Thurrock Local History Society Meeting: 20 September 2024: Tales from Break Away Tours by Jackie Hurley

At our first meeting of the season local businesswoman Jackie Hurley gave us an insight of her experiences of running a holiday company. After working in PR and as a tour guide she retired in 2000 and decided to start up her own business, consisting of days out and holidays by coach. She did her research and always visited the venues, discussed hotel menus, looked at kitchens, size of rooms etc.

She also always went with her holiday makers, sharing their experiences. Her first holiday was to Weymouth. She catered for the over 50s and did such trips as Turkey and Tinsel ‐ a pre Christmas event. At first she roped in friends and neighbours, but word spread and she didn't need to advertise, save for a brochure given to customers.

She travelled the UK and Europe by coach, also visiting the Isle of Man where they met the late Norman Wisdom at his home. He was president of the Isle of Man Men-Cap Society and gave her a mascot teddy bear, which she brought to the meeting.

She told us a few stories of problems, some funny, which she always sorted out. In the 22 years of running the company only three people died on trips, Jackie keeping up her first aid training. There were also various accidents and she said she knows most of the hospitals up and down the country.

In 2001 she decided to take a trip on the Orient Express (The British Pullman), just to Felixstowe. This was followed by several more, including York. In 2003 she chartered a whole train to Dover, leaving from Victoria. All the ladies were given a buttonhole and the group looked like a wedding party. She was the first single tour operator to have chartered the train. Later she took her passengers to Paris and Venice.

She also did cruises, using Saga vessels, and did 24 in all, where they met Captains and had personal attention, with welcome and farewell parties. On one occasion a passenger brought his roller skates for use on board, which he used to use whilst working in the Tesco aisles. She was always telling jokes on her trips and told one at the meeting.

After 22 years in business Jackie had received many awards and certificates, including Woman of the Year. For the late Queen's 60th jubilee the Spirit of Chartwell was being refurbished, like Pullman carriages, and Jackie was asked to look at menus. She also spoke on Essex Radio, answering questions and did a talk at the Port of Tilbury to school leavers.

When Covid struck in 2020 with its travel restrictions, she decided to retire, realising that there was more to life than working. She now enjoys painting etc. and finished her talk with a poem, one of which she penned each day during lockdown.

This was an eye-opener on the perils of running your own business, but also the enjoyment and the making of many friends.

Thurrock Local History Society Meeting: 18 October 2024: What's In The Box ‐ Michelle Savage

Museum curator Michelle Savage gave us a comprehensive talk showing how acquisitions are logged and recorded. It was a look at the museum's collections and how they are being managed. Miichelle works with a team of volunteers, some of them long-standing. Sadly there are no vast display cases and digital display. The gallery only shows a small proportion of the collection, with thousands of objects in store ‐ on the 4th floor, basement and the middle of the museum.

Collections started in the early 1900s. There is a need to know who donated, when and their history, telling a story of Thurrock heritage. Half are donated, half archaeological. The Collections Trust create a standard for collections.

In 2017 Hazel Sacco and Simon Brinkley assisted and there has been a big turnover of staff since the late Jonathan Catton. There is a lot of information in peoples' heads and we need to find out more.

The museum uses accession registers, also cataloguing cards. Accessions are first documented in a logbook, but need to be linked to an object so that queries can be answered and are easily found for displays. Some storage objects are put on display, looking for more information. They are slowly banishing the backlog. Those with no accession number need a unique number and may have been part of a private collection. Once donated, items cannot be returned.

The museum embarked on a full inventory ‐ all boxes, racks, store cupboards searched. A temporary number is given if none is found, and logged onto the computer base. It has taken 5/6 years and is near to completion. Each item is given a unique number, name, brief description, location and picture. This helps with searching for an object with a query, also helping with other queries and school groups, bringing Thurrock heritage to life.

