Emsworth heritage from a family album

Published 00:00 on 1 Dec 2024

Inspired by John Williams' and Don Manson's history of the club, and Simon Langford kindly sharing the news that The Stansted Challenge Cup - won outright by my great grandad James Parham in 1874 - will be raced for again, I recently re-looked through my Parham and Prior family albums and thought some of the history should be shared so memories of Emsworth past are not lost.

My late parents Gordon and Thelma Parham were long-standing members of the club with my Dad's side well known for boat building (J.G Parham & Sons of Emsworth) and racing, and my mum's Prior side of the family having my uncle Albert Prior as crewman for The Kaiser, JP Morgan and aboard Endeavour in the America's Cup in 1934.

The following 27 photos (click to view them on the Club's photo archive) show Emsworth from the heyday of J.D. Foster's oyster fleet to the wrecks of the fleet that were the view from my house in Stanley Road in the 1970's.

See also the Club's history page.

Antony Parham

1. Aerial view of Emsworth in the 1970s - here you can see the wrecks of the Ark and Echo, the marina under development and the main A27 route still went direct through Emsworth and the square. The traffic was once directed down Kings Road dead end by mistake!
2. View from the mill pond towards Emsworth shore with the shipyard which would become Bowman Yachts and then Porter Brothers.
3. View looking towards the slipway and beach at the bottom of King Street with a J.D. Foster vessel.
4. Looking from the marina towards The Ark and millpond.
5. Dolphin Creek where the marina is now on the left
6. How Marina Close at the bottom of King Street used to look
7. My grandad James Parham swimming on the Emsworth shore with J. D. Fosters boats
8. ESC boats on a day trip to East Head
9. Emsworth fisherman on Emsworth shore on the steps that were by Lewis & Sons (my great grandad James Parham is holding the net)
10. My uncle Albert Prior on the shore with the shipyard behind
11. Uncle Albert to far right on board a London's bankers yacht the Dawn Star
12. The Dawn Star by Beken of Cowes, the hole in the picture under the top sail made by shrapnel from a German bomb that landed in Stanley Road where he lived
13. Uncle Albert's crew tie from Endeavour 1934 America's Cup
14. My great grandad James Parham with the Stansted Challenge Cup
15. J.G Parham & Sons boat yard in Dolphin Creek next to The Lord Raglan Pub in Queen Street
16. My grandad James Parham in the boat shed with a Folkboat, Spinner, Emsworth One Design and a pram dinghy under construction
17. My dad Gordon Parham and his brother Ivan making a Folkboat and Solo
18. The Parhams built hundreds of Folkboats, good to see Folkdance still at the Club
19. Folkboats about to be launched
20. My granddad with a model of the Echo he built, now on display in ESSC
21. My grandad with a model of a Parham designed 18ft racing dinghy Playmate
22. Playmate over the finishing line
23. In the 1950's all the harbour clubs did a big combined club race with the winner being awarded a 'Cock of the Harbour' burgee as the outright harbour winner. The Parhams and Playmate won the race nine times with my dad winning once in 1958 in a Solo
24. My mum and dad at the start line in their National 12 with Club EOD's built by J.G Parham & Sons. My Dad Gordon Parham built the EOD now on display in the clubhouse with the sails made by my mum Thelma Parham
25. plus 26 and 27: Views of the J. D. Fosters fleet before they were removed in 1978.