Graham Hall on Rivers and Harbours
Yes the houseboats there have been … they started there I think, I might be wrong here, but I think they started pre-war, in between the wars as sort of places where some of the more wealthy people who sailed had a holiday home and they were looked after by various people who, you know, looked after them.
They obviously fell into some disrepair and they were used for a time for placing people on the DHSS list who had no homes and they were put in them.
Some of them sank, some of them were thing and then there was a fairly concentrated effort to bring them up to a decent standard and there’s been one or two new ones put in there recently actually, purpose built.
They’re not to everybody’s taste but they are quite unique and some of the boats that are in there, as I say, are purpose-built boats and they’re quite attractive.
They’re a unique feature if you like but there now are residential people live aboard; they’re not holiday homes.
Yes the houseboats there have been … they started there I think, I might be wrong here, but I think they started pre-war, in between the wars as sort of places where some of the more wealthy people who sailed had a holiday home and they were looked after by various people who, you know, looked after them.
They obviously fell into some disrepair and they were used for a time for placing people on the DHSS list who had no homes and they were put in them. Some of them sank, some of them were thing and then there was a fairly concentrated effort to bring them up to a decent standard and there’s been one or two new ones put in there recently actually, purpose built.
They’re not to everybody’s taste but they are quite unique and some of the boats that are in there, as I say, are purpose-built boats and they’re quite attractive. They’re a unique feature if you like but there now are residential people live aboard; they’re not holiday homes.
Not to everybody’s taste but they’re a feature of Bembridge Harbour and I think they will be for many years to come now
