We’d take clothes for the children, we’d take bed linen because the children would be sleeping on beds with no bed linen. “My mum and I used to go and visit her and take her stuff which she would then flog. My mother looked after Jean her whole life. My mum was her main support, financially. “She had eight children by different men.
Even her own mother didn’t like her very much. It was only as I got older that I realised that not everybody was like that.”Ĭhristine knew that her parents weren’t married and that the family had a difficult relationship with her mother’s sister, Jean. “I didn’t understand why but that’s how it was. We weren’t encouraged to speak to neighbours. “I grew up with my mum and dad, we lived in a flat. How didn’t I know for the whole of my life?” There are hundreds of women who did exactly what my mum did all through history. “If you look at a lot of oral history about gay people, it tends to still predominantly focus around men. Now whether that was a relationship that would have continued, for the rest of her life, I don’t know. My mum was technically denied the one thing she wanted, which was to be with probably the woman she loved. “I’ve been able to have a career, have a family, and still be gay. She feels like she’s finally able to talk about it. “She said that she’d had a relationship, quite a long standing relationship with a woman and that her parents had written her a letter saying that if there was any form of relationship going on, that they didn’t approve and that it wasn’t an appropriate way to live a life.”Įllen kept her mum’s secret for nearly 20 years. “I then asked, ‘does anybody else know?’ and she said, ‘no, I will go to the grave with this and you are to tell nobody.’ The way she fixed her gaze on me, when she said that, I knew she was serious.
She just span round and said, ‘I think I do’.”Įllen’s mum told her that she’d had a relationship with a woman, but that she had married Ellen’s father and had never told anybody. I said, ‘you don’t know what it’s been like’. “I eventually just turned around and said ‘Mum, I’m gay’. “We were just standing between the living room and the kitchen and Mum was busy cooking. I didn’t think I could continue not being honest with them. “I’d been living my gay life quite quietly away from the family home and I just got to the point where I needed to talk to my parents about my life. If you witness any incidents of inappropriate behaviour please report them to the police on 999 or 101 and inform our team on 01929 450500.“I asked, ‘does anybody else know?’ and she said, ‘no, I will go to the grave with this and you're to tell nobody.’" Offenders will be prosecuted, including those making inappropriate use of photographic or filming equipment and drones, which may be confiscated as evidence. We want everyone to feel safe at Studland and indecent behaviour will not be tolerated. Our café is next to the car park at Knoll Beach. Please be aware that there are no toilet facilities available at the naturist beach itself. The nearest toilets are at Shell Bay car park and Knoll Beach. There are National Trust car parks at Shell Bay and Knoll Beach, a walk of approximately half an hour from the naturist beach.ĭaytime parking is also available on Ferry Road (non-NT) subject to a Traffic Management Order. Posts marking the old boundary were left in place as removing them would damage the dunes, but they were repainted brown. The boundary of the northern section of the naturist area was extended approximately 50 metres inland where it is marked with green posts. In April 2013 we expanded the naturist area following requests for more space from naturist groups.