The Perrimans at Braystones

THE PERRIMANS (& co.) AT BRAYSTONES

Keith Perriman contacted me in February 2012, and first sent some postcards filling in gaps in my coverage of the bungalows. Then he started rummaging in his family photo collection... I have tried to use Keith's own captions where possible, so my own comments from now on are restricted to [square brackets].

Our family history of beach living goes back to the Second World War when my mother and her 3 sisters were young, married women with young children living in Darwen Lancashire. Two of their husbands were in the forces and the information of somewhere suitable to go for a safe beach holiday came from their church's minister. They went up every year thereafter, even after the war, as that sort of holiday was what we have always liked. Not for us the bustle of noisy Blackpools or similar, but somewhere quiet, with access to the Lake District for walking and a safe beach for toddlers.

There were originally 4 Catlow sisters from Darwen. The four families were and are the Perrimans, Boltons, Walshes and Stoddarts. I have been able to scan the Walsh family albums as well as the Perrimans, but not the Boltons or Stoddarts yet. We were also related to Annette Hyde through her first marriage. She also gave me a lift to college in her car when she was teaching in Bolton. We stayed in many of the bungalows from the arch leading (to Silver Tarn) northwards on Braystones beach, but one of our families stayed in Plessington on Nethertown beach at least one year. My brother now lives in Braystones and my sister and niece live in Nethertown. Niece and husband (and all of us) built Seagull's Lodge bungalow.

We, the Perriman family of mother Marion, father Jim and children Ian, Gwyneth and myself, Keith were living in Skipton in Yorkshire after the war and we travelled on the 07.05 train from Skipton station on the Leeds to Carnforth train up the 'Little North-Western' line where we changed for the Cumberland coast line. Our cousins and their family could get an earlier train from Darwen and got to the beach a little before us, on the Saturday, which was change-over day. We got off the train either at Braystones or Nethertown as we invariably stayed in one of the Bungalows midway between the stations so it did not matter which station we went to. If we were getting off at Nethertown we would hang out of the window as we went past our cousins' bungalow and they were always in their swimming costumes and in the sea! It was not until much later that I worked out that they must have raced up the beach from their earlier train to be changed and waited to bait us as latecomers as we steamed past.

The first time my mother and her sisters went on the beach, my mother took with her a coach built pram. That was the first time and last time she did that, as pushing a pram up the beach as it was then with large pebbles at the top of the beach can be imagined. During the 39 to 45 war all the families lived in Darwen and were seen off as far as Preston by one of the husbands who had to stay at home and work. I think that at least three sisters and probably six young children were on their own after that. I cannot remember any of this as I 'arrived' after the war in 1946, but have been told of the incidents.

One of these incidents during the war was the firing of the gun or guns at Nethertown at a target towed behind a light aircraft. The target was made from red cloth, and when the target was hit and came down over the beach there was a mad scramble for this trophy. It was said that the material was to be found every where, as curtains or even dress material!

One year my mother bought a hen from the Mossop's farm in Nethertown. Halfway back to the bungalow the hen 'came back from the dead' and started flapping around, so my mother went straight back to the farm and complained. She was told that this was a common occurance and was it's nervous system. It had a broken neck and was now most definitely dead. Mother was always known as the 'hen woman' by the Mossops after that, even now, Harry Mossop still remembers it.

By the way I am one of the Merchant Navy officer brothers who are mentioned somewhere. A few words about the reported ship coming close to the beach! It was not my brother or me. The closest I came to here was Kirkudbright bay. Any ship that I was on kept well to the west of the IoM [Isle of Man] in deep water.

PHOTO ALBUM

Quite early, 1946, my vintage. [A detail from an alternative version (with Westcliffe showing at left) of a picture postcard already featured in my page from the Henson collection, photo possibly taken around 1920. Sent from Lottie, Bill & family to Mr & Mrs T. Walsh (Louie, Tommy & family), Darwen, postmarked 5 July 1946. The message included:] "We went on the little railway* yesterday and it was grand, today grand, the kids are having a good time, what with paddling and getting wet."

[*i.e. La'al Ratty in Eskdale]

Perriman family at Westward Ho. I am at the back, about 6 years old, so this would be about 1951/52.

Westward Ho steps about 1952 again. Clockwise from the top: Ian Perriman, Gwyneth Perriman, John Walsh, Keith Perriman, and last my mother Mrs Marian Perriman.
I have just realized what the bench was made of that was in the garden? to the south of Westward Ho - it was ship's hatch cover boards. I can remember the 2 metal inserts in each end of the boards. Of course I did not know that at the time. These type of hatch covers are not used now, just Macgreggor steel covers. It must have been a dark and stormy night when these turned themselves into flotsam.

[Picture below from a postcard to Norman "Stodd" Stoddart, with the St. Barnabas Scout Group at Torver, from _ Perriman, postmarked Seascale, 16 July 1952.
The view is looking north towards Nethertown Green, and the family were probably staying at Plessington, the leftmost of the three nearest bungalows. Postcard message includes:] "We will be very glad to see you and bring your good behaviour. You can bring sheets if you have any with you, if not it's OK. We have enough of blankets. Keith and Ian will probably meet you."

