England Cricket Captain, J.W.H.T. Douglas, with his first ball! In
1901 he became professional at Theydon Bois Golf Club, holding the
position until he took over the retreat in 1917. In August, 1899, he
married at Epping Parish Church, Annie Marie Wilkinson, daughter
of a farmer. They had five daughters.
Pleasantly situated under some chestnut trees at the retreat there
was a grocery shop which later became a tea shop. Behind the shop
was a long counter, termed the 'Long Bar', for the sale of soft drinks,
and behind that was the retreat proper with various rooms for serving
meals on the ground and first floors, with balconies on the first floor
also used for serving meals. The kitchen and boiler room and similar
offices were on the ground floor. The Yates family lived in a flat on the
first floor at the eastern end of the range of buildings. The premises,
like the other retreats, were constructed almost entirely of wood.
During the close season in the winter months the buildings were
entirely repainted always in the same colours of dark green and white.
During the Second World War the retreat was taken over by the
Forces, at first by the Second Training Battalion of the Welsh Guards,
who presented a plaque to Mr. Yates which is still a treasured
possession of the family. The Guards were replaced by other units and
finally by the King's Own Scottish Borderers. On the 18 November,
1940, in the course of an air-raid, a parachute mine was dropped and
in descending this entangled with the helter-skelter on the site, slid to
the ground and exploded, entirely wrecking not only this retreat but
severely damaging another on the opposite side of the road, and
causing fatal casualties among the troops stationed in both places.
The seaside retreats opened by the Riggs family do not concern
us here with the exception of the Dovercourt Retreat which is of
interest because between 1891 and 1894 it was sold to W.F. and H.
Gray, who lived and raised their families there until 1906 when W.F.
Gray removed from Dovercourt and took over another retreat at
Theydon Bois. This retreat had been built, possibly in competition
with Riggs retreat, sometime between 1882 and 1886 by Thomas
Dossett, who was also in business as a builder in Theydon Bois. By
1899 his son George William Dossett owned the retreat. Despite the
removal, the Grays retained an interest in the Dovercourt business
which as a limited liability company continued trading until 1959. An
entry in the Herts and Essex Trades Directory for 1958-9 gives the
information that as a restaurant and cafe at the Lower Marine Parade
the firm was still operating. Shortly afterwards it went into liquidation
and the site was purchased by the local Council.
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