A History of Manningtree,
the 1900's - A Transformation
Back on the river
In 1919 the F.W. Horlock Ocean Transport Company began to layout a shipyard on the land to the east of the quay and began the building of steel ships. The first to be launched from the yard was the steam coaster Phaeacian, which went down the ways in 1920, followed in 1922 by a similar vessel named Mistley. The first steel barge to come off the yard was the Repertor in 1924, followed the next year by the Portlight and in 1926 by the Xylonite, which was used to carry acid to the British Xylonite factory at Brantham. The steamer Arete, at 898 gross tons was the biggest vessel ever built at Mistley, was laid down alongside the Portlight in 1925, though it is said that the plates were brought from Lowestoft in the firm’s barges. Other bargesbuilt in the same yard were the Adieu, Reminder, Resourceful and Blue Mermaid, launched in 1930, the last sailing barge to be built. The Blue Mermaid met a violent end, being blown up by a mine off Clacton during the Second World War.
The barges built at Horlock’s yard were distinctive in design and could be easily recognised by the barge fraternity when seen at sea; they were built to carry large cargo, but they were also very fast.
The Maltings expand
After the 1914-1918 war Mr Hilton Brooks, who had built up the Maltings firm in the late 19th century, and Mr Charles Brooks began more expansion, with the chief activities being malting, the production of animal feed and the marketing of fertilisers and agricultural seeds. When Charles Brooks died in 1927 the company was reorganise, with the many farms being sold off and the company becoming known as Brooks (Mistley) Ltd.
Brooks made foods in various forms for cattle, pigs, horses,
lambs – and dogs. Brooks were pioneers in the 1920’s and 30’s of dairy cubes, which were made by mixing various ingredients with molasses and pressing the resulting material through die to make a cube or nut. Brooks were famous for their GB Cow Cubes, made to a recipe of Grosvenor Berry, a farmer from Mount Bures. Another well-known cube was known as the KM, after Keith Miller. In the 1930’s cow cubes were sold for £7 per ton. The company won many prizes for fat cattle fed on GB and KM Cow Cubes.
Brooks had their own pedigree Red Poll herd at Trinity Farm in Trinity Road, where Trinity Farm Court now is. Here there was a dairy producing milk that was sold by milkmen operating a round in the local area.
In the 1920’s Attfield Brooks joined the family business, and in the 1930’s the company expanded the agricultural seeds division, building new silos on the quay in 1935. Brook’s two sites, at the west end of Mistley Quay and at the Manningtree end of Mistley employed about 400 people at its zenith, with many employees coming by bus from as far away as Dovercourt. It is said that ‘if an employee’s son joined the Boy Scouts and the church choir, he would be offered a job for life’.
In 1962 the company was taken over by Rank Hovis McDougall, who in 1967 closed the maltings and the mills on the quay, and in 1970 demolished Mistley Place. After changing hands again in 1983 the site finally closed in 1995 after a fire destroyed the silos at the main yard. The site now contains new housing encompassing Kiln Lane, the Central Maltings, and Brooks Malting. Large parts of the Mistley works are also converted into luxury apartments. But at both locations the history is still clear to see if you look.
Flood of 1953
In the old days there was no sea wall, only sandy beach where
boats were pulled up out of the way of most tides. During big spring tides the water frequently came over the sand, flooded the fire station and crept up Quay Street and round the corner into South Street. One house that must have flooded occasionally was that which stood on what is now the Stour Sailing Club compound in front of the clubhouse.
In January, 1953, a north westerly gale, combined with low pressure and a high spring tide, built up a huge amount of water in the North Sea. It was in the cold night of the 31st January that this surge of water hit the east Anglian coast, causing enormous damage and many deaths. At Manningtree the water lifted boats on to the road and flooded its way up Quay Street, round the corner into South Street, and up to the Market Cross. In the 1970’s the wall was built to prevent this happening again and following a further scare in 1978 the sea wall was heightened even further and the road raised by Brooks maltings.
Redevelopment
Like many towns around the country the 1970’s saw significant redevelopment in Manningtree. One shop that caused controversy was that of Percy Bloom. This business that dealt in ironmongery, leather and fancy goods, handbags and watches had a history of 200 years, and latterly was run by the Sayers family. Several people wanted the building preserved and at one point it was listed as a building of historic or architectural interest, but as time dragged on and the building became more dilapidated preservation became unrealistic. This building and many others along the road were demolished, changing the face of this part of Manningtree for ever.
A number of houses and flats known as Bendalls Court, named after the family who ran the nearby iron foundry, appeared on the site, and on the other side of Colchester Road, where there was also a number of small shops that were swept away, College Court was erected. A plaque in the wall by the Zebra Crossing explains that College Court and College Square take their name from an educational institution ‘erected at the sole expense of Mrs Cox of Lawford Place’ in 1866. And of course further up Colchester Road, Ironside Walk, a group of senior citizen’s homes, pays tribute to the site of the ironworks itself that closed in 1971.
Boundary Changes
It seems from time to time the parish boundaries changed. By the corner of Mill Lane and Brook Street is a plaque in the wall mentioning that in 1871 the boundary between Manningtree and Lawford was close to that location. In 1977, when there was insufficient money for such a small town to meet its commitments, Manningtree asked adjoining parishes for an adjustment of the boundaries to give it a more viable area. At first Manningtree wanted the town limits to reach the railway bridge in Station Road, but a compromise was made to the point where the ‘Welcome to Manningtree’ sign now stands. On the other side of town the request was for the boundary to reach further east, to No. 4 The Walls. These changes were duly made on the 1st April, 1981.
Why not find out more and continue into recent times....
Next page or travel back in time to the late 1800's.
For even more information we recommend the book
Manningtree and Mistley - The people, the trades and the industries by local author David Cleveland or a trip to the Museum in the Library found in Manningtree High Street.
