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April
2010
BOOKS
The Story of the Southwold – Walberswick
Ferry
Dani Church with Ann Gander
Published by Dani Church ISBN 9780953340644
Current custodian of the ferry, Dani Church, tells the
stories of the men and women (and their dogs) who have provided
this invaluable facility to the people of Southwold, Reydon
and Walberswick over the centuries. Her narrative takes
us from the earliest records of the ferry in 1236, then
rather nearer Dunwich than Walberswick owing to the shifting
course of the river, through the ups and downs of the River
Blyth Ferry Company’s chain ferry, to the present
day when, despite the demands of modern bureaucracy, the
ferry flourishes. Along the way she introduces us to the
five generations of her family who have served the river
and pays a touching tribute to her father, David Church,
her predecessor as ferryman.
Lavishly illustrated with photographs and postcards that
bring to life personal memories and contemporary accounts,
the book introduces its readers to George Todd, celebrated
in verse by Punch and a popular subject of the artists’
colony in Walberswick. We meet boxer Frank Palmer who, under
orders to prevent the soldiers billeted locally from bilking
their fares, challenged Prime Minister Anthony Eden to pay
up. We hear about the ever-vigilant ferry geese and postmans’
bicycles sinking beneath the waters of the Blyth. Then there
are the mysteries, the ghosts seen on riverbank, of passengers
who wait but never take the ferry, and most debated of all,
the circus elephants: did they or did they not cross by
ferry, sinking it in one story, taking the long route by
road having refused to board the chain ferry in another?
It would be fascinating to find out if any Organ readers
have any contributions to that debate.
The introduction by journalist Simon Barnes, whose Times
obituary of David Church is reproduced, demonstrates how
far flung are the friends of the ferry. Bob Cross, ferryman
in the 1970s and 80s, was recognised on his holidays in
Devon, while Dani Church keeps a record of her overseas
customers; it covers all the continents except Antarctica.
In her turn, Dani describes her own exploits rowing on the
Cam, the Thames and even in Morocco.
This is a fascinating history of a long-standing service
that arose out of necessity and has now become a traditional
feature of holidays on this part of the Suffolk coast. While
the author clearly describes the constantly changing nature
of the river, its currents and course, it is to be hoped
that, whatever the future holds, this timeless way of crossing
the water will remain possible. Long may Dani Church, her
family and other helpers continue to ply their oars on the
Blyth!
Bibliophile

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