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A real son of old Grays is Mr William Bannister.
He may not be a celebrity to the same extent
as many of the folk who have graced this column, but his is a name,
which has been prominently associated with the town for generations.
He has lived all his 86 years in Grays, and, being blessed with a
good memory, he is able to speak of many things, which are beyond
the recollection of most residents. It happens that he was born in
the Old Dutch House, about which, so generally recognised as a link
with the past. |
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He was able to talk
about the old town of Grays, as it was seventy or eighty years ago,
about the activities of the waterfront and about some of the early
barge sailings. In his sitting room in Exmouth Road, he showed me a
number of mementoes, each of which has its story to tell. There is
the painting of the Gazelle, the barge with the lines of a yacht, on
which he sailed to victory in more than one race. A framed engraving
depicts two barges sailing almost neck and neck, an exciting
incident in the well-remembered race of 1865.
His
skipper’s cap, hung from a peg, constitutes a silent reminder of his
sailing days, whilst one wall is ornamented by a handsome oak frame
containing clock, thermometer and barometer in one setting- a gift
from Messrs EJ and W Goldsmith, when he retired from their
employment after 52 years service. A silver cup, left him by his
father was inscribed with a reference to the third annual Thames
barge race of 1865, and since then Mr Bannister has acquired other
trophies, which he was not able to show me. In one corner is a
portrait of his father, a man with a jolly, weather-beaten face
which bears evidence of his calling, even if the peaked cap and
reefer jacket were not there to prove it. The bearded countenance of
the son likewise reveals traces of many battles with the elements.
The
veteran began his story by speaking of his grandfather, and, as he
did so, one caught glimpses, in imagination of the Grays of over one
hundred years ago. For his grandfather, whose name was West, was the
carrier, who used to travel between Grays and London, transporting
passengers and goods. Picture a sort of covered wagon, drawn by a
single horse and fitted with seats on which people rode
uncomfortably over the marsh roads and through the villages
bordering the river. The terminal point in London was a hostelry
called the Saracens Head in Legatee, where a depot was established.
The carrier used to make two journeys a day, so that persons having
business in London could go up by the early morning service and
return at night, on the second trip. Mr Banister sometimes travelled
with his grandfather and recalls that there was ‘country’ almost to
Legatee.
In
addition to passengers, the carrier transported goods for the
shopkeepers, of whom there were then only a few, mostly clustered
about the lower end of the Old High Street. He remembered the names
of some –Mrs Steel, baker and grocer; Mr Sponger, pork butcher; Mr
Gladden, beef butcher; and Lotto Wood, grocer, who also had a boat
and used to take people across to Gravesend when they so required.
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