Interview with Terry Cringle about his family's boarding houses in the Isle of Man
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Date(s): 10 September 1998
Creator(s): Manx Heritage Foundation
Scope & Content: Track 1: Terry Cringle (born 1931) talks to John Beckerson about his family boarding houses in the Isle of Man. Terry talks about how he was born in one of his parents' boarding houses, Studley House, (now demolished) and the 'fleet' of boarding houses owned by his family from the 1940s-60s including his grandfather Cringle; his father (ex-ship's cook) doing the cooking and his mum front-of-house with the visitors; visitors bringing their own food; in their second season (1931-1932) his parents started providing full board; types and timings of meals and drinks; visitors; Isle of Man Tourist Trophy (TT) race weeks with motorcycles in the garden.
He talks about the Second World War with boarding houses requisitioned to house internees, with Cringles' boarding houses used to house troops guarding camps; his father in the RAF; anecdote about an Italian internee's wife staying at the guest house and her husband escaping to visit her there.
Terry describes busy post-war seasons with over 600,000 visitors to the Island; guest house proprietors 'living private'; parents' holidays to resorts in the south of England; problems caused by rationing; daily food deliveries to boarding houses; staff, wages and tips; the season and the importance of TT week to the trade; rental of boarding houses by proprietors and his parents buying their property; father dying in 1964; mother running the boarding house until the 1970s; how important personal friendly service was to ensure repeat business; his becoming a journalist; modernisation of the boarding house; visitors' activities.
Track 2: The second short part of interview starts mid-sentence with Terry talking about social life in boarding house and how people have lost the capacity to take pleasure in simple things.
Administration / Biographical History: Terence Frank Cringle (Terry Cringle) was born on 3 January 1931. He died, aged 91, on 12 February 2022. John Beckerson, researcher, born 1974.
Language: eng
Extent: 32 min. 3 sec.
Item name: cassette tape
Collection: Sound Archive
Level: ITEM
ID number: SA 2019-0001/15
Access conditions: All reasonable attempt has been made by Manx National Heritage to trace and request permission (where needed) from the copyright holder(s) in this sound recording. If however you think you are a rights holder then please contact Manx National Heritage.
Subject tags : #UOSH, #UOSHTT, #UOSHHolidays