Working at William Wyatt’s yard
Harold Cutts spent much of his working life at William Wyatt’s boatyard on the West Mersea waterfront. The yard repaired yachts and traditional wooden working craft, and adapted as pleasure sailing grew on the River Blackwater.
When the ageing William Wyatt handed over more responsibility, the business became a limited company. Its directors included Edward Wyatt, H. Frederick Cutts and Harold Cutts. Harold remained closely associated with the yard through its later emphasis on chandlery.
A recorded voice from the waterfront
In 1982 Harold spoke with Dennis Chatters for issue 56 of Mersea Island Lions’ Talking Magazine. The 18-minute recording covers changes in the types of boats handled at Wyatt’s, people who worked or visited the Hard, and the West Mersea Fire Brigade. Unlike a later retrospective summary, the recording preserves Cutts describing the trade in his own voice.
Boatbuilding, repairs and chandlery
The firm continued building and repairing boats, but chandlery became a greater part of its business during the 1960s. A photograph from around 1965 shows Harold outside the William Wyatt Ltd chandlery shop on Coast Road.
John Milgate trained at Wyatt’s, left in 1956 to work for the River Police in London and returned to the yard in 1969. His later shipwright work included restorations of local traditional craft. Their careers connect the era of wooden commercial boats with the preservation of the surviving fleet.
Recorded and photographic sources
Hear the 1982 Harold Cutts interview, or read the related histories of Wyatt’s boatyard and John Milgate. Historic photographs of the shop are in the Coast Road collection.