The Wild Wild West of Walton!
Today we step back to a time when Cowboys roamed the land in Walton... yes really! 😂
Cowboy capers
Hi all, it’s Vic here! As I’ve mentioned in our first post, I used to holiday with my family in Walton several times a year. But this a story from before we bought our caravan at the Martello, and were actually renting one off a family friend.
I must have been about 5 or 6, and Walton was like one giant playground to me at the time! If I wasn’t spending my pennies playing the very elderly arcade machines at the Martello (pre the big fancy one on the corner being built), I was riding motorbikes around town (20p in the slot outside the Eastcliff / Naze Mariner bar), or spending all my family’s holiday money trying to win plastic toys off the penny falls at the pier (sorry Mum and Dad).
On this particular day, we decided to take a walk down to the Eastcliff. My Dad and Grandad used to like playing on the pool table there. And the whole family also loved playing the old fashioned one-armed bandits and tuppenny nudgers in the little arcade.
As we were walking down there, we heard gunshots, and CanCan music playing and smoke appeared to be coming from the field next to the Bath House pub, so we went to investigate. This must have been nearly a decade before the Columbine Centre was opened, so it was quite a while ago.
Anyway, in the corner of the field (to the left edge of where the Columbine Centre now stands) there was a whole Wild West village!* This was where all the noises were coming from! There was a jail, a general store, and at the very centre a hotel called the Golden Garter Saloon! There were also carts and wagons, Can Can dancers and cowboys! It really was an exciting sight! * Since writing this, I’ve found out it was called Lubinsville.
A story was being played out, there was lots of firing of guns, music and people running around! I think there might have been Indians as well as Cowboys too!
I’m not sure when it actually closed, I assume when they started building the Columbine Centre? I don’t remember it being there when I was much older though.
I also remember there being horse and donkey rides at the very front of the Bath House Meadow in front of the old children’s play area Which as well as the usual swings etc, also had a pile of squareish rocks that you could climb on, and some animals on big springs (which I often gravitated towards as a child). I have suffered a fear of heights all my life, so when placed on a horse, I absolutely screamed the place down wanting to get off! I say horse, it was probably only a pony, and I was just being a wuss! 😂
Anyway, I was sitting in front of the laptop this weekend, and I started thinking about the Wild West Show, so I thought I’d try and draw some of the characters, buildings and signs from it. The only problem is, I now have “The Deadwood Stage” song stuck in my head from Calamity Jane!
Particularly this part:
Introducing Henry Miller
Just as busy as a fizzy sasparilla
Ain't a showman any smarter operates the Golden Garter
When the cream of Deadwood City comes to dine
And I'm glad to say he's a very good friend of mine
I like to think my Mum would have approved! This being one of her favourite films!
I’ve picked out some of the lovely colours from the original buildings and signage, and applied them across a set of 4 designs. I think they will make a lovely set of coasters as well as the usual items.
There is:
Can Can - featuring one of the dancers
The Golden Garter saloon sign (hand-lettered)
Walton Wild West Show (featuring everyone’s favourite local ‘Cowboy’)
And the Golden Garter building itself
I’ll be adding the designs to the website soon.