A Heritage Walk on the Fitties with Sarah

the garden fence chat
the green willow weeps with joy
a late summer’s day

By the Coast : Humberston Fitties

Shona and I spent the morning on the Humberston Fitties on a group heritage walk led by local artist Sarah Palmer from the ‘House with the Blue Door’, which is a chalet on the Humberston Fitties. Sarah is introducing people to the history and heritage associated with the area.

We met the group by the entrance to the Anthony’s Bank Car Park where Sarah gave us a beautifully designed leaflet which on one side has the diagram below. It features some of Sarah’s sketches of chalets on the Fitties.

Like Shona and myself, Sarah was a journalist for much of her working life, so we had lots in common. I saw a few yawns from the younger participants, who were extremely patient with us as we swopped stories, but they wanted to get walking.

Sarah showed us the original plans for her chalet, and her paintings of others, and then, introductions completed, we set off away from the beach into the undergrowth and crossed a wooden bridge over a dyke to a road I have not been on before, and then very quickly arrived at Sarah’s chalet, which is named ‘The House with the Blue Door’.

Two ladies were sitting on the decking at the chalet and when they saw Sarah they got up and walked over to the gate. As they arrived Sarah gave them a big hug. The ladies were mother and daughter, Ann Williams and Wendy Cornish who are regulars at the chalet. They enjoy travelling over from Nottinghamshire for a break. Ann was born and raised in Grimsby, and was christened at the Fisherman’s Chapel at Central Hall just off Freeman Street. Her father worked on the docks as a fish filleter, so they know the area well.

They offered us cups of tea, but we had to move on with the walk so politely declined. I think we could have chatted to them all day. We walked along the top of Anthony’s Bank, which Sarah told us had once been to protect farm fields from flooding, and as we did we stopped to talk more. We chatted about the designs of the chalets and the local wildlife and flowers. Joining the walkers was Miranda, who has a chalet, and she loved the little white flowers. She was keen to seed some in her chalet garden, which is near to Sarah’s.

Walking across the little bridge to get to this chalet must be a lovely way to return home.

We also heard about a fire at one of the chalets and the history and the heritage of the Fitties themselves, and how people once put up tents there before the more permanent buildings started to appear. During the wars the military was based there. The area just seeps heritage stories.

We spent two hours walking around the Fitties with Sarah, and learnt so much from her. It was a lovely time. I am hoping that Sarah will do similar for us in a few weeks when we return to visit with another group of photographers from the Royal Photographic Society. We took one group there just over week ago.

Photographs and words by Stewart Wall

© Stewart Wall, September 11th 2022