|
The River Yare
|
Hire boats afloat on the River Yare
The River Yare forms the southern boundary of the village and supports many boatyards and ancillary businesses.
Brooms (see below) was a large boat-building business, now in the business of hire boats, and there are several other boat-hire firms to attract visitors.
Many people live on their boats, while others stay in the chalets along the riverside.
There is a large marina and several smaller ones for moorings.
Pleasure boats used to travel from Great Yarmouth and Norwich along the river to visit Brundall Gardens
Click the photos below to see a larger image and caption.
Brooms (see below) was a large boat-building business, now in the business of hire boats, and there are several other boat-hire firms to attract visitors.
Many people live on their boats, while others stay in the chalets along the riverside.
There is a large marina and several smaller ones for moorings.
Pleasure boats used to travel from Great Yarmouth and Norwich along the river to visit Brundall Gardens
Click the photos below to see a larger image and caption.
 Martin Broom
The early boating catalogues of the family business of C.J.Broom & Sons, founded in 1898 by Charles Broom, declared 'Broom's Boats are Best', next to the firm's iconic star-and-crescent pennant. For more than 100 years Broom's built boats ranging from traditional Broads yachts to ocean-going power-boats. It now runs a fleet of hire boats. Broom's boatyard is situated at the bottom of Station Road over the railway crossing.
During World War 2 Broom was awarded contracts by the Admiralty for the construction of all manner of auxiliary craft. More than 60 men worked seven days a week building in the region of 500 boats. Charles Broom's grandson, Martin Broom (left), was born in 1934 in Brundall, and took over the business from his father, Basil, at the age of 30. His father and uncle both died, one of his cousins had died in WW1 and another decided to go into the church, leaving him in charge of a boatyard employing 25 men. He had been a boat-building apprentice with Herbert Woods of Potter Heigham and did his National Service as a boat repairer in the air-sea rescue service at Plymouth. It was about this time that fibreglass revolutionised boat building. This was also the time when hiring boats for holidaying on the Broads became popular. Martin was a race-winning sailor and involved in many organisations associated with sailing and the Broads. He was made an MBE in 1991. His wife, Jennifer, helped in the business and when he died in 2013, three years after he had sold Broom’s Boats, he left his widow and two daughters, Amanda and Emma. |
Charles and Elizabeth Broom circa 1900
|
Copyright: Nothing on this website may be copied or published without the permission of the Brundall Local History Group. This does not mean we will not give permission, but you do have to ask us. The archive material has come from many sources and there are many copyright holders.
