"BELLIES LIKE JOE BOADLE"

 

Fresh herring  nets a

washed-up

Keswick

The  Lake District town of Keswick, pictured, which is now one of the most popular  holiday spots in Britain was once in danger of becoming a dirty fishing village, a local newspaper has just recalled.  

Visitors  were being driven away in disgust by the situation in the town says the newspaper article. Things were so bad that a report was made to the town`s board of health.

The situation was caused, by of all things, fresh herrings and the men who sold them!

These men, who the report called” herring cart men”, could be found “in the leading streets from dawn to dusk yelling in the most discordant tones to the accompaniment of ear splitting bells.”

And horror of horrors…”visitors to Keswick are being driven away in disgust as the town descends from the level of a fashionable watering place to that of a dirty fishing village” the report adds.

That was 150 years ago, at the height of the reign of Queen Victoria.

How times change!

Let us move from that Keswick on the brink  to a more relaxed Keswick, much nearer the present day and within the memory of people still alive.

These people recall fresh herring being sold on Keswick streets, but not by herring cart men.

New herring men had start to operate.And they were mechanised with specially adapted Bullnose Morris Cowley cars,pictured.

 

 Customers stood and watched as the herring were gutted and made frying pan ready, more often than not in time for breakfast.

Yes, these new herring men had hand bells to attract customers . But there was no “yelling in the most discordant tones.”

What the Bullnose Morris men also seemed to have  was an unending humorous sales patter. Often this patter was at the expense of notable Keswick people, including one Mr.Joe Boadle

Mr. Boadle, in Mr Kipling terms, was an exceedingly stout man.

Because of his exceeding stoutness, the Bullnose Morris Men`s sales patter regularly compared Mr. Boadle to exceedingly “stout” fresh herrings.

The sales patter went something like this: “ Freshest fresh herrings in England.. they`ve got backs like farmers and bellies like Joe Boadle”.

  Community Voice Carlisle is the blog of Carlisle Tenants` and Residents`Federation. Information about the Federation is available on 01228 522277.