[Labelled details available of the left and right of the picture]

Me. You did ask for photos of people doing stuff at the beach. I made dams, all the time. That and Meccano made me the engineer that I became. Camera was a Kodak 'Autographic' of about 1924. Year about 1954.

Brother Ian, sister Gwyneth and mother. Mother is using a car inner tyre for a water ring. That's what we used in the 1950's, it was OK except for the air inlet valve.

My parents, Marian and Jim Perriman outside Urmanion in the 1950's. The bottom of the bungalow is still clad in timber and the steps are sandstone slabs. These would be later concrete. The sandstone was easily engraved with a small cold chisel, and certainly had my name engraved. Incidentally, on trips to St Bees head we carved our names on the big sandstone slabs there. I went back a few years ago and found them all, all in good condition.
The windows at top left was where the dining table was. 'Braystones beach' shoes can be seen drying on the handrail. Good shoes were soon ruined on the beach.

This was taken in Plessington garden, mid to late fifties. My mother on right and her sister Mrs Alice Stoddart. I think it is Plessington as the embankment behind them has no fence, and where Plessington is the railway line starts to curve away from the beach.

[Picture below from a postcard to Mrs Stoddart, Darwen, Lancs., from Gwyneth, postmarked Egremont, 5 July 1960] ... sent by my sister to her Aunt. The publisher is H Wallace, Egremont, this could have been the same Wallace who had the store in Nethertown.
[Marked with X is Saltaire. Postcard message includes:] "Having a nice time. The rocks have shifted to in front of Saltaire but it's OK in front of Urmanium. Going to Carlisle tomorrow and Dalegarth the day after."

The Tysons bought both Urmanion and Seacroft [to the right of Saltaire] in the 60's I think and did a lot of work on them. They were builders from Beckermet. We had many years of happy weeks at the Tysons' bungalows. My brother Ian also added that he had had some work on his chimney recently to his bungalow near Braystones village, and the builder said to him "Not Perriman from Skipton". He had remembered us from all that time ago. The builder was Ian Tyson, the original builder's son.

[Details available of Tresco (at left), Saltaire and (with labels) the right half of the picture. The little observation hut on top of the brow belonged to military engineers Vickers Armstrong, and was associated with their testing facilities around Eskmeals and Drigg.]

I would say that this photo was taken at Easter, probably 1961, when we stayed in the caravan seen in the background next to the beach shop in front of Braystones station. It was freezing cold there and we never stayed in the caravan again. I cannot remember how many of us were in the caravan, but it cannot have been everyone here!
At the back standing is my Uncle William Bolton, also standing in the school uniform is me. Middle row from left are my cousins John Walsh and Eric Bolton. Front row sitting from left, cousin Marian Hawkins, next her mother Charlotte Bolton and right is my mother Marian Perriman. The baby on her knee is Elizabeth Hawkins.

[Picture below from a postcard to Mr & Mrs Stoddart (Alice & Bill), Darwen, PM , Darwen, Lancs., from Lottie + M, A, M, H, E & J, postmarked 12 Jun 1962. Postcard message includes:] "Here we are again @ Braystones, it's a grand bungalow, plenty of room & pots & pans."

[Labelled details available of the nearer and further bungalows]

Stormy day at Dalegarth. Probably taken in the late 1960's.

[Detail available of the bungalows (Belle Mer with Isle View beyond)]

View of beach, late 1960's. Camera, Agfa Optima IIIS

[Labelled details available of the nearer and further bungalows]

Bungalows 1970ish, by the station, looking north. Agfa. [NB: This photo has been edited to change the perspective between the foreground figures and the background bungalows]

[Labelled detail available of the nearer bungalows]

Photo taken in Westward Ho 'garden;' it is one of 5 taken that day (in the early 1970's probably). The man at the left of the scene, looking behind him, is Peter Walsh's grandfather and my 'uncle,' Tommy Walsh. His wife Louie was my mother's full cousin. John and Eileen Walsh are central, next to the old truncated wind turbine mast.

Beach view 1982, from near the station

[Labelled detail available of the nearer bungalows]

The mail train, which passed every evening about 19.15hrs. This particular shot was taken in 1982

[Below is a detail from a postcard to Mrs M. Perriman, Skipton, Yorks., from Marjorie, Keith & offspring, postmarked Seascale, 1 Sep 1982.
The picture, showing Fairfield, The Crest and Barbary Bell, is probably over half a century older than the postmark (see the Henson album).Postcard message includes:] "Went up Hardnott yesterday. Horrific. It's sunny today but wet & cold before. Never mind, it's a lovely bungalow."

[Labelled detail also available of the bungalows left of this detail]

[This way to see some more images, from postcards owned by Keith and his family.]