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© Broadland Memories 2006-2026

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1970s Photo Gallery

More of John Chesney’s photographs from the 1970s

I’m not quite sure which motor cruiser this is, or where it had sunk, but John photographed what looks like an attempt to salvage the vessel in the late 1970s.

Two of the Great Yarmouth Port & Haven Commissioners river inspectors launches - J1 “Bure” and K1 “Thurne” pictured in 1978. On the right is the 1950s built wooden launch A2 which, as you can see, was used by the police to patrol the rivers.

Horning Ferry Inn photographed by John in 1978. Moored in front of the pub are, on the left, S290 “Mylene” a Seamaster 20 from Sabena Marine and, on the right, R731 “Tideway 1” an Ocean 30 from Richardson’s.

The River Bure at Horning, looking upstream towards Swan Corner in 1978.

The “Southern Comfort” trip boat, moored outside Horning Swan in 1978.

The beach at Salhouse Broad, pictured in the late 1970s. The two Hampton Safari’s seen on the left were of the “San Augustin” class from Johnson’s of St. Olaves.

Photographed from J.Loynes & Sons boatyard in 1978, looking across to the Hotel Wroxham. In the foreground is the six berth T518 “Loch Loyal” which could be hired from Loynes for between £97 and £216 per week in that year.

The view looking across to the Porter & Haylett boatyard at Wroxham from the gardens of the Horseshoes public house in 1978. M696 “San Augustin 3”, a Hampton Safari from Johnson’s of St. Olaves, can be seen moored in the dyke.

The view looking upstream from near to Wroxham Bridge in the late 1970s.

Just downstream from the Hotel Wroxham, this is the Jack Powles day boat hire office, pictured in the late 1970s. The houses seen on the right were obviously newly built when this photograph was taken.

The Rising Sun public house at Coltishall in 1977. H677 “San Remo 6” from Johnson’s Yacht Station can be seen at the moorings. The pub had previously been owned by the Bullards Brewery who were taken over by the Watney Mann Group c1967, by 1977 it was under the ownership of the Norwich Brewery Company which was Watney’s under another name! Many will remember the days when it was difficult to find anything but the awful Norwich Bitter.

The sad remains of Horstead Mill, photographed by John Chesney in the late 1970s. The mill was destroyed by fire in January 1963.

Ludham Bridge Boatyard, pictured from the bridge itself in the late 1970s. In the foreground is A822 “Aprileen” from Sabena Marine which had previously been one of Dawncraft’s “April Dawn” class.

Cox’s boatyard at Barton Turf, photographed by John in 1978. The wooden cruiser moored to the left is A702 “Moorhen 4” from R.Moore & Sons of Wroxham.

A view of the rear of Richardson’s boatyard, photographed from Stalham Dyke in 1979.

Wayford Bridge, just prior to the new bridge being built in the 1970s. The hut and boats in the foreground were part of Manor Houseboats who leased out the houseboats just upstream of the bridge.

This photograph dates from c1976, when work is obviously beginning to remove the old road bridge at Wayford. It is believed that Wayford was the site of an ancient ford crossing on the River Ant and, in 1927, the remains of a wooden dug out canoe were dredged from the river, just below the bridge. Initially thought to have been medieval, the canoe was later dated to 720AD

Looking across the new road bridge at Wayford in 1977. In the background, on the left, is the Wood Farm Inn and stores which is now the site of the Wayford Bridge Hotel. The A149, which crosses the bridge, bypassed the old road which led to the bridge. Excavations for the new road in 1976 uncovered the remains of a possible Roman wooden boat and part of the original causeway which led to the river crossing point. Made of oak, and around 12 feet in length with a 6 foot beam, the boat sadly disintegrated in the jaws of a digger and the timbers were allegedly dumped nearby.

P270 “Tamarisk” passes beneath the new road bridge at Wayford in the late 1970s.

Looking downstream towards Wayford Bridge in the late 1970s. On the other side of the river are the “Manor” class holiday houseboats which were 24ft in length and slept up to five people. Hoseasons 1978 brochure listed the houseboats as costing between £27 and £69 per week.

Also at Wayford Bridge in the late 1970s were these “Flat-Afloats” which were operated by Bowers Craft Ltd. The 1978 edition of Blake’s holiday brochure listed these four berth holiday houseboats as costing between £35 and £77 per week which included the use of a rowing boat.

Heading upstream towards Dilham Staithe on the River Ant in the late 1970s.

The view looking upstream towards the medieval road bridge at Potter Heigham, taken from Herbert Woods footbridge during the Easter week of 1978. In the foreground is on of Horizon Craft’s “Golden Horizon” class.

The mooring basin at Herbert Woods Broads Haven yard at Potter Heigham, also photographed from the footbridge in 1978. R241 “Happytime 1” can be seen in the foreground.

The last two photographs in the 1970s John Chesney collection show the hire boat “Shanelle” H785 being taken under Potter Heigham in 1978, heavily laden with bodies to enable her to pass beneath the low, central arch. Joyce Chesney remembers that they were having a quiet drink in the nearby Bridge Hotel when the bridge pilot came in and gathered together around 24 volunteers who proceeded to climb onboard Shanelle which was stranded upstream due to high water levels.

H785 “Shanelle”, from Alan Johnson Boats of Acle, is carefully guided through Potter Heigham Bridge after being stranded upstream in 1978.