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