoyed your visit and I always appreciate your comments and feedback.

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