SQUARE ROOKS, RED TRELLIS SHIPS AND A DAREDEVIL BROTHER

WITHOUT the breakwater I suppose not many photos would have been taken of the sea front from this angle. One thing is certain, the high cost of achieving it was for far greater reasons. The date, I would guess, as the early 1930s. The two six-inch guns are clearly visible at the top and at that time were completely exposed. Practice firing seemed to occur regularly at bank holidays when a war department tug arrived and was used to tow two targets, which were white with a red trellis centre. We w

What should be of greater interest is the large concrete wall of considerable length, which slid down one night in the early sixties. It had been possible to follow this wall from left to right by keeping close to it. I had a brother full of high spirits who enjoyed performing the impossible and, apart from doing cartwheels along the top of the breakwater, he seemed to enjoy his superior ability at the expense of his younger brother.

So we crawl along the thin line of grass, to the right, where the end of the wall reaches the end of the cliff, and then swings upwards. Here a quantity of barbed wire was negotiated, and we were walking up the grass slope towards the right hand gun when we were confronted by the caretaker. We had committed no material damage and didn't need to be reminded that this was war department private property. We retired in haste and somehow I feel the barbed wire disliked the speed we adopted to get through it.

Then, as still now, if you stand near the caf and look at the cliff face, you will notice a succession of square holes staggering up to the top. Homes for square rooks should be ignored, but in fact at the time of the Fort construction square timbers did go into the cut holes, all part of a double hoist system to bring shingle up from the quite small beach at the bottom, to use it with cement to make an early concrete for the walls of the moats and other structures. I understand that this early work in such materials has drawn experts to that area to examine it and admire its longevity.

At the time of this picture, holiday chalets adorned the grass area between the cliffs and the concrete of the promenade. Some were small railway carriages, others were of quite professional construction. The area seemed to be kept quite tidy and for many this was a fine weather paradise.

I remember, nearer to the harbour, where the beach (and some rocks in those days) were always covered by water. It was common to see prawn pots on the end of lines tied to the fence posts at the top. They were not interfered with and the owners could hoist them up when they wanted a nice feed of the delicacies. A large area of seaweed always gathered on the sand beach in those days; don't see it now.