We wandered down to the pub last night, five or so minutes earlier than we used because now our destination is five or so minutes away from home. ‘The pub’ used to be the Dolphin, but no more, now we are Shipmates, Shippers, Shipworths, now we head to The Ship, erupted to be the oldest pub in Weston-super-Mare.
The first time I ever went in was shortly after our family had moved from Cambridge to Weston-super-Mare. My sister and I were born and brought up in Cambridge, my dad had lived there all his life, and my mum had lived there since she was eleven, so we were Cantabrigians through and through. My dad was a scientist and there was a big reorganisation of research labs and The Low Temperature Research Station was closing and two new institutes were to be formed – the Food Research Institute in Norwich and the Meat Research Institute in Somerset. Dad and the family were to be moved from east to west, which meant a new school for us girls.
The summer after we moved, some of our swimming club friends came to stay – a great time, which I’ll write about at some point. While they were with us, my sister and I took them to the nearest pub – which we didn’t know at all, an old place in the next village, It was an old place, a very old place and there were several different little bars and we found one little snug which suited the six of us. It was the first pub in our new home, and after that first visit I don’t think I went in there for many, many years, in fact, it may have only been when we moved back here in the year 2001.
Yes, that first Uphill pub we visited was The Ship! Of course, as you might imagine, it has changed considerably since then, all the small bars have been knocked through, though the bowling alley is still there and still in regular use. There is now a dining area upstairs and a pool table downstairs. The Ship is our pub, we always get a warm welcome and a good, well-pulled pint of beer, or glass of wine, or practically anything else you might want. Many Dolphin folk have also migrated so we still see our chums and catch up with the local news when we visit.
Lois Elsden 