To Weston with Love... Getting Nostalgic about Weston-Super-Mare

Born in 1958, Bev Mattocks spent the first 18 years of her life enjoying idyllic summer holidays with her Grandparents in the seaside resort of Weston-Super-Mare. In January 2009, aged 50, Bev began blogging for the Weston Mercury newspaper on a range of topics from local history and genealogy to general observations and fond memories of Weston-Super-Mare in the 1960s and 1970s. "To Weston with love" is the 'best of' Bev's blog - "Weston From Afar" - updated and revised for 2018 along...
More Description

Born in 1958, Bev Mattocks spent the first 18 years of her life enjoying idyllic summer holidays with her Grandparents in the seaside resort of Weston-Super-Mare. In January 2009, aged 50, Bev began blogging for the Weston Mercury newspaper on a range of topics from local history and genealogy to general observations and fond memories of Weston-Super-Mare in the 1960s and 1970s. "To Weston with love" is the 'best of' Bev's blog - "Weston From Afar" - updated and revised for 2018 along with extra content and photographs (you can see more photos at: https://creativeweb.me.uk/weston

Bev talks about how she learned to swim in the Knightstone Baths and how she went on the paddle boats on the Marine Lake, marvelled at the Model Railway, swam in the Open Air Pool, rode donkeys on the beach, sailed to Barry Island on the paddle steamer and drank hot chocolate in Forte's ice cream parlour. And why she and her Granddad never missed the Weston Cricket Festival in Clarence Park.

On an historical note, Bev finds an intriguing link between her son's school in Bradford and one of Weston's prominent boarding schools. She also delves into the history of her Grandparents' house on Weston's hillside. Bev's mum chips in with her own memories of Weston in the 1930s and explains why she was devastated to find that the new Victoria Methodist Church organ didn't rise out of the floor with flashing lights like the organ in the new Odeon cinema - and why the family doctor prescribed a rather exotic treatment for Bev's Grandma's pneumonia. Oh, and why customs officers were convinced that Bev's Grandma was trying to smuggle diamonds into South America. And Bev discovers why, if it wasn't for a relative on her Dad's side, the iconic Winter Gardens may never have been built.

Bev's Grandfather died suddenly in the winter of 1976. Her Grandmother moved to Harrogate to be closer to Bev's family, and the Weston house was sold along with most of its contents. But the memories still remain.

Although it was never her home as such, Bev has always had an enormous fondness for Weston-Super-Mare. The Weston Mercury no longer has a blog and Bev stopped writing for it at the end of 2010 as family pressures took over.

Bev works as a freelance copywriter in Yorkshire. She also writes a popular blog and a number of books on other topics. And, whenever she can, Bev returns to Weston-Super-Mare for a nostalgic trip down Memory Lane.

A book for anyone with a soft spot for Weston-Super-Mare!