| Description | Tape 1 Side A: CHRISTOPHER GILBERT born 13 August 1934 Bournemouth. Only child. Son of Phyllis Mary Gilbert (also interviewed). Father worked in radio business, bought and sold used cars. During war family moved several times. Never evacuated. Maternal grandparents lived in Mabelthorpe, had a guest house. Recalls staying with them in summer holidays. Grandparents had worked in farming, lost everything in depression. No contact with father's relatives. Describes parents, their varying financial fortunes. Recalls childhood home over a grocer's shop in Shrewsbury where father worked. Mentions own attitude of looking forward, not back. Learned from father to look out for self. Has always worked for self. Father was in First World War. During Second War he worked for Dunlops. Describes father's personality. Mentions own attitudes as owner of second hand business. Great Yarmouth is a deprived area. Mentions oil industry coming as herring industry was going. Own schooling in Shrewsbury was practically nonexistent, left at about 14. Details. Recalls family accommodation when first in Great Yarmouth, finally at 41 Southdown Road. Mentions bomb damage, father's subsequent purchase of neighbouring land. Parents let rooms in 1950s. Recalls notion during war that the nearer to London, the safer. Further details re war. Recalls paying guests in home who each cooked, ate and slept in one room. Accommodation difficult to get then. Parents looked after guests. Recalls having little family privacy. Feelings about own situation. Never a great sportsman. Reference to chiming clocks.
Tape 1 Side B: Describes Great Yarmouth before the oil. Predominantly holiday town. Choc-a-block in July, August. Details re summer, winter pricing. Great Yarmouth races ended summer season in September. Season died quickly. Then herring industry people came. Biggest herring industry in world. Mentions coopers, girls gutting fish, buyers. Some stayed in family guest house. Compares living conditions with summer time. Churches packed on Sunday. Mentions Sunday superstitions of Scottish herring people, their similar dress. Queues for telephone box. Prominent employers were electronics firm Aerial Resistor, Birds Eye frozen foods, Grouts Silk Mill factory. Recalls bombing damage building work in town. Development of one of biggest prefab estates in country. Family guest house linen leased from laundry. Recalls mother's washing machine. At age 14 helped father to renovate 41 Southdown Road. Tent on lawn rented to guests in 1940-50s. Early realisation of value of summer holidaymakers. Rooms let in winter to paying guests. Recalls building business up, developing car park, caravan park, chalets. Green house built by war damage people made into chalet. Details re accommodation in house. Built large conservatory dining room. Money from business immediately ploughed back. All family did bed-making. Details. Mentions hospital corners sheet tucking technique. Guests brought own towels. Influence of Americans. Details re guests' expectations. First awareness of oil/gas industry in 1960s was BP executive who stayed in house. Mentions his capacity for drink at house bar. He talked of boom time coming to Great Yarmouth. Reference to Halliburton, Brown & Root, McDermott's, Santa Fe. Details re bus converted into caravan, building business up. Built house at Number 42. Importance of car park.
Tape 2 Side A: Parking facilities at Number 41 one of its greatest assets. Explains. Soon learned that many guests wanted to stay for few days rather than a week or a fortnight as had been custom in Great Yarmouth. Impact of new building. Describes layout of facilities. Expectations of guests. Property expanded several times, acquired 10 properties. Details. Had entrepreneurial streak. Influence of father. Mother was driving force inside. Negative attitude of financiers to advancing money, resolution of this. Recalls own social life, cars. Went on holidays. Initial difficulty getting finance for business. Explains arrangement with council who didn't like caravans, bus. Mentions possibility of fines. Problems with building design. Reference Graham Pegg, architect. Details re design and building of property. Attitude of local people to own developments. Details re difficulties obtaining pub license because of local victuallers' association. Got music-related license. Details. Recalls unconventional way of getting license. Recalls early oil/gas-related guests from Sea & Land who were setting up rigs in North Sea. Realisation of money to be made, need for bar. Explains time taken to develop property, coincidental arrival of oil industry. Recalls death of a guest. Reference to industrial dispute. Details re cause of death, authorities, dealing with body. Recalls subsequent business through handling of incident. Reference to chiming clocks. No need to advertise because oil people just came. Explains their expectations. Discovered that they never bought anything, only rented or leased. They paid well for good service. Put prices up. Details re number of staff employed. Big increase in business with oil business. Poached staff from other hotels. Explains approach.
Tape 2 Side B: Details re staff, difficulties. Mentions Greek community in Great Yarmouth, their expectations as staff members, language difficulties. Got ideas of developing a la carte restaurant - a mistake. Explains. Expectations of Americans, many from poor part of Louisiana. Attitude of Americans to personnel, rent and leasing of equipment. Compares with situation under fishing industry which left its mark behind. With oil industry had many Spanish, Mexican guests. Describes hierarchy in oil industry - Spanish at bottom. Got an interpreter. Had reputation as having Spanish hotel. Recalls prostitutes, efforts to keep them out of hotel. Explains own attitude. Mentions Great Yarmouth prostitution situation. Lot of own staff married into oil industry. Recalls smaller response by other hotels to oil industry. Established bureau de change. Details re permission from Bank of England, their insistence at not being named. Good years lasted from c1965-1982. Recalls Sea Gem, other accidents. In own interests to look after sick, injured oil personnel. Mentions inadequate safety situation offshore. Recalls looking after distressed Canadian with drinking problem throwing money about. Recalls reaction of other Great Yarmouth, Lowestoft industries to oil industry. Mentions standby boats. Reference to Chris Knight. Recalls c1982 business from oil people dropping off, last big crowd. Recalls radical change in Great Yarmouth holiday industry, decline in work. Effect of Southdown Road becoming one-way, decline in oil industry, its move to Aberdeen. Thought of diversifying to Aberdeen. Explains reason for change of mind. Mentions property-buying procedure there, different environment. Redundancy situation with own property, staff. Bad economic time in 1980s. Went bankrupt. Feelings at treatment. Details re final outcome, own attempts at resolution.
Tape 3 Side A: Lost everything. Commercial trade with reps cut back. Details re development of Norwich at expense of Great Yarmouth. Changes to Great Yarmouth holiday industry. Use of accommodation for DHSS people. Tried to sell out before bankruptcy. Reason for this not happening, resulting bankruptcy. Property bought by Corporation. Details of bad deal. Attitude to situation. Able to turn hand to anything. Explains. Has developed second hand business, about to expand. Changing situation in Great Yarmouth now to more historical aspect. Situation after bankruptcy, mother's circumstances, own accommodation arrangements. Has now bought property, house. In business partnership with son. Hoping to sell property to museum authorities. Future prospects positive. Explains. Details re marriage, names of children, wife. Mentions car sticker re oil industry. Recalls having wanted to become limited liability company. Details. Feelings about Great Yarmouth. Mentions its earlier isolation. Oil/gas industry came as surprise to people there.
Tape 3 Side B: Blank
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