A sad story from the Coroners Reports. Friday 30 June 1899 BRIXHAM - A Death Trap At Brixham. –
Mr Sidney Hacker, County Coroner, held an Inquest at Brixham last evening, relative to the death of WINNIE WOTTON, aged nine years. –
JASPER WOTTON, the father of the child, said she told him she jumped on the rails at the Maritime Steps (now known as Queen’s Steps) to slide down and fell over. He took her to the doctor, who set her arm, which was broken. On the way back the deceased became unconscious and died the next morning. In reply to the Coroner he said the rails fixed in the steps were perfect death-traps, with many children falling off the rails.
There was one flight of steps almost perpendicular for 100 feet. There certainly ought to be spikes or knobs fixed into these rails.
Mrs Vass said she saw three children on the top of the steps, and spoke to them in passing. Shortly afterwards she heard a thud and a child cry. She returned and found WINNIE WOTTON lying on her face. She took the child home. Dr Elliott, who had made a post mortem examination, said death was due to a slight fracture at the base of the skull.
A verdict of "Accidental Death" was returned, and the Jury (Mr W. Brewer, Foreman) added a rider that the attention of the Council be called to the dangerous condition of the handrails to steps in Brixham, and that measures be taken to prevent children sliding down them. Many of the steps now have the prevention knurls on them. Health & Safety is nothing new - 120 years ago it was thought of but so sad that a child died first.
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The sweet shop on the way home from the harbour to Garlic Rea.
I loved that shop. Sweeties while we waited for Gramp and Dad to come out of the Maritime.
The sweet shop also sold Kojak lollypops my favourite.
My way to school and College . I loved the sweet shop at the top of the stairs too, it had striped window blinds!
The “Fishers” owned the shop - our stop off on our way home from Furzeham School
I loved Mrs Fishers shop after school. I also remember winning a £1 voucher in a competition, when I was quite young at school and we went to Mrs Fisher sweet shop on the way home, Charlotte and l and it took us two days to spend my voucher on lovely sweets.
That’s why I always think of them as Fishers Steps the name of the people in the sweet shop.
Spent most of my childhood running up and down those steps as my mum owned Scoops, the shop at the top in the late 80/99s, just when the marina was being built.
Whenever I go home to Brixham now I always have to have an ice cream with clotted cream on top.
My Great Grandma and Grandad had that shop at one time. They were called Trist.
Often went in there for sweets when i was a kid. My dad had a boat just down the second set of steps.
Lost count of all the times I went up and down them over the years, usually heading to or from my dad's office in the coastguard building. He was D. O. until I was in my early 20s.
Dad's cousin had the tea shack at the bottom of the steps when us was kids... We'd get a free bottle of Pepsi and crisps whenever we went by on the way to Shoalstone Pool.
My parents had the Maritime. I had to carry my push bike half way up those steps after using it
All these photos of steps reminds me of my walk to primary school. Down one hill then up the next.
As a child I use to slide down the rails until one day I really hurt myself. I didn’t do it again.
Doctors report from 1841, "the lady became ill so I injected her with tobacco. The next day she died".
Another doctor’s death certificate. He couldn't understand why the patient had died when he instructed her to drink 2 pints of seawater a day. Railings were the least of your worries.
Life before X Rays...sad tale.
According to google, X-ray was invented on 8th November 1895. Just a thought... I wonder how many patients this Dr basically murdered?
Manor Steps have 111 steps and they do have metal knobs on them perhaps put on after this awful tragedy.
Now I know why the step railings have these knurls.
Well at last I know why they had the knobs placed on them. To stop us sliding.
Just about every day of my childhood I went up and down St. Peter’s Hill. Always used to wish there weren’t any knobs on the railings to stop me getting a good slide down.
Audio
Narrations of memories of Queens Steps
At the top of Maritime Steps, back in the fifties, was a sweet shop that sold Brixham pink rock. My favourite sweet shop.