There was once a shipyard and a sawmill on the other side of the Ie. The sawmill – De Hoop – was demolished in the early the 20th century. Up to the mid-20th century, the ‘Jiskepôlle’, a plant for disposing of waste and excrements, was located on the opposite bank. Excrements were collected from the houses in so-called ‘tûntjes’ (small tons).
The Jiskepôlle
The plot of grassland across from the water was once used for disposing of ‘jiske’ (waste) and for emptying ‘tûntjes’ (small tons). In those days, the village inhabitants used a ton to collect waste resulting from the call of nature. These tons were collected by the municipality once a month and replaced by an empty ton. Some houses had a special door for this facility and an example can still be seen in the Hellingsteech. Around 1960, all houses in Woudsend included a toilet of their own, and the Jiskepôlle gradually lost its utility. It should be pointed out that the location for the emptying of the tons had been carefully considered; the Jiskepôlle was situated on the north-eastern side of the village, a rather rare wind direction from a statistical perspective…