The Story of the Colne Sandies

The Colne beaches, where today wardens of Essex Naturalists Trust stand guard over nesting terns, were before the second world war the scene of a rugged old-world trade as sand and ballast were dug and loaded by hand into sailing and motor barges. In a two-part interview with Fred Scales, of Brightlingsea, the last man to work there, Hervey Benham tells the story of West's sand workings, including a strike over a halfpenny which brought an old livelihood to an end.

Alresford, Rowhedge, Fingringhoe, Colne Point. Samuel West ...

"Some craft were also specially built for the trade in the early 1930's, including Piper's PIP, SQUEEK and WILFRED, and the GOLD CROWN and GOLD EVE, built by Goldsmiths, who also motorised their big sailing bargse LAIS, OCEANIC and BRITANNIC, for the work.

One with memories of a lifetime in the ballast trade is 60-year-old Fred Scales of Brightlingsea. After a brief spell in Aldous's shipyard Fred, like many another Brightlingsea boy of the time, hankered to go to sea. His first ship was a little steam coaster out of Kings Lynn and Boston.

But in his own words, "When she sailed I was often the only sober man aboard," so he packed that in and returning home took a job with Samuel West. West's business was principally as a London refuse collection contractor, but he also had the ballast rights on Colne Point.

His fleet of 27 sailing barges had their own yard at Gravesend where they were maintained and in some cases (including the LADY GWYNFRED) built.

... In the summer the West's craft loaded outside on the beach which is now part of the Colne Point Nature Reserve; in the winter they sailed into Ray Creek and loaded from the inside of the high sand bank.

... the great tide of 1953 when the SAXON was washed clean over the seawall at Leewick. ...

From Essex County Standard 9 November 1973 page 23.
Date: 9 November 1973