There are 15,000 objects recorded on data bases (boxes of flints etc counted as one item) with only 5% on display. Archaeology, photographs, books and maps comprise the largest part of the collection, with areas mostly represented by Tilbury, Orsett and Grays. Analysis of periods of history showed Roman is very well represented. Most of the collection is early 20th century. Using fixed standardised terminology gives a good picture of museum objects ‐ how they are reported and if there are any gaps. Objects must be returned to their box after being used for displays.

Long term goals: Accreditation (policies etc), rationalisation and disposal ‐ start collecting again. The museum is not accepting donations at present as they are full to capacity. The museum is looking to grow and become more relevant to our audience. Michelle would like the community to become involved, teachers, TLHS etc. and hopes to bring Thurrock communities together with a common goal, understanding, caring for and celebrating Thurrock heritage.

There is a project bid: NLHF Routes 2 Roots; they help new people to be integrated into the area. It is hoped to keep some temporary staff permanently. Michelle is really on her own and needs more help.

This was a detailed update from her previous talk on the museum, giving us hope for the future.

Thurrock Local History Society; 15 November 2024: Dr Peter Ross: The Curious History of Christmas Foods

At our November meeting Dr Peter Ross entertained us with illustrations and quirky facts with a talk entitled 'The Curious History of Christmas Foods'. He spoke of high status foods and started with an 1836 Christmas cookery book, one of many he showed us. In medieval times there were periods of feasting and fasting, driven by the Catholic religion, feasting being important, including Christmas.

Great birds were cooked including peacock and swan. The swan would be skinned and roasted, with the skin put back on, often on top of a pie. Goose was also popular, but you had to be wealthy to afford it. A centre piece was a boar's head, the most popular dish being brawn, even in Jane Austin's time. In the 16th century decoration was added, such as rosemary dipped in silver etc or meringue, looking like snow.

Robert May's book in 1660 included a list of several courses, served like a buffet. From the 17th century meat and poultry were more prominent. Samuel Pepys ate mutton and chicken, also beef and mince pies. Most people used to like beef. By 1793 rabbit was the meal for labourers etc.

The Yorkshire Christmas pie was a bird within a bird, put in a pie, Queen Victoria enjoying a giant one. She also had a baron of beef roasted at Windsor Castle. The poor bought beef from a market. The very poor had nowhere to cook meat and took it to the local baker. It was unclear how they recognised 'their' beef when it was cooked! London butchers up to the mid-20th century still hung meat outside, sometimes decorated with holly.

Turkey had come from the New World in 1535 and 30 years' later it was already part of Christmas. They were raised within a year and replaced swan, etc. Turkey cost more than a week's wages in the 1740s, reducing to less than a week in 1860 (equivalent of £400 today) and now just two hours. Up to 60% of families serve turkey at Christmas now, many raised in East Anglia.

Mince pies are the longest continuous Christmas food, originally containing minced meat. Cromwell tried unsuccessfully to ban Christmas ‐ fast, not feast! There were various shapes and designs on lids. About the turn of the 19th century meat was dropped from mince pies, still containing dried fruits and spices.

Plum pottage was also popular, forerunner of Christmas pudding - the English have always loved puddings. Up to the early 17th century it was put in the stomach of an animal, before pudding cloths were used. In the 19th century moulds came about. They were sent out to South Africa in the Boer War ‐ there was even an Empire Christmas Pudding recipe.

Twelfth Night Cake was also cooked. Sometimes a bean was hidden inside, the winner being king for a year. It was very rich and iced, bakers displaying one in their window. Later. porcelain characters replaced the bean, such as a king, knave, even down to a slut! Later marzipan was added. There was also a yule dough or doll. In the 18th century a 'baby' was made out of bread dough; a man made it and his wife would find it in the morning ‐ Peter Ross said his father still made them.

Peter's talk showed how traditional Christmas fare has changed over time, some of us remembering a silver sixpence hidden in the pudding our mothers used to make.