DENTON ISLAND c1930s

Looking between the two masts of the boats the building became " Island Engineering" - my first job when leaving school at one shilling an hour on a 40 hour week. I think the building was later demolished to make way for Fergusons factory which I think later became Thorn Electrical. In later life I used to drive a lorry from Thorns to London each day departing around 4am. It was a contract run operated by " Newby Transport " (still in existence today) and I drove a Ford D4 Trader of about 5 ton. Happy days, I think.

Remember this scene very well and Jim Still. I worked at the Ferguson (later Thorn) factory on the Island for 25 years and the building Jim is talking about survived for many years alongside the Factory; up to at least 1988 as it was the Engineering Workshop for Thorns.  I worked in the Drawing Office so spent some time in this building with the Engineering Staff - like Keith Nicks for example.  When I first joined Thorn's I remember Jim taking the lorries out early and arriving back at 4pm for reloading. Bill Butler was another of the drivers. They were very happy days !

Yes Paul they were indeed happy days, although I must say that there was the odd day that got off to a bad start whilst trying to get my lorry off the Island due to cars parked in the road alongside the Bridge Hotel making life very difficult. I remember one morning it was so tight there as I negotiated my lorry along the riverside roadway behind the Co-op and the R.N.V.R. base. I can tell you that it was pretty hair raising travelling between the RNVR base the Toilets and the Waiting Room near the swing bridge. However I remember that I made up time and arrived at Abridge in Essex to unload before making my run down to Southend for Record Player cabinets. Other runs were to Enfield in north London and sometimes even over to Guildford. Today that is no big deal with our modern road system but back then with the old North and South Circular A406 it was quite time consuming, and we had to get back to reload ready for the next morning before the loading dock crew knocked off for the day. The normal routine was to unload at Thorns then nip over to the depot at Heighton to refuel and resolve any mechanical problems after which we had to get back to reload the lorry. Bill Butler I think had a Ford D6 with a luton body whilst mine was a D4 with a container type body made out of light channel steel frame with hardboard paneling. But all said and done I wouldn't mind winding back the clock and doing it all over again as they were good and happy days.

My great great grandmother and her husband and two children lived at 2 Sefton Terrace, Denton Island according to the 1901 census. Does anyone know at which end of the terrace no. 2 would have been?