Description
A memoir about the Pier and its people
by the former Pier Mistress of Clevedon Pier
Also features 'Cheers for the Pier'
by scientist and broadcaster Adam Hart-Davis.
When my husband Ivor and I retired in
1988, we thought we were leaving the world of work behind us to embark
on a life of gentle strolls along the seafront, afternoon naps, and
checking yesterday's crossword in the Telegraph. And so it was, at
first. Our daily routine took on a new, slower pace. Slower. And a
little boring...
Then, one cloudy day in February, the postman dropped an envelope
through Maggie Ashford's door – and before she knew it, retirement had
changed forever. Her middle daughter, Julie, had spotted an appeal in
her local newspaper, the Mercury. She decided to cut it out and pop it
in the post in case her parents were interested. Someone was needed to
help at the Toll House, Clevedon Pier. The idea was to set up a
business that
would generate an income to pay for the second part of the restoration
of the Pier. Maggie remembers thinking that the huge task was so
diversified that there would never be any chance of boredom.
And so it proved! In 1990 Ivor and Maggie became the managers of
Clevedon Pier, a job that was to keep them busy together for a decade.
This is the story of those happy years – the story of a beautiful Pier,
the warm friendships that were made, and the people and events that are
at the heart of a wonderful seaside town in Somerset.
These are the memories of Maggie Ashford... the Pier Master's Mistress.
