A Monthly Publication

By John Maiden 

 Perhaps I should say: "give us a break" - especially to people in Hunstanton who complain about what they call 'negativity' by those of us who want the town to have a future more in keeping with its past. For example, the response of the Civic Society to the proposal to build 25 apartments on the Kit Kat site, should not be seen as negative! Committee members took the trouble to come up with an alternative proposal for a site swap that would allow the applicants to erect a hotel on the site of the former railway station, which would obscure the unattractive 'back side' view of Harlequin House when viewed from Southend Road. This option would be much better, for the town and for the applicants, but it requires a 'positive' response from the Borough Council, which has not been forthcoming, as yet! 

  A glance at a map of Hunstanton should convince the planners that there is no provision within the Kit Kat site, or next to it, for parking 25 cars. It is just possible that some residents might not have a car, or would be happy to pay to park in the Southend car park, but experience in other areas suggests that people with cars prefer to park them close to their homes, regardless of whether they are in permanent or temporary residence. 

  There is also concern about the size, design and purpose of the proposed development. In its heyday the Kit Kat provided entertainment, rather than accommodation; on two floors, not six! It was also an interesting example of architecture in the art deco style [as shown in these photographs]. 

  Externally, it is easy to see how the late Horace Brooke incorporated part of a Victorian terrace within his 1930's development. An argument can therefore be made for a new building that would reflect either the Victorian architecture of the cottages in Seagate Road, or the art deco appearance, not only of the Kit Kat itself, but also of the southern seafront, before council-sponsored vandalism deprived us of a superb open-air swimming pool and a fantastic boating lake. 

  All three of these venues have happy memories for many longstanding local residents, therefore, I simply had to include a picture taken inside the Kit Kat on a very memorable day for me. The date was 30th June 1953 and the occasion was the wedding reception for a hero of the January floods, USAF airman, Reis Leming and his bride, Rosemary Joan Ramsay. 

  They had been married by the Bishop of Northampton at the Catholic Church in Hunstanton, where my parents were members of the choir and I was an altar boy. I had the morning off work from James Lambert & Sons Grocers in Westgate, currently Abbott’s the estate agents. I should have reported back for duty in the afternoon, but after knocking back five champagne cocktails, blissfully unaware of their alcoholic content, I was unfit for work and went home instead, nursing a very sore head! 

For the next three years it was soft drinks for me, some of which were consumed in the American Soda Fountain, located inside Stockdales on Le Strange Terrace, now Thomas's. This was not the only transatlantic import and Reis Leming was just one of many Americans to set foot in our town in the 1950's. For a time the population of Hunstanton included about one thousand US citizens, comprising USAF personnel and their families from the 'base' at RAF Sculthorpe and, in order to accommodate them, many houses were hastily converted into apartments.

Needless to say, the shops and places of entertainment benefited from the extra trade they brought. The Capitol cinema (Princess Theatre) enjoyed larger audiences and the locals got to see more Westerns than might otherwise have been the case!

Most people went out of their way to make our 'cold-war' allies feel at home. For their part the Americans seemed to enjoy being part of the local community, as exemplified in the way they supported the 1952 production of "They call them Yanks" vividly described by John Smith in the January Newsletter.

  Of course, by the time they returned to the States, more than a few of the single airmen had married local girls and in many cases this led to a great affection for West Norfolk in general and Hunstanton in particular; with regular visits back to 'good old England', over many years.

  A classic example is that of Stan Goldman from Roswell in New Mexico, who is a life member of Hunstanton Civic Society. He married Brenda Saunders in the 1940's and although Stan is now a widower, he still comes back to Hunstanton whenever he can and keeps in touch with family and friends by exchanging letters and emails.

  This leads me to conclude that Hunstanton should be actively promoted as a tourist destination for visitors from the USA, including the descendants of those who lived in or around the town half a century ago.  However, if such visitors are to be attracted, the town will have to conserve what remains of its heritage, including the Princess Theatre (Capitol cinema) and do more to restore its former character and appearance.

We should also be prepared to learn from our visitors, by finding out what attracts them to this country and by asking them how they promote the places from whence they come. This is a topic on which other readers will doubtless have ideas worth sharing. I have already received information on a very interesting art project, which proved successful in the resort of Capitola in California. There will be more to write on that subject next month.

  Meanwhile, Turnstone wants to let everyone know that he has not turned his back on this most excellent publication simply because he has a column in the Lynn News every Tuesday. In fact, space permitting, he hopes to return with an interview in the April Newsletter.