ID: ML2022_003_077 / Ron Green

TitleTed Woolf's Shed
AbstractThe oyster shed on Coast Road, always known as Ted Woolf's Shed, has recently been demolished and is to be replaced by a new building similar in appearance. The old shed was in very poor condition and the new one will improve working conditions for the men sorting the oysters.

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No one knows the age of the old building but it appears in the background of this Town Regatta photo believed to be around 1894. It looks new here - it is to the right of the picture, in front of the large elm tree. The shed appears in many pictures over the years. Pieces of weatherboard planking get renewed, doors come and go, but the basic shed changes little.

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Ted was born in 1927 so he was not the original owner, but the Woolf family had been oystermen since at least 1900. He ran his oyster business from the shed through much of the second half of the last century, employing half a dozen or more men. He had several oyster layings, mostly in Salcott Creek and Doitch (Little Ditch) and was the main merchant for many years.

Article published in Mersea Life March 2022

AuthorRon Green
PublishedMarch 2022
SourceMersea Museum
IDML2022_003